Scott and I both ran trips on the Mckenzie last week with good success. The river is fishing well from the upper reaches all the way down to Springfield. Don Truax came out for his annual midsummer float and surprised no one by catching a slew of nice trout on dries and nymphs. Don was joined this time by his longtime fishing buddy, Larry Carter, who also knew his way around a fly rod. 
 
On the Deschutes, salmonfly is all but over. Last Wednesday, there were still big bugs in the one-day stretch between Warm Springs and Trout Creek, and fish were eating them. But below Trout Creek, fishing was best with smaller stimulators, caddis, and parachute mayflies. Trout aren't working in the eddies in big numbers yet, but there are plenty of great fish to be caught, if you're willing to put in the time to find them. 

Posted by: Matt Ramsey

I have seen this phenomenon only one other time. It was also during the Salmonfly hatch in the Deschutes River Canyon. 
 
The appearance of water bags hanging from the bottom of the cloud occur when heavy rains begin to fall from the cell and then are sucked back up by the intense updrafts. Check out the photo; 
 
 
 
PS. The dry fly fishing with Salmonfly patterns was excellent for the last 7 days between Trout Cr. and Maupin. I did two back to back trips through the canyon and everyone's expectations were wildly exceeded. The river is at a perfect level and the fish are all keyed up on eating the big bugs.  
 
 

Posted by: Scott Nelson