It’s no secret that Fly Fishing in 2023 has been a little challenging so far. We have low steelhead numbers plus the cold weather has made both the fishing and the drive over to the Deschutes challenging. Never-the-less I’m optimistic it will get better; it always does if you keep casting!

We’ll have a regular meeting March 21st at High Rocks. Our speaker is Michole Jensen, owner of KayakFlyAngler.com. He’s also the communications director for the Deschutes River Alliance.

This month marks three years as your club President. Over the past few years local fishing has been in a constant state of change, so it’s more important than ever to be flexible, roll with the punches and be ready when a window of opportunity opens.

Adapting to changing conditions is more important than ever and has become “the new normal.” For example, in years past the Crooked River was our go-to fish a long destination in March, but due to the low water fish kill last year we’ve had to shift gears so and go to the Deschutes around Maupin. There’s good camping & restaurants nearby plus it will be good to bend a rod after this year’s super slow winter steelhead season.

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.

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

Currently winter steelhead water conditions are low, cold and reports across the state continue to signal slow fishing. That said, warming weather and rain is in the forcast and since you can’t catch them from the couch, now is the time to get out and start chasing them.

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.

This may sound strange, but when the numbers of steelhead are below average I would rather fly fish for them. The reason for this is when I’m fly fishing, I expect to work for every fish and this holds true no matter how good the fishing might be, plus fly casting passes the time and relaxes the mind. This helps me settle in for the long haul and enjoy more time on the water, which is what it’s all about.

Last months “steelhead school” Fish A Long went very well so we might do the same thing again this month. Another option would be an early trout fishing excursion. Let me know your preference before Valentines Day and I’ll get an annoucement out. Either way, the Fish A Long date will be Saturday, February 25th.

This months speaker will be George Krumm talking about Lake Billy Chinook Bull Trout Fly Fishing. It’s a fishery many of us have wanted to try so I hope to see you at the February 21^st 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

Happy New Year! I hope everyone was able to enjoy some festivities even with the unusually stormy weather. I had my power knocked out for a few days but that didn’t slow me down too much.

I’m looking forward to the New Year and have a couple “fishing resolutions” to share. First is to go on 4-5 cool fishing trips and I already have 3 on the calendar. Second is to use my boat more. I have a pretty cool little boat that is good for chasing Steelhead on the Clackamas and Bass on the Willamette. Lasty, I’m going to make a half dozen fly tying videos & maybe even a few fishing videos.

It’s time to think about paying your 2023 membership fee. However if you joined as a new member in 2022 it will be good for 2023 too; we are on the honor system so please let me know. Here is the membership link plus I will be sending membership notices out to everyone. If you participate in the club I will guarantee you’ll get a solid value for the $35 you pay to be a member.

The “big 3” activities our club focuses on are meetings, fly tying and fish a longs (the 2023 schedule is on the website).

Just like last month, everyone that comes to the January 17^th meeting at High Rocks will get a free beer on me. The speaker will be Michole Jensen. A couple years ago he gave us a presentation on Kayak fly fishing and he’s also the new communications director for the Deschutes River Alliance.

Our January 21^st Fish A Long will be at my place on the Sandy River for a “steelhead school” with some hands on instruction on Spey Casting plus swung fly and nymph fishing presentations. In the past we’ve had this Fish A Long at Oxbow park but it gets pretty dang cold, so we’re having it at my place so we can warm up by the woodstove if the fishing is slow, and lets face it Winter Steelhead fly fishing is always slow!

As I’m typing this the water conditions are good but the steelhead are little scarce. Still, fish are being caught and nobody can cast far enough to get one from the couch, so you gotta get out there and pound the water! 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 January or February in the search box and you’ll get all the past reports for that month.

January is a great month to get good deals after Christmas so get out to your local fly shop buy all the stuff that Santa forgot. Please remember our sponsors, 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.

Dave Kilhefner

Hope everyone enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving! Fishing in November was pretty good as you’ll see when the the November fishing reports come out next week. Also, I’m feeling excited as once these rains roll thru and the water drops it will be game on for Winter Steelhead.

It’s time to think about paying your 2023 membership fee. However if you joined as a new member in 2022 it will be good for 2023 too; we are on the honor system so please let me know. Here is the membership link plus I will be sending membership notices out to everyone. If you participate in the club I will guarantee you’ll get a solid value for the $35 you pay to be a member.

The “big 3” activities our club focuses on are meetings, fly tying and fish a longs.

Looking forward we are going to have more in-person speakers than we did this year as our members enjoy them. I’ll broadcast the speakers from the meeting room on Zoom when possible but the WiFi signal doesn’t always allow this.

We need to get Fly Tying back on track, and it’s very doable! At this time its limited to monthly fly tying articles but we can get together and tie flies, either on person or on Zoom; email me if you are interested in doing this.

Last year we attemped to expand Fish a longs to include camping but it was harder than it sounds as many campgrounds are booked up very early, especially state parks. Being a steelheader, I’m persistent so we’ll keep trying.

December is shaping up to be decent fishing month with the most dependable fishing available at the Oregon Fishing Club ponds for trout, especially if we have a warming trend. The key to winter fishing is to be ready to fish when a weather window presents itself.

Several coastal streams like the Necanicum and North Fork Nehalem get good early runs of steelhead. The Clackamas and Sandy get random shots of early winter steelhead too plus this year there are a good number of native, late running coho. Here’s a link to the PGE fish counts so you can see for yourself.

We don’t have a club Fish-A-Long in December but I put out the word that I’m open to helping folks with their spey casting and winter steelhead presentation basics. I’ve got 4 people signed up so far so if you are interested in this email me and I’ll put you on the list.

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 and it works! Type the word December or January in the search box and you’ll get all the past reports for that month.

Now is the perfect time for Christmas shopping plus don’t forget to get your wish list out so you get all the stocking stuffers you want. Please remember our sponsors, 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.

Dave Kilhefner

November is a very good fishing month as we transition from fall into winter. After the unusually dry fall weather we are finally getting some regular & normal rainfall!

When fall rains come often the rivers fill with leaves. When this happens I like to hit the Oregon Fishing Club ponds for trout; the bite is on as the water cools down plus they’ve been recently stocked. If the mountain road conditions are good, trout fishing on the Deschutes is another top option.

It’s time to think about renewing your membership for next year. If you are a new member and didn’t join until the 2^nd half of 2022 then your membership will carry thru 2023. Contact me if you have any questions.

On Tuesday, November 15^th we’ll have another combination in-person & zoom meeting at High Rocks. I’ll get an email out soon with the speaker details.

We’ll have our Fish A Long Saturday November 12^th. The plan is to go back to Beavertail for more trout fishing. It was hoped we might go to the Kilchis for Chum Salmon but the water is extremely low this fall and we have to ”make the call” with enough time for folks to get gear together and plan a day trip out of town. While we are getting some rain, it hasn’t been enough to raise the water level and the ground is soaking it up.

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 November or December in the search box and you’ll get all the past reports for that month.

Here’s a couple announcements:

The Orvis Lake Oswego Store is looking for several part time sales associates through the holidays. The commitment can be as little as 1 shift a week (6-8 hours), starting as soon as possible and going through mid-January. Seasonal help gets the amazing 50% off Orvis discount! 

If you are interested, you can apply through the Orvis.com website: https://www.orvis.com/careers.html and this link will take you directly to the Lake Oswego positions: https://us63.dayforcehcm.com/CandidatePortal/en-US/orvis?q=Oregon

Columbia Sportswear has created a new access day for Sporting License holders.  All current license holders for hunting, fishing, clamming and crabbing are invited to show their license on Monday’s for access to the Columbia Employee Store. 

Please remember our sponsors this fall, they are the lifeblood of the club. It’s not too early for a little Christmas shopping or putting together your wish list. Stop by their shops and let them know your appreciate their support. Better yet buy something or book a trip.

Dave Kilhefner

For the last couple months I’ve really been fishing a lot, almonst more than I actually want to if thats even possible! However, all that water time caused me to fall behind getting website reports and fly tying articles published so I plan to make up for that in October. Expect to see more content than usual.

Joseph Beare from Northwest Fly Fishing Outfitters will be our October 18th speaker talking about local trout lakes and streams that are open year round. It’s an original and timely subject. Like last month, we will have an in person meeting and also broadcast the presentation over Zoom.

This months October 22nd Fish A Long will be at Beavertail Campground on the Deschutes River. Historically, this has been on of our most popular Fish A Longs.

Justesen Ranch is opening up fall fishing October 3rd. Amanda says the fish are rising and in good shape!

