As we wait for the April 22 opener on the Lower Deschutes we’ve found some time to get out and fish the Maupin area water that is open year round. Fishing has been pretty awesome and nymphing is producing good numbers of redsides. With the salmon fly hatch getting closer and closer, large stoneflies are working well. A brown, black, or peacock jimmy legs in size 4-10 is just about all you need on some days, but smaller stonefly or mayfly patterns are also producing fish consistently. Christmas Prince’s, anato mays, red two bit hookers, and copper johns in sizes 14-18 are all good options.
Dry fly fishing has been sporadic, but various hatches including caddis, march browns, and squalas provide some opportunity to bring fish to the surface. Mahogany tilt wings and parachute adams in size 14 are good march brown imitations, and a size 12-14 olive chubby works well as a skwala. Focus on back eddies and slow tailouts when fishing dries, late afternoons and evenings tend to be the most productive times. Smaller mayfly emergers and cripple patterns in size 16-20 may also find fish in the evenings. Everyone is excited about the big bugs we’ll start seeing soon, so continue to check our reports for updates on the salmon fly hatch we get closer to May!