Fish Species of the Mt. Hood Area

TROUT AND STEELHEAD OF THE MT. HOOD AREA

High Mountain Cutthroat Trout (“cutts”)

Oncorhynchus clarkii clarki

 

The native trout that live in the streams and lakes of Mount Hood are coastal cutthroat trout.  Now don't let the "coastal" part confuse you.  Although some members of this subspecies spend part of their life in the ocean, these are stream residents, which spend their entire lives in streams. The other two “forms”, of coastal cutthroat are the “fluvial”, which live in large rivers and enter creeks to spawn, and the lake dwellers, which live their entire lives in lakes. Although the biggest cutthroat trout can grow to over 30 pounds in weight (the record being 40 pounds), most of the cutts that you'll catch in the creeks will be a few ounces to a quarter pound. The biggest ones I have ever caught in them were roughly 14 inches in length. They do get larger in lakes. Before you put this book down in exchange for something about more famous rivers known for trophy specimens of trout, keep in mind that these trout are surprisingly scrappy, fighting harder than a lake dwelling trout twice its size. Although I have hooked jumpers, most of these fish have a deep, throbbing or frantic thrashing fight, often trying to foul the line on underwater obstructions. This behavior comes from it living in fast streams.  They are an iridescent golden yellow, completely dotted in spots and have a bright red throat mark, hence the name "cutthroat". They are absolutely gorgeous, with a buttery golden coloration.

Brook Trout (“brookies”)

Salvelinus fontinalis

Brook trout are not as common in the area as cutthroats, which is a good thing because cutthroats are a native species but brook trout are not. They are found in Timothy Lake and an assortment of other lakes in the general area. Brookies and cutthroats are similar in size, although the world record brook trout is only about ten pounds.  Brook trout originated in the eastern United States, and have spread westward by stocking of lakes and rivers. Perhaps the easiest of all trout to catch, fishing for brookies is fairly straightforward. The usual baits such as worms and Salmon Eggs work well, as do lures such as spinners. Nymph patterns such as the Pheasant Tail and the Hare's Ear work well, so do wet flies. They respond to dries with less gusto than cutthroat trout, but can easily be taken on Humpies, March Browns, Cutthroat, and Caddises. Although they rarely jump, brook trout have a hard underwater fight similar to that of a cutthroat, although I have always found Brookies to be a notch below the cutts in strength.

Brook trout differ greatly in appearance to Cutthroat trout.  They are actually a species of char, and are not as closely related to most other trout species.  They are dark green to grey and are dotted with yellow or red markings. On the top of the back are numerous vermiculations (worm-like squiggly patterns).  Brook trout taste delicious, and may be kept (although it is best to check with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife).

Rainbow Trout (“bows”)

Oncorhynchus Mykiss

 

Rainbow trout are by far the most common trout in the area, and are present in both wild and stocked numbers. The main species in the vast majority of the lakes, they are also present in many of the rivers and streams. The great thing about these fish is that they are extremely versatile. They appeal to all forms of fishing, and as a result are extremely popular with anglers. Rainbows are the most commonly targeted fish of all Mt. Hood area fishermen, including fly fishermen, still fishermen, trollers, casters, and shore guys. In addition, they appeal to all skill levels. Some rainbows are extremely easy to catch and can be caught by anyone, whereas others provide challenges for even the most experienced anglers. No matter which particular ones you are targeting, though, rainbows are thrilling fish that offer enjoyment to all anglers.

Brown Trout

Salmo trutta

 

There are self-sustaining Brown Trout populations in the Oak Grove Fork stream of the Clackamas and Harriet Lake, the lake it drains into. Although they are mainly found in Harriet, Browns commonly enter the river for feeding or spawning purposes. I have personally seen, cast to, and hooked these fish in the stream itself (landed is another matter) and catching them is possible. Although I have never bought into the myth that Brown Trout are far more difficult to catch than other trout, this might be true here. However, this is mainly because of their large size and affinity for baitfish. I have hooked Browns on Royal Wulffs and other attractor patterns, but Wooly Buggers and Muddler minnows are probably much more effective. Although there are Browns in the area, there are many other places in Oregon that I fish that have far better populations of these trout. Still, catching a big Brown Trout from a tightly wooded creek is considered an angling feat of the highest order.

