Deschutes Steelhead Report

Long time no see...no excuses!

Steelheading on the Deschutes in 2010 is a completely different animal than it was in 2009.  What we lack in numbers this year is more than made up for with 30" inch natives with shoulders that don't quit.  Over the last ten days I have spent on the river I have seen more 10 pounders than I saw all last year.  We released a half dozen legitimate 12 pounders and two fish in the fifteen pound range.  Sure, we are not having 40 fish days but we are seeing steady fishing with multiple opportunity to swing fish daily.  Water temps have remained in the mid sixties despite the cool weather fronts that have moved in and out of the CRG (Columbia River Gorge).  It's almost like summer came and went without notice.  Fall tactics should be in full effect.  Dry lines, drab patterns, skaters...oh yeah, and if that doesn't work go big and ugly, and don't delay.  Dry line fishing has been tough this year.  Grabs are soft and lack luster.  As the temps drop back into the mid fifties in the next 30 days expect the return of the freight train takes.

Labor day has passed which means fishing pressure will even out from Warm Springs to the mouth.  We are currently booked in September for sled trips and have some availability for drift boat trips. October is going to be return of the "Killer B's", if you are interested in fishing with us this fall don't wait, we will be booked out by mid September.

Hope everyone has had a great couple of months, the best is yet to come.

Tight lines,

RBO

Deschutes Steelhead Report 8-4-2010

Fishing is good early and late.  Water temps are unreasonably high due to PGE's Round Butte experiment.  Fish are spread from Buckhollow to Heritage, by my count 82% natives.  The 82% comes from the last seven days I have been on the river.  The fish pictured above is cookie cutter of the natives we have been landing 28-31" and full of piss and vinegar.  Please make sure you pressure these fish and release them as soon as possible.  Carry a net as this quickens the landing process significantly.  If the bite is not on get down and dirty immediately, do not dilly dally trying to move fish to a dry line fly.  With temps in the mid to high 60's these fish need a presentation in their wheelhouse.  Good luck and we will see you down there.


Regards,
RBO

Deschutes Steelhead Report

Fishing has been tough due to water temps.  We hit 13 on our last trip thanks to the steelhead slayer pictured left.  The summer heat is in the canyon, mornings fish best but fish can be found all day if you know where to look.  To date fish have been landed well above the carnival runs on the lower river.  We look for fishing to improve dramatically as the river is artificially cooled at round butte.  Sled days are pretty much booked up through the second week in August but fishing should be good out on the day stretch from Pine Tree to Macks Canyon.  Call us for available drift boat trips.

Regards,

RBO
541-647-2584

Deschutes Steelhead Report

Every year we float Macks Canyon to Heritage on the 4th of July with close friends.  About every other year we hit chrome.  Ordinarily I expect to catch Steelhead.  This day was different.  We show up at Mack's to an empty campground and parking lot.  On the 20 mile drive down the lower access road we saw one drift boat and only a few campers.  It was 90 degrees in the canyon and the sun was high in the sky.  We are late and our friends John and Michelle have put on ahead of us.  No big deal I can guess where his boat is parked, probably on one of the most productive pieces of steelhead water on planet earth.  Pretty good guess, we didn't have to float long to find our friends.  I gave John some trouble for his errant casting which showed the lay-off for trout fishing since late April.  A couple hundred feet down the run I notice that John is wading pretty deep, the river must still be up a bit and this is an ugly wade.  The run comes to a standard uneventful July ending so we move on.  At this point we have already settled into racing down to wagonblast or some other piece of carnival water.  The next run down gives up fish, but rarely.  John decided to stay in the boat with his dry line so I head up with my faithful friend RB Meiser.  As I reach my destination I notice John coming up, apparently he can't stand the idea on not getting his ass kicked in July.  Dry lines first...three casts in and John is well into his backing with a fish breaking water down and clear across the river...this fish COULD GO ALL THE WAY!.  Luckily this fish was worked back to the pool where he was measured, photoed and released.

July is my favorite month of the year to fish.  The crowds are light, the weather is fantastic, and every run and camp is available.  We are now booking Summer Steelhead on the lower 24 miles of the Deschutes River.  We hope you can join us this year.  Please call 541-647-2584 to book a trip or check us out www.riverborneoutfitters.com.

Regards,

RBO

Deschutes River Fly Fishing Report

7/1/10


The Deschutes Caddis hatch is slow to come on with all the intermittent weather. The peak of the Caddis hatch is still to come when summer finally arrives here in Central Oregon. Fish are still looking up though, fish the grassy banks with some cobble, micro eddies, back eddies, and anywhere you find shade. Just because you aren't seeing rising fish, doesn't mean you can't catch them up top. Find the right water and you will have success. Nymphing can be productive, though there are still fish spawning or that are post spawn and are easy targets for nymph fisherman. So when in doubt dry fly fish!

TC-HF      5/28-5/30/10

Fishing is hot, when the weather heats up. Things slow down with the cooler days. Plenty of big bugs still as far down as Maupin. We had good success on the cooler days by pitching big bugs around known lies, also found some fish during some intermittent Drake and PMD hatches.

A boat went down this weekend in Whitehorse (not ours thank god) Everyone was okay. As of now the boat is still in the rapid, somewhere down low around House Rock. If you find some river booty below there shoot me a P.M. and I can point you in the direction of the likely owner.

Take care, tight lines, and most of all...
be safe out there on the river!

Deschutes River Fly Fishing Report May 23, 2010

Short and sweet, been a long weekend.  Fishing is great but it's not easy.  Conditions are tough, wet, cold, and windy.  Bring some PMD, BWO, Caddis emergers, variety pack of 16 bead heads, the world famous posse bugger....and oh yeah, some Stones, Norm Wood Special should do.

Look for water that is hard if not impossible to fish and you will find many players.  That is not to say that there aren't some fish to lift out of the popular runs, but if you want to fish the players find some rip rap, boulders, and beyond your comfort zone wading.

The Salmon Fly hatch has the brakes on until this front moves through and the temps come back up.  That is not to say you won't find some players but it is to say the fish are not stupid at this point.  Fish hard and often because you never know when the big day or week will be...my guess Memorial Weekend and the week after.

Posted some pictures here.
http://picasaweb.google.com/RiverBorneOutfitters/May202010?authkey=Gv1sRgCJTYxLGTrODs4gE#

Have a great week.

SS