Presidents Message July 2024

July 2, 2024July 2, 2024 / davekilhefner / Leave a comment

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

June 2024 Fish A Long Report

June 30, 2024June 30, 2024 / davekilhefner / Leave a comment

We had another great Central Oregon Fish A Long hosted by Chris B. Thanks again Chris for the wonderful time!

On Thursday most of us arrived. Those that got there early enough fished Lava Lake. There were Callibaetis hatching and fish were rising…but they were a little tough to catch! It was a perfect summer day and the views were breathtaking. Our day ended with a delicious steak barbaque meal.

On Friday we hit upper Hosmer Lake. Early the fish were mostly keyed in on Damsel nymphs. Rich was doing well on an olive brown micro leech that mimiced damsels and other tasty morsels. Both Chris and Stevie started doing well on beetles when the wind came up a little. I tried my trusty blue damsel and was rewarded with a couple good sized rainbows. We had an otter crusing around the lake for the better part of an hour that was fun to watch. We ended the day with a big spagetti dinner, the perfect meal for a bunch of hungry fly fishers.

Saturday morning we made the drive to Diamond Lake. It was the first time several of us had fished this lake and it didn’t disappoint. Rich got his first Tiger Trout in the morning. This fish stopped biting from 10 to 2, then in the afternoon Stevie started doing well on Callibaetis nymphs, and we caught several sizeable brown trout. Rich rounded out the day by catching a good brown on one of his big streamers. Tonights dinner was Mexican food in LaPine, a fine ending to a great day on the water.

On Sunday we had our traditional pancake breakfast before heading to East Lake. It was a little windy and the best fish of the day was Laura’s beetle eating brown trout, pictured at the beginning of this report.

The best flies this trip were; Olive Brown Damsel Nymph, Olive Brown Micro Leech, Callibaetis Nymph or flashback Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Beetles and Blue Dry Damsels.

Thanks to everyone who came and make this another fish a long to remember!

2024 April & May Fishing Reports

June 4, 2024June 4, 2024 / davekilhefner / Leave a comment

Over the last couple months we’ve experienced our usual crazy spring weather, from beautiful days with records high temps plus our fair share of cold, damp windy days. Thanks for everyone that shared their reports. As always, pictures first with the reports below.

April Reports

From Lane Hoffman: Had a good trip over to Rocky Ridge Lakes with Laura Anderson.

From Craig Kerschen: Some bigger smallies now moving into shallow water. This one at 19″ put a good bend on an 8wt.

From Rich Harvey: had an epic opening morning on the Deschutes below Warm Springs. Big big hatches & hungry fish; got 26 swinging soft hackles.

From Dave Kilhefner: caught the last of the winter steelhead run on the upper Sandy River.

May Reports

From Rich Harvey: took a road trip to Missoula to visit my stepson. Saw lots of beautiful country, wildlife and got into a bunch of brown trout on Rock Creek on my 3wt.

From Chris Brehm: Spent a few days in Wyoming on the green below Fontinel while on a month long Van trip. Only got a few whities to show for it, then on to the Miracle Mile where my luck improved. Small Perdigons and Wire Worms got it done

From Darryl Huff: Had to work hard for the fish but some nice ones were caught. No increase in the amount of big bugs around from 10 days ago. Stone fly nymphs were productive at times. Very little top water action. The caddis hatch has barely begun. 20 mile an hour winds all weekend didn’t help. On a good note, the old guys cleaned up at the poker table both nights!

From Mike Shiiki: We caught a few each & the boys caught some fatties. Some good chubbie eats and some green perdigon/rock worm eats, couple white fish on streamers (which we laughed at). I didn’t catch any big trout, but will say… relaxing in the boat & letting my son row us the whole way was awesome!

From Mike Shiiki: Tested a silver vs copper bead theory at Harriett Lake; it was overcast/mostly cloudy. Started with orange/red leech, copper bead, caught a couple. Switched to white leech w nickel bead. Did much better almost immediately. They stocked it with some big ones the past couple weeks & I brought home a bunch of 18”ers. Caught most between 5-6:30pm.

From Wayne Hughes: Did some flyfishing for Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass at Hagg lake. Managed to trick some nice bass to the surface to hit poppers.

From Dave Kilhefner & Rich Harvey: we camped at Trout Creek Campground the last few days of May. Lots of different bugs were hatching and figuring out what the fish wanted was a challenge, but we got fish every day plus saw some very nice fish landed by other anglers.

Presidents Message June 2024

June 3, 2024June 3, 2024 / davekilhefner / Leave a comment

Hope everyone has been having a good spring. I just returned from a fun trip to the Deschutes at Trout Creek. The fishing was a little bit challenging but we got fish every day, plus it taught us a few new tricks and the weather was perfect.

Our speaker for the June18th meeting will be Joe Warren. His presentation will be on fly fishing in the Pacific Ocean. I had the opportunity to fish with Joe last summer and well did well fly fishing for Rockfish & Salmon.

We have a GREAT Fish A Long lined up this month. Chris B has generously offered to host a multi day fish a long at his place between Sunriver and LaPine. I am sending an email out with the details; heres a link to the 2022 report: https://clackamasflyfishers.org/2022/07/27/july-2022-fish-a-long-report/

This coming weekend is Free Fishing Weekend in Washington. Several years ago we had a Fish A Long on the Washington side of Bonneville Dam for Shad. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend but contact me for details (gear, flies & a fishing map). The water level looks good this year!

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 “June” or “July” 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

Presidents Message May 2024

May 2, 2024May 2, 2024 / davekilhefner / Leave a comment

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

April 2024 Fish A Long Report

April 22, 2024April 22, 2024 / davekilhefner / Leave a comment

This is really more of an eat-a-long report with a little fly fishing thrown in. Why? The beautiful weather we had was the result of a front rolling thru and it put both the insect hatches and the fish down. Still, fly fishing is more fun in good weather we throughly enjoyed ourselves plus managed to catch a few fish.

On Thursday I met Rich at Howell Pond for some Bluegill & Bass fly fishing. Rich did really well on the bluegills fishing a #14 Blue Nymph a few feet under and indicator, working it close to the shoreline weeds. I did well on bass with a White Halfwit Leech working the weeds and structure. Afterwards we hit the Gales Creek Tavern for Burgers before heading to Schmadeke Pond to set up camp.

Friday morning dawned clear but a little chilly & breezy and while the weather warmed up later in the day, the fishing didn’t. We had a few skunkings and no on caught more than two trout. Desperate for some action, I duplicated Rich’s bluegill rig, worked the woody shoreline areas and caught a bunch of crappie. Afterwords we headed to Smokehouse Chicken & Guns for good food and live music. That night we enjoyed some time around the campfire.

Saturday morning started out with a lot fishier feel with warmer temps, high clouds and rising fish. After some time around a morning campfire with hot coffee and snacks, we got to fishing. Unfortunately is was still tough, but sticking with it paid off. Brad Jonasson caught his largest trout to date, a heavy bodied 23 incher. Today, smaller size dark chironomids produced the best results.

Thanks to everyone for coming and making this fish a long a fun event. The next fish a long is May 25th at Lake Harriet.

2024 CFF March Fishing Reports

April 9, 2024April 9, 2024 / davekilhefner / Leave a comment

We had some great weather and great fishing in March! Pictures first with the reports below.

From Chris Brehm: Bull Trout fishing on Lake Billy Chinook has been very good with multiple fish days. Bunny and M.O.A.L Leeches worked well.

More From Chris Brehm: March was a productive month for me: Got out on the ocean out of Newport for some Lings and Black Bass. Caught a few Rainbows and Whitefish on the Deschutes and the Crooked where this fatty was caught and released using a Black Mini-Leech under an indicator. Water on the Crooked was running high (+-450 cfs) but dropping. Caught Steelhead on the Sandy and this one on the Wilson too!

Congradulations to Garrett Lesko for winning Fly Tyer of the Year award!

From Dave Kilhefner: hooked some nice steelhead on the Sandy. Lost most of them but they all stayed on long enough to give me a rush!

From Andy Wilder: Andy is the owner of Wilder Lake out by Dunee. He said he restocked his lake and fishing has been fantastic for 18-22” trout. They are taking emerging chiromomids just under the surface plus there are a few mayfly hatches too. We had a really good fish a long there a couple years ago!

Thanks to everyone for contributing your reports!

April 2024 Presidents Message

April 4, 2024April 4, 2024 / davekilhefner / Leave a comment

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

March 2024 Fish A Long Report

March 25, 2024March 25, 2024 / davekilhefner / Leave a comment

The goal for springs first outing is fish, food, fires and fun! To be honest, fishing was a little on the tough side. While we saw a variety of bugs, the hatches were sparse. The fish were not active so you had to grind them out. But the work paid off as several good size trout & whitefish were landed.

Nymphing tactics were best with Euro nymphing edging out Indicator tactics. When the wind picked up I relied on drop shoting, the extra weight helps keep the line tight. Our best patterns were tried and true favorites; hares ear, pheasant tail & prince nymphs around size 14. To switch things up Rich tried swinging steamer and got a ripping strike from a big trout that threw the hook on the surface.

For the most part the weather was nice but we did have a pretty good rainstorm blow thru Friday night and another one late Saturday afternoon.

The water was a touch off color and on the high side, flowing at 4,700cfs. This is just high enough that we needed to hunt for new spots as most of our usual productive places had too much current. The water temp was on a rising trend, maxing out at 48 degrees in the afternoons.

Even with the fishing being a little slow, the Deschutes canyon greening up in spring is a great place to be. We heard lots of chuckars, saw plenty of deer and the weather was good. Our goal of fish, food, fires and fun was achieved!

Next months Fish A Long will be at Schmedeke Pond. Here’s a link to last years report to whet your appetite. Hope to see you there!

CFF February 2024 Fishing Reports

March 5, 2024March 5, 2024 / davekilhefner / Leave a comment

Apparently February’s weather had a lot of folks staying home. I was able to get out several times and ended up doing OK. As always, pictures first with the report below.

From Dave Kilhefner: got out on the Sandy river a few times in early February and got a couple on spoons. An aquantance had a fun father/son day, hooking a nice fish then handing off the rod to his son who landed this chrome beauty.

From Dave Kilhefner: traveled to the Kona coast of Hawaii and did some fishing off the rocks. Every time out I managed to catch a variety of reef fish using wheat bread smashed on the hook for bait (a local favorite). Also threw castmasters hoping to catch a bluefin trevally but they were scarce this trip.