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…
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…
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…
Why Deschutes Trout Spey? Answer: It’s a lot of fun swinging flies and getting yanked real hard. Did you know sculpins are a disproportionate part of the Deschutes Redside’s diet. In fact at times sculpin, or cotus, make up most of a trouts diet. We have long thought redisdes to be bug eaters,…
Recommended equipment A big part of what you get with a good fly fishing guide is an opportunity to learn about equipment. Year in and year out I see people bring their own gear, most of the time this gear needs to be adjusted. I always bring fishing rods for…
Summer officially starts June 21st. I’ll still be trout fishing on the lower lower, mostly with a trout spey, hoping to accidentally hook a June Steelhead. The real action happens in July. On a magical day the summer steelhead show up on the Deschutes River. There’s no rhyme or reason,…
Thank You! The holidays have come and gone which signals a new year is about to start. Before that happens I want to thank everyone who took their time and hard earned money to come and fish with me in 2017. For those of you holding dates for 2018, double…
Check out my article “Deschutes River Fishing Playbook” hosted at the Gorge Fly Shop.
I KNOW, IT’S JUST BARELY WINTER STEELHEAD SEASON! May comes pretty fast and it pays to plan ahead. The Salmonfly hatch is the most explosive surface action of the year! Few things in the Northwest get fly fishermen more excited than the Salmonfly hatch on the Deschutes River in Oregon.…
Read Part II Here As a full time spey rod guide I spend a lot of time with two handed rods, my rods, client rods; I get to cast lots of different rods. For the last decade I’ve been a staunch Winston advocate and I still am. That said, when…
