Where do I start? Well today’s my birthday and it’s a non-jetboat weekend so I’m home drinking a good cup of Hairbender and updating my fishing site.
There were some fires this year on the Deschutes. Most of the camp sights are severely damaged, some are unusable and some are still working. The fire started in the Dalles on HWY 197, burned east to Morrow and Grass Valley in a day. Along the way the fire jumped the Deschutes at Steelhead Flats RM16/17. The fire burned both sides of the river to river mile 1 by the third day. I had the pleasure of being on the river for the entire event it was apocalyptic.
I missed one day of work due to a mandatory closure, I’ve been up every day and have run 5 camp trips to date. Fishing has been very good until the last week. It appears we have a thermal block in the Columbia, a mass of warm water. The warm water was preventing fish passage over the Dalles Dam. The counts picked back up with the cooler weather, and the water temps on the Deschutes are seasonably cool which is good.
Salmon and steelhead fishing is closed off the mouth of the Deschutes as well as up to Moody Rapids. This closure occurred in 2017 as well and as a result we caught a bunch of hatchery fish mid September, keep in mind these fish generally bite one time. Hatchery fish outnumber wild fish two to one but we usually catch no more than 10-20% hatchery fish, this year it will be much higher.
To day I’ve been guiding 35 days, we’ve hooked and landed a lot of fish, we retained our first hatchery fish Wednesday. Very few days without hooking a fish this year, that isn’t to say I haven’t had a morning or an evening without a pull because I have, fishing is still fishing. Most fish come on a dry line, some on a skated fly and many on sink tips during the day. Traffic has gotten noticeably heavier in the last week despite the fire and the fish counts. September will be a busy month, I’m glad I have a jet boat.
Next available date is October 14th, $300 per seat minimum two anglers, BLM boaters pass added to the bill. I am a full service guide and can provide everything you need to go fishing minus an Oregon fishing license.
I have an open camp date October 7,8,9. These dates can be a single overnight, or the standard two nights three days, the rate is $425 per angler per day, I need two.
Best to text me this time of year as I’m slow to return emails and phone calls (541) 400-0855, samsickles@gmail.com
Thank you to everyone who’s booked with me this season, it’s appreciated.
Sam and Marni
