The Deschutes River

In the early 1800's, The Deschutes River was known by French fur traders as the "Riviere des Chutes" - the "river of falls."  Today the Deschutes is known for its rugged scenery, and it it is a popular destination for whitewater rafting, hiking and fly fishing. Much of the Deschutes River is designated as a National Wild and Scenic River.  The Deschutes River is unique in that it provides great angling for both rainbow trout and steelhead. The Deschutes river flows for nearly 300 miles from it's headwaters in Central Oregon to the Columbia River.  100 miles upstream from it's confluence with the Columbia, the Pelton Dam creates Lake Billy Chinook.  This lower section of the Deschutes is one of the best trout fishing streams in the western USA. 

The trout in the Deschutes River are native, wild rainbow trout, a variant of the redband strain.  These fish are very active, often jumping and make long runs giving the angler an exciting experience.  While the "redsides" dominate the trout fishing in the Deschutes River, there are bull trout, whitefish and browns as well.  The Deschutes features a rich insect life and some of the hatches here are legendary.  Huge stoneflies start emerging in early May and provide some outstanding early season fishing opportunities.  The Stonefly hatch lures many trout fishermen to the Deschutes River in May and June each year, many claim this is the best time to be on the Deschutes, however these heavily weighted stonefly nymphs will produce trout year round.  In July, the caddis action can provide very exciting fishing if you're up to dealing with the 100+ temperatures.  The Deschutes is a big, swift river so wading can be dangerous.  Fishing is not allowed from a floating devise so wading is a necessity on this river. 

Summer steelhead and large rainbow trout provide an exciting challenge for the fly fisherman.  Late spring and early summer you can enjoy the famous salmon fly hatch where the fish feed voraciously on these large insects, later the warm weather brings on various other caddis, midge and mayfly hatches. The Deschutes river also offers a wild run of steelhead starting at the mouth of the river in mid-July.  By September, steelhead can be found all through the river.  In late fall steelhead fishing can be awesome as these large fish can be readily coaxed to a fly and offer good opportunities for even the novice steelheader.   On the Deschutes, all trout over 20 inches are considered steelhead. 

The Deschutes River canyon is very scenic and the trip is worthwhile even if you don't fish.  Book your next guided fly fishing adventure with Bob Alexander of  Rainbow Bend Guides & Outfitters, LLC

All boaters on the Deschutes river must have a valid BLM Boaters pass.  If you are fishing the Indian side of the river, you must purchase a Warm Springs Indian permit.  Both these permits are now available for purchase on-line.  Check the links below. 

Click link to purchase a BLM Boaters Permit  A BLM boaters pass is required on all segments of the Lower Deschutes River when using any type of watercraft.  The BLM's on-line system is up again and working.  Purchase your daily permits on line and save the service fee. Please note that Frequent User Passes (FUP) are only sold through the Prineville BLM.  You can contact them directly at 541-416-6700. 

Deschutes Warm Springs Indian Reservation Permits are now available for purchase online. 

Hatch Guide for the Lower Deschutes

Following is a summary of the most dominant hatches available monthly on the Deschutes River.  Some hatches occur all year round like the Blue Winged Olive and Midges.  Various nymphs are available all year round as well like the Salmonfly and the Golden Stonefly nymphs.   This listing is designed to give you a general idea of what to expect and plan for on your next Deschutes Trip. 

For current water flows and river data, River Levels