Upper Deschutes River, hit or miss
I am always reading fishing reports for the upper Deschutes that read something like this; “Fishing has been good with just about any kind of caddis in size 16-20 working on the feisty little brook trout”. Most of you may have had these experiences up there, but I have to say I have not. Only once or twice have I had some luck on the stretches between Little Lava Lake and Craine Prairie Reservoir and it’s not been what I would call hot. I do think that I need to work on my presentation this small stream, but come on, I’m no slouch angler. Timing may also be the problem. I usually wined up fishing the Little Deschutes as a last resort when nothing else seems to be going on and it may not be the best time for it either. I don’t know. Maybe this year I’ll try going in June when the fish are still really hungry and the hatches are getting good. With the snow level being so low this year we might be able to get in there even earlier than usual too.
It would be nice to have a good recommendation for dry-dropper combo from someone who knows how to really fish the stream. Anyone out there feel up to helping us all out? We would love a short comment or two.
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I fish this section starting June, sometimes when there is still a foot or two of snow on the ground. For the rainbows that migrate upriver from crane prarie the earlier you fish in the season the better. These fish are large for this small stream (16-24″) There are tons of brook trout in this section and for some reason the bigger ones are harder to entice then the smaller fish. Starting in august the larger brook trout start to fish very well as they seem more inclined to take a large streamer due to spawning between august ant september. I have caught many brook trout between 4-6 pounds this way. Many people dont realize that streamers will work in this small water, because most think “small water, small fish”. Therefore, many people just use small dry flies and only catch small fish. If you find a sharp bend in the river with downed logs you may just be pleasantly suprised on the size of fish you can pull out under there. You wouldnt believe how many huge fish have broken me off in this section. I now fish this location with only 4x leader and 6lb tippet. As far as nymphs go, I have the best luck with a black copper john, and a purple prince as a dropper. Best of luck.
Wow, thanks Mike!
Great reply to this post. It was written back in 2008 and I have since learned more about this water, but I had not learned to get out early and never considered streamers.
It sounds like you are local. If you ever want to go out with us and the Hooked Up Films crew, just drop us a line. We are always looking for good folks to fish with.
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