Lower Deschutes Fishing Report, September 04, CFS 3500,Water Temp 54

 Lower Deschutes Fishing Report

Fishing is picking up as we ease into Fall weather patterns, its a wonderful time to come out and fish. We have been getting alot of calls about the steelhead closer. Currently the river is closed to targeting steelhead from Sherars Falls to the mouth of the Deschutes. Steelhead numbers are at an all time low so the ODFW has made the right call. Trout fishing up by the shop is producing some massive redsides lately. If your lucky to hook one HOLD ON! We have summer caddis still around a few October Caddis are starting to show up as well. Good flies right now are Hares Ear nymphs, Peridigons, soft hackles and anything with cdc. The river is quite on most days so you have a good chance of getting into your favorite water . We hope to see you at the shop soon and our campground will be open into December.

Lower Deschutes Fishing Report April 28

 Water Temperature 53 Degrees / CFS 3700

The day stretch has been fishing good to fair on most days. As always weather patterns fluctuating determine when the insects decide to get active and fish decide to eat the majority of their protein intake that specific day. Look for the swallows "birds" and take a mental note what time of the day your seeing the action. Currently there is a bunch going on down there under those rocks and it has everything to do with water tempter.  With water  around 53 "warmer than normal" we should start to see adult salmon fly's within the next two weeks and we will keep you updated as things progress with that situation. The salmon fly nymphs are active now so using some sort of salmon fly nymph with your favorite size 14 or 16 dropper behind it will produce fish.  Still seeing a few small mayflies around but they are fading quickly and with the 80 degree weather in the forecast we will transition to summer Caddis and Mayfly hatch's. Trout have been sporadically rising for emerger's during the evening hours and overcast days so if you fancy dry fly fishing evenings would be a good bet, try a parachute Adam's dry dropper rig with 4x.

Trout Spey has been picking up as water temps warm. Morning and evening are best for the swung fly, don't be afraid to put some action into the fly as it swings to the bank. Ive been liking a t/7 stink tip with a Skagit head its been producing grabs most days.

Other than that thank you to everyone that helped out with the river clean up! The shop crew has been catching really nice quality reside rainbow trout since the river opened April 22nd , be prepared when nymphing! 3x fluorocarbon folks, we have five pound trout in the Deschutes river they are handful to get in! A friendly reminder watch the reds folks we have spawning trout from now until July. Podded up trout and dark colored trout with teeth are spawning fish. Lets give them a chance to do their thing guys. Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you in the shop soon!

Spring 2021' Fishing Forecast

 We are heading into to Spring here.. before you know it the Lower Deschutes will re open and our 2021 season will start in earnest. The section of river bordering the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, reopens April 22nd this year!

The Deschutes River Fly Shop and Camp will be open for business then as well!

Currently we are working hard on the property and booking people for the upcoming Salmon fly hatch!

Prime Salmon fly dates (mid May- June) are filling up, but we do still have some availability for day trips..

Book now for some of the best dry fly fishing of the season!


There are lots of other fly fishing opportunities this time of year even though the big river is still closed.
We have been getting on the private lakes a bit.. Spring is the time to hit some of these great still water, pay to play fisheries in Central Oregon! 

We work with a couple different large ranches in Central Oregon, who have a variety of different private lake options.. from small ponds to larger lakes, most are planted with brooders or triploids. 

And are in very scenic locals! Lodging is also available..

Lower Deschutes Fishing Report cfs 3750 water temp.54

 Fishing has been spot on, rainbows are biting and the steelhead are making there way up to Trout Creek. You can hook steelhead fishing your trout nymph setups but our preferred method is swinging flys with spey rods.  As the steelhead make there way farther and farther up stream they start reverting back to there original form  and will take nymphs more readily. The stlhd will be spread out though-out the whole system at this point of the run. The White River is still puking out glacial silt its bad folks really bad. About 2 feet of

down there below the White and upstream has been busy! Try to cover as much water as possible for best results and start trying the Mecca flats area!

Lower Deschutes Fishing Report . Cfs 3700/ Water Temp. 55.

We have blue skies and are finally smoke free today and the fishing has been solid thoughout this week but we are very glad to see blue skys again. Steelhead are making there way up to Maupin currently and there are probably a few up at the top of the river and South Junction. Now is the time to dust off the cobwebs and get that spey rod out. Weather is going to be mild from here on out mid 70s with chilly night temps in the 50s. We love fishing the Deschutes all summer yet the fall is our favorite time, crowds will be thinning and the trout bite will transition to a mid day bite. 8 am to 2 pm will produce the best fishing as the days get shorter and the sun angle is lower in the sky. Lots of bugs out still October caddis are present thought out the whole system and surprisingly caddis are still going strong. Starting to see small 16's/18/s bwo's and mahogany's out. Pmds and the crane flys are about done but still plenty of bugs out for those already FAT redsides. White fish are getting into spawn mode now look for rainbows and steelhead to sit behind those whiteys gobbling their row.

