One more week

The remaining 30 miles of so of river that borders the Warm Springs Reservation will open on April 23. These fish have not seen flies in a few months, so they are a little "dumber" early on. Most of the success will be had on nymphing rigs. A good option is a stonefly up front, along with you standards like hare's ears and copper johns. If the water is higher and a bit off color, try bigger and brighter flies like a psycho prince along with a san juan worm or something with a bit flash. There is always a lot of steelhead smolt in the river early season. These are our fishing future, so please handle them with care and if you find yourself catching lots of these "little trout", it's probably best to move on to another spot, as the smolt tend to travel in packs, especially those hatchery fish who have lived in tight quarters for their entire life.