Freestone · Volcanic · Oregon, US

North Umpqua River

A fishing boat on the turquoise North Umpqua River beneath a highway bridge, with forested hills in the background.
Today · About as good as it gets
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Forecast · Today
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% projected
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.46 m
Water temp12.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather14°C
WindN 3 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Ideal
13°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Late June through October; best on cool morning water and after autumn rain bumps. September often too warm/clear.
Where
The North Umpqua is the cathedral.
Why this works
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 21h

12h(now) — Mahogany Dun

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 63%
Also:Black Midge24%
Peak emergence window6 food groups active

Peak activity at 21h — Brown Dun (Brown Dun, 5 food groups active)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Steelhead
SM
Steelhead Muddler / Waking CaddisTop
12–14 · Sedge
Evening sedge — twitch or dead-drift it as the light goes.
FT
Freight Train
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
LW
Low-water October Caddis
12–14 · Sedge
Evening sedge — twitch or dead-drift it as the light goes.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Fly-fishing-only, single barbless, catch-and-release all wild fish in the deadline water
  • Frequent summer emergency closures tied to dam counts and temperature — verify ODFW before fishing.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Gallery · 2
  1. A fishing boat on the turquoise North Umpqua River beneath a highway bridge, with forested hills in the background.
    North Umpqua River, Douglas County, Oregon
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

This is fragile, conservation-heavy water. Oregon Coast steelhead are not ESA-listed, but ESA-listed Oregon Coast coho share the basin and are not a target. The hatchery summer-steelhead program here has been curtailed; the wild fish are the whole point. Single barbless, keep them wet, and accept that 'fishable' and 'responsible' are not always the same word on the North Umpqua.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
  • Fish consumption: Impaired
What this classification means

Fish consumption: Consumption advisory — fish for sport, not the table.

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'North Umpqua River' (OR_SR_1710030108_02_105342), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Temperature, Hydrologic Alteration, Toxic Inorganics. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · OR_SR_1710030108_02_105342

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time6513% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity6512% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts