The Caddis Fly: Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

My dad and I putting in at Warm Springs for trip #1!

It’s wildfire season in Central Oregon. It came fast and hard, knocking firefighters on their heels with winds and high temperatures. Despite this, I got out to do some fishing last week on the Deschutes, Lake Simtustus, and the Metolius.

My dad and I did a Tuesday-Wednesday float trip from Warms Springs to Trout Creek. It was hot, but thankfully we both had a pair of Simms Guard Socks for wet wading, which saved our butts. The fishing was good despite the 95+ degree weather. X-Caddis was still a hot fly on the surface, while Sparkle Pupas, nest building caddis, and emerging caddis nymphs down low also produced.

Wednesday night my uncle from Washington arrived at the Lake Simtustus RV Park, which acted as our base camp, and the next day we put in at Warm Springs for Thursday-Friday float trip. This trip met us with cooler temperatures, and even cooler fishing. An X-Caddis pattern worked early, but once the wind picked up the bugs and the fish sulked. Despite this I managed fish on Sparkle Pupas below a heavily weighted Mega Prince.

One of my dads fish caught on a #16 olive X-Caddis

I targeted the rocky banks with my tandem nymph rig and went about 4-5 feet below my indicator to my anchor fly. I hooked into two monsters that both broke me off thanks to a too-hardy drag setting, ugh. The next day was even cooler, but less wind, and even though there were bugs on the surface the fish didn’t seem to go for them. I kept with the same nymphing rig and managed to hook into a few.

Saturday I woke up back at the Lake Simtustus RV Park. Check out was at 1pm, so I only had a few hours to explore. I’d heard the lake has hearty populations of Rainbows, Browns, Kokanee, and Smallmouth Bass. I went with an olive/black Woolly Bugger and started banging the banks next to low hanging trees in the shady spots. One of my first casts produced a nice 12-inch smallmouth, my first on the fly.

My dad, my uncle, and me looking like dorks at the Warm Springs put in for trip #2

I caught two more, and had two more bites, but then I noticed fish rising towards the middle part of the east arm I was on. I began trolling with that same Woolly Bugger, but got nothing. Maybe I wasn’t deep enough, or maybe they were just focused on surface flies, who knows!? The sun was getting higher, and the wind was picking up, so I started casting perpendicular to the bank about two/three feet out, letting it sink a little deeper and did a slow retrieve around jetties and rock outcroppings. On my second cast I hooked into something monstrous. It shook its head a few times, but then I felt the sinking feeling of a slack line. He’d broken me off and stolen my last tungsten-weighted Woolly Bugger.

Me fishing near Grassy Camp under a smoke-tinted sunset.

After that the sun was too high, the fish too low, and the wind too strong. Over the few days and nights I spent there I was impressed with the size and number of fish in Lake Simtustus, and would recommend anyone who hasn’t fished it to go there and check it out. It’s also a great base camp for doing day or overnight trips on the Deschutes, which is only 15 minutes away.

Seems like mornings and evenings are best at Lake Simtustus, and a boat is a must because the bank is steep and inundated with bushes that make casting a pain. There’s also a small creek feeding the lake near the RV Park on the east arm that holds many small trout. Pheasant tails and Parachute Adams both worked there, and targeting the deeper pools below cascades was successful.

Finally, Sunday brought with it cooler temperatures and cloudy skies. I sped over to the Metolius and was met with larger crowds than usual. Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery and below was closed to fishing and visitors due to the fire, so everybody moved upriver to fish the Camp Sherman to Gorge stretch. Still, most of my favorite holes and runs were open when I got to them, and luckily the fishing was hot. I caught two rainbows, one of which was about 15”, and one large white fish all on a Yellow Sally nymph. The Golden Stones are late this year like most of the hatches due to high water and weird weather. Anyways, the Golden Stoneflies are migrating to the shore to hatch, and the trout are keyed in on them. So if you’re heading there, make sure to pack your Beldar Stones and Yellow Sally nymphs.

Overlooking Lake Simtustus RV Park. Image thanks to lakesimtustusresort.com

As for dries there wasn’t much action on top. However, around mid afternoon at Allingham hole a group of kids started throwing Cheetos into the river just below where I was fishing. I hadn’t seen a fish rise all day, and was convinced they’d fled or weren’t eating just to spite me.

“Watch the Cheeto,” one of them said.

As I did a massive redside crashed the surface and took the Cheeto with him. I looked at the guy fishing the other shore.

“Did you see that?” I asked him. “Do it again,” I said to the kids.

Sure enough every Cheeto they tossed into the water was met with a voracious rise from another rainbow. I tried everything, even an orange and brown stimulator I though looked like a Cheeto, but couldn’t get a fish to rise.

After another half an hour of unsuccessful attempts I looked at the other guy who was equally frustrated.

“Typical Metolius,” I said before setting off downstream.

