Our local water in the valley is fishing very well. Summer fishing on the Willamette and Mckenzie is in full swing and the bugs are here. Summer continues to chug on, but we aren’t feeling the negative effects of the heat just yet. We have thus far dodged wildfires, extreme heat, and the dog days of summer where fishing slows a bit. Knock on wood, let’s hope the trend continues as long as possible. That means that right now is a great time to get out and hit the river, or that small creek you’ve been meaning to explore.
We are seeing consistent hatches of PMD/ PEDs, caddis, golden stones, yellow sallies, and terrestrials are just around the corner. The most consistent summer bug, by far, is the PMD. This small cream colored mayfly starts hatching in the afternoon and generally goes into the evening. In the last few hours of light you can catch a PMD spinner fall, where spent adults die on the water after they spawn. Fish key in on this and large fish wait for these spinner falls to happen. The other major player in terms of dry fly fishing is the golden stonefly. This is the main reason why we use a big foam Chubby Chernobyl style dry with a dropper in the summer. These bugs are high calorie meals, and are difficult for fish to turn down.
The afternoon into the evening is when there is the most insect activity at the moment. The PMD hatch begins in the afternoon and persists into the evening. Some great flies for the early afternoon hatch are: Sparkle Flag, Tilt Wing PMD, or a Quigley’s Film Critic PMD. Closer to dark, you may catch a PMD spinner fall. This is when sexually mature insects mate and fall to the waters surface “spent”. PMD spinners are smaller and look different, try these for the Spinnnerfall at dusk: Rusty Spinner or a Hi-Vis Spinner. These flies can be small so tagging them behind a larger fly like a golden stonefly can help you keep track of them, especially in low light. Goldstones will be active mid-day into the afternoon. Here are some shop favorites: Fools Gold Stoneflies, Double Stack Chubby Chernobyl, or a Clarks Stone. Yellow Sallies make great mid day searching patterns, especially on smaller streams and at the heads of pools. Here are some that we don’t leave home without in the summer: Silvey’s Yellow Sally, J’s Hi-Tie Sally, or a Parachute Headlight Yellow Sally. We are seeing larger summer caddis and a classic caddis pattern makes an excellent prospecting pattern. I especially like them on small streams. Here are some I always pick up in the shop this time of year: Splitsville Caddis, Rubber Legged Elk Hair Caddis, or an Elk Hair Caddis Tan.
Searching with a dry-dropper rig is undeniably the most efficient way to probe water in the summer. This requires an extra buoyant dry fly and a nymph tagged below. Depending on the water turbidity and the nymph’s weight, you will have to choose a dry fly that is buoyant enough to suspend the nymph. Generally the more turbid the water, the more foam you need on your dry fly. That is why we love to run the following flies as our select dries for our rig: Double Stack Chubby Chernobyl, Chubby Chernobyl, Water Walker, Fluttering Stone. As a rule, this time of year we like to fish all of these in a golden-yellow color to mimic golden stones. As summer progresses, there are opportunities to change that dry to a hopper or beetle. For the dropper, we like tungsten jigged nymphs. Here are some of our favorites to run below a dry in the summer: Jigged Mega Prince, Olsen’s Blowtorch, Jigged Duracell Nymph, Weiss’ Possum Anchor Jig, MFC Jigged Pearl Rib Perdigon, or a Jigged Frenchie.
When things get hot and the sun is glaring down at high noon, there is not a whole lot that you can do to entice a fish to eat on the surface. This is when carrying a nymphing stick is key. Generally, I first search a run with a dry or a dry-dropper rig. If no one wants to eat from the surface, I will dredge a double nymph rig through the run. Often I will pick up lethargic fish that are waiting for better conditions to actively feed. I like running a medium or small ORO Indicator depending on the size of my nymphs and the water I am fishing. I always run two nymphs and like to pair something flashy with something natural. Generally one of those nymphs is heavy, and often act as more of a tool to aid in getting the target nymph in the zone quicker. Here are some heavier nymphs that I like to use: Jigged Possie Bugger, Jigged Mega Prince, T.J Hooker Nymph, or a Jig Hot Spot Girdle Bug. Often off heavy fly, I will tag something more closer related to what is hatching seasonally. Generally this fly is smaller and lighter, so the heavier flies above are extremely important to getting this fly deep fast. Here are some I’d include in my box currently: Improved Jigged 20 Incher, Tungsten Jig PMD, Jig Fullback Napoleon, Yardley’s Low Hole Jig Fly, or a Croston’s Full Metal Jacket Jig. I like to tag these off lighter tippet so that they can blow around more freely in the current. I like Scientific Anglers Fluoro in 4-5x for the lighter nymph.
Our local rivers are fishing great. The Mckenzie and Willamette are at great levels to float and to explore on foot. This is the best of both worlds and conditions cater to both types of angler. All of our valley tributaries are fishing well too. This is a great time of year to tromp up a small stream searching for wild fish. Generally, there is a dense canopy which keeps these streams cool making them good summer options, when our bigger rivers more exposed to the sun warm up. Conditions are great for wet wading. Mornings and evenings can be chilly; I’ve been keeping myself warm with a pair of Backcountry Sinks Z series. These neoprene pants keep me warm, keep the sun off, and when it’s hot during the middle of the day, one dunk and they keep me cool for hours.
It is a good time of year to begin to be mindful of water temps. Small streams, high lakes, and warm water species will become your friend as things get hot. Stay tuned for another article outlining water temps and trout fishing. If you need anything, swing by the shop and we are happy to help get you geared up for a fun day on the water.
Community night over at Falling Sky this month lands on Tuesday the 22nd. Feel free to bring your tying gear, or just pop in and visit. We love new faces, bring all of your friends!
-Simon
