Deschutes and Crooked River Fly Fishing Reports

7/10/15

Deschutes River: 3930 CFS

The Deschutes is fishing good to excellent right now for trout above Maupin up to Warm Springs.
The heat has really got the caddis hatching and provided some great dry fly fishing of late.

When the day time temps are 90 and above you can expect to see a lot of caddis, and find fish looking up. The caddis take is subtle one, as trout position themselves is calm feeding lanes, tail outs, and back eddies lazily sipping dead spent caddis. Splashy rises tend to be smaller fish trying there best to catch adult caddis flying about.

This is "stalking heads" at its best, where you are more hunter than fisher. Taking time to carefully sneak up on feeding fish, a well placed small x-caddis tends to do the trick!

Nymphing is good when the dry fly bite slows. Small copper johns, Jimmy Legs, caddis pupae, etc.. will get the job done when nymphing.

Day and overnight guided fly fishing trips are available on the Deschutes through the rest of the summer for trout. For more info on Deschutes River Guide Fly Fishing Trips Click Here!!


Crooked River: 231 CFS

The Crooked is fishing good right now. The fish counts are down a bit from the historic numbers of the last few years, but there are still good numbers of fish to be caught. The average size and health of the fish is good and maybe with a little less competition we will see more bigger fish.

The Crooked is predominately a midge fishery right now, but we are starting to see some other hatches too. PMD's, Baetis, and Caddis are starting to hatch in enough numbers to get a few fish looking up. Hopefully soon we will  be getting some good dry fly fishing.

We are available for Day and Half Day Guide Trips on the Crooked River all Season Long!
For more info on Crooked River Guide Trips Click Here!!

Group Fly Fishing Classes Are Available through COCC

Group fly fishing classes are available this June and July through Central Oregon Community College. The classes are taught by me and are a great opportunity to participate and learn about fly fishing in a fun group dynamic. Great for that single person. Private fly fishing classes are also available through River Borne Outfitters all season long!

Fly Fishing on the Crooked River, BeginningBegin your adventure on dry land with a general overview of equipment and terminology, learn basic knots and how to string up a fly rod and how to fly cast. Practice casting on grass to prepare for your afternoon on the river. Once you've gotten the hang of casting, class will move to the Crooked River to fish and you can use your new casting skills. On the river you'll also learn about fly selection, fishing techniques, catch and release tactics, and preservation and ethics. Current fishing license required. Bring $16 payable to instructor at class for flies and leader. Information on class location and materials will be emailed. Rain or shine. Liability form required.
Vail Borne              9:00am-3:00 Sa                  36138
6/13                       Bend OTHER                      Cost $179                             

Vail Borne              9:00am-3:00 Sa                  36139
6/27                       Bend OTHER                       Cost $179                             

Vail Borne              9:00am-3:00 Sa                  36140
7/18                       Bend OTHER                       Cost $179                             

Fly Fishing on the Crooked River, Intermediate
To enjoy fly fishing you only need a few supplies and a good guide who can show you how to read a river and identify where the fish are biting. Bring your basic skills and you'll learn about native game species and secrets of the Crooked River as well as fly selection, catch and release techniques and river preservation and ethics. This class is intended for people who can cast a fly line and own basic equipment (rod, reel, tackle and waders). Current fishing license required. Bring $16 payable to instructor at class for flies and leader. Information on class location and materials will be emailed. Rain or shine. Liability form required.
Vail Borne              11:30am-3:30 Sa               36141
6/20                       Bend OTHER                     Cost $155                            

Vail Borne              11:30am-3:30 Sa               36142
7/25                       Bend OTHER                     Cost $155                             

NEW! Fly Casting Techniques, Intermediate & Advanced
If you are an intermediate to advanced fly caster, this is a great class to help you fine tune your skills. If you've already taken a class with Vail and have had some experience on the water, this is a great opportunity to work further on reinforcing proper fly casting fundamentals. You will receive help on identifying and fixing errors in technique as well as developing advanced skills and casts like double hauling, shooting line and reach and mend casts. Information on class location and materials will be emailed. Rain or shine. Liability form required.
Vail Borne           8:00am-10:30 Sa               36144
6/20                    Bend OTHER                      Cost $79                               

Vail Borne           8:00am-10:30 Sa               36143
7/25                    Bend OTHER                      Cost $79            

Deschutes Salmonfly Update & Crooked River Fishing Report

5/19/15

Deschutes River: 3930 CFS

The Deschutes Salmonfly hatch is in full swing right now. Some cooler weather has slowed the hatch a bit.  As a result there has been some slow times as well as some good fishing already. With the forecast of some warmer weather this coming week I anticipate some good fishing to come still. 