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 “October” and you’ll get all the past reports for that month. 

If there is anything you want to see on the blog or if you need a copy of a presentation or article shoot me an email.

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

Sorry this months President’s message is a little late. August was a busy fishing month that I wrapped up with a week of fishing in Wyoming with Lane Hoffman. The picture above is from that trip.

We will have regular meeting on Tuesday, September 20^th at High Rocks. I’m going to attempt to broadcast by Zoom as well; I say attempt as this will be a new technological challenge for me. Lane and I will be the speakers. About half the presentation will be about our recent trip to Wyoming and the other half about the local fishing our members have been experiencing. Local fly fishing opportunities have changed quite a bit since I joined the club 8 years ago so we’ll be go over some of the new opportunities that are available. The “first beer free” rule will still apply.

Just like last year, our September 24^th Fish A Long will be for Coastal Sea Run Cutthroat because everyone enjoyed it! There are good opportunities on the lower Wilson, Trask and Nestucca Rivers. The plan is to fish where you want and meet up for lunch at the Wilson River Footbridge Trailhead. I’ll get out and email with the details. 

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 “September” or “October” in the search box 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 your appreciate their support. Better yet buy something or book a trip.  

Good fishing! 

Dave Kilhefner

Every year is seems like summer will never get here but once it does it FLYS BY and I feel like the month of July was more like the week of July. Now I’m scrambling to squeeze in all the things I wanted to do once the weather gets nice.

We don’t have a meeting in August as many members are on vacation or simply can’t make it with all the things on their calendars. Our next meeting will be September 20th.

If you caught Lane’s presentation at the July meeting, I have scanned copies of the articles he recommended on Wyoming fly fishing and flies. Send me an email if you want copies.

We don’t have an official fish a long scheduled either, but several of us have some fishing plans in the works. Personally I like to go after Smallmouth Bass in the Willamette. If you are interested in jumping in let me know.

Several of you have asked me about the state of our club as we keep slogging thru the effects of COVID. Here’s a brief synopis of our finances, focus and future prospects. Financially we are doing as well as we ever. Even with paid memberships down a little financially we are doing great because we are not spending as much money. With meeting attendance down our club Focus has shifted towards Fish A Longs & club members getting out and fishing together more. When it looks like meeting attendance will pick up to 20 plus members I’ll book more paid speakers. On a VERY positive note, High Rocks is grateful for our monthly meetings regardless of number of attendees. Our Future looks good as our club has a strong core group of die hard fly anglers. One weakness is we haven’t had a board meeting in 2 years, but then with COVID there hasn’t been as much to talk about. Since we can’t put board meetings off forever and I’ll get an email out soon to organize a meeting, either on Zoom or in person. As always, everyone’s ideas and input are welcome. Feel free to call or email and I’ll get your ideas written down so they can be discussed and action taken.

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 “August” or “September” and you’ll get all the past reports for that month. 

If there is anything you want to see on our blog, I’m all ears.

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

According to the NOAA Climate website we are having La Niña year. Why should this be on your radar? Well, La Niña weather patterns come from cooler than average Pacific Ocean surface temps that cause, among other things, last months wet and stormy “Juneuary” weather. As we roll into summer it should be a lot easier to find quality fishing opportunities than it was last year, just be prepared for the occasional sudden rainstorm and a few more mosquitos.

It’s a relief to go into summer with the rivers full and the forests wet after the drought conditions the last few years, but all that rain “power washed” most of my Willamette Shad & Clackamas Steelhead fishing plans away this year. Fortunately fishing at Lake Harriet hit an all time peak last month, fishing better than it ever has before or likely ever will again, which is saying something! Trillium and Timothy Lakes were pretty good too.

We’ll have a REGULAR meeting Tuesday July 19th at High Rocks with the social hour starting at 6pm and the presentation at 7pm. I’ll get an email reminder out a day or two before the meeting.

We have a treat for our July 21st Fish A Long. Chris Brehm has generously offered to let us stay at his place south of Sunriver for the weekend. Details will go out via email.

While the The Fly Fishing Shop is closed, their website is still active. Here’s some excellent information on the local fishing opportunities on the Mt Hood Lakes.

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 “July” or “August” and you’ll get all the past reports for that month. 

If there is anything you want to see on our blog, let me know.

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