Our first ten days is in the books. In total we stuck fish every day but two, not too bad given the forecast. We also finished our first camp trip which was five days four night at the Hot Rocks camp. The weather was really hot even for the Deschutes but the river temps hung tight for us allowing a good evening fish each night. We certainly didn’t crush ’em but we did very well catching fish every day and breaking double digits for opportunities.
The Smallmouth Bass invasion continues and if anything the catching frequency for these fish is increasing with some very large fish to be had. Starting next week I’m bringing a trout spey armed with an integrated skagit and running line to toss sinktips and clouser minnows to bass in the heat of the day.
Look for steelhead fishing to remain tough this year. We’re playing for single salt fish in the three to five pound range…but we did hook one fish that left the pool and did a 250 foot long liner release, so there will be an occasional unlandable in the mix. I’m loaded with six weight spey rods this year for both dry line fishing and sink tip fishing. I’ve seen a couple dozen fish in the last ten days and they are all in the three to five pound range, great fun on on 6weight not so much on a 7 weight.
Lotsa bent rods. The water temps have been pretty warm so the fish porn is limited. I encourage everyone out there fishing to be cognizant of water temperatures and to refrain from stressing the fish out more than usual. A good rule of thumb is; if it’s too hot for you to wear waders it’s too hot to take fish out of the water for a picture. Pictures are cool and I’m a big fan of grip and grins but when its 69-70 degrees out it’s best skip the money shot.
Tight Lines, Sam
