Articles written by John Judy
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Fasten your seat belts! There's a great steelhead run on its way up the Deschutes River. We first started seeing the signs clear back in July while we were still trout fishing in the upper river. On three separate occasions we had steelhead... — Updated 9/4/2001 Full story
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It's fascinating how much a river can change from one day to the next. On Monday it's dead; you struggle for each and every fish. On Tuesday, for no apparent reason, the water has come alive. Why does the river change so much? Some of the... — Updated 8/10/1999 Full story
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We climbed to the top of a little earthen bluff about 30 feet above the Deschutes River. From there we had a perfect view down into the eddy below. At first we didn't see any fish. Then someone exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! There they are!" Three... — Updated 8/3/1999 Full story
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I met Sylvester Nemes once. He was guest speaker for the very first Oregon Trout banquet. While he was in the state, arrangements were made for him to fish the Metolius. I was privileged to be selected as his guide. At the time I didn't... — Updated 7/20/1999 Full story
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We could see the fish through the grass and bushes. He was right in front of us - so close his spots and fins and even the pupils of his eyes were plainly visible. Every so often he would move up and slide out of sight behind a grass clump,... — Updated 7/13/1999 Full story
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With so many biological and geological phenomena locked into one tiny region it is small wonder the Metolius River has become one of the most studied rivers in the state of Oregon. Research has advanced our understanding of the river and... — Updated 7/6/1999 Full story
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The Metolius redside is a magnificent animal. The fish is greenish gold over the back, with a brilliant red/orange side stripe. It shades toward lighter buff and gold on the underbelly. The spots are enormous. The colors shimmer and shift... — Updated 6/7/1999 Full story
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It was a classic Metolius situation: There were half a dozen nice fish down there in the bottom of that deep hole, but nothing I tried was getting my fly even close. It was an eddy with a log jam at one end. The fish were buried down among... — Updated 5/25/1999 Full story
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I'm looking at my calendar. I don't have too many cash-paying trips left. The season is almost over - there's a possibility that my waders might actually get dry. But, I won't count on it too strongly. The fishing is still awfully good. Late... — Updated 10/27/1998 Full story
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There are magical moments when steelhead just seem to appear on the end of your line. This habit of showing up unexpected has earned steelhead the nickname "ghost fish." A good steelheader continues to fish no matter what the luck and in spi... — Updated 10/13/1998 Full story
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When you think of classic dry fly fishing - upstream casting to a free rising trout - you are almost certainly picturing a mayfly hatch. Mayflies, with their delicately curved bodies, their upright wings, and their habit of drifting for... — Updated 9/29/1998 Full story
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This has been a rough steelhead season. Problems started early when a thermal barrier developed in the Columbia. At the start of the run in July, things were fairly normal. The numbers were starting to build and steelhead fever was growing.... — Updated 9/15/1998 Full story
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I have, at times, been accused of being selfish, of promoting wild fish and catch-and-release for my own personal gain. "You fly fishermen just want it all for yourself," folks said. That attitude has slowly died away. As the biological... — Updated 9/8/1998 Full story
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It's always the first question: "So, what fly did you catch them on?" "An Elk Hair Caddis," I replied. I was a little surprised he bothered to ask. The answer to his question seemed so obvious. The swarms of caddis were everywhere; as we spo... — Updated 9/1/1998 Full story
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The reports were not good before we left on our trip to the lower Deschutes. According to the fish passage center, we would be looking at a below-average run of steelhead. Throughout July, the numbers had been down slightly, but well within... — Updated 8/18/1998 Full story
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"I want to do some fly fishing," the voice on the phone announced. "Can you tell me where I should go and what I should do to catch some fish?" I made some suggestions on flies and places to fish. I also added that I thought the best hatch t... — Updated 8/4/1998 Full story
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Conditions were not what I expected. The trout were not up and feeding in the eddies as I had hoped they would be. Normally, on a trip down the Deschutes in early summer, you will float through clouds of emerging caddis. Today there was only... — Updated 7/21/1998 Full story
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Not long ago I had a client on the river, a most pleasant older gentleman. He had fished for years on many of the best rivers and with the most knowledgeable guides. When I told him we would be fishing mostly with nymphs he made a face. But... — Updated 7/14/1998 Full story
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We came upon my son from downstream. He was fishing the pool at the big bend. I had sent him ahead, hoping he would find the right spot. Sure enough he had been drawn to it like a magnet. "Look at his casting," my friend commented. "Isn't th... — Updated 7/7/1998 Full story
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If you fish long enough, sooner or later you will have one of those magic moments. You'll find a place where the feed, the fish and the fisherman all fall into synchronization. For a moment you will know that everything is absolutely... — Updated 6/30/1998 Full story
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I slid the fish from the water and turned it in the fading light to catch the changing colors. There was an almost neon, iridescent purple where the red side stripe should have been. That color on something man-made would have been... — Updated 6/23/1998 Full story
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Here's a little casting trick for all you rodeo cowboys. The circular motion of this cast and the way you manage the line in the air will fit right in with all your roping skills. The technique is called live-line roll casting. It is actuall... — Updated 6/16/1998 Full story
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Cold, wet, weather and high water go along with the salmonfly hatch on the Deschutes. It is, after all, the first major hatch of spring. It is normal to get some sunshine and some cold, wet weather. The river levels are usually falling... — Updated 6/9/1998 Full story
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I'm often asked to tell "guide stories." Usually I'm reluctant to do it. I like my customers. I don't enjoy exposing their weaknesses. But this one is simply too good to pass up. The client (we'll call him Bob), wasn't very organized right... — Updated 6/2/1998 Full story
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Ephemerella Proserpina - the Green Drake. Perhaps it seems strange that a guy could wax poetic over a bug, but these creatures really are quite special and quite beautiful in their own way. They have the a graceful long slender curved body,... — Updated 5/26/1998 Full story
