Quick Deschutes Report

The Deschutes was fair to good last weekend, and the crowds were a lot heavier than they were on Memorial Day weekend. My friend was fishing from Warm Springs to Trout Creek and he said the fishing was steady and the crowds were much heavier than the weekend before. The stoneflies are still thick as can be, and the fish are still heavily keyed onto them. Fishing was very good he said, but by no means epic; since the "people hatch" was thicker than he would have preferred. The fly fishing for rainbows with stoneflies on the surface should remain steady for the next couple of weeks. Get yourself out there!

Deschutes Report - Quick One - More Details Later...

Just literally got back from the Deschutes after camping and fishing for the last 4 days. We floated from Trout Creek to Harpham Flat, and it was good fishing and very low on the people count. Either the weather predictions scared everyone away, or the economy and gas prices kept people away. Nonetheless, we had good fishing and barely saw anyone else out except for a more family oriented rafting type of a crowd.

The fishing on Saturday the 28th was totally awesome, and the fish were destroying surface stonefly presentations like candy. There were pmds, green drakes, some caddis, golden stones and salmonflies. I fished a chubby norm and has awesome action on it. Also used Clark's Stone and got a lot of fish on it. It was one of those days where you caught a lot of fish in a lot of spots. Many casts with fish on.

Sunday the 29th was good, but not quite as epic as Saturday. A lot of good stonefly action, but not many surface feeding rises, but they would come up to the fly in many of the spots. Fish were on the same bugs as Saturday.

Monday the 30th was very good, and definitely better than the day before, but still did not surpass the action on Saturday. Fishing was really good though, and fish would come up to surface offerings with great regularity, but there was not a lot of action from live bugs and feeding fish.

Tuesday (today) the 31st was the slowest day, but the fishing was pretty good with blind fished presentations of Chubby Norms and regular Norm Wood's Specials (all I tried). Nymphing was kind of slow, but some fish were into it, but I ended up just fishing dries.

I will give a more detailed report with pics and all of that later. Just wanted to give the first hand latest report from the empty but fishing very well river.

Deschutes Fly Patterns for Salmonfy - Stonefly Hatch - Tying the Clark's Stone

One of my favorite fly patterns to fish during the Deschutes stonefly hatch is the Clark's Stone. It is more or less a golden stonefly impersonator, and it does an awesome job of fooling large rainbows. It cast very easily, and it floats well, even though there is not much to the fly. The body is not even really on the hook, and it is a yarn underwing that mimics the stonefly's body; while the hook is coated with gold mylar to catch the attention of the fish. Only then will it have to make a full on collision coarse to the offering; since it is too irresistible for a rainbow to deal with. On top of that, if you tie it correctly, it is super durable, and you can fish it fish lots of brutal fights. I have had trips where I have used the same Clark's Stone for about 2 days to then have the collar hackle break and then I would put on a different pattern for fun. 

Recipe For Clark's Stone:
HOOK - Spear It cs200 Size #8
THREAD - Flymaster 140 Denier Plus - Yellow or Fl. Orange
BODY - Mylar - Gold - Medium
UNDERWING - Poly-Bear - Orange & Yellow
WING - Yearling Elk Hair
DUBBING - Fine & Dry Dubbing - Stonefly Orange (for collar only)
HACKLE - Whiting 100's Hackle - Brown

Deschutes Stonefly Fishing Report - Fresh Hot Off The Press!

My good friend Ethan of Ethan Nickel Outfitters just got back from the Deschutes after being there for two consecutive trips. We discussed the fly fishing results of the last two trips and the results we positive. He more or less stressed that the fish are hungry and they are wanting to devour stoneflies. The first trip he was on had slower fishing since the water had taken a bad hit from runoff and the color was off and the flows were high. They did get into a lot of fish, but the second trip had the results that you would want onthe Deschutes during the salmonfly hatch. Lot of big rainbows on dry flies!

Deschutes Rainbow Trout - Photo Ryan J.

The flies he reported that worked well were the Chubby Chernobyl and the Chubby Chernobyl Norm in the heavy flowing water; while the Norm Woods Special and Clark's Stone were working well in the softer water and more typical spots. Reports of pulling into spots and having clients yarding in lots of big rainbows was the norm for this last outing, and conditions should remain to be similar or even better over the next several days.

Tying a Favorite Deschutes Stonefly Pattern - Norm Woods Special - Video Demonstration

When fishing the lower Deschutes for the salmonfly / stonefly hatch event, there are some proven fly patterns that many experienced Deschutes anglers would have high on their list. The Norm Woods Special is a fly pattern that may be the highest on many people's list of proven patterns to bring for the Deschutes stonefly extravaganza. It is more or less a stimulator gone different, and that is with the wing and often it has no tail. I would simplify my statement and I would say that the Norm Woods Special is a calf tail stimulator with no tail on the fly. That is what separates it from the standard Kaufmann's Stimulator. For whatever reason (the wing color and body color - most likely), large wild rainbow trout love eating this fly, and it is a must for your arsenal.

Below is a video demonstration for tying this awesome fly pattern:



Recipe For Norm Woods:
HOOK - Spear It cs200 Size #8
THREAD - Flymaster 140 Denier Plus - Yellow or Fl. Orange
WING - Calf Tail - Tan or Light Orange
DUBBING - Fine & Dry Dubbing - Golden Stone
HACKLE - Whiting 100's Hackle - Brown
RIBBING - Fine Gold Wire

The Norm Woods Special is a standard fly you should have in your fly box for any golden stonefly situation. It has proven itself over and over as a true trout catcher. Tie up for your Deschutes stonefly fly fishing trip, and you will see some vicious takes!

Norm Woods Special - Picture from Spirit River

Deschutes Fly Pattern That Works Well - The Chernobyl Chubby Norm

Chubby Chernobyl Norm Fly Pattern

The Chernobyl Chubby Norm is an excellent fly pattern that gets rave reviews amongst Deschutes Anglers all over. It can be fished alone or with your favorite beadhead nymph dropped off of it. With the higher than average water flows this season it is a great choice to fish this fly. You can see it very easily and it leaves a big bold impression on the high water, but when the trout approaches, it sees a subtle understated golden stone with lots of movement and action.

Recipe For the Chernobyl Chubby Norm:
Thread - Flymaster +Plus+ (140 Denier)
Hook - Spear-It S300 Hooks
Body - Foam - Fly Foam (2mm) Dubbing - Mottled Nymph Blend
Wing - Calf Tail
Legs - Dancing Leggs
Tail - Crystal Splash






I know I am fired up to fish the Chubby Chernobyl Norm when I hit the Deschutes up. I am looking forward to see how it compares to favorites of mine like the Norm Wood's Special or the Clark's Stone.

Some favorite stonefly patterns tied for the Deschutes

Don't forget that I am also able to do FLY TYING INSTRUCTION, and I can teach fly tying classes on a private basis or a group basis. If you are interested in getting together to tie up some Chubby Chernobyl Norms or some other patterns you may be curious about then contact me.