10/3/2025 – For tactics, starting out with a dry-dropper seems like a good idea. If they are hitting the surface fly, I would probably chop off the dropper and just cycle through the confidence patterns: Elk Hair Caddis, Parachutes in a variety of colors (olive, brown, black, gray, yellow), and small stimulators.
The creek closes at the end of the month, so there is still time to check it out!
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
9/19/2025 – Time is running out on the season for Tumalo Creek!
It is certainly fishing well on caddis, PMDs. ants, and beetles. I would focus your attention closer to the Shevlin Park zone as opposed to Tumalo Falls area. A 7’6, 3wt is the perfect tool for a lovely day on Tumalo.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
8/29/2025 – Tumalo is still a great option for fishing this time of year. Parachute Ants and Bionic Ants are my go-to flies, though I also enjoy throwing a Foam Beetle along the banks.
Water temps are negligible and the creek is unlikely to be too busy, as many folks will be trying to get OUT of town of the holiday weekend.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
8/22/2025 – Tumalo Creek is still fishing quite well! As opposed to sharing techniques (of which most of them will work on Tumalo), I shall instead list a series of flies proven to slay fish on the creek:
Dries: Missing Links, Bionic Ants, Cinnamon Ants, Sparkle Flags (PMD), Pink Cahills, small Hippie Stompers, Purple Haze, Parachute PMDs, Parachute BWOs, and Micro Chubbies.
Nymphs: Panty Droppers, Baetis nymphs, Lightning Bugs, Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ears, Partridge and Oranges, and Frenchies.
Weapon of choice: 3wt, 7’6″, Redington Classic Trout
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
8/1/2025 – For those who haven’t checked out Tumalo Creek yet (and even those who have), now is a great time to see what it has to offer. The temps in Tumalo Creek are very seldomly affected that much and certainly sit well below the 67 degree threshold we use to gauge the viability of fishing a stream comprised of primarily rainbow trout.
Caddis, PMDs, BWOs, and terrestrials all are great options for the pools, riffles, and bends that make up Tumalo Creek. In order to attain as much peace and tranquility as possible, I would recommend looking at access point between Shevlin Park and the road that immediately precedes the parking lot at Tumalo Falls.
While I don’t think nymphing is especially necessary, it can’t hurt to bring small, attractor nymphs, as well as PMDs and even a sunken ant or two!
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
7/18/2025 – To be totally honest, not a ton has changed in terms of fishing on Tumalo Creek. Dry fly fishing is still firing on all cylinders and one doesn’t really need to get to technical with their fly selection to get fish to come up.
Ants and beetles are normally the first flies I tie on when fishing Tumalo. I don’t know if they actually catch more fish, but they float well along some of the quicker undercut banks and I rarely have to dip into my Loon Top Ride supply.
The water is nice and cold making Tumalo is a worry-free zone in terms of the potential for high water temps.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
7/11/2025 – The water is cold, the (good) bugs are out, and the fishing is great! Tumalo Creek has been a super consistent option the past little while. There is ample shade for both the fish and fisherman, with other anglers few and far between.
This time of year on Tumalo Creek, I pretty much only fish dry flies. Caddis and beetles are my favorites, and I only add a dropper at the few plunge pools I find to see if there is a Tumalo Creek trophy lurking at the bottom of the pool.
The mosquitoes are there, but in much fewer numbers. That said, mosquito repellent is a very good thing to have. Though make sure to wash off your hands before you touch your fly line, as the outer coating of the line and mosquito repellent are not friends! For other patterns, consult last weeks report.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
7/4/2025 – Tumalo Creek will be another great option this 4th of July weekend as many will be looking further away from town for their fishing and hiking endeavors. The flows are at a very stable and manageable level, and the fish are extremely happy with their constant supply of cold, clear water.
PMDs have been hatching in great numbers in the last week or so, but really any basic dry fly pattern should do the trick: Adams, Purple Haze, small Stimulators, Elk Hair Caddis, Skater Tots, Comparaduns, Sparkle Duns, etc…
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
6/27/2025 – Tumalo Creek has continued to chill out over the last week. While pools and pockets are still your best bet, some of the riffles have been productive with dries.
I really like a dry dropper with a pheasant tail on the bottom and micro-Chubby on top. You might find that they’re hitting the dry primarily, in which case I would just chop it off! Nymphs are never really necessary on Tumalo Creek, but I still like to bring them with.
For pattern recommendations, see last weeks report.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
6/20/2025 – Whelp, I really thought it was going to calm down more than it has on Tumalo Creek, though the good news is that it is at least fishable at this point!
A friend of the shop and trusted source was on the creek yesterday and had good success running a dry-dropper with a small, black, mayfly nymph as the dropper.
Look for the soft spots where the water is not flowing as heavily; the inside of bends, pools behind logs, and the tailout of riffles are good places to start. Another nice thing about Tumalo Creek is that the skeeters haven’t been too bad, so it might be nice place to get away from the bugs over the next while. That being said, it can’t hurt to bring repellant.
Ants, beetles, caddis, a variety of mayflies, and general patterns (ie Purple Haze, Wulff’s, Parachute Adams) will be important to have for surface fishing, while the nymph stages of those same bugs should do well below the surface.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
6/13/2025 – Tumalo Creek has calmed a bit since my last report, but not a ton. Personally, I would suggest fishing elsewhere this week as their are other close by spots with more consistent fishing. That being said, anglers finding themselves on the banks of Tumalo Creek with a fly rod in hand will still be able to find fish!
Like most of our other bodies of water, PMDs, PEDs (not the performing-enhancing kind) and caddis are on the menu at Tumalo Creek.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
6/6/2025 – Due to some runoff created by the hot spell of the last week or so, Tumalo Creek is absolutely ripping right now. The current is extremely swift all the way from the falls to it’s confluence with the Middle Deschutes. As such, it’s not going to be your best option in the coming days. I don’t expect these high flows to last much longer, but you might as well give it a few days/week.
If you do decide to head out that direction, look for bends in the river, spots behind downed logs and boulders, and seams along the edge of the current where a trout might hangout to get out of the quick stuff while still have easy access to any food that might be tearing down the creek. If you are lucky enough to stumble across a slow pool, spend a bit more time fishing it than you normally might.
Flies to try: Front Loader Caddis (#14-16), Foam Beetles (#12-16, Hi-Vis Ants (#14-16), Sparkle Duns (of all sizes and colors, but especially PMD-flavored), and classic patterns (Parachute Adams, Elk Hair Caddis, Royal Wulff’s , Renegades, etc…).
If you feel the need to fish sub surface, just make sure your flies are actually getting down a foot or two in the water column, which can be hard in tight quarters with swift currents.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
5/30/2025 – I always feel very pleased when one of my fishing predictions turns out to be correct, and it seems my first Tumalo Creek report (last week) happened to be one! A lot of anglers have been reporting success on caddis patterns, while a number have also been fishing smaller Hippie Stompers, Dry Humpers, and Micro Chubbies to great effect. Beetles are another really productive pattern this time of year on Tumalo Creek.
While I don’t expect nymphs to be especially necessary, it can’t hurt to bring some along.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
5/23/2025 – Tumalo Creek is now open to fishing! Given the fact these fish haven’t seen any anglers in months, it is unlikely that they will care too much about what you’re throwing, though there are still some likely culprits: Skater Tots (#14-16), Hi-Vis Parachute Caddis, Front End Loaders for caddis; Split Flags, Hair Wing Duns, Film Critics, and Parachute PMDs in #14-16 for your PMD pleasure.
While they should be pretty pleased to see anything tempting on the surface, small tungsten nymphs will definitely catch fish. Prince Beads, Perdigons, Quilldigons, small leeches, Sparkle Donkey’s, Free Living Caddis, Rockworms, pheasant tails and it’s variations, and basically anything else one might have confidence in.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
5/16/2025 – By the time I write our next report, our favorite local creek will be open! As the feisty rainbows and brook trout in Tumalo Creek have not seen flies in six months, I very much doubt they will care what you throw at them them, they will most likely eat it.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
11/1/2024 – Tumalo Creek is now closed for the season and will reopen May, 22nd, 2025.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
10/26/2024 – If you’re looking for a spot close to town, Tumalo Creek should definitely be high up on your list. BWO’s and some midges should be getting munched on the surface as the weather gets colder and colder, though the most efficient way to fish would be a small, buoyant dry fly with a mayfly nymph below. #18-20 Tungsten Rainbow Warriors, #16-18 Spanish Bullets, #18 Claret Espresso Midges, and #16-20 Hare’s Ears are perfect nymphs for this time of year.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
10/12/2024 – As the weather has gradually cooled down, as has the fishing on Tumalo Creek. While dries will still pick up the occasional fish, you won’t see fish rising as much as you might’ve in August and even September. However, there should be some sporadic BWO (#18-20) and PMD (#14-18) action throughout the rest of October.
In terms of nymphs, anything small and heavy should do the trick. Those fish tend to react before they think, so a flashy nymph like a #16-20 Rainbow Warrior should turn heads. Other nymphs to try include: #14-16 Lightning Bugs, #14-18 Flashback Pheasant Tails, and #16-18 Sparkle Donkeys.
