Our rivers are at a great level for floating and wading currently! We are seeing a lot of bugs so summer dry fly fishing is on. Searching with a dry dropper setup is a great method to locate fish. Hatches of PMDs, Caddis, Gold Stones, Yellow Sallies, and Green Drakes will be going on in the afternoon. Our smaller creeks are dropping into shape and can provide some amazing small stream fishing with plenty of willing fish. Trout can be teased to the surface on dries most times of day.
Using a dry dropper to search is a very effective way to fish this time of year. We are seeing lots of gold stones as of late and they make a great searching pattern or a buoyant dry for your dry dropper rig. Small tungsten jigs size #12-16 make great droppers 3-6 feet below a buoyant foam dry fly.
PMDs will be coming off every afternoon and you may see some small caddis. You will start seeing PMD’s early afternoon and the hatch will persist into the evening. Green Drakes are happening on the Metolius and the upper McKenzie as well. The Metolius hatch is a well known prolific hatch that happens locally. It will happen mid day, especially on cloudy days. The Mckenzie hatch will especially do well on overcast cloudy days. Yellow Sallies are prevalent and make a great searching pattern mid day into the evening.
Callibaetis on the high lakes are just getting started, we have a great selection of dries, emergers, nymphs, and spent spinners. Fishing a callibaetis nymph under an indicator or stripped on an intermediate line works great. When you start seeing them eating on top cast dries to cruising fish.
This is a great year for summer steelhead locally, we are seeing some of the best returns we’ve seen in years. This is a great year to get out and swing for summer steelhead locally, it makes a great local fishing oppertunity if you don’t have time to drive far. Swing by and grab some swing bugs or traditionals for the summer.
Have fun out there!
-Simon
