Owyhee River Fishing Report – Oregon
Owyhee River flows are stable at ~130 CFS and are expected to hold true through the summer.
With various hatches coming off you should expect to have an assortment of bugs in the arsenal. Midges and BWOs still the main hatches through the beginning of the month with PMDs later in the afternoon. As we move later into the month PMDs will become more prevalent. Caddis are hatching with solid consistency through the day. Search for sippers behind pocket water or on slower tail outs. Double dry rig with a bigger bug up front tagged with an emerger pattern on the back can be very effective this time of year.
For nymphing applications stick to long leaders and lighter tippets. Traditional double nymph rig set up with bugs in the #18-22 range will find fish. As the weather continues to warm up expect the browns to move from the tail-outs into the faster riffles to lie and feed in the colder oxygenated water. With your nymph rigs, using small 1/2″ indicators, yarn, or pinch on foams is a great way to suspend these small nymphs and not cause a lot of disturbance on the water.
If you want to do some streamer fishing, using an intermediate tip with a down and across presentation of slow stripping and jigging can produce some nice fish through the flats and deeper sections of the river. Streamer fishing typically picking up later in the evenings.
Recommended Owyhee River Flies: Hanging Midge (#18-22), Bunny Midge (#20-22), RS2 (#20-22), Zebra midge (#18-22), Split Case PMD (#18-22), X-Caddis (#12-16), Elk Hair Caddis (#12-16), Stacked Hackle PMD (#16-18), CDC Case PMD Emerger (#14-16)
Fishing report updated by Luis Trevino
Stop by or call our Boise Fly Shop at 208-939-6065 for up-to-date information on conditions and to inquire about our Fly Fishing Guided Trips!