Even though I didn’t get a fish on the dry that day, the fishing was still hot, and seeing those fish rise to Cheetos was a kick too. All in all it was a great week of fishing and I can’t wait to do it again soon!

Summary:

Deschutes: X-Caddis, Missing Link Caddis, and Parachute Adams in size 16 worked well early, late, and during breaks in the wind. Sparkle Pupas, Mega Prices, emerging caddis patterns, and Nest Building Caddis worked well all day along seams and rocky banks.

Lake Simtustus: Woolly Bugger early in the morning along jetties and rocky shorelines below trees produced Smallmouth. Cast close to shore and wait for your fly to get low then do a slow 6-inch retrieve. Pheasant Tails and Parachute Adams worked on Willow Creek on the east arm below cascades and in deeper pools.

Metolius: Yellow Sally nymphs were the hot fly on the Camp Sherman to Gorge stretch. Below Wizard Falls was closed to fishing and visitors due to the nearby fire. Bring some stone fly nymphs and adult dries as the Golden Stone hatch is coming off a bit later this year due to high water and weird weather.

Bryan T. Robinson

You may not know me. I’m new to the Caddis Fly Shop family. Chris hired me to help with caddisflyshop.com writing product descriptions and general upkeep. I am extremely lucky and thankful to be able to blend my passion for fly fishing with work and still get paid for it!

Anyways, my dad and I had the good fortune of floating the Deschutes last week from Warms Springs to Trout Creek. The Caddis flies were out in force and since it was the middle of the week the river was practically empty save for a few rafters and guides.

Our first few stops saw my dad hooking into with a couple smaller redsides. He was using a small X-Caddis pattern, and the fish went after it with gusto.

Fishing below Luelling River Retreat with our pontoons!

At one point we were separated. I was further up, fishing in front of the Luelling property, and my dad was 200 yards downriver. I floated down to see how he was faring, and he immediately waved me over. He’d seen three large torpedoes cruising close to the bank. He had been nymphing but after one of them smashed a Caddis adult, he switched to a dry. After four or five casts I asked to grab some of his 5x tippet since I had run out. He turned to grab some and I saw a mammoth fish smash his size 16 X-Caddis.

“Woa!” I yelled and he set the hook without even looking.

We saw him jump once, and then the leviathan was off to the races. Directly downstream from us was a tree and it took all my dads skill to keep the rod between a two-foot gap in the branches. I ran downstream. If he continued to run or if he got caught in the tree, our only chance would be for me to maybe somehow grab the line and coax him into the net without breaking him off. It was a long shot, and I knew it.

My dad recovered some line and the fish was at my feet. I saw the line had caught on an underwater branch. It’s over, I thought. He’d brake off and return to the depths.

Miraculously, the fish decided to run upriver, which untangled him from the branch, but danger still threatened. Since the rod was between two sets of branches, my dad couldn’t lift it to get leverage.

“He’s coming up,” I yelled to him. He reeled like crazy.

This monster hit a #16 olive body X-Caddis!

I got right above my dad and held the net ready. Soon the fish slipped right in with his head and tail sticking out of the 18” long net. He measured longer than my elbow to fingertips with a beautiful purplish-red stripe down the side of his body. We snapped a picture and set him loose. Our hearts still thumping in our chest we watched him swim away, our faces plastered with idiot grins.

The next day dawned cloudy and threatened rain. It was humid and thunder seemed possible. We broke camp and I tried nymphing above Grassy Camp. Thankfully my luck had changed from the day before and I hooked into a few small ones and a nice sixteen incher. They all had taken a size 18 CDC Pheasant Tail.

I managed to get this guy to net thanks to a #18 CDC Pheasant Tail Nymph!

We stopped at Frog Creek where my dad proceeded to catch monster after monster all on an #16 olive body X-Caddis. I couldn’t get a fish to move even though I was using a size 16 olive body Elk Hair Caddis. However, just above Frog Creek a massive fish smashed my #16 Parachute Adams, but after a fight in strong current he got off. When I recovered the fly I saw he’d bent the hook almost straight!

We missed the brunt of the storm, and only had to sit through a minor shower and a tiny bit of thunder. All too soon it was time to take out. It’d been a great trip with beautiful weather and even better fishing! I can’t wait to go back next week!

Heading towards takeout at Trout Creek. Can't wait to go back!

Summary: Slim body Caddis patterns were the name of the game this trip. My dad killed it with a #16 olive body X-Caddis, but a similar sized Missing Link Caddis would work too. Best places were behind overhanging trees and the soft current next to fast moving water. I had some success with a similar sized Parachute Adams, but a more imitative Caddis pattern was much more successful. For nymphs #18 CDC Pheasant Tails worked well for me in tandem with a larger Sparkle Pupa. I didn’t get many bites on the Pupa, but it was good as an anchor fly to get the PT down farther under an indicator. Nymph patterns seemed to work best early in the day, and in shady spots in soft water.

Bryan Robinson