The Deschutes River is primed for the fabled Stonefly Hatch. We been finding some great trout nosing around in the shallows eating stonefly nymphs. This beauty ate the fly in only eight inches of water! With high water this year, the fish feel very comfortable pulling up into the shallows in the late afternoon and evening. Don’t make the mistake of walking through them!
When the fish are up shallow, try fishing a lightly weighted stonefly with no added weight on the leader. Your strike indicator should be Poly yarn to avoid spooking the fish. A plastic or foam indicator makes too much of a disturbance when it hits the water for shallow water fishing. Your indicator should be only a couple of feet above your fly for this scenario. Fish the heads of riffles and focus your attck on the seams coming off boulders. You’ll be surprised how shallow these early hatch fish will be. Good luck!
-Larimer Outfitters Staff