Chinook Salmon

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Not the Chinook salmon you're thinking of, right?  Well, fishing for adult salmon on Mount Hood streams is closed to anglers.  However, the juveniles, or parr, are often caught by anglers seeking trout, often rising to small dry flies and aggressively pursuing wet flies.  They fight like small trout, and can be distinguished from their relatives quite easily, as they are paler, more cylindrical, and have vertical ovals called parr marks along their bodies.  Although not as highly esteemed as the much older and larger adults, they do provide a pleasant consolation if the trout aren't cooperating.  They are usually found in the Salmon River, Zigzag, and other similar places.

Steelhead Trout

Oncorhynchus Mykiss

Although steelhead are not commonly encountered in the small creeks of Mount Hood, there are significant seasonal runs on some of the larger rivers during the midsummer months, particularly on the Sandy and Clackamas River.  Known as the “fish of a thousand casts” for the persistence it takes to hook one of these magnificent fish, fishing for steelhead requires dedication and persistence.  The beginning fisherman would do well to hone his skills on cutthroats, brookies and rainbows before pursuing these elusive fish.  There are innumerable ways to fish for Steelhead, and popular methods include pulling plugs such as Flatfish and Tadpollies, bobber and jig fishing, and side drifting with eggs or shrimp. However, those who choose to fly fish for these ocean-going rainbow trout should fish with an eight weight rod with powerful tippet and sinking fly line.  Fish some of the regular flies that are used for steelhead in other rivers, along with an assortment of shiny Wooly Buggers.  

More Selected Fly Patterns of the Mt. Hood Area

This is a follow up to my "Selected Fly Patterns of the Mt. Hood Area" post. Here are many other interesting flies that have all been successful fishing the streams of the Mt. Hood area. Of course, these streams are fast flowing, so I made numerous ultra-buoyant hair and foam bodied flies. I also have some soft hackles and nymphs as well. All of these flies have worked, although some differ in effectiveness depending on the circumstances.

I made my own pattern I call the Kam's Caddis. Some guy in Jackson Hole or Montana has probably already invented it, but I really don't care. It's like a Goddard's Caddis with spun deer hair. Spinning deer hair can be frustrating, messy, and time consuming, but it's pretty fun once you get the hang of it, which is why I made this fly. It is buoyant and fish love it.

Kam's Caddis

One major material I liked was foam. Foam is rare in that it is buoyant no matter what, unlike the usual deer and elk hair which sink after a while. So, I made some foam-body caddises and terrestrials.

Standard Indicator Beetle

The black sheet foam was really easy to work with and secure for the beetle pattern above. I also added some orange antron yarn so it would be more visible.

Foam Body Caddis

 The foam body caddis was tied with that translucent gummy wing with the scale design on it. I forgot what it was called. Although it seems to look good to the fish, I worry if it sacrifices buoyancy.

Chernobyl Ant

I liked the foam body for the terrestrials, but not so much for the Caddis. It worked, but I felt it had a less realistic profile on the water than my standard Caddises. However, I remembered that foam makes a really sturdy parachute wing, and I set that to work on numerous flies.

CDC Parachute Caddis

I like CDC because it's buoyant and really easy to work with, so I used that for one of the patterns. It also had the added advantage of having a more natural footprint on the water's surface.

Standard Parachute Caddis

 I also tried a standard one with brown calf tail. It seems to have less of a profile than elk hair, but it's easier to work with. The body was tied with orange dubbing.

Parachute Caddis w/Translucent Wing

Again with the strange translucent wing. I really need to find out what that stuff is called before I make a fool of myself at the local fly shop.

Kam's Caddis Parachute

This pattern is probably one of the single most frustrating and annoying patterns in history. Combining a parachute post wing made out of foam, of all materials, a hair wing, and spun deer hair on a size 14 hook is like having to box Paquiao for twelve rounds. It's an effective fly, so I use it frequently, but THIS one you won't want to snag too often.

In addition, I tied some variations of the Royal Coachman. For those who don't know, this pattern is a time-tested classic that I also happened to catch my very first fish on. It has been used to fool trout of all species since the beginning of time (or beginning of fly fishing, but they're pretty close). Nowadays it's largely considered an outdated pattern, disdained in favor of the similar Royal Wulff. However, I still use it today on the numerous rivers and streams of the area, and catch plenty of trout too.

