Steelhead Regulations on the Deschutes

What does this mean? It means the entire Deschutes will be closed to steelhead fishing July 1 through August 15th, 2022. (please keep reading, this is not a death sentence) Going forward Deschutes Steelhead seasons will be open or closed in July based on prior year escapement over Sherars Falls. This…

Continue reading

Deschutes Fly Fishing Report

Deschutes Fly-Fishing Report June 23, 2019 I thought it was over, trout season that is. We had a bout of warm weather mid- June that brought water temps near 70 degrees, that’s the doom and gloom number. Along comes the wind, the clouds, and some freakishly cool weather, kabam! The…

Continue reading

Recommended Equipment, Deschutes Trout

Trout fishing can be simple and it can be hard, your choice. On the Deschutes there are several constants one needs to consider and the biggest one is no fishing from the boat. Being a bank angler assures you won’t ever have enough room for a safe back cast. The…

Continue reading

DESCHUTES RIVER TROUT OPENER 2019

Monday April 22nd! The lower Deschutes River is arguably one of the best trout streams in the west. Trout per river mile is around 1500. Rainbow trout, “redsides,” are available year-round between the Northern Warm Springs Indian Reservation and the Mouth of the Deschutes. The open section has very robust numbers of…

Continue reading

Deschutes Trout Fishing Playbook (republished)

The crown jewel of Oregon is arguably the Deschutes River. Earning Federal Wild and Scenic designation in 1988 the Deschutes is managed for recreation and continues to gain in popularity. The tailwater fishery is 100 miles long and runs north through an arid desert canyon until it meets the mighty…

Continue reading

European Style Nymphing (ESN), Why?

Why nymph fish at all? The truth is the overwhelming majority of trout feeding behavior happens below the water’s surface. In fact most feeding activity happens around twelve inches off the river bottom. The answer is to catch fish when they are not feeding on the surface, ie, most of…

Continue reading

2018 Deschutes Steelhead Year End Results

The Deschutes steelhead season started off with a bang.  Early summer was as good as I have ever seen on the lower Deschutes.  There were spots on the river where we found fish every day for a week straight.  There was the fire, fishing unchanged and fishing pressure was completely…

Continue reading