Crowds are out and the river is low though. Two boats have already sunk in Whitehorse this season. This is not the year to be going down below Trout Creek if your new on the sticks...Rafts give a bit wider margin of safety in low water, drift boats are another story. A good reason to hire an outfitter for your first trip down into the three day camp section below Trout Creek if you have never been down there. 

I think the big bugs will be around through the month, but by June fish should be transitioning to the the Caddis hatch. June will be a good month for Caddis and a great time to be on the river. July is traditionally as well, but we will have to see with the current water conditions...

We are currently available for Deschutes River Guided Fly Fishing Trips from now into the Fall.

Give us a call or email us if you would like to book a day or two... or three on the Deschutes!

Crooked River: 273 CFS

The Crooked is currently fishing good to excellent right now. The Mother's Day Caddis hatch is in full swing. Fish are keying on both caddis pupaes and dries. Dry/dropper combos work well, hi viz patterns can be useful in finding your fly in a see of naturals. 

Trout are spawning on the river as well, egg patterns are deadly as well as the usual small mayfly and midge nymphs. Watch out for spawning trout on gravel bars.

We are available for Crooked River Guided Fly Fishing Trips all year long!

Winter Steelhead Wrap Up - Crooked & Deschutes River Reports

Winter Steelhead:

We are getting towards the end of the winter steelhead season in Oregon. Many of the coast streams close April 1, though there are a few that remain open and can provide some decent fishing through April. The Upper Rogue is another option for the late winter steelhead! Fish do not get into the upper reach of this river until late March and April. Fishing has been good with a mix bag of hatchery and wild steelhead and some good sized fish (especially for the Rogue) have been caught of late! Fishing should hold out for another couple of weeks.

We have some availability still so If you want one last shot at some winter chrome give us a call!! 541-647-2584 For more info on winter steelhead in Oregon read on...


Crooked River: 218 CFS

They recently increased the flows on the Crooked. The fishing is good though, for that was a couple days ago and the fish have settled in. Good hatches of BWO's are happening out there. A little more flow will give those fish some more feeding opportunities and room to grow!

Just check the flows before you head out there and give it a day or two for the fish to adjust if the water level has changed. I don't think there will be much of a release this year and don't expect the water to go much higher this spring. Fishing should be good as a result.

The Crooked River is open year round and we offer full and half day guide trips and classes on the Crooked all year long! Read on for more info on Crooked River Guide Trips!



Deschutes River: 4900 CFS

The Deschutes bordering the reservation is still closed until April 25th this year. The section of river north of the reservation is open year round and offers decent spring trout fishing opportunities.
Hatches of March Browns and BWO's come off, sometimes in good numbers,  providing good dry fly fishing. Nymphing can also be productive with Stonefly nymphs, and small bead heads.

The Salmonfly hatch is right around the corner! The Deschutes River has one of the best Salmonfly hatches in the West. Typically May is prime time to catch this hatch. I am predicting the hatch to come off earlier this season though if we do not get much more precipitation.

Salmonflies and Golden Stoneflies will be the main course. These giant bugs (Up to 2 inches!) provide a protein packed meal for trout who can't help but gorge themselves on this protein feast!

The Salmonfly hatch is the busiest time of year on the river for guides so if you haven't booked your trip yet don't wait too long for you could be out of luck finding a guide. Read on for more info on Deschutes River Guide Trips !

Watch Out for Spawning Rainbow Trout and Spawning Beds or Reds this Time of Year!

Rainbow trout and steelhead spawn in the Spring. Please Stay off of gravel beds and watch out for Reds. Reds are the nests for the eggs and can be identified by gravel that is cleared or cleaned, and an undulating bottom substrate. If you see fish that are paired up in the shallows and on gravel chances are that is a Red, and they are spawning. Give them a wide berth, and by no means try and catch them. We want to let them do there thing so we can continue to have healthy self sustaining wild fisheries!

Crooked River and Oregon Winter Steelhead Reports

2/24/15

Crooked River: 
72.3 CFS

The Crooked River is down to a water level that is more typical for this time of year. Fishing is slow to average right now. The numbers of rainbows seem to be down a bit since the high water in December. Hopefully they are just layed low because of the cold water, but I am starting to suspect that a few might have been lost to high water and gas bubble disease, only time will tell.

There are still some fish to be caught though. The warmer days are going to fish better. We are seeing some Blue Wing Olives out there, and anglers are picking up fish on Scud and Sow Bug patterns (Ray Charles) Small midges and flash back pheasant tails.

