Deschutes Steelhead Report - August 2013

Our 2013 Deschutes steelhead season started out slow with very tough fishing early to mid July. More than a few people anticipated another tough year. The graph below compares this year's return (red) with last year's (blue) and the ten year average (green).

Steelhead counts at The Dalles Dam 8-31-13.jpg

On paper fishing should suck. BUT, more than half of the steelhead that have passed The Dalles Dam as of today have been wild. Most years wild steelhead make up a much smaller percentage of the run, yet nearly half of our catch. We have landed only one hatchery fish this season. Fishing has been generally good. Here are a few recent photos...