Our guide Steve Erickson texted me from the river today and said the fish were keyed on Salmonflies pretty well on the Warm Springs to Trout Creek drift. His clients had hooked several on big Chubbies.
Troy and Sequoia floated the river Thursday for fun, and Troy is helping Sequoia get totally confident to start guiding drift boat trips on the Lower Deschutes to add to her repertoire. It’s great to see the collaboration our FFP staff has to make each other better.
Anyway, the big bug hatch is on, and it will only get better and better over the next 2 weeks. From day to day don’t overlook the possibly of fish getting dialed on PMD’s, Pale Evening Duns and Green Drakes now. Caddis, especially Tan #14-16 will be important now and all summer.
A dry dropper set up is a good bet when we get cool days and the fish may become less active on eating the dry salmon flies, but they can’t help but take a look at the big dries, and BAM, there is a nymph drifting by them that they want to eat.
Or you can just go to a full Nymph rig, either with a Euro nymphing set up, or indicator set up. Tan Caddis Pupa, Brown Perdigons and Soft Hackle Pheasant Tails would be my top 3 now, but there are many other nymphs to cycle through and try that will catch fish.