The Lower Deschutes has been great this fall, lots of open water and hungry redbands. Steelhead fishing is closed on the whole river, check the MyODFW website for more details. If you’re looking to escape the cooler temperatures the Lower is a good option; however, it’ll be rainy down there too. Water may get a bit murky with all the rain coming in, anything below the whiteriver might be too turbid. The October caddis are still around, typically they work best as a searching pattern but sometimes fish will key into them during dawn or dusk. With all the cold and rain this week blue wing olive hatches are almost guaranteed. Pale morning duns are phasing out; you may see them one or two more times on a warmer day. Midges are starting to be very common. Dry fly fishing will be most productive during the late morning and early afternoon. Nymphing has been very productive throughout the day. Fish have been keying into the baetis (BWO) nymphs and the October caddis pupa. Stoneflies are always a good bet. Perdigons and other euro-style flies are doing really well. Eggs are another good bet now that we're getting close to whitefish spawn and there are lots of chinook in the system. The Lower has been really fun recently, get out to the canyon and find some feisty redbands.
Recommended Dries: Hackle Stacker BWO #18-22, Parachute BWO #16-20, Black or Tan Elk Hair Caddis #12-20, X-Caddis #12-20
Recommended Nymphs: Black or Brown Jimmy Legs #8, Deep October Caddis Pupa #10-12, Jigged Hares Ear #14-16, Jigged Pheasant Tail #14-16, Psycho Prince #14-16, Duracell Jig #14-18, Copper John #14-18, Slim Shady Olive #18-20, Olive or Tan Sparkle Pupa #16-18, Nitro Caddis Pupa #16-18