Royal Coachman Dry

Although the original Royal Coachman used white duck quills as wings, I almost never use this material as it is fragile and difficult to work with. Instead, it is better to select different materials, including brown or white hackle tips, CDC, Wood Duck or Mallard flanks, or even white foam. You can use white calf tail, but at that point it becomes the Royal Wulff.

Royal Coachman Soft Hackle

 In addition, I tied up a few soft hackled versions of this fly. I know I included this pattern in the first "Selected Fly Patterns of the Mt. Hood Area", but that one was rather poorly tied. I used dry fly hackle instead of genuine partridge or hen flank, and the result was a fly that would not fish properly or catch anything. The versions above and below are much better patterns.

Bead Head Royal Coachman Soft Hackle

Lastly, I tied another classic Eastern wet fly, the Picket Pin. It's a simple, all-purpose wet fly used to fool the microscopic brook trout the East is famous for. As a result, it also works very well for the microscopic brook trout we have over here. Mine is tied with a larger wing than normal, but I believe that increases the overall effectiveness of the fly. Of course, you are welcome to try a shorter wing.

Picket Pin

De-AAAAAASCHOOOOOOUTES!

Okay, that title was strange. Very strange. However, there is a reasonable explanation.

The Deschutes. Although the name sounds like a German guy sneezing, this mighty river has always daunted me in its enormity. The thing is, cracking the Deschutes is supposedly a rite of passage for Oregon fishing, and it has always been a place where I have never managed to catch fish. The thing is, the first three times I’ve fished the place, everything has gone wrong, although I at least have excuses. The first time I fished there, it was my first time fly fishing. I couldn’t even tie an improved clinch knot, and didn’t even own any waders. Got skunked, naturally. The second time was in the dead of winter. You can still catch trout, but once again, I had no clue and got skunked. The third time, it was during the supposed famous salmon fly hatch. For the first time, I had a good feeling about the place. However, we must have come too early or too late, as there were no salmon flies, and instead these mayflies hatching everywhere. I only brought stonefly patterns, and watched fish that I couldn’t catch rise all around me. Wow.

The coming memorial day, the one a few years ago, that is,  I decided to try the river one more time. If I didn’t catch anything this time, I swore, I would never fish the Deschutes again. This time me, my parents, and my dad’s friend Steve would raft further up the Deschutes than the water around Maupin that I fished earlier, and stop at Mack’s Canyon. I don’t want to write every flippin’ detail, but I’m just going to say that I FINALLY CRACKED THIS RIVER! Once again, I missed the salmon fly hatch; instead there were a bunch of golden stones flying around, which I imitated. However, when I first waded a likely stretch of water, I realized that these trout are the biggest pain in the (word I’m not allowed to say). The first one splashed my stimulator, and I missed it. I was first really excited, I could have just missed the strike out of poor reflexes, but it wasn’t for four more takes which I realized these rainbows are something else. They were incredibly short strikers, some fish not even touching the fly. Never once did I actually feel anything. Until now, I had never understood the meaning of the word “sipper” as most of my fly fishing is done in a stream where the Cutthroat and Brook trout savagely pounce on flies, and get pissed if they miss the fly. Here the trout are so-urrrrgh! I can imagine them going up to my flies and stopping right behind them to make their little refusals. “What a lousy dubbing technique”, “Oh, his size 6 stimulator has an elk hair wing, not a calf tail wing. How déclassé.” “That hook is barbed. The Deschutes regulations section 6, subsection 7a states that all hooks must remain barbless.” They will jump mockingly after fly after fly, and if you miss one, they won’t give you another chance. It’s done. And their caginess is half the challenge. These trout are fantastic fighters. The combination with their experience, the fast flowing nature of their habitat, and the fact that rainbows are already reputed as the hardest fighting species of trout, makes them extremely difficult to land. In fact, these fish fought so hard and were such an achievement to hook that I fished with tarpon rules, which state that if you fight it to the tippet, it counts as a fish. I ended up catching four, the first one out of a ripple on a Henryville special. I had just finished my drift and turned upstream to cast, and I was about to lift my rod when one bit down. I fought it and fought it when I realized neither dad nor Steve was in sight, so I took the hook out without lifting it out of the water.* It was about eight inches, and looked just like a stocker. No dark red stripe, just a silvery rainbow. The second one was on the same Henryville Special, within shouting distance of the camp we set up. I waded over it somehow, and was reeling in my fly line with the stonefly dragging across the surface as I was walking upstream, when it hit. I first thought it was the current, and then the rod started banging around. I landed a similar size rainbow that looked exactly the same as the first. Since dad and Steve were there, I took it out and had my picture taken. See, this time there was proof of my capture. Nobody saw my rainbow the first time, but I don’t lie about fish. Even if I did, you could tell. Before no.1, I was sullen and cynical. Every time someone made a comment about the scenery or anything in general I would make a smart comment. Example (mom): “Gee these flowers on the canyon are pretty.” My comment: “Yeah, flowers, that’s new.” Another Example (Steve): “Kam, you should try a golden stonefly imitation. That’s what’s hatching now.” My comment: “How but I just use a bare tippet, it’ll have the same results.”