The steelhead seem bigger than the last three years, averaging in the 6 to 8 pound range and are a handfull! On big fish years like this I like swinging with size 4 or 2 intruder hooks on hobo spey type flys, bigger hook helps you keep those big boys pinned. On a side note the White River has been clouding up the lower 50 miles of the river since early September. I Was down there on Tuesday and the Visibility was about 3.5 feet any thing less than that id probably want to fish above the white but as you get further down from the White the better the viability will get. Sink tips mid day and floaters during low light periods. Shop, Campground, and Cabin rental will be open for all your fly fishing needs thru December running guide trips all the way until December 31st! Check out www.flyfishdeschutes.com 

Lower Deschutes Fall Fishing Report

August 29th/Cfs 3700/Water Temps 55

Trout

We are transitioning into fall quickly on the lower Deschutes, evening temps have started to cool and the fish are biting! All methods are producing right now. As usual nymphing will get you numbers but the caddis fly hatch was good last night!  The Caddis and Pmds are about done and we are just starting to see small bwos coming off  the past few days.  Dry fly fishing during low light hours and nymphs mid day.  X Caddis , Double Duck Caddis , Purple Haze, Stimulator, Frenchie, Red Copper John, Morrish October Caddis, Jimmy Legs. Side note trout spey has been good this week.Try our olive or black Sculpzilla we carry in the shop. The fish on the Deschutes prefere olive streamers fished traditionally simliar to a steelhead swing presentation also try stripping as it swings across. Trout Spey is a'lot of fun and produces certain days other days not so much but having the option is some how satisfying when you get a tight line grab after running your nymphs through a run without success. October caddis hatch is one of the last  protein source that redside's feed on before winter and although its a sporadic hatch it can be good. Start fishing orange nymphs as we get into the fall.

Steelhead 

Its a big fish year on the Deschutes the fish seem larger than other years.  They are starting to show up in Maupin area and will arrive around trout creek area sometime late September.  You need to Fish a'lot of water and fish mornings and evenings. Sink tips mid day. I like 12 feet of T10 with a hobo spey or fish taco . You also need profile and lots of flash applied to your fly when the suns straight up in the sky. Green Butt Skunk, Brazilian, Parris Hilton on the Scandi line. Sink tips and Skagit line with a Hobo Spey, Fish Taco, Micro Intruder. Happy Hunting!

07/08/20 Lower Deschutes Caddis fly hatch

07/08/20
Cfs/3780
Water Temps /75


We have been seeing large amounts of adult caddis and certain days mixing in with some pmd action, water temps are fairly constant throughout summer in the warm springs area typically mid 50s/60s. Best bet this time of the year, using drys during low light hours then switching over to a nymph setup when the sun is high in the sky and back to drys when the sun disappears behind the canyon wall. Look for fish to take spent caddis and emergers during mornings, using movement to your nymphs or emergers can entice jolting strikes from big trout. Look for fish that are rising aggressively but there is no bug activity that you can detect on the surface when trying this. Fish will be rising in the shade and close to undercut banks. Sneak Sneak Sneak these fish are sensitive to sloppy casts and quick movement so take your time when approaching fish actively feeding on the surface . Dry fly fishing requires 4x sometimes 5x. Nymph fishing requires 3x fluorocarbon.

Dry Fly's: X caddis , Double Duck cadis, CDC and elk hair, Stimulators, Parachute pmd, Purple haze, Green drake

Nymphs: Frenchie, Yellow pmds, Cased caddis, jimmy legs, Prince nymph, Two bit hooker, Moorish October  caddis.

Lower Deschutes Salmon Fly Hatch

River flows:3800


Its that time of the year again! Salmon fly's have been present on the day stretch for three days now. Last night there were tons of the big bugs in flight buzzing around. Dry fly fishing has been best during low light conditions, that being said fish will start keying in soon. Weather forecast this week calling for mild conditions mid 60s and partly cloudy which will prolong the hatch. Look for the dry fly fishing to pick up as soon as that hot weather returns. If nymphing is your thing its been good, really damn good. The mid day bite has been phenomenal on some days. A'lot of caddis fly's are out already and we've been doing very well fishing flashy green rock worms, caddis pupas, and an assortment of euro nymphs that we are now carrying in the fly shop. Its critical to start close in on your presentation as the big boys follow the salmon fly nymphs to the bank and line up for the buffet. Happy hunting everyone!

