Thursday July 7, 2011-
Getting on the water around 9am is a nice scenario in Central Oregon. The dry fly fishing on East Lake is hot all summer long, it's just a given. That being said, the trials with which the rainbows, browns, and occasional atlantic salmon are caught can be quite precocious. Early morning hours may hold a key hidden beneath the surface of the gurgling sulpher springs that frequent the fish and their feeding tendencies.
Motoring out to the far end of the lake and posting a jerry-rigged rock beneath the sled made for immediate satisfaction as the cool morning air gave way to emerging gnats. We tried our hands at a size 16 griffith's gnat with effeciency early and often. The fly was so popular in fact, that we stayed with it for most of the morning. The dun calabaetis in size 18-20 produced more ferocious strikes with gaining frequency as the morning passed into early afternoon.
After losing my fly vest to the winds that be while barreling up highway 97 to East, my nerves were calmed once the fly line hit the water and fish were striking. The numbers were large this morning and all of the fishing was done on dries. Get out there, it's hot and they're willing!