The third* and fourth* trout were caught in a neat little side creek separated from the main river by an island about a few miles above Macks Canyon. It is shallow and resembles a small creek, the same width of the Oak Grove, and has numerous tiny tributaries that drain in and out of it. It reminds me of a Mt. Hood except for that the small stream experience is downsized by the enormous class three rapids of the main river crashing down on the other side of it. I make casts and miss a few sips, nothing new, but I cast under a tree and have my fly drift a little longer than the branches, and one bites down hard. This is more of the signature Deschutes Redside trout, as it jumped several times, and had a dark red stripe, although it was the same size as the first two. I decide it’s high time to head back to the raft. However, I have to take a whizz, which is never an easy preposition in waders. I take my life jacket off, pull down my waders, and unzip three layers of pants. I hold the rod in my teeth until I realize mid-whizz that it’s Steve’s rod, not mine. Although he said it was really cheap, child-size teeth marks in the cork of your rod might look weird, but the cork handle was already beat up enough as it was, soooo, yeah. I put everything back on and yelled downriver to my family, who were out of sight, that I was on my way back. I was about to head back down one of the two foot wide tributaries down to the main river when I had a good feeling about it. I swung my rubber legged stimulator down it and…number four. As I walked back to the raft, I said to myself that I finally conquered this river. Not during the salmon fly hatch, when the fish are drunk with three inch flies, but during a regular stonefly hatch. I said it louder, and louder, and then I tripped and nearly got swept off my feet downriver.

I guess this river doesn't like anyone proclaiming that it was conquered. 

The "Power"ful bait

There are lots of natural baits I have used when fishing for trout, from worms to crayfish to minnows to everything in between. The thing is, most of my bait fishing is done for hatchery trout. Although I will sometimes dangle a worm for a wild brown, most of the time I fly fish or cast/troll lures to wild trout. This largely has to do with the fact that most of my wild-trout only fishing places (Deschutes River, Oak Grove Fork) are artificials-only. Of course, hatchery trout fishing is synonymous with one word. Or should I say, brand. Powerbait.

         

Powerbait is interesting bait. For those who don’t know, it is a little paste that comes in a jar. It is primarily effective for hatchery trout, as opposed to their wild brethren. As a result, Powerbait is usually the most effective immediately after stocking, when the hatchery trout have yet to develop a taste for insects and minnows. Nobody really knows why hatchery trout love this stuff, or how its manufacturer, Berkeley, figured out how to make it. In fact, virtually no one even knows what it contains. It comes in a myriad of colors, including chartreuse, orange, yellow, brown, rainbow, white, and even a “Captain America” color that has caught nothing. In general, my favorite colors are the chartreuse and rainbow, although different people have different ones. To fish Powerbait effectively, either use a #8-12 single or treble hook. Mold a small amount of the bait around the hook.. It can either be fished from the bottom or under a bobber, although weight is required, as Powerbait floats. In general, you want to find the right amount of bait to keep the Powerbait at around the middle of the water column, although different conditions require different methods. Hatchery trout of all sizes love this stuff, from fish of this size....

To ones of this size....

Okay, maybe 24 inches isn't THAT impressive. Still, the effectiveness of Powerbait is not to be debated. Still, there are a few problems that the bait has. One, it's messy as crap. My sparkly chartreuse cargo shorts used to be tan before I went trout fishing. Getting this stuff on the hook and in the water without looking like your clothes got raped by the villain Clayface from Batman is nearly impossible. Thankfully, it comes in pre-molded nuggets. However, these are usually a little too big to be effectively used without the trout nibbling off all the bait. Thankfully, they can easily be broken apart into smaller pieces without being messy to work with. Many people say the nuggets do not work as well as the paste, and I doubt this. However, there were days where the paste worked better for me, although it could have to do with other reasons.

