Trip #OI-DRG1
Fly Fishing on the Deschutes River
Blue Ribbon trout and wild steelhead fishing with the best Deschutes River fly fishing guides in the business.
From early August through the middle of October, we offer fly fishing on the Deschutes River for summer steelhead. These summer steelhead fight great, and provide an experience that should be on every steelhead angler’s list. A day trip is a great way to fish the Deschutes if your time is limited, but the ultimate steelhead adventure is a multiple day camp.
We’ll have the camp set up before your arrival. We’ll meet at the river mouth and transport you upriver to the comfortable camp that will serve as our base for the duration of your trip. Meals, tents, and cots are provided and the camps situated for early morning and late evening prime time swinging a dry line for steelhead.
In late spring, the Deschutes has a legendary Salmon Fly hatch.
Have you ever seen stoneflies as long as your little finger?! This river has them, and from mid-May to early June, the dry fly fishing is some of the best anywhere. The rest of the summer, you’ll still experience Blue Ribbon fly fishing drifting nymphs in the riffles, casting caddis and PMDs to feeding trout from the banks, or swinging big sculpins.
Late Summer brings excellent fly fishing for wild steelhead.
Hot afternoons and late nights are perfect times to enjoy the beauty of the Deschutes River canyon. The rest of the time we’ll be on the water, covering miles of river, on the searching for summer steelhead. Two handed spey rods cover great steelhead water well, and beginners will easily get started with the spey rod after a casting lesson.
We can provide you the right fly rods for the conditions, and everyone is welcome on the Deschutes. Every year, we help people catch their first steelhead on a fly rod. Experienced spey anglers with enjoy the access the jet boat and camp provide.
- Spey casting for summer steelhead.
- You’ll be fly fishing for fresh steelhead close to the ocean.
- Dry-line fly fishing on the Deschutes River for steelhead.
- Jet boat ride (through class 3 rapids) as transport.
- Excellent scenery.
- Salmon fishing is seasonally available.
- Deschutes Redside rainbow trout!
Resources for this trip:
Fishing the Lower Deschutes River
For generations of anglers, the Lower Deschutes River in Central Oregon has been a must-fish fly-fishing destination. It is known as one of very few Blue Ribbon fisheries for both native trout and wild steelhead. Running for one hundred miles from the last dam to the mouth at the Columbia River, this epic, high desert paradise has been designated as Wild and Scenic. With basalt pillars stretching up to the rimrock ridges of the canyon walls, this ancient canyon is full of birds, wildlife, and will awe inspiring views.
The Lower Deschutes River is known for its genetically pure strain of native Redband rainbow trout. These beautiful trout are a prize for any angler, but the river is best known for the strong, late July run of steelhead that enter from the Columbia each summer.
We fish and camp on the lower 23 miles of the Deschutes River, and we travel this remote section of the river in a jet boat. The jet boat provides access to premium water at dawn and last light. The jet boat means more time spent fishing great runs, and less time spent traveling between pieces of perfect fly water.
Upper Deschutes River
If you are looking for a great fishing destination in the cooler months, check out the southern stretch of these waters known as the Upper Deschutes.
Lodging and Accommodations
- On the camp trips, you will be on the river in a remote camping spot in tents (2 anglers per tent).
- Dinner: Steak, Chicken, Hamburgers
- Lunch: Hamburgers, Brats, Salad
- Breakfast: Bagels or Breakfast Burritos
- On day trips, anglers can request lunch for a small additional fee.
Deschutes River Fishing Guides
- 2 guides, 20 years experience each navigating jet boats on the Lower Deschutes River.
- Experience steelhead fishing and spey casting.
- Mostly catch and release; but anglers can retain hatchery steelhead if they wish.
- Navigate the river from a jet boat and fish from the bank (fishing from a floating device is prohibited on the Lower Deschutes).
Typical Daily Schedule
- Early morning coffee and breakfast.
- Fish morning shade until 11:00 or 12:00.
- Lunch at camp, then relax at camp for about two hours.
- Fish until dark, getting the evening shade.
- Dinner will be after dark, in the evening at camp.
Travel Information
- Meet the outfitter at Biggs, Oregon.
- PDX Portland International Airport is nearest airport.
Booking Information
Interested in booking this trip? If you have not yet received pricing please request it here, and be sure to reference the trip number at the top of this page. Please note that reservations are not considered finalized until agreed upon deposit is received. This ensures agreed upon dates and current pricing. Quality outfitters are in high demand so let us know right away, as some trips do book years in advance.
Includes:
- Jet Boat
- Fly Fishing Spey Rods
- All Flies
- Waders if requested
- Tent
- Cots
- Meals
- Boaters Pass (Issued in the name of the Client)
Not Included:
- Trip Insurance
- Tips
- Oregon fishing license (a day license includes salmon and steelhead)
- Personal clothing
- Sleeping Bag
- Alcoholic beverages
Photos from this fishing trip on the Deschutes:
We look forward to assisting you in finding and booking an amazing fishing trip with the best guides and outfitters in the world. Contact us to get on the books.