Central Oregon Fly Fishing

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River Tips BACK TO TOP

GENERAL TIPS
Best Time of Day for Fishing
- Spring - In the springtime, the best time of day for most fish tends to mid-morning and late afternoon in early spring and early morning and late afternoon towards the end of spring.
- Summer - In summer, the best times of day to fish by far are early morning from dawn until 2 hours past sunrise and late afternoon from 3 hours before sunset until dusk.
- Fall - During the fall, the best times of day to catch most species of fish is early morning and late afternoon.
- Winter - In the winter, wait until mid-morning to start fishing for the best results. Fishing in the mid-to-late afternoon is usually very good as well.
Rain, Snow, Clouds - Rain and clouds can bring about great trout fishing and some of the best fly fishing for trout occurs right before and during a steady rain event.

Fall Deschutes Crooked Metolius TOP

Fall River Info & Tips

Click here to check latest Fishing Reports above
OPEN ALL YEAR, ONLY fly fishing & barbless hooks
Best fishing often evenings June through August, many prefer fishing in winter months
From Google (6/11/2016)
To successfully fish the Fall River (whether targeting the spring-fed waters in Central Oregon or fishing during the autumn season), focus on light tippet, stealthy presentations, and subsurface imitations. Because the crystal-clear waters and pressured trout demand a precise approach, scaling down your tackle is the key to hooking up.Fall River (Central Oregon) TacticsIf you are fishing the famous spring creek in Central Oregon near Bend/Sunriver, the water remains remarkably clear and cold year-round.The Right Tackle: Stick to a 4-weight or 5-weight fly rod. You will need a long leader (10 to 15 feet) tapered down to 6X or 7X tippet.Flies: Rely heavily on small, tungsten bead-head nymphs (like Pheasant Tails or Zebra Midges) or slowly swung streamers. When dry fly fishing, match the prolific hatches with Blue Winged Olives (BWOs) or Pale Morning Duns (PMDs).Presentation: Trout often hide beneath the lava ledges along the banks. Cast close to the structure, dead-drift your flies perfectly, and use fluorocarbon tippet for sub-surface presentations so the fish don't spot your line.Autumn/Fall Season Fishing TipsIf you are targeting rivers during the fall season (typically late September through November), fish become aggressive as they prepare for winter and often move into different parts of the water column.Fish Moving Water: Look for fish transitioning into deeper mid-river holes, eddies, and tailouts. Use a sliding sinker rig with bait or a jig to get through the current and track deep.Switch to Lures: As water temps cool, active fish chase larger baits. Throw 3 to 5-inch swimbaits, spinners, or suspending jerkbaits.Target the Sun: In late fall, fish the northern shorelines or shallow bays that receive the most direct sunlight during the day, as these areas warm up and hold the most active baitfish.

Fall Deschutes Crooked Metolius TOP

Deschutes River Info & Tips
- Click here to check latest Fishing Reports above
- OPEN ALL YEAR, O2 Rainbow/day - 10" min, 13" max
  Best time to fish from mid-April to the end of October, most fun to fly fish during the winter (non-irrigation period)

Fall Deschutes Crooked Metolius TOP

Crooked River Info & Tips

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OPEN ALL YEAR, NO Rainbow trout >20 inches
Best fishing evenings June through August, Nymphs popular - ORANGE good fly color due to cloudy water

