East Lake is excellent

East Lake - La Pine, OR (Deschutes County)


by The Fly Fishers Place
8-17-2024
Website

East Lake is excellent, and with that expected 2nd brood of Callibaetis making a strong showing since last Sunday and Monday. You’ll see them swarming around lunch time on most days and make sure you have an olive Callibaetis Nymph (the one with the Ostrich Body and Peacock Wingcase), the Almost Dun for a curved emerger and the Captive Dun for an emerger that is laying at the surface flat. Some days the fish really care about that profile and you need at least 2 emerger profiles to show the fish a half in the water look, and a meniscus/surface film look. I also really like a Sparkle Dun, and even though it is still attached to the trailing shuck, I think of a sparkle dun application a little different than the almost dun and captive dun in the way i’d approach feeding trout. 
For the Duns, a lot of patterns will work. I’ve mentioned before the creamy-white extended body dun we have that I love at East so much. We also have an extended body with cut wings that the fish love. Parachutes with olive body or gray body, and spinners with a creamy tone for the body. Spinners are the hardest stage of the hatch to match, but fish patiently with a light tippet and don’t try to cast to every rise you see, instead let the fly sit for a few minutes and see who finds it as the fish are cruising and looking for food. 
Still some decent Damsel Adult fishing to be had along the White Slide and Red Slide areas. When you see fish leaping totally out of the water, this is a good indication that they are after Damsel Adults. We recommend the traditional Blue Extended Body version and a small Blue Chubby. 
Grasshoppers, Ants and Beetles will serve you well here for at least another 6 or 7 weeks. 
Chironomid fishing deep with an indicator from 14 to 18′ is good, or with a Type 7 or 8 Full Sink Line on a Dangle in 20 feet or more. If you can double anchor and have a fish finder this is a good way to find nice fish at this time of year. Fishing a Blob on the dropper tag is good, even if the fish are not actually eating that fly they are attracted closer to the chironomid to take a look at the blob and decide to eat the more natural blood worm or pupa. 
Balanced Baitfish are also good under the bobber or the dangle method. 
other things to be aware of: Scuds, Damsel Nymphs, Leeches, Midge Adults like a Griffiths Gnat. Purple Haze is a heck’uva good dry fly and the para-post split wing version is one I rely on at East when the wind chop is heavy and a need a visible and good floating dry fly.