We’ve had a beautiful Fall here in Central Oregon and while the sunny days make it easy to get out and spend time on the water, the calm weather has made the lake fishing in the area pretty tough. We are still catching fish but working hard for them. In the past week most days have been warm and sunny, and a lack of wind means lakes can be glassy for the entire day. In these conditions presentation is of utmost importance, and light fluorocarbon tippet is important in the crystal clear waters. To achieve the necessary light presentation we are fishing mostly with dries, dry droppers, and light nymph rigs with small indicators. Wooly buggers are also producing fish, and are a great way to cover water in search of fish, particularly when there is a little chop on the water. The warm weather has kept a fair number of fish willing to take a dry, and with little in the way of consistent hatches a small terrestrial pattern is usually the way to go with surface flies. We are using a lot of classic lake nymphs in small sizes (16-20), which tend to produce the best numbers of fish.
We’ve primarily been fishing Crane, East, Hosmer, and Lava. Lava is as consistent as anywhere right now with the stocked Rainbows we typically see. Crane and East have been hit or miss but most of the fish we getting into are of really nice size. Look for things to improve a little with a change of weather. As soon as we start seeing cloudy days and getting a consistent breeze in the afternoon fish should become much less wary. Until then, enjoy the beautiful weather and expect the most success when a little wind does pick up!
Suggested Dries: Para-Cricket #12-14, Peacock Chubby Chernobyl #14-16, CDC Flying Ant #14-16, Black Flying Ant #14-16, High Vis Foam Beetle #14, Black Stimulator #14-16, Purple Haze #14-18, Parachute Adams #14-18, Black Elk Hair Caddis #14-18
Suggested Nymphs: Black Assassin #16-18, Bird’s Nest Hare’s Ear #16-18, Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear #16-18, Lavender Soft Hackle #16-18, Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail #16-18, Black or Red Zebra Midge #16-20, Black or Red Ice Cream Cone #14-16, Juju Chironomid #14-16, Olive or Black Bruised Balanced Leech #12-16, Hot Head Balanced Leech #12-16, Olive or Black Wooly Bugger #8-12, Thin Mint #8-12, Olive or Black Slump Buster #6-10