Salmon Flys 2020

Quick update: Ive heard of a few salmon fly's buzzing around the day stretch already!! Now is the time to stock up on your favorite adult Salmon fly patterns. No top water action yet but we will keep you updated as the hatch evolves. Alot of big smolt in the Deschutes this year. Keep moving folks and keep those nymphs wet.

Lower Deschutes Trout Opener 4-26-20

Deschutes River Madras Gauge/ 4200 CFS

Weather/ Mid 70s

Water Temps/ 51

Calm Winds

The river bumped up from 3200 to 4200 over the weekend, I am happy to report the water is now looking as it should for this time the year. We heard a rumor that PGE had been working on their steelhead trap and that required lowering flows for maintenance temporarily. Fishing has been fair during the mornings with the bite picking up throughout the day as water temps warm and subsurface nymph activity increases. That being said adult bug activity has been pretty low so far.  So its mainly a nymph show with a few BWOs still around, we are just starting to see some large mayfly adults like PMDS, March Browns, and Small Caddis starting to pop in the evenings. 

If you find yourself catching steelhead smolt move locations. Rainbows either avoid smolts or cant get to your fly first. You will have a hard time finding those big Redside's around pods of smolt.

Good Nymphs now are SZ 08/06 Stone fly nymphs with some sort of SZ 14/16 F.B Hares Ear, F.B P.Ts, Brassies, Soft Hackles. If your into dredging or Euro Nymphing we just got some hot looking Euro patterns with 3.8 mm Tugsten beads on barbless circle hooks at the Deschutes River Fly Shop and Camp located in Warm Springs. Keep moving around until you find those pods!

In Response to the Coviid 19 Pandemic we are open for business with limited operation following the following social distancing precautions.

- Please maintain 6' of separation from others
-No more than one party at a time in the fly shop.
-Please Use hand sanitizer before handling any product.
-Please wash your hands often.
- Currently there is no out of state licenses sales available. So if you are not from the local Portland metro area, or Central Oregon you probably have traveled too far to get here!
-We encourage you to wear a mask or buff to protect your self and others.
-If your are not feeling well, or know someone that is please is not feeling well please stay home.
-Please stay in the group you came with. Once camping is allowed stay with your group.
-No large gatherings of around the camp fires.

Crooked River and Lower Deschutes Fly Fishing Reports

Crooked River - CFS-180

The Crooked River is open year round and is one of the best options for fly fishing in Central Oregon in the Winter.  The Flows look great right now and the best trout fishing is located from Bowman dam to eight miles down stream. Opportunities for trout this winter and early spring are more fruitful than in the past years. All the Trout are wild and average 8- to 14-. Nymph patterns are effective throughout the day, while dry flies are catching fish during evening hatches. Also check the flows before heading out.  Any big spike in cfs will put the fishing off for a few days.

There are hatches of BWO's on milder, overcast days. And when nothings happening nymphs can be productive in the deeper holes and slots.

Small midge patterns and micro mayfly patterns in black and red work well. Also a small cased caddis fly with a small psycho prince trailer prince can be a deadly combo.

Maupin - CFS-3960

On a side not we have been fishing Maupin a few days recently, the fishing has been consistent with tons of early bug activity. Although fish are still keyed in on there small winter BWO patterns. Small Stones have been red hot occasionally. All this bodes well for the Warm Springs section which opens April 22nd. 

Just a friendly reminder, trout in Central Oregon go into spawning mode now until July. As the population grows extremely fast in central Oregon with more anglers than ever hitting our local waters its more important than ever to educate yourself and others about what type of holding water trout spawn in and how to identify a "RED" to avoid devastation to our healthy wild trout populations.

Now Booking for 2020!

Oregon Winter Steelhead Trips ( Jan. through March) ~ Fly fishing guide trips for chrome bright winter steelhead on the Oregon Coast!

Deschutes River Salmonfly Trips (May) ~ Day and Multi day fly fishing trips for what is the best and most popular dry fly fishing of the season! Book early to secure the best dates. For more info on Deschutes River Guided fly fishing trips.

Read More... 

Deschutes River Camp Vacation Rental ~  Come stay at the camp, either camp out in our campground, or stay in our vacation rental.. Be near the action with views of the river. 

Read more...

