Fishing for trout on the Lower Deschutes has been excellent. Unfortunately, as many of you know, the steelhead story is rather different. Regulations have been put in place to protect the low numbers of steelhead. The mouth of the Lower Deschutes upstream to Moody Rapids is closed for all angling until next year. Angling for steelhead on the rest of the river is closed until next year as well. Check the regulations for details. On the bright side, the October caddis hatch has been coming on strong and there are good numbers of pale morning duns and caddis. Blue wing olives are also showing up in decent numbers. We’ve got an October caddis pattern that would work great in a dry-dropper rig. Nymphing has been hot with stoneflies. The PMD and the baetis slim shady’s have been killer down there. Perdigons and other euro-style nymphs have continued to be excellent. Steelheading may be closed but that doesn’t mean you can swing flies. Swinging small sculpin patterns or soft hackles is an excellent way to get an aggressive grab from a big redside.
Recommended Dries: Hackle Stacker PMD #14-18, Parachute PMD #14-18, 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 PMD #18, Slim Shady Olive #18-20, Olive or Tan Sparkle Pupa #16-18, Nitro Caddis Pupa #16-18