We just got back from four days of fishing for steelhead in the Maupin area of the Lower Deschutes River. The river was in good shape running around 5,000cfs, clear and with a water temperature in the mid fifties. The weather was pretty good when we arrived on Friday morning, but in the afternoon the wind started to pick up and you could tell the predicted weather was moving in.  The wind died off on Saturday and we were blessed with mostly cloudy conditions for the weekend with the only real hard rain falling for an hour on Sunday evening and Monday morning.

            The fishing pressure was pretty heavy on Saturday & Sunday, but with so much accessible water, it’s just a matter of driving around to find some open water to fish.

            Thu didn’t waste any time and hooked a really nice wild fish in the second run we fished. She was in the bottom of the run just downstream of me when her line came tight with a hard hitting fish. It immediately tore line off her reel as it raced for the tailout and stopping just short of the whitewater at the end of the run. This big fish did not want to give up, always taking as much line back as Thu was gaining. After a number of uncontrollable give and takes, the fish started to tire and Thu was finally able to bring this beautiful wild fish to hand for a quick photo and release.

            On our second day, Thu hooked another fish that came unbuttoned shortly after the take, which was the only steelhead action we had that day.

            On our third day, although the local reports were not very good, I still had an uneasy feeling of some kind of skunk streak starting for me. It happens to everybody, but it’s still not easy to swallow that you have some sort of curse that keeps you from catching fish. My fears of a skunk following me around were soon compounded when Thu hooked and landed another Deschutes steelhead. This one was a spunky hatchery fish that we kept for the cooler.

            At the end of our third day, we lucked out and found one of our favorite pieces of water open for the evening fish. We settled into the run with a light rain falling with Thu starting at the top and graciously giving me the A water in the bottom of the run to improve my chances of drowning the skunk in the swift currents of the Deschutes River. I pushed the impure thoughts from my mind and starting slowly working my fly through this prime holding water. I had worked my way through the run and was approaching the tailout when I started to get mixed messages in my mind. The Patient Angler in me was telling me I was getting to the most productive water in the run and to stay alert, and the little skunk which was now sitting on my shoulder was telling me I was about to run out of water and daylight to fish. Just as I was thinking that I was going to have to come up with a name for my skunk, since it looked like he was going to be with me for a while, my line came tight with a take of a steelhead. Unfortunately, it was over almost as fast as it started, as the fish took my fly and gave me a couple of head shakes, took a little line, thrashed in the tailout and threw the hook. I didn’t really mind that I lost the fish, I was just happy to get that skunk off my back.

            We fished Monday morning in the rain without a take and decided to call it a trip, packed up camp and head home.

The Patient Angler                   patientangler.com

Peter Bowers

            Floated the Warm springs to Trout Creek stretch of the Lowers Deschutes River last weekend, just for fun and to see if we could find an early steelhead in the upper river. The vast majority of steelhead are still in the Lower Deschutes from the Maupin area downstream, but the number of fish traveling over Shears Falls and into the upper river has increased in the past week or so.  Most of the Trout Creek to Maupin guide trips are starting to hit a few steelhead once below Whitehorse rapids and there have been a few reports of steelhead being caught in the Warm Springs/Trout Creek stretch by anglers nymphing for trout.

            The Lower Deschutes is running about 4000cfs in Madras, clear and with a temperature of around 56 degrees. The weather was great providing a warm day and sunny skies when we put on, but the weather started to change in the evening with dark clouds moving and the smell of rain in the air. We had a little bit of lightning, a spit of rain, and the wind kicked up, but not enough to keep us off the water.

            Without a lot of angling pressure on the upper stretch, we pretty much got to fish wherever we wanted. We were swinging flies for steelhead, but caught three nice Rainbows and one Bull Trout during the first half of our float. One of the Rainbows I caught was just a pig, and I thought for sure it was a steelhead when he hammered my fly. After a little give and take, I realized it was just a trout, but what a slab of a trout! When I landed him, I could barely get my hand around him.

            Lady luck and the steelhead gods were smiling down on me, because in the next run after only the first couple of swings, the short amount of line I had out, violently came tight with a thrashing steelhead spending more time out of the water than in it. It was a hatchery steelhead, and it didn’t take long for this raging fish to wear itself out and come to hand.

            We fished out the rest of the day without another pull, but had a great time and did manage to find one steelhead to come to our fly. I’m sure in the next few weeks, especially with the change in weather, the numbers will improve in the upper river.

The Patient Angler                      patientangler.com

Peter Bowers