Evening Hatch

It's pretty easy to determine what is hatching when you are camped along a river. Any artificial light attracts many kinds of aquatic insects at night. Caddis & midges are are drawn in by the light.

Above is a picture of a small part of the outside of my screen house with a lit-up lantern inside.  There are a three  species caddis on the outside of the screen. The brown ones number in the hundreds. There are zillions of midges in several sizes & colors.  The next morning these midges are  laying big yellow gelatinous masses of eggs everywhere in the splash zone along the edge of the river. They especially seem to like the waterline of my boat; what a mess. This is the fuel for one of the most prolific native trout fisheries in the Pacific Northwest; our

Deschutes River. It is no wonder that the Deschutes Redsides can be hard to catch or that the anglers that pursue them carry vests bulging with fly boxes, just to match these hatches.

One tradition that is strictly adhered to on the North, which is unique to the river, is not having to share water with others.  When you begin to work a run on the North, no one will be stepping into the run below you.  If you’re the first vehicle to pull into the parking area for the run you wish to fish, no other vehicles will pull in to join you.  No one will encroach on your water, it’s your pool to cover.  The “camp water” area gets very busy in the summer and you can expect to see anglers working nearly every one of the nearly two dozen pools that make up this section near

the confluence of steamboat creek.  Even with this much pressure, anglers here will give you some space, stepping into a run above you and working their way along as they step, cast, step down through the run.  I wish that anglers visiting the North would take these traditions with them to other waters and start a revolution that would sweep our fly fishing community.  We’d all be the

better for it. When asked, I tell first time visitors to the North Umpqua that the very best time to ply these waters is mid-August through late October.  Water temps stay favorable for surface techniques some years clear into December.  By late summer and early fall, the run for that year will have mostly made their way into the fly water.  Fresh fish will continue to arrive everyday into the lower reaches of the fly water above Rock Creek clear up to the first big fall rains.  Crowds generally start to subside a bit after Labor day, kids get back to

school, hunting season and fall salmon season all cause fly fishermen’s attention to be drawn elsewhere, making even more room for my clients and I. The North Umpqua has remained such an incredible fishery over the past 50 years, due in large part to the conservation efforts of men and women like Frank and Jeannie Moore, Dick Bauer and the many members of the Steamboaters. 

Tireless stewards of the river who endlessly protect these incredible native steelhead.  Fly fishermen from around the world owe a debt of gratitude to these dedicated conservationists.  This past week the Oregon Game Commission recently voted to reverse a very controversial regulation adopted a few years ago that allowed the retention of one native Marabou steelhead per day, five per year on the mainstem Umpqua and the gear water section of the North Umpqua.  This very short sighted regulation had such an incredibly devastating effect on the entirely wild, Marabou steelhead run, that guides from around the area, with help from the “Steamboaters” were able to organize a grass roots effort which successfully reversed this regulation, making it illegal to harvest native steelhead on the Umpqua.  This Marabou season we can all look forward to having a great season swinging flies for these native fish that will now have

a chance of making it to the fly water section!  Thank you Dick Bauer, The Steamboaters and the Oregon Game Commission!  The North Umpqua is a challenging, incredibly beautiful steelhead river with a world- wide reputation for its quality steelhead fly-fishing experience.  Its never easy on the North and every fish drawn from its emerald depths to your dry fly will make a lifelong memory that will be cherished forever. 

Anyone interested in booking a trip with Dean, please contact him via his website at www.5riversguideservice.com or call him anytime at (541) 942-2535 or (541) 731-9649

What's your big game? Just because it's called a Permit fly box doesn't mean you can only store Permit flies in it.  As you might note from the picture above, steelhead spey flies also fit this box very well.  The Waterproof Tarpon Fly Box will help you organize any flies that are 3" to 4".  The Waterproof Bonefish Box is meant to carry flies in the 1" to 1 1/2" lengths.

Size: 7.75" x 4.48" x 1.65" (19.7cm x 11.4cm x 4.2cm) Color: Sky Blue

Size: 7.75" x 4.48" x 1.65" (19.7cm x 11.4cm x 4.2cm) Color: Emerald Green

Size: 7.75" x 4.48" x 1.65" (19.7cm x 11.4cm x 4.2cm) Color: Sand