The Caddis Fly: Oregon Fly Fishing Blog

We took our annual John Day River trip late this year. Our trip started at the “30 Mile Wilderness Study Area” and ended at Cottonwood Bridge. The 40 mile journey travels through stunning canyons. We knew the water would be low, the Service Creek gauge was less than 200cfs when we started. At 200cfs making this float with anything other than a light raft or kayak is virtually impossible. Even in our Outcast Ambush we had to get out and drag in spots. Add the howling afternoon wind and you need to make sure you push through some areas and keep your days on the water from about 8am until 2pm, otherwise you are fighting an upstream breeze in low flows, and getting anywhere is brutal.

The John Day is an incredible smallmouth bass fishery. At 200cfs it’s simply ridiculous! Most casts would have four or five fish follow the fly. We primarily fished surface poppers and honestly it didn’t matter what size or color you were casting, it’s like the fish are starving. Often the fly is hammered upon landing, it’s like they were tracking it as it fell to the water.

Cash wanted to see if he could catch a bass on grass wrapped around a bare hook. Not a problem!

The scenery throughout the drift is phenomenal and not seeing another soul for 4 days was amazing.

There were deer near the rivers edge constantly, we saw five large herds of Big Horn Sheep, Chuckars clucking the entire time, coyotes, eagles, ospreys, snakes, beavers everyone was out to play.

Hearing rumors the famous July caddis hatch had returned I assembled a few of the Technical Men’s Conference members and headed out to find where the truth lies. The river level was 3670cfs which meant nymphing would be ideal, the early morning or late evenings could allow a nice platform for a caddis hatch, and Whitehorse rapid would expose every rock to avoid. We were not disappointed.

With the Covid 19 restrictions in operation, masks, separate tents, and a host of various disinfectants, wipes, sprays were well utilized. Social distancing was not a problem around camp and easily maintained while fishing.

Nymphing during mid day hours was very good. Euro nymphing gave consistent results. A pleasant surprise was the catch rate on the 20 Incher nymph. This fly has proven to be quite productive on the Mckenzie, Metolius and Deschutes.

The old standbys for Deschutes caddis were proven winners once again: green rock worm, deep sparkle pupa, and X Caddis (tan)

The Deschutes caddis hatch indeed was there, was it as strong as past years….not sure? We had very strong winds on Tuesday afternoon and night which placed the bugs somewhere near Klamath Falls. The wind pushed the fish down the next day (my excuse for catching fewer fish) but fishing picked up the last few days.

The Deschutes, for certain, is undergoing change with regards to water quality and insect life. Years past, trips in July for Caddis were as regular as the stone fly hatch trips. Since the controversial installation of “the tower” in Pelton many things have changed. It is important all Deschutes anglers become aware of issues facing the Deschutes. The folks a the Deschutes Alliance are “fighting the good fight” to bring the Deschutes back to a better place. Get informed and get out there….it’s a great river!

Lou V.