Columbia Gorge Fishing Report September 14th

Ryan and Jeremys trek to the Deschutes

Fishing Report

While trout fishing has been fabulous and will continue to be for the next month or two, the focus is primarily on summer steelhead in our area.  Fishing for these sea-run beauties is about as good as it gets right now.  There are epic days and tough days, but in general, fishing is on and it’s hot! 

Chinook Salmon have really moved into the local rivers and definitely are pushing steelhead around.  Some runs will be loaded with salmon and vacant of steelhead, while others that tend to not hold salmon will load up with steelies.  There are other pieces of water that will hold both salmon and steelhead, but generally in different areas of the run.  You just have to put in some time to figure out what is holding in the water you’re in.  Either way, there are a lot of fish in all of our rivers.  The Klickitatand the Deschutes are the two best options for steelhead, while Drano Lakeand the Klickitat are the best choices for salmon fishing. 

"the bearded guy"

Clarity on the Deschutes is great.  Dry line fishing is going as well as can be expected.  The cloudy, cool weather should provide some consistency and really get the fish active. 

Lost Lake has still been fishing really well.  Reports of large fish being taken lately have signaled the start of fall.  Trillium Lake traditionally is planted with large trout in September as well, and with the hordes of people descending on the rivers, it is a great place to hang out for a weekend.  

Laurence Lakeis still fishing really well too.  Remember, targeting bull trout in Laurence Lake is prohibited.No reasonable fisherman would be able to argue that an 8wt and a six inch rainbow trout pattern are appropriate gear for catching the 12 inch average rainbow trout that reside in the lake. 

                                                                                          

Smallmouth Bass fishing is really starting to turn on again.  Give it a couple of weeks and the top-water bite should be killer on the Columbia. Fish are starting to feel the water cooling and the sense of urgency to fatten up before winter is making them particularly dumb right now. 

As always, we are happy to talk fishing any time.  Give us a call if you have any specific questions on local rivers, gear, and tactics, or if you just want some encouragement to get out of the office.  

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