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

Happy New Year! I hope everyone was able to enjoy holiday festivities and quality family time.

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 a couple on the calendar. Next is to continue to improve our Fish A Longs calendar. Fishing opportunities have changed over the past several years and it’s important to change with them.

Our January 16th meeting will feature a run down of our planned Fish A Longs for the coming year. While we have a schedule, it’s not set in stone so if you have any ideas email them to me so we can discuss them at the next meeting.

Our January 20th 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 scarce. Still, a few fish are being caught and since nobody can cast far enough to get one from the couch 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. Type the word January or February in the search box and you’ll get all the past reports for that month.

It’s time to think about paying your 2024 membership fee if you haven’t already. However if you joined as a new member in 2023 it will be good for 2024 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.

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 and was able to get out and do some fishing with friends.

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 2024 membership fee. However, if you joined as a new member in 2023 it will be good for 2024 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.

I’m looking for input on the 2024 Fish A Longs schedule. With the warming trends and low steelhead returns, fishing opportunities are changing. Check out the 2024 fish a longs schedule and let me know if you’d like to see any changes; it’s not set in stone!

Last year we expanded Fish a longs to include camping. It’s not always easy as many campgrounds are booked up very early, especially state parks. But we did have some very successful camping/fishing outings, especially on the Deschutes, Metolius and Oregon Fishing Club.

December is shaping up to be decent fishing month. My crystal ball says the most dependable fishing will be at the Oregon Fishing Club ponds for trout, especially after this 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 Wilson 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’m open to helping folks with their spey casting and winter steelhead presentation basics. 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 fishing transitions from fall to winter. It presents many good opportunities and can be the very best month to catch a steelhead or catch good numbers of trout & whitefish getting ready for winter.

With the holiday season upon us we will have the Fish A Long early on November 11th so it doesn’t conflict Thanksgiving weekend. Once again we will be at Beavertail Campground on the Deschutes River. Several of us usually go a few days early and camp out. We will have a BBQ steak lunch again as we still have steak from last month. Gotta love the Chef store!

Several members have asked about Chum salmon fishing on the coast. We used to always go there in November but the unpredictable fall rains prompted too many cancellations the last 5 years. That said, if you want to catch one of these bruisers in the fly the best option is to head over as close to the November 15th season closure as you can and be ready for crowds. For more info hit one of our local shops or type “Chum Salmon” in the search box to get our past reports and fly patterns.

Our November 21st meeting at High Rocks will be a “flies and lies” format. We did this last year and it was a great time, so bring your fly tying vice to tie some flies & tell fishing stories. Also, I recently acquired 79 dozen flies from a closed fly shop. They are available to members for $1 each. As always, social hour starts at 6pm and the program at 7pm.

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 “November” or “December” in the Clackamas Fly Fishers website search box 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

Summer is officially over and the cooler days of fall are upon us. These are some of the best times to spend on the water.

Our October 21st meeting is at High Rocks. Social hour starts at 6pm and the program at 7pm.

This months October 21st Fish A Long will be at Beavertail Campground on the Deschutes River. Historically, this has been a very popular Fish A Long. It’s become a tradition that several of us go a few days early and camp out.

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” or “November” in the Clackamas Fly Fishers website search box 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

Summer is winding down and my favorite fishing season, fall, is almost here. It’s the best time of year to be on the water and CFF has some great Fish A Longs lined up the next three months.

Our September 19th meeting is at High Rocks. I’m hoping to have Josh Linn do a presentation angled towards fly fishing the Metolius River. Social hour starts at 6pm and the program at 7pm.

The September 23rd Fish A Long will be held on the Metolius River. Several of us are planning to go a few days early and camp out.

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 Clackamas Fly Fishers website search box 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

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. The picture above was taken last week from a Dory trip with Connect Outfitters. George & I got our limit of Black Rockfish before 8am then spent the rest of the day chasing silver salmon. We hooked about a half dozen, most of which we lost. It was a great day on the ocean.

Our July 18th meeting is at High Rocks. I don’t have a speaker lined up yet but will let you know when I do. Social hour starts at 6pm and the program at 7pm. 

The July 22nd Fish A Long was scheduled to be at the north arm of Timothy Lake. However, hot weather and warm water have put the damper on this fishery so we will go to Harriet Lake instead. 

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. 

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