April went by so fast that its hard to believe May is here. The weather this year is much more stable than last year so it’s easier to find good fishing. A little online research plus paying attention to the river gauges & weather reports will yield good results.

Our speaker for our May 21^st meeting will be Garrett Lesko. For something different, he will be giving a fly tying demonstration focusing on Stillwater fly patterns.

Usually we’d have the Fish A Long the weekend after our meeting, but that falls on Memorial Day weekend. Thus, we will move the Fish A Long up to May 18th at Lake Harriet. Just like last month, several of us will be camping. It will be a good time!

As soon as the Deschutes drops a little it should be game on. The big bug action isn’t happening just yet but nymph fishing is always dependable this time of year. Lane fished Rocky Ridge Lakes recently and had a good day. There are a few summer steelhead reports coming out of the Clackamas and Sandy Rivers; early summers are the best fish of the year and worth the work you have to put in to get them. For something different panfish and bass are starting to come on strong too.

For several years now we have been posting monthly fishing reports. Looking back on them is a fun way to get ideas for local fly fishing opportunities currently happening or coming up. Type “May” or “June” and you’ll get all the past reports for that month. 

Please remember our sponsors, they are the lifeblood of the club. Stop by their shops and let them know you appreciate their support. Better yet buy something or book a trip.  

Good fishing! 

Dave Kilhefner

Weather folklore says if March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb; it was sure true this year! Steelhead fishing last month was surprisingly decent and you’ll be seeing a few steelhead pictures when the March fishing report comes out.

Now that it’s April, my mind shifts to trout fishing. The OFC lakes are coming to life as the water warms plus the Deschutes and other local streams will pick up too.

Our April 16^th meeting at High Rocks will feature Erich Leininger as our speaker. He’ll be talking about fly fishing for Carp. This is something I’ve wanted to try for years and I’m looking forward to his presentation.

Our April 20^th Fish A Long will be at Schmedeke Pond. We went there last year at this time and there was a great hatch of bomber midges coming off. Everyone had a great time and some big fish were caught. Heres a link to last years report to whet your appetite.

For several years now we have been posting monthly fishing reports. Looking back on them is a fun way to get ideas for local fly fishing opportunities currently happening or coming up. Type “April” or “May” and you’ll get all the past reports for those months. 

Please remember our sponsors, they are the lifeblood of the club. Stop by their shops and let them know you appreciate their support. Better yet, buy something or book a trip.  

Good fishing! 

Dave Kilhefner

This month marks four years as your club President. I’ve been having a great time running the club and going to all the Fish A Longs. This year, steelhead fishing is much better than last year and a few of us are already on the board. It’s also a great month to chase Bull Trout, something I’ve wanted to try but neglected over the years.

We’ll have a regular meeting Tuesday, March 19th. I’ll be talking about our upcoming 2024 Fish A Longs along with “the how and the why” of how we choose our fishing locations plus the art & science of how to choose good fishing locations in general.

March signals the beginning of spring and many local fisheries begin to wake up and turn on. Trout in our local lakes will begin to get active as water temperatures rise from the low 40’s to the high 40’s. The Deschutes will have good fishing if water levels are stable & warming. Last but not least, March is the best month for trophy steelhead so keep flinging flies with your spey rod. If anyone wants to get out and chase some steelhead this month I’m an easy mark.

Our March 23^rd Fish A Long is up in the air as we have higher than normal water on our usual March locations of the Crooked or Deschutes Rivers. If this high water persists we’ll hit an Oregon Fishing Club lake for trout.

For several years now we have been posting monthly fishing reports. Looking back on them is a fun way to get ideas for local fly-fishing opportunities currently happening or coming up. Type “March” or “April” and you’ll get all the past reports for that month.

Please remember our sponsors this, they are the lifeblood of the club. Stop by their shops and let them know your appreciate their support. Better yet buy something or book a trip. Good fishing!

Dave Kilhefner

Now that January’s ice has melted it’s time to get out there and try to catch a steelhead. The warmer weather & rain will both pull in fish and make them more active.

One of the consolations during these slow years is most of the fish you do see caught are bigger than average, so when you do get out there beef up those tippets with at least 12lb Maxima or 15 Fluorocarbon. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard sad stories of big steelhead lost to light tippets.

January’s snow & ice storms forced us to cancel last months “steelhead school” so we will have it this month on Saturday, February 17^th.

This months speaker will be Lane Hoffman. He’ll be talking about all the little things you can do to care for and maintain your fly fishing tackle to keep it performing at the highest level. It’s a really good subject and we hope to see you at the February 20^th meeting.

For several years now we have been posting monthly fishing reports. Looking back on them is a good way to get ideas for local fly fishing opportunities currently happening or coming up. I’ve tested it out; type the word February or March in the search box and you’ll get all the past reports for that month.

Please remember our sponsors this, they are the lifeblood of the club. Stop by their shops and let them know your appreciate their support. Better yet buy something or book a trip. Good fishing!

Dave Kilhefner