Deschutes River Summer Trips, Crooked River Walk & Wade Trips & Fly Fishing Lessons for the 2020 Season! (April - November) ~ Day and multi day fly fishing guide trips on the Deschutes are available after the Salmonfly hatch. We have good fly fishing for trout all summer long, and Steelhead in the Fall.

The Crooked River is another good fishery, close to Bend and great option for beginners.

We guide walk in wade trips for trout from the spring through the fall on the Crooked River!

Read More...

Fly Fishing Lesson near Bend & Portland, Oregon ~  We offer fly fishing lessons for those needing an introduction to the sport or a refresher or want to speed up the learning curve!

Read More...

For More info on guided fly fishing trips or to book a trip, or to reserve a spot at the campground or rent our cabin rental please call  (541) 647-2584

You can also BOOK ONLINE for your convenience..

Upper Deschutes River Steelhead Report

10/10/19

Warm Springs to Maupin

Fish have started moving up the river in good numbers of late! Reports of good catches
have been heard in the South Junction area, between Trout Creek and Wiskey Dick on the camp stretch. And even in the Warm Springs to Trout Creek stretch where we saw two steelhead hooked
on our last day trip.

Reports of good numbers of healthy wild fish are in as well.. seems the wild fish are better at surviving the less than ideal ocean conditions and the gauntlet run through the Columbia! Who would guess that?

The fishing closure on the Columbia has to have helped the fishing on the river as well. As more fish have most likely made it into the river with no fishing going on on the Columbia. As a result steelhead fishing has been better than the doom and gloom and pour fishing forecasted early in the season because of low fish counts at the dams.

The remainder of this month and even November should be really good in the upper sections of the Deschutes, as the fish continue to congregate and stack up in the upper sections of the river.

The Warm Springs side of the river (Below Dry Creek) closes at the end of October.  And the whole river bordering the reservation closes at the end of December. There will be anglers fishing all the way up to the end of the year!

We still have availability for day trips this month and into November! We will typically run trips into November each season, weather permitting. Our last trip was November 11th last year. The last couple of seasons saw some pretty mild weather in the bringing of November.

For more info on Deschutes River Steelhead trips Read On...
You can also give us a ring or shoot us an email if you would like more info on Deschutes River Steelhead trips or for more of an up to date report!

Guide Service Phone ~ 541-647-2584
Fly Shop ~ 541-553-2589

You can also BOOK ONLINE at your convenience..


Shears Falls fish counts are a good barometer of when and how many fish are moving into the upper river. It's guesstimated that as many fish go over the falls than through the trap so double those numbers for an idea on total fish counts.

Note: Really cool to see how many wild Coho are returning to the river. Don't be surprised if you hook into one while fishing this Fall!

Deschutes River, October Fishing Forecast

10/1/19


Trout fishing is picking up around the Warm Springs and Mecca Flats areas of the Deschutes! October caddis are getting more plentiful by the day and the trout have been coming up to the surface for the caddis and pale evening dun's during low light hours once again.

Things get fun this time of the year on the Lower Deschutes River! The weather is mild with sun on most days. Fishing dry flies, swinging soft hackle's,  nymphing, and trout spey tactics all have their time from day to day. As the weather start to shift the trout sense winter is coming and will start feeding heavily. Using orange colored fly's is a good bet for the next few months.

Flies ~ Orange Beaded Stone, Egg Patterns, Soft hackles, Psycho Princes, Frenchies, Pheasant Tails, Elk hair caddis,  Stimulators, Skulpzillas, Jimmy Legs, and Green rock worms are all good patterns this time of year

Steelhead:

Folks putting in the time are finding a few in the Warm Springs area. October and November is prime time up here. Cover as much water as you can and just hope for the best. Swinging will cover those big runs more effectively while nymphing is key in narrow slots and ledge type structure.

Water temps are good for dry lines in the low light hours in morning and evening, tip and leaches are going to be more productive during the bright sun periods.

Guide Trips are available from now into early November! To book your guide trip or for more info
call the shop or the guide service number. You can also  BOOK ONLINE ...

Fly Shop Number ~ 541-553-2589
Guide Service ~ (541) 647-2584

One of our guides caught this rainbow yesterday on his day off. The fish took a orange beaded stone fly, get out there and have some fun!

Deschutes River End of August Fishing Report

Fishing for trout up in the Warm Springs area has been fair to good lately.  Quality over quantity is the mind set you should be in until the weather cools and fall makes its appearance . That being said there are some big trout being caught most days on the day stretch.   Two fly setups with spit shot fishing deep under an indicator is your best bet right now. A small Jimmy legs with some sort of mayfly trailer has been a good set up lately. Soft hackles, Psycho Princes, Frenchies.

