Here is a article written from a good friend Jakob Lund who wrote a sweet piece sharing his take on fishing the Deschutes River's Salmonfly/Stonefly Hatch. Thanks Jakob for the awesome material that you are willing to share with the fly fishing community!
Jakob Lund wrote this article on his outlook/prediction for the 2016 Season for the Deschutes River Salmonfly/Stonefly Hatch. He also shares his approach and bugs he like to fish with during the hatch. Tight lines!!
Timing
for 2016: Water temps reached 53 degrees on May 2nd, 2014. Water temps
reached 53
degrees on April 30th 2015. Water temps reached 53 degrees on April 8th
2016. (Readings river mile 99). See the trend? If you thought the hatch
was early the last five years, this year will be even earlier.
Salmonflies
are already out in the lower section (River temperatures reach an
astounding 61 degrees on April 21st) of the river and will be out in
force at Max Canyon come next week. Good
numbers of adult Giant Salmonflies (Goldens a few days later) will
be seen flying in Maupin by may 2nd. Come Early-Mid-May, the hatch(s)
should be in full effect
from Dant all the way up to South Junction maybe even Trout Creek!
May
11th ~ 22nd should be your target dates for floating TC to Maupin.
Way too many anglers still float this stretch of water in June which is
on the
tail-end if not over of the hatch in this area. Remember, the Big Bug
hatch on the
Deschutes starts about two-three weeks earlier now (since 2010) due to
the warmer water
temps stemming from the water blending tower on LBC, and again with
record water temps so far this year, expect an even earlier hatch.
The Warm Springs
area will have great numbers of bugs flying around May 15th. The crowds
at Mecca Flats and Trout Creek are usually thin(ner) mid-week before
Memorial Day Weekend (May 24~26). Come Memorial Day Weekend, Mecca Flats
Campground will be packed with hopeful anglers (and rafters) from all
four corners of the world with fishing holding up until June 5th. The last batch of bugs to appear
will be right below Pelton Dam between May 27th~7th. No access unless with tribal guide or have legal east bank access.
Again, here is a quick recap with:
Max Canyon to Maupin: April 28 through May 12
Maupin to North Junction: May 2nd through May 20
North Junction to Trout Creek: May 12 through May 22
Trout Creek to Warm Springs: May 15 through June 5th.
These
“predictable dates” (caugh,
caugh) is a humble but educated guess based on 20 years fishing and
guiding this hatch! In some years this famed hatch will nicely progress
1-3 miles upriver every day. Other years, bugs (both kinds) are
everywhere from North Junction to Pelton Dam within a day or two. Keep
in mind, adult stones can live up to over two weeks during the mating
period making the bug available to trout after the transformation....
aka, these big dogs' ain't may flies, and trout will feed well after
the actual hatch has taken place
Remember the water temperature is the key to this
hatch. Optimal water temps for the transformation from nymph to the
adult winged stage of the insect is at 55-56-57 degrees. Water temps on the Madras Gauge as of today April 24th is 54 degrees.
Folk & Fairy Tales:
A) “The Golden Stone hatch starts two weeks after the Giant Salmonfly”. My observation is no more than 2-5 days.
B) I read an online fishing report a few years ago calling for; "6X tippet when the fish has been pounded on and getting leader shy!"
That is highly irresponsible advice unless using a two weight glass
rod. Using leaders and tippet less than 3X is rarely needed. If
anything, lengthen your leader with a couple or three feet of tippet.
That glow-in-the-dark-neon-green-fly line you use might just be the
“scare factor” here, not 0.205 mm clear mono! This ain’t Silver Creek!
C)“Skate your adult stone against the current!" Please don’t do that!
This is not October using two-handed spey rods, plus... it doesn't
really work! You will put more fish down than you do hooking that lonely
"suicide trout" or that 11 inch hatchery smolt! Subtle twitching
however can be very affective.
D) “Concentrate your fishing close and tight to the bank!". Well,
this is true if you can’t cast far! In other words, don’t be afraid to
toss one way TF (The Fudge) out, if the water reads well! Just ask
Horatio Knailknot and Bart "The Jeweler" Mills!
E) “The trout prefer the slightly smaller Golden Stone's over the Salmonflies when both bugs are present!".
Well, this is "semi-true", but far from an exact science! Scale down
your size of the artificial if getting "fin'ed"( aka ; middle fingered).
An arsenal of both Goldens and Giants artificial flies in different sizes are always needed to be successful.
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| Jakob providing the best egg sac stonefly photo you could ever imagine! |
Fly Patterns:
First, leave all your gaudy Montana and Colorado flies at home! I've
"confiscated" some weird things out of clients fly boxes in the past!
(See the last picture in the slide show!)
The patterns below are front line soldiers and should
not be left behind. These flies are proven winners imitating the adult
stones of the Lower Deschutes River.
Chubby Chernobyl, yellow# 6(8).
Make sure it’s goldish-yellow bodied and not metalic gold, green,
blue, etc. Also, the Chubby Norm and the Pteronarcys Chubby fish really well but
not as good as the one below. See picture in the slide show on how to improve your Chubby
with the help of a pair of small sharp scissors and a black marker.