The other thing that drives me crazy about Powerbait is that it hardly stays on the hook. Nothing is more frustrating than casting your line out, watching it soar across the water, and seeing the bait fly the opposite direction from your line. Even worse is when you don't see it. I have tried "treating" the Powerbait in numerous ways to make it more durable. These methods have included leaving it to dry in the sun for an hour, wetting it, mixing it with other materials, and screaming in frustration at the little jar in front of everyone at Trilium. Finally, something struck me as I was reading an article on spawn sacks. The idea of wrapping the eggs in mesh to make them easier to fish seemed like an idea I could apply to Powerbait. So I bought some red mesh and rainbow Powerbait and got to work.

They worked pretty well. They stayed on the hook exceptionally well, and caught plenty of fish too. I could even use the same bait more than once, as the fish would actually be unable to swallow it or rip it off the hook. 

In conclusion, Powerbait is not a perfect bait. It has many disadvantages, but most of them can be overcome. I highly recommend it for any angler, seasoned or beginning.

Selected Fly Patterns of the Mt. Hood Area

These are my personal favorite fly patterns, the ones that I have taken the time to test and use on the streams and lakes of the Mt. Hood area. Some are attractors while others are imitators. I cannot pretend that I have created all of these fly patterns (the ones that I have created usually have "Kam" in the title, which gives you a sense of my overwhelming modesty) but I have reinvented a few that have become gems on these streams.  Who knows?  When I'm really old and gray (my late thirties and early forties), you can improve these fly patterns or even make an entirely new pattern.

Tan Czech Nymph:

Hook: 10-18 Scud

Weight: Lead Wire

Body: Tan Hare's Ear Dubbing

Rib: Copper Wire

Thorax: Hare's Ear, guard hairs left in

Wing Case: Scud Back, olive or tan

Legs: Hare's Ear guard hairs picked out

Note: This fly is very dense and sinks quickly, making it good for fishing with other flies. It is also extremely effective in its own right and has caught plenty of fish.

 Foam Beetle:

Hook: 10-18

Body: Black, tan, or brown dubbing

Back: Black foam, pulled tightly

Legs: Black, tan, or brown rubber legs

Note: The standard terrestrial pattern I always have in my box when fishing the Mt. Hood streams, this fly is extremely buoyant and virtually unsinkable due to its foam body. It's not original, but a pattern easy to modify and change to suit your needs.

 Kam's Little Black Beetle:

Hook: 16-24

Body: Black Sparkle dub

Back: Black foam

Legs: Krystal Flash

Note: This is an example of one of the many variations of the standard beetle pattern. This one is one of my favorites, tied in small sizes with Krystal flash. It's slightly difficult to see, but a small strike indicator can make it a little easier.

CDC Dun:

Hook: 10-14

Tail: Tan hackle fibers

Body: Tan Dubbing

Wing: Three CDC feathers

Thorax: Tan Dubbing

Note: One of my favorite mayfly patterns, this fly is not only exceptionally buoyant, but is extremely easy to tie and has a natural footprint on the water's surface. It can be tied in an assortment of other colors to match what particular hatch is going on at any moment.

Green Rockworm Soft Hackle:

Hook: 10-14

Body: Green Dubbing

Thorax: Tan or Brown Dubbing

Collar: Hungarian Partridge, stripped on one side.

Note: The soft hackle style of fly is an extremely popular one used to imitate an assortment of different insect species. The one above is one of my favorites.

 Bead Head Pheasant Tail:

Hook: 10-18

Weight: Lead wire or bead head (optional)

Tail: Hare's Ear guard hairs

Body: Hare's Ear dubbing

Rib: Copper wire

Thorax: Hare's Ear dubbing

Wing Case: Turkey quill segments

Legs: Guard hairs picked out.

Note: Everyone knows how to tie this pattern, but I thought it was worthwhile to include it because it has worked so well for me in the area. I tie mine using lighter hare's ear, but the fur from the darker sections can also be effective.

 CDC Caddis:

Hook: 10-14

Body: Orange, tan, grey, or brown dubbing

Wing: Brown CDC feathers

Legs: CDC fibers

Note: This is one of my favorite all time patterns, and is an amazing caddis imitation. Not only does it look as realistic and float as well as most other caddis patterns, but it is extremely easy and convenient to tie. A must have for any fisherman.

