Deschutes River Fly Fishing Report

Here is the latest from the guides at River Runner...

Deschutes Steelhead

Steelhead fishing this summer has been hot and cold, back to back.  Two slow days, a good day, two lights out good days, slow again.  I prefer it that way... nothing worse than a cold streak.  Each day we have set out with a bright outlook and high expectations.

Recent camping trips have produced the best fishing.  Anglers have had to work hard, but when we came across pods of steelhead, it was game on.  Lots of wild fish late July through late August, then a mix of wild and hatchery steelhead.

River temperatures near Mack's Canyon are 61.8 degrees in the morning.  White River looks fine.

Deschutes Trout

The Lower Deschutes has been ravaged by wildfires the past few weeks.  The upper river, near North Junction and Two Springs Ranch, is blackened.

At one point during the peak of the fire, miles worth of grasshoppers jumped into the river to escape the flames.

At first, the hoppers drifted unnoticed.  Hoppers must have jumped in for miles upstream, because after several minutes the trout keyed into the program.

Trout from one bank to the other came to the surface, and stayed there.  Just like sipping mayflies, the trout only sank a few inches after each rise, nosing up again and again.  This doesn't happen.

Thanks for reading, see you out there!

Chris