Also, make sure both wings are always spread/combed-out, and lay flat to
the body. Gel style floatant works best, but make sure the wings don’t
clump up.
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| Jakob likes to spread the two wings out for a good silhouette |
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| Jakob suggests you "Doctor" up the Chubby Chernobyl like this.... |
Umpqua’s (Parashoot) RL Rogue’s Foam, yellow#8, orange#6,8.
There are lots of “Rogue Foams” from lots of fly manufacturers, but
Umpqua’s are clearly much better using soft thin round foam. The
parashoot style really rides nice and low. A black or brown sharpie can
easily darken up the underside of the body, which can be key to your
success. Gel floatant works best for this bug.
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| Jakob digs the slim round foam that Umpqua uses on their stones. |
Rubber Leg Norm Wood, #6,8.
An original Deschutes pattern. The commercial tied
version is a bit different than Norm’s original tie, but it’s still
deadly. I’m a big fan of this bug with rubberlegs. The apricot colored
calf tail wing is the secret ingredient to this fly. The calf tail is
soft and the trout seem to hang onto to this bug much longer which
result in more tight lines. Powder Shake Floatant is a 100% must for this
fly. Yes, you will have to “babysit” this fly a bit being waterlogged,
but again, a few shakes with powder floatant with silicon beads make this fly dry as a bone.
Lee Clark’s “Clark Stone”, Orange and Yellow #6,8,10.
Another Deschutes original. Very light and easy to
cast. Both gel floatant and powder shake floatant work on this bug. Again, comb and
spread out the poly yarn.
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| Clark's Stone is a great fly to have on the Deschutes |
Syndicated’ “Stone Sac”, black or brown #14.
In the middle of the hatch when the Redsides are
stuffed, they will often refuse your 4 inch long dry fly that “split
second” before “the take”. It’s a boil without the actual take! Instead
of throwing your entire flybox back at the fish, try an egg sac dropper!
When the female stones are ovipositing, the egg sac releases from the
female soon after the bug touches the water. The egg sac sinks quickly,
and starts to disintegrate 4-20 inches below the surface film.
This dropper should be tied to the hook bend 8-24 inches below your dry.
See the picture in the slide.
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| Jakob's Syndicated "Stone Sac" |
Hook: TMC 206BL #14
Thread: Black
Crazy Glue Tip Pen (Michael's Craft Store)
Black 5mm Pom-poms (Michael's Craft Store)
Black Tungsten beads 2.1mm
Black or dark green Krystal Flash.
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| The materials to create Jakob's Syndicated "Stone Sac" |
After you slide on your tungstean bead on to the hook
and secure it with the tying thread, tie in a few strands of crystal
flash imitating the eggs seperating from the sac. Then simply slide on
the black pom-pom just like pautzke eggs... ;) Secure it with a small
dab of super glue. Too easy!
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| The materials to assemble Jakob's Syndicated "Stone Sac" |
Other Players
Green Drake #10/12. Should you be so lucky and have a
GD hatch, trout will turn of the stones for 45-60 minutes or so, and
completely key in on the Drakes. My buddy Jim Gallagher told me the
reason trout prefer mayflies over stones is; they taste sweet! He tried
it, so he claims! I’ll take his word for it. Sofa Pillows and
Stimulators are also worthy options. A yellow size 12 Kaufmann's Stimi'
makes for a perfect match for a Yellow Sally, the much smaller cousin of
the larger Golden and Giant.
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| Stimulators are overlooked and work well according to Jakob |
Flows and water clarity is not
a huge factor. This hatch is a very important source of food for the
trout being that the bugs are loaded with protein. The trout will simply
eat come hell or high water. Some years ago however, thunderstorms blew
out Trout Creek which milked up the river below the confluence. Fishing
turned off instantly, but was back on the next day. With all that said,
prime flows on the Madras gauge is between 4100 ~ 5100 CFS.
Access Reminders: Be aware that the river access at South Junction is
no longer available since crossing the rail road tracks is considered
trespassing. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Police over the past
two years has been issuing tickets
in the amounts at up to $ 1000. BLM is using ODOT as an agency for
trying to find a solution by applying for a legal public crossing to be
installed at the South Junction Campground site. A tunnel under the
tracks has been proposed. Meanwhile the campground itself is open.
Again, you just cannot access and fish around South Junction unless you
are floating in, or using a private/legal crossing. Refer to Scott
Richmond book "Fishing In Oregon's Deschutes River" for walk-in acces in
the Warm Springs area, Mecca Flats, Dry Creek, and Trout Creek. NOTE:
It's very important to remember not to fish or step foot on the
Reservation side of the river, except for the access granted with an
Indian permit "Area 2" between Dry Creek and Trout Creek. Permits can be purchased at many fly shops and directly online at
www.tribalpermit.com
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| Worthless Bugs According to Jakob - Stay away from these on the Deschutes! |
Thanks Again for a great article Jakob!!!
