Over the years I've heard all the theories about when and why steelhead bite, but little in the way of conclusive evidence. After years of working on the Deschutes for the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and examining years of data, I concluded that steelhead have minds of their own. Sometimes they move at night, sometimes in the middle of the day, and sometimes not at all. I could find no correlating data with tides, moon phases, wind direction, storm fronts, or river levels.

A standard assortment of Western trout flies will work well on the Deschutes through most of the summer. Caddis imitations #12-18 and mayfly imitations #14-20 in a variety of colors will match most hatches. In the early summer, you'll need bigger patterns to match the salmonfly and golden stonefly hatches.

Two common theories offer reasons why steelhead strike a fly: 1. Although some steelhead feed in fresh water, most do not; they bite flies because of a remembered feeding response. 2. Launched on a spawning quest, steelhead aggressively seek a mate and suitable spawning gravel and will attack intruders into their space.

Vary your tactics, and your flies. I like fly styles that look different in the water: hairwing streamers, soft hackles, Spey flies, nymphs, and dry skaters. To cover a variety of lighting conditions on the river, I carry each style in bright colors and dark tones, #4-10.

When it comes to steelheading, presentation is more important than fly selection. You must control your fly's depth and swimming speed and vary your tactics to cover all the water.

There are no secret hatches on the Deschutes; you will find most, if not all of the same insects on many western rivers. With the exception of the bigger bugs, such as the Giant Salmonfly, Golden Stonefly, and October Caddis, you'll catch redsides on what you would normally carry for western trout. The Lower Deschutes offers 100 miles of possibilities, with many different types of water and underwater terrain, hosting a wide variety of insects.

For instance, although there are dozens of species of caddis in the Deschutes, it's possible to match the hatch with a basic assortment. Bear in mind that even though a particular caddis may prevail in one area, say a riffle with a cobblestone bottom, another caddis may be prevalent in a slow run bordered by reeds and grass. Also, as the season marches on, each species reaches for the sky in its own time.

Instead of worrying about a specific hatch, go with #12-20 caddis and mayflies in tan, cream, gray, and olive tones to match nymph, emerger, and adult stages. Toss in a few #10 Slate-Wing Olive duns in grayish-olive and spinners in brownish-rust, and some midge pupa and adults in #12-20.

Perhaps the only time on the year a standard selection of mayfly and caddis imitations won't suffice is in late May and early June when the Salmonflies are hatches. You'll need some big dry flies at this time, and below you'll find the recipes for three of my favorites. These three patterns will also work during the golden stonefly hatch, which comes hard on the heels of the Salmonflies.