Month: July 2024

July 2024 Fish A Long Report

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One of my favorite outdoor programs to watch is Meat Eater for the simple reason that when Steve Rinella has an unsuccessful outing, he still makes the show. You come to realize you don’t have to catch a fish or drop an animal to enjoy the outdoors, just like our July Fish A Long.

The weather over the weekend of July 20th was very hot! Thus, all the lakes up on Mt Hood were very crowded, especially Timothy. The day started with a drive up the Clackamas to Ripplebrook, up the recently opened road to Lake Harriet then on to Timothy Lake. I tried finding some relief on some of the small streams in the area but due to time constrants and the desire to enjoy the air conditioning, mostly I scouted out good spots to try in the future.

Even without a fish to put a bend in my fly rod, it was a good day!

June 2024 Fishing Reports

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June is a busy fishing month and we have a lot of good reports to share. Pictures are first with the report below.

From Joe Warren: Had a very productive trip to the upper Columbia, caught many trout and some nice ones too!

From Steve Brehm: While fishing Crane Praire I found a Stalcup damsel in my fly box and actually caught a fish on it. Just one but fun!

From Matt Baker: I was able to get out and fish a good amount this month.  Hit the Clackamas, Collawash, Willamette and Salmon rivers.  I also got on a couple creeks in the Columbia gorge.  Elk hair caddis fly was my friend this month.

From Craig Kerschen: Had a chance to fish the MO near Craig, MT.  Shared the river with these pelicans and managed a few nice rainbows. I’ll be going back sometime this year if anyone wants to join me.

From George Krumm: Caught springers and a sockeye on gear.

From Dave Kilhefner: I was able to fish the Coeur D’Alene river in Mid June. Water flow & clarity was perfect. Caught a nice trout & lots of whitefish in 3 hours of fishing. Saw some big trout in a slow deep eddy but couldn’t get them to take anything. Next time!

From Rich Harvey: hit the Metolius before the June Fish A Long. There was a nice gray drake hatch yesterday where I was standing. Got 18 before the hatch stopped. Water higher than it was in the fall & you can’t walk out on those logs they are less stable. Hatch has been starting around 3pm but the caddis fishing is pretty steady before that though.

Reports without Pics:

From Phil Hager: Went up to Timothy, north arm. Slow but a few in the 12”-15” range. Took them all on my Brick Leech fished near the bottom. Saw a couple others catch a few but don’t know what they were using. One had a dry line the other intermediate. Large count of ants crawling around at the ramp and quite a few on the water. I think that’s what most of the rises were hitting. No grasses, only small amount of algae growing in the channel above the lower island and only saw 3 rises up there. Didn’t see many from full width travel from the ramp to above the islands so no “gatherings” found. 

From Darryl Huff: Was able to fish western Montana. Best action was on Rock Creek. Hard to find fishable water as everything was high. Spotted a slot on the far side; wading was tough but worth the effort. Reached back after hooking the first fish and realized I had not hooked my net back on my waders!

From Mike Shiiki: FYI the Forest Service road 57 from ripplebrook to Harriett lake is back open.  I went up there Sunday afternoon before the 4th; the parking lot was full for the first time since the fires…I couldn’t find any big fish.

Thanks to everyone for contributing reports!

Presidents Message July 2024

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Every year it seems like summer will never get here but once it does it starts flying by! I find myself scrambling to squeeze in all the things I wanted to do once the weather gets nice. This summer I have some good fly fishing plans and hope you do too! These include hitting the Pacific Ocean for Rockfish to chasing trout in Oregon and beyond.

I’ll be giving a presentation on Euro Nymphing at our July 16th meeting at High Rocks. Many of us started Euro Nymphing around the same time and we’ve developed our own styles. The presentation will focus on both traditional and non-traditional flies & tactics. Social hour starts at 6pm and the program at 7pm. 

The July 20th Fish A Long will be on the Metolius River at the Lower Bridge Campground. I may not able to attend so Rich Harvey will be hosting this Fish A Long. He’s been having good success on the Met lately.

We have several years of fishing reports logged on our website. Looking back on them is a fun way to get ideas for local fly fishing opportunities currently happening or coming up. Type “July” or “August” 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