2/5/15

Crooked River:
194 CFS

The fishing is average to good on the Crooked right now. So far the winter has been pretty mild, and there have been some decent days for fishing! We are available for Crooked River Guide Trips all winter long. If you are in Bend for a ski vacation and conditions are not good, consider a guided fly fishing trip out of Bend to the Crooked River for something fun to do!

Recently they bumped the river up over a 100 CFS, flows have been at good levels as of late, but so far have been high and unstable for most of the winter. When flows are stable for a few days, and ideally below 200 CFS,  fishing has been good. The Crooked is mainly a midge fishery in the winter where small dry flies and nymphs are the norm. Fish can be found rising on midges, but because of their slow metabolism in winter, and the minimal protein punch, you will not find fish working to aggressively to dries. Nymphing is usually easier and productive as well.  Zebra Midges, Flash Back Pheasant tails, and other small nymphs will work, as will egg patterns.

There will be some hatches of BWO's as we edge closer to spring. I don't expect the high water to be that much more of an issue if this dry weather continues. Last year we fished through the usual high water period (April-May) catching fish all along. One good high water technique is to swing Woolly Buggers in the pools and slower water, small and brown seems to do the trick!

Oregon Winter Steelhead:

Pushin' 20#

The Winter Steelhead season is just getting into the swing of things. There are fish to be caught in all the coastal systems, Portland Metro streams, and down south in Umpqua and Rogue Rivers. I have been hearing about some reports about historic early returns on the Rogue. The removal of two dams in the system over the last five years might be having a good affect on this river. Typically, we fish and guide the upper Rogue for winter Steelhead in March-early April. From the sounds of things there might be some good fishing in this section a little earlier.

The best fishing is yet to come though,  February and March are when the bulk of the runs show up and when we have consistently the best fishing. For the coast streams typically we are looking to catch the rivers on the drop. Flows between 5-6' are ideal. There is nothing better than drifting a steelhead green coastal river in search of crome bright steelhead fresh in from the Ocean. These winter fish can get big with steelhead to 15 pounds a real possibility, and if you get lucky maybe you can break that elusive 20 pound mark!

We still have availability for  Guided Winter Steelhead Trips  on the Oregon Coast and Upper Rogue!
Ideally we encourage you to book a couple days so we can fully show you around some of our winter haunts! Call for more details!

Gift Certificates Are Available for that Angler on Your Christmas List!

Even Santa Would like a Free Guide Trip for Christmas!!

Gift Certificates are Now Available for Guided Fly Fishing Trips and Fly Fishing Lessons with River Borne Outfitters
for 2015!!
Call or email us for more information. Gift certificates can be all inclusive i.e. a full day guide trip or for a set dollar amount which can be applied to any trip or lesson we offer!

Please visit our website for pricing and trip option at www.riverborneoutfitters.com


If you have any questions or would like to buy a gift certificate over the phone
Please call 541-647-2584 or email us at info@riverborneoutfitters.com

Crooked and Deschutes River Fly Fishing Reports

11/14/14

Crooked River: 
76 CFS

The Crooked River flows were reduced at the end of irrigation season (mid October), and are at the winter level. They will most likely drop even lower by the end of the season.  The current flows are low, but fishing has been good. Hatches of BWO's have been occurring all fall and will into the winter providing good mid day dry fly action. Nymphing pre hatch can provide some bites as well. Look for a good egg bite this month as well, as the whitefish are on the spawn.

The weather is the real factor this time of year. The Crooked is our best local winter fishery but you got to plan your trips and your fishing during the milder days.

Days with highs in the 40's or higher are fishable. Last couple of winters have been pretty mild, we were guiding  Crooked River half day guide trips during Christmas break last year!

If your in town to ski or for the holidays and the weather is mild give us a call! You may be able to wet a line on one of Oregon's best trout rivers instead!

Deschutes River:
4700 CFS

Trout:

Trout fishing closed along with the reservation side of the river at the end of October. Trout fishing remains open on the Deschutes, north of the reservation. Trout fishing can be good late fall, and in the winter, weather permitting. Look for hatches of BWO's and midges.

Steelhead:

This year the Deschutes Steelhead fishing has been better than the last few years. The hatchery returns are right around or slightly less than the 10 year average. But the wild returns have been better than the average! We have seen some really nice fish caught this year.

The weather until just this week was very mild. Water temps are still decent, but things are looking to cool off here with the recent cold snap and could very well shut it down. Camp trips are pretty much done, but  Deschutes River Guided Day Trips.  are still an option if the weather warms back up a bit.

Mild day temps in the 40's and 50's can still happen, if they do its game on again!

River Borne Outfitters offers day and overnight floats for Steelhead on the Deschutes from now into November! Read more for info on Deschutes River Steelhead Guide Trips!