The Oregon Water Resources Department has released their monthly report on statewide drought and water conditions. We all know that drought conditions are bad (“82% of Oregon is in moderate to extreme drought with 36% of the state in severe to extreme drought”), but this report nicely illustrates some of the nuances of the issue. We also all know that snowpack, which in good years releases water through much of the spring into summer, is already mostly nonexistent across the state (top chart page 3). But, one of the things I always look at is soil moisture. While soil moisture is lower than normal in many parts of Oregon it is currently right around normal along the Cascades in Deschutes County (bottom chart on page 3). Because of this, streamflows in Central Oregon are below normal but much better than anywhere else in the state (top chart, page 4). We should expect these flows to deteriorate over the summer as the outlook is for above average temperatures. So, get out there and fish now while conditions are relatively good close to home.