The Crooked River is one of the best on the Central Oregon circuit right now. There is a good afternoon hatch of mayflies and you might see 3 species overlap. They will be PMD’s, BWO’s and Mahogany Duns.
I have frequently recommended the Furminsky’s BDE Dun in this report over the years, but had an exciting revelation concerning the name this week when I had a meeting last tuesday with our Montana Fly Co rep Bruce. Bruce said that BDE stands for Best Dry Ever. On the Crooked I tend to agree. Mt Fly added a PMD version for 2026 and I put them on the order for next season. Also the Extended Body PMD Cut Wing Dun, Sparkle Dun, Film Critic and Purple Comparaduns are very good.
Midges are likely in the late afternoon and your nymphing game can always include a midge like a black zebra midge or winker. The winker is a cool fly as it can fished as an emerger or down deep with success at different moments of the hatch.
Scuds, Soft Hackles, Mini Gulps, Skinny Nelson, Perdigons, Tungsten Micro Mayfly (brown #16, olive #18 and black #20). Water levels are beginning to drop for upcoming winter reservoir storage.