Columbia Gorge Fishing Report July 5th

06.47 in 5th, Boat Plans, columbia, fishing, gorge, in, july, p, report, the, u

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Fishing Report

We are now forced to focus on warmwater species until we get some serious relief from this heat.  The Columbia River is above 70 degrees in the main current in the Gorge and near 80 in the backwaters.  The Deschutes River has been continually ABOVE 68 DEGREES SINCE JUNE 26.  The temps were topping out near 76 degrees this last week.  The WashougalRiver was 78 degrees this week, the Willamette was at 79.  This is incredibly bad news and no one seems to be doing anything about it.  The impacts are going to be severe and long lasting.  Huge amounts of juvenile fish are in jeopardy across the region, from last years epic Coho and Chinook runs to last winter’s great steelhead run. 

So here we are in a severe drought with a historic heat wave causing major problems.  Rivers are too low and warm.  Going fishing in many of our traditional summer steelhead rivers raises serious ethical questions; so here we are, fishing for bass, carp and various other warmwater species now.  Ryan and I went to Mayfield Reservoir to chase Tiger Muskie last week.  We got a few follows, and that is pretty successful for Muskie.  I now have a good grasp on what I need to do next time…

Water temp at the Dalles Dam:

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?14105700

Water temp at Bonneville Dam:

http://www.fpc.org/tempgraphssl/NETFullYear_tempgraph.aspx

Water temp at Astoria:

http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/physocean.html?id=9439040

Water Temp on the Deschutes:

http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/station/flowplot/hydroPlot.php?id=MODO3&pe=TW&v=1435429823

Carp fishing is a seriously good option right now for area anglers.  The best action is when the sun is up because that is when visibility is good and you can sneak up on them.  While they are active early and late, it is harder to find them due to the low light conditions when the sun is off the water.  They aren’t that picky to the fly, but the presentation must be spot-on. 

Smallmouth Bass have been hitting topwater poppers on the Columbia River and John Day River. There are lots of fish to be caught, but moving around is key.  Earlier in the summer, the fish are congregated in spawning areas, but now they are spread around quite a bit.  A fish here, a fish there, but pay attention to the type of structure that you find them on as they will all prefer the same structure types.  Bass don’t really like sand or weeds, but everything else is fair game.

Rainbow Trout fishing on the Deschutes Riverhas been good, but fishing below Sherars’ Falls is not a good idea.  Please stay up near the dam where the water is cool enough for fish to survive a release.  Water above 70 degrees is dangerous for the fish, and fish are dying in the lower river right now without the aid of a fisherman’s release. 

Chinook Salmon are still running in good numbers, but we have not heard too many reports lately.  Last I heard, fishing has been decent but not fabulous below Bonneville Dam.  It is currently closed here in the Gorge. 

The Sockeye Salmon run is approaching record numbers, but the odds are stacked against you as sockeye are definitely not into taking flies.  Sockeye are headed for the uppermost reaches of the Columbia/Salmon/Snake River Basin.

Summer steelhead are typically starting to fish well now, but this year there are not a lot of rivers that have fish, low water temps and enough flow to fish.  The Cowlitz is typically our most productive July and August steelhead fishery and is probably the best option in either state here right now.  The Klickitat River is still very low and clarity has dropped out to less than a foot.  Water temps on the Klick have been in the mid 60’s, so there is a little hope for the fishery to remain intact for the next couple of months… Look for the water to clear up slightly as the heat wave is predicted to wane a little over the weekend.

The Hood Riverseems to clear up a little bit every evening, but is poor early in the day.  I haven’t seen anyone else fly fishing the Hood in about a month, but there is enough clarity in the evening to get an hour of fishing in.  Water temps at 8:00 pm on July 4 was 66 degrees.  The East Fork Hood River is open for trout fishing, as well as the main branch of the river.  The West Fork Hood River is always closed to fishing, except for the 100 yards or so between the confluence of the East Fork and Punchbowl Falls.  The East Fork is where the majority of the color comes from in the river, so it can be even more colored up than the main river. 

Rainbow, Cutthroat, Brown and Brook Trout fishing should be great this week in the evenings as the Hexagenia Mayfly hatch is going strong at Merrill Lake.  The hatch has stopped or waned in many of the other lakes like Timothy and Goose, but there are a few bugs around.  They hatch at night, so really early and late in the day are the best times to find Hex-eaters. 

Fishing is still great at many of the local lakes (whether there is a hex hatch or not) if you can get a fly down to the cold water.  The thermocline (where warm and cold water meet) can be between 12’ and 20’ in the lakes, so a full sinking type III or type V line can be a key to success.  Lost Lake is very deep and cold, and has been fishing well.  Get a damselfly nymph or leech pattern down deep and slow, slow, slow.  Lost Lake is a great place to spend a day, even if there are a lot of people.  The fishing can be fabulous and you can easily spend the day in relative solitude on the far side of the lake from most people.  We have not heard much from Laurence Lake lately, but it’s also a cold lake that does get some sun protection for much of the day. 

Eagle Creek near Bonneville Dam is a great place to spend the day fishing for cutthroat trout.  Much like the Hood River, the fish are small and hungry, but the scenery is beautiful, and the water is cold.  It is a little bit easier to wade than the Hood, but you are in a canyon and there are not many spots to get on or off the trail down to the river.  Once you are on the creek, it is fairly easy to get around.  

As always, we are happy to talk fishing any time.  Give us a call if you have any specific questions on local rivers, gear, and tactics, or if you just want some encouragement to get out of the office. 

"Fly Fish the World with Us"

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Fishing in the U P

16.06 in 29th, Boat Plans, columbia, fishing, gorge, in, june, p, reports, the, u

Carpn on the Flats of Lake Michigan

Although my trip was centered around smallmouth bass on the fly, when in Rome, (Michigan) one must spend some quality time pursuing freshwater bonefish, (Carp).

Back to Bassin

If you know anything about me you know I chase Bass! Ive spent half a lifetime pursuing these freshwater pugnacious species in any body of water from farm ponds to great lakes, from creeks to rivers and every puddle in between. Its in my blood and I make no apologies for it!

In the last few years while living in trout country Ive slowly slipped away from the bronze family. Trout angling has been good for me. It has broadened my skills and allowed me to build a solid respect for the coldwater species.

On a cold winter day while sifting through the hundreds of Columbia River bass photos obtained throughout the years of guiding and fishing the big water an overwhelming need to get back to the bronze kind had finally surfaced. I felt this day coming long ago. It was just a matter of time until the right opportunity surfaced.

Good Company, Good Times

I found that opportunity in an email. Schultz Outfitters newsletter hit my inbox and while scanning the highlights there it was, the SO annual Upper Peninsula (U.P.)  Smallmouth trip and by the time I called Schultzy there was one spot remaining. You know that spot was meant for me!

Ive always wanted to fish in the U.P. I dont know why I never did. Ive fished all around it into Ontario and the great lakes but for some reason the U.P. was never a destination. I think the reason is, in that region, there is so much water that it takes a lifetime to explore.

The trip was everything you look for in a group event. Great fishing, scenery, lodging, guides, friends and food. Plenty of everything and best of all plenty of smallmouth. Early one morning I watched a black bear swim across the river right outside the lodge that overlooks the river. Plenty of wildlife and of course plenty of mosquitoes too! Bring your deet!

Like Topwater?

About 99% of the fishing is topwater divers, poppers and assorted foam bugs fished from drift boats with non stop casting to every undercut, tree root, boulder and grass line looking for that classic bass attack. Ive got to tell you there is nothing that stirs the adrenaline like watching the water move when your bug hits the surface.

No shortage of quality fish

Equipment

20" Brute

James Cook  20" Smallie

My Sage Bass II Series of rods did the bulk of the work for me. The Largemouth size handles the big hair bugs with ease and the shorter length really helps the accuracy of putting those big bugs under the trees. My Smallmouth size was pure magic with the popping bugs and foam critters. I also used a Sage Method 890-4 for some of the subsurface minnow work. This rod can really deliver the distance. Reels are not a huge deal in this game. Once hooked up you need to be concerned with pulling the fish away from entanglement and not worry about getting it on the reel. The line of choice throughout the group is the S/A Mastery Textured Titan Taper. The Titan has a powerful head for big bug delivery and also has a long rear taper to make easy work of picking up a lot of line for a the next cast. To explain better, most presentations involve hitting a target and after settling, making 1-2 moves before recasting to a new spot. The long taper of this line all but eliminates the need to strip back to a casting point common with short head lines.


The fish here are quality. Sure you could find more trophies in the big lakes but they couldnt match the experience of these river dwellers. A 20" or over here will get strong recognition. I was fortunate to catch one of the two caught this week. Too many to count 19s" came to hand and I didnt hear a single complaint about too many dinks.

About that Carp photo at the start of this article...

Release!

As if a great week of smallie fishing with a great crew of anglers and guides in a great lodge with great food and drink and yada, yada, yada wasnt enough...the next stop just a couple hours away is the flats of lake Michigan. Ive always wanted to wade in this great lake and hunt these submarine size monsters. It was everything Id ever dreamed about. The first thing I kept marveling over is the fact that I am wading in Lake Michigan with miles of flats one can walk with crystal clear water all around. Next was learning to spot the fish which is in fact the easy part. Just look for giant dark shadows that are moving. Bring out your best cast, these critters are smart. I had many refusals before I played it cool enough to have one commit. Be sure to have a good disc drag reel. My old Nautilus FW (which I can proudly say has caught more fish than most fly reels will ever see) was just fine for the bass we were hauling in but I was a bit concerned when I locked the drag down as tight as it would go and this fish was still running deep into backing until I only had maybe 20 yards to spare when I finally got it to turn. It is my advice that if you find yourself in the great lakes region dont pass up this opportunity and if you have it penciled in on your bucket list go ahead and ink it. You wont be disappointed.

A Giant THANK YOU goes out to my friends out Schultz Outfitters. These guys eat sleep and live all the great fly fishing in this area of the country. Also want to thank the guides from Tight Lines Fly Fishing Company. These guys know their water, know their fish and work hard to ensure you a great day of fishing. And a special Thanks to Schultzy for sharing a little bit of his Great Lakes carp wisdom.

This trip wont be forgotten anytime soon and I hope to have the opportunity to do it again.

Greg Darling 

Gorge Fly Shop Internet Sales Manager | Product Specialist

Review: Sage Bass II Series Rods

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