 Green Rockworm Standard:

Hook: 10-16

Dubbing: Green dubbing

Thorax: Hare's Ear dubbing

Note: This is the standard Rockworm pattern I usually use. It imitates the cased caddises that are commonly found in the Mt. Hood area, especially near the Salmon and Zigzag rivers.

Sparkle Czech Nymph:

Hook: 10-16 Scud

Weight: Lead wire

Tail: Krystal flash, clipped short

Body: Green, tan, or brown dubbing

Rib: Krystal flash strand

Thorax: Hare's Ear dubbing

Wing Case: Scud back, olive, tan, or brown

Legs: Guard hairs picked out

Note: This nymph works very well in murky or fast moving water, as the flash grabs the attention of most fish. This nymph is a great choice if you aren't sure what exactly you should tie on.

 CDC Royal Coachman:

Hook: 10-16

Tail: Brown hackle fibers

Body: Peacock herl, red floss, and peacock herl in that order

Wing: White CDC feathers

Hackle: Brown Hackle

Note: This pattern, developed to emulate the classic Royal Coachman dry fly, was modified by me to be easier to tie and more buoyant. This was done by adding CDC wings, which not only make the fly more realistic and aforesaid buoyant, but more durable than the classic duck quill segments.

 Kam's Special:

Hook: 8-14, long shank

Weight: Lead wire

Tail: Brown hackle fibers

Body: Black Chenille

Rib: Copper wire (optional)

Collar: Hungarian Partridge or grizzly hackle

Note: This is a true original. It initially came while fooling around at the vise with some materials. I didn't think it would be the least bit effective, until I tried it on a whim one day. Turns out the trout loved it. I don't know exactly what this fly imitates, but it seems to be effective on trout of all sizes. I highly recommend keeping at least one around when fishing, just in case.

Grey Wulff:

Hook: 10-14

Tail: Elk Hair Fibers

Body: Grey Muskrat dubbing or similar

Wings: Elk hair fibers

Hackle: Brown and Grizzly

Note: Probably the most popular dry fly in the Western United States, the Grey Wulff has been modified and changed to suit the needs of fly tiers all across the west. Although the true Grey Wulff is tied in the style of a Blue Dun, my favorite rendition is made to resemble an Adams, with brown and grizzly hackle.

Royal Coachman Soft Hackle:

Hook: 10-14

Weight: Bead head (optional)

Tail: Brown Hackle Fibers

Body: Peacock herl, red floss, and peacock herl in that order

Collar: Hungarian Partridge or brown hen hackle

Note: The very first fish I ever caught were on a Royal Coachman dry. Liking the obvious effectiveness of the pattern, I did some research and found out the dry fly was actually based off of the Royal Coachman wet fly. I also found out that there were streamers, poppers, and bass bugs based off the fly. However, the one I had to try was the soft hackle, and it proved to be an excellent pattern. Use this on any stream or even lake as a starter pattern.

Wooly Bugger:

Hook: 6-12

Weight: Lead wire

Tail: Black, olive, or brown marabou

Body: Black, olive, or brown chenille

Hackle: Black, olive, or brown hen hackle

Rib: Krystal flash strand

Note: The Wooly Bugger. Enough said.

 Damsel Nymph:

Hook: 10-14

Tail: Olive Marabou

Body: Olive Marabou strands

Rib: Copper Wire

Eyes: Melted monofilament or pre-made plastic eyes

Beard: Olive Marabou strands or Wood Duck flank fibers

Note: I always take this to any Mt. Hood lake I fish. It's a standard, always effective pattern, considering that nearly all the Mt. Hood lakes have damsel larvae present in them. The legs on the fly above are wood duck, although I honestly prefer marabou strands.

CDC Emerger:

Hook: 10-14

Tail: Tan CDC Fibers

Body: Tan CDC Fibers

Wing: CDC Wing, tied in a bubble

Note: This fly is tied entirely out of CDC, making it very buoyant. It imitates an emerging insect, and works very well when fished on a floating line in the midst of a heavy hatch.

