Big Y Fly Fishing Blog

In a state renowned for its steelhead and salmon, the Yakima River in Central Washington stands out as the state's premier (and only blue-ribbon) wild trout stream. Stretching 85 miles upstream of Roza Dam, it is home to native rainbow...

Here in the Columbia River Gorge, we have a different scene. We get plenty of folks that walk into the shop and want a half-day of trout fishing, but its not that simple here.  It's extremely seasonal, and each season brings a different species that we can fish for.  Its a bit complicated, but variety is the spice of life.  

The John Day River is one of the longest undammed rivers in the US.  It flows out of the Strawberry Mountains in Southeast Oregon to meet the Columbia River about 30 miles east of where the Deschutes meets the Columbia.  It is more than an hour and a half drive from Hood River, but the popularity and unique fishery of the river leads us to include this as a local favorite.  

The North Fork of the Lewis River is becoming a very popular trout fishery.  This river starts on a plateau near Mt Adams, and flows south of Mt St Helens into Swift Reservoir near the town of Cougar, WA.  This is near Mt. St. Helens.  It is a big drive from Hood River, but it is popular enough that we need to include it in our series.

There is not much I can say about the Deschutes that has not been said by much better writers than I. Dozens of books have been written about the Deschutes River.  It is famous, it is infamous, it is our home on the water.  This is the only world-class trout fishery that we have access to within a reasonable drive, and what a fishery it is! 

In the area west of Mt Adams, there are hundreds of lakes.  Most are pretty small, some are barely ponds, others are deep and hold fish over winters.  Most of them are hike-in, but several offer good car access.  

Part of our series on fishing locally in the Hood River/Columbia Gorge area. Species:  Brown, rainbow and brook trout.  Season: Late May-October 31, however low water makes late summer fishing difficult.Location:  Trout Lake, WA.  30-45 minutes North of Hood River Links:  Trout...