Fall Deschutes Crooked Metolius TOP

Metolius River Info & Tips

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ONLY fly fishing & barbless hooks, ONLY catch & release, NO fishing headwaters to Allingham Bridge (.9 miles north of Camp Sherman Store) EVERY YEAR Nov 1 through May 21, NO fishing within 100 feet of Camp Sherman Bridge
Drifting a nymph is most consisten method
'Great Fly Fisherman' magazine article on the Metolius (PDF download)
Fly Fishing Guide to the Metolius River: The fish are wild and difficult to fool. When the fish see a fly, they see it with only the lighting conditions affecting it. Use long, light leaders and tippets. You will need to use 6x and 7x tippets that are three and four foot long often.
When you can see the trout, they can most likely see you. Now that said, understand the best, most effective way to catch a trout from the Metolius River or any other spring creek that flows smooth, is to first spot the fish. You have to do that in such a way as not to alert the fish of your presence, either by sound or sight. In other words, the key is to stalk the trout. This must be done very carefully. Remember that trout cannot see objects low to the horizon due to the refraction of light. The lower you stay, the better off you are. Get down and move along on your knees if you have to. The best way is to hide behind something.
The other big key is to fish the hatches. When trout are feeding on hatching insects they are occupied with that. Catching them is much easier than just offering them something when they are resting. Knowing what is about to hatch is very important. If nothing is hatching, then you want to be fishing imitations of what is going to hatch next and what is most plentiful and available for the trout to eat.
The last key I will mention is that when the water is flowing smooth and undisturbed on the surface, it allows the trout to see your fly much better.
If you concentrate on fishing the current seams and the riffles and runs when you can find any, you will increase your odds. Anything in the water large enough to change the speed and flow of the water will create these current seams such as tree tops, grass lines, etc. The smoothest, slickest places on the river are the most difficult to fish. However, if the trout are feeding in such places, you need to fish there. That is where the long, light leaders and tippets come in. The best situation is to find a feeding trout or one that is rising to sip insects near or on the surface. If they are not rising and they are feeding on something near the bottom, watch for their white mouths to flash. That tells you they are eating something. Needless to say, when you do find a feeding trout, you must make drag free presentations. That does not only apply to fish on the surface, it applies to feed feeding beneath the surface also. A nymph coming down the stream on the bottom at a speed faster than the current is flowing on the bottom will only spook the trout.
The most important mayflies to hatch on the Metolius River are the Blue-winged Olives. They start as early a January and last through most of June.
Caddisflies are very plentiful on the Metolius River. The Spotted Sedge is probably the most plentiful with its several species. The most important stage of life of the Green Sedge is the larva stage. They are imitated with what is usually called 'Green Rock Worms'. These can be very effective on the Metolius.
Golden Stoneflies can hatch from the middle of June until the middle of September. Imitations of their nymphs work year-round. The Little Yellow Stoneflies - called Yellow Sallies - hatch from the middle of June to the middle of August.
Terrestrial insects are on the Metolius River available for the trout to eat from the middle of June through September. Imitations of beetles, ants and grasshoppers all three work great during this time period. Midges hatch throughout the year and trout can be taken on imitations of their larvae, pupae and adults most anytime of the year, but the most important times are when no other large insects are hatching.

Mayfly (Dry)	Mayfly Nymph (Wet)
Parachute Adams (Gray, Purple Haze), Baetis Mayfly, Blue Wing Olive (BWO), Pale Morning Dun (PMD), Green Drake Comparadun, March Brown Comparadun, Mahogany Dun, Rusty Spinner	Beadhead Pheasant Tail, Hare's Ear (Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear), Copper John, Prince, Serendipity
Caddis (Dry)	Caddis Nymph (Wet)
Caddis (various), Elk Hair Caddis, Green Caddis, Spotted/Speckled Caddis, Grannom Caddis, Green ROck Worm (Green Sedge), October Caddis (Fall)	Caddis Pupa, Sparkle Pupa, Z-Wing Caddis, Serendipity
Stonefly (Dry)	Stonefly Nymph (Wet)
Terrestials (ant, beetle, grasshopper), Yellow Sally, Golden Stonefjly /Clark's Stone (orange / yellow), Little Black Stones, Olive Stones, Little Yellow Stones	Pat's Rubber Legs, Girdle Bug, Kaufmann's Stone, 20-Incher
Other Surface (Dry)	Other Subsurface (Wet)
Hopper (Dave's Hopper, Chernobyl Ant), Griffith's Gnat (midge cluster), Ant, Beetle, Cricket, Mosquito	Woolly Bugger, Zebra Midge, WD-40, Brassie (midges), Muddler Minnow, Clouser Minnow, Zonker, Sculpin patterns (streamers), San Juan Worm, Egg patterns, Squirmy Wormy (attractors/other), ANYTHING ORANGE - for Crooked River

Fall River PDF

Deschutes River PDF

Crooked River PDF

Metolius River PDF

Hatch.PDF