Loop-Bodied Beetle:

Hook: 10-14

Body: Black, tan, or brown

Back: Loop-bodied foam

Legs: Black, tan, or brown rubber legs

Note: This fly is very similar to the standard beetle, with the exception being the loop in its foam back. The foam loop traps a bubble of air underneath it, making it more buoyant than the standard.

Green Czech Nymph:

Hook: 10-14 Scud

Body: Green dubbing

Rib: Copper Wire

Thorax: Hare's Ear dubbing

Wing Case: Olive scud back

Legs: Guard hairs picked out

Note: One of my "go-to" patterns when fishing the Oak Grove Fork and other streams, this is the standard Czech Nymph, designed to be fished with a team of other nymphs. However, it is still extremely effective on its own.

Flatwater CDC Dun:

Hook: 10-14
Tail: Pair of stripped brown hackles.
Body: Tan dubbing, dubbed in a dubbing loop
Wing: Tan CDC feather
Thorax: Tan dubbing

Note: Similar to the CDC dun, this pattern is more sparsely and realistically tied to be effective on flat, slow-moving water. Thus, this pattern is extremely effective on the Oak Grove Fork meadow for the Brook Trout found there.

Kam's Mayfly Nymph:

Hook: 10-16
Tail: Wood Duck or Mallard flank feather fibers
Body: Muskrat dubbing or Pheasant tail fibers
Rib: Copper Wire
Wing Case: Turkey flat
Thorax: Muskrat dubbing
Legs: Brown or grizzly hackle, pulled over thorax.

Note: This fly is extremely realistic and effective, but a pain to tie. I'll occasionally crank out a few, but it really isn't worth the effort. However, it's still a good fly that I always bring on the water in case I run into some picky fish.

Brassie:

Hook: 10-16 Scud
Body: Copper wire, tightly wound and coated with Laquer
Thorax: Peacock herl

Note: This fly is extremely popular, effective, blah blah blah. I think I'll save the effort of explaining how great this fly is and instead post a picture of a fish caught on one.

 Dark Cahill:

Hook: 10-14
Tail: Wood Duck or Mallard flank fibers
Body: Hare's ear or muskrat dubbing
Wing: Wood Duck or Mallard flank
Hackle: Dark Brown or Badger

Note: This was one of the first patterns I ever learned to tie, straight out of a little pamphlet that only included a few basic flies. It turned out to be a winner, catching fish not only in the Mt. Hood area, but across the entire state.

 Kam's Tail:

Hook: 10-18
Weight: Lead wire or bead head (optional)
Tail: Pheasant tail fibers
Body: Pheasant tail fibers
Rib: Copper wire
Thorax: Hare's Ear or Muskrat Dubbing
Wing Case: Pheasant tail fibers
Legs: Guard hairs picked out

Note: When I was a beginning fly tier, I would have difficulty with the legs of the Pheasant Tail. Frustrated and fed up, I made a thorax out of Hare's Ear Dubbing. After it turned out to be extremely effective, I kept tying it, even after I could easily make the original Pheasant Tail.

Standard Pheasant Tail:

Hook: 10-18
Weight: Lead wire or bead head (optional)
Tail: Pheasant tail fibers
Body: Pheasant tail fibers
Rib: Copper Wire
Thorax: Peacock Herl
Legs: Pheasant tail fibers

Note: The pattern above has obviously been chewed on by a few fish, and thus is an excellent pattern. Or at least I think it has. That could just be my tying.

Sparse-Bodied Caddis:

Hook: 10-14
Body: Orange, tan, grey, or brown dubbing
Wing: Deer hair, flare trimmed out
Hackle: Brown, tied as collar and clipped on top

Note: Another dry fly designed for the Oak Grove Fork Meadow, this pattern is sparsely tied to have a more realistic and natural profile on the water than a standard Elk Hair Caddis.

30 Second Mayfly Nymph:

Hook: 10-18
Weight: Lead wire or bead head (optional)
Tail: Wood Duck or Mallard flank fibers
Body: Hare's ear dubbing
Rib: Copper wire
Thorax: Hare's ear dubbing with guard hairs
Legs: Guard hairs picked out

Note: This is a great fly for the beginner to tie, as it not only is quick and simple (hence the name) but it is best tied to be as scruffy and beat up looking as possible. Some of the finickiest fish I've seen have taken this pattern when it seemed nothing else would work.

Foam-Bodied Ant:

Hook: 10-16
Body: Black foam
Hackle: Brown or black