Steelhead season seems to be off to better start than last year. Most folks fishing long days and that are covering  tons of water are averaging a fish a day.  Best bet right now is from Maupin to the mouth.  Mornings and evenings are best fished with a floating line and traditional patterns then switching to a sink tip like a ten foot T-8 and large profile flies like the fish taco, during the day.

Happy Holiday weekend to you all and we hope to see you in the fly shop soon!

Day and multi day guide trips are available on the Deschutes all season long, give us a ring at 

541-647-2584 for more info...

Caddisfaction

Fishing has been picking up on the lower Deschutes the past week. We are seeing blizzard caddis hatches on most nights  and the redbands are keyed in on the caddis now. With the late spring weather lingering things are a little late this year for dry fly fishing but its getting good! Weather forecast predictions call for steady high pressure and hot weather over the weeks to come which will bode well for the dry fly fishing. Nymphing has been solid all summer long using stone fly nymphs with a mayfly trailer.  Have not seen a whole lot of action on caddis nymphs which blows my mind with all the adult caddis that are present on the river. July is one of our favorite times to fish the lower Deschutes. Salmon fly crowds are gone and on most days on our guide trips from Warm Springs to Trout Creek we have the river all to ourselves with plenty of willing trout to sip a dry fly. On a side note trout Spey fishing has been exhilarating as of late. Evenings and mornings are best for swinging. We are carrying some new short sink tips and patterns that we happily turn you onto. Happy Forth of July to you all and we hope to see you soon!

Deschutes & Crooked River Fly Fishing Reports

6/23/19

Deschutes River:  4,000 CFS

The river is transitioning towards the summer Caddis thing right now.
The cooler weather has cooled the caddis hatch a bit, but once things warm up (Read 80 degrees and warmer) the bugs should really pop.

The hotter the better when fishing theCaddis hatch! Right around the Fourth of July is typically the peak of the Caddis hatch, though I think we will have good Caddis dry fly action all through July and possibly into August with the Cooler, wetter spring we have had!

When fishing the Caddis hatch, be very observant! Watch for tiny rise rings from large trout lazily sipping spent bugs and emerging bugs in the back eddies, foam lines, and under the Alders.

Popular bugs for fishing the Caddis bite are tan X-Caddis sz 16-18, Skaddis Sz 16-18, CDC & Elk, and Double Duck Caddis in smaller sizes.

Dry/dropper combo's can be productive too, fish a larger Caddis (Sz. 14) like a Parachute Caddis or a Hi Vis Elk Hair, with about 3' 5x and a small nymph dropped off the back!

Swing on into the Deschutes River Fly Shop & Camp on your way to the river and we can set you up with some productive flies for what is some of our favorite fishing of the season!

Day and multi day guide trips are available on the Deschutes all season long, give us a ring at 
541-647-2584 for more info...

Crooked River:  231 CFS

Flows are good on the Crooked, though the river is also in transition mode.
The river is running clearer than normal, due to the fact that the reservoir has not turned over yet.

Fishing is fair to good still, and will only get better as we get into the summer months.
Hatches of PMD's and caddis occur during the summer and nymphing is always a good option out there! Think small.. size 18-20 midge patterns, flash back pheasant tails, copper johns, and the like will produce fish nymphing.

Half and full day, walk and wade fly fishing trips are available all summer long on the Crooked.
The Crooked is a great option for first timers, small groups and families!

Call 541-647-2584 for more info..

Deschutes Fly Fishing Report

5/6/19

The Deschutes bordering the Warm Springs section of the river has been open a little over two weeks now! We have had guide trips out quite a bit already, and fishing has been pretty good. Especially considering that the river has been a little high and off color.

It has dropped more into shape of late, and things are about to really turn on. The Salmonfly and Golden Stone nymphs are getting very active, and with the heat forecasted for this next week I think we will see some big bugs starting to hatch soon!

Now it always takes a bit for the fish to get keyed into the Adults, so don’t be surprised if fishing is a little slow on the dries when they do, at first...

We do still have some availability for guide trips for the Salmonfly hatch, but time is running out to line up a guide for what is the most anticipated dry fly hatch of the season!

Now Booking for the 2019 Season!

2018 Season Wrap Up!

Well that’s a wrap, well it’s been done for a bit. But we have concluded our tenth season at
River Borne Outfitters! It was a great season, every year I try to be more consistent with  reports and newsletters. But the last few seasons have been busy. And we have found ourselves on the river more than behind a computer screen!

Just gonna post some photos of this past season... and get back to it.

Cheers, and here’s to the next ten years!

- River Borne Outfitters