The same day as our river clean up and party! It should make for a good turn out and fun time..
If you want to participate in the river clean up. Stop by the fly shop the morning of the opener to sign up and grab some garbage bags. Every garbage bag you bring back filled with trash off the river gets you a raffle ticket. The fly shop pays for the dumpster to remove the garbage!
Raffle tickets can be exchanged for food and drink that evening at the BBQ… Or put toward the raffle held later in the evening.
The BBQ & Apres-Fish festivities should start around 5:00 PM… the raffle will be held then along with food and drinks for the clean up crew! Give aways and games, and a bonfire round out the festivities…
Our Annual River Clean Up & Party will be the same day the river opens this year!
Camping Discounts for Participants of the River Clean Up & Opener! Enter PROMO Code “River Clean Up 23” when you are booking your camping online! And receive 10% off your camping or RV stay for the weekend of the opener! Book Your Camping Reservation Now!
We are looking for a year round caretaker, grounds keeper, security & maintenance person to come join our team. You need to have your own RV and be a jack of all trades type with experience in lawn care, plumbing, light carpentry, building maintenance, etc.. Experience camp hosting or working at a RV park a plus.. a love of fly fishing and experience in the fly fishing industry also a plus!
Compensation will be in trade for a full hook up RV site, and a stipend. Depending on the level of involvement with the business. This a great option for that semi-retired guy, gal, or couple. Or someone that has remote work abilities. Or for those that want to live in a van down by the river and get paid!
Seasonal camp/shop staff ~
We are also accepting applications for seasonal staff positions for this upcoming season. Primary duties would be working in the fly shop & deli and around the camp, helping with the daily operations and maintenance of the campground. This is a really fun job that runs about 6-7 months. Experience (or desire to get experience) in the fly fishing industry needed. Other qualifications that would apply would be experience in the outdoor retail, food service, lodging & hospitality. Lots of experience and knowledge about fly fishing and the Deschutes River also important. Being tool savy with experience with landscaping, light carpentry, and maintenance also a plus.. Free camping is included for all full time seasonal hires. As long as you have your own RV, camper, or van to stay in onsite. It is also a good opportunity for someone commuting from Madras and Jeffereson County.
Camp Trip Guides ~
We are looking to add a guide to our growing multi day camp trip program. Qualified applicants need dependable vehicles, aluminum drift boats and plenty of fishing/ camping equipment. More importantly they would also need experience fishing, guiding, and boating on the Deschutes or equivalent and rowing class III+ whitewater. Ideally with experience working and guiding multi day wilderness river trips commercially. Though we would train the right candidates as long as they have the proven fishing and boating experience, and were quick learners and hard workers. Guides would need to have current First Aid/CPR and Oregon Guide Registration. Sub contractors with their own insurance accepted as well. Camp trip guides potentially could get some over flow day trips as well for there are always additional opportunities for more days for the right fit and go getters.
To Apply:
Ideally email us a cover letter and resume. Or at the very least email us with an introduction, the job you are interested in and your basic qualifications. Please include work experience, any skills,training, and certifications. Also include descriptions of your RV, vehicles, boat, and equipment and anything else you bring to the table! We will get back to qualified applicants with an application and to schedule interviews once we have heard from you! Don’t wait.. come join our team and experience the adventure of the camp and river for the season!
Please note though, no heavy drinkers, drama, or druggies need apply. We do an intensive back ground check on all applicants. Thank you for you interest. We look forward to hearing from you!
Please email us here Or call 541-553-2589 for more info
Deschutes Day Floats ~ A great 10 mile float, putting in right below the fly shop and floating into a scenic high desert river canyon. Accessing roadless sections of river and great fishing!
Beginning Fly Fishing Classes ~ From beginners to expert alike, we love to teach and have the fly fishing class for you! A perfect intro class taught at the fly shop and on the river!
Deschutes River Cabin Rentals ~ Our onsite vacation rentals make for a great base when taking a guide trip, or fishing the area on your own!
Deschutes River RV Park ~ Book one of our RV sites or dry camping spots at our 35 unit RV park and campground. Across the HWY from the river. A throw back fish camp spot and good even for non anglers traveling through!
Please call or email us for further info, to book over the phone or for other inquiries.. Fly shop ~ 541-553-2589
We wanna thank everyone that visited the camp or booked a guide trip or fly fishing lesson with us this past season! We really appreciate your business. We are already looking forward to the 2023 season. The fly shop, store, and deli are now closed for the season.
Though the RV Park is open year round!
The campground is open year round now. Reservations for off season camping, work camping and short term, month to month RV rentals (Nov.-April only) can be made online here… Please call if you want to stay longer than a week to confirm availability before booking any long term stays.
If you stay in the RV park in the off season you will have to let yourself in and out of the gate (locked) and find your RV site on your own. You will get the gate code with your reservation. There is an off season manager though he may not be onsite at the time of check in. Please call for further info or questions.
RE-Opening Next Season ~ 4/20/23
The Deschutes River Opens to fishing in the Warm Springs section of the river Sat. April 22nd this year!
We will be having our annual Opening Day Celebration & River Clean Up that same day! Should be a fun one.. its the first time the river clean up and party was the same day as the opener! Stay tuned for more updates…
The weather continues to be un-seasonably warm and dry. Steelhead are working their way up river regardless! Seems like everything is like a month behind. The amount of caddis in the evenings feels more like late summer than Fall, though the sight of an October Caddis has you thinking otherwise…
Deschutes Steelhead Report:
There are enough steelhead around for it to not be a wasted effort to target. Especially if you just enjoy the casting and swinging like we do! Water temps are plenty warm for dry lines during low light, and all day if you prefer. Though most switch to sink tips and leaches when the sun is high and bright!
Nymphing also works.. many combo fish targeting what ever.. and catch plenty of steelhead, trout, and even salmon accidentally with this technique. Fish two fly nymph set ups typically with egg sucking stonefly nymphs and the like as point flies on 2x, with either steelhead sized nymphs or trout nymphs on 3x. Come into the shop on your way to the river if you want more intel or need help! We have lots of good steelhead flies for swinging and nymphing! And everything else you may need from spey lines to sink tips for chasing steelhead. Plus lots of good flies for trout!
Deschutes Trout Fishing Report:
The trout fishing continues to be very good on the river! The trout seem to be benefitting from the warm fall and extension of many hatches as a result. There are fish still looking up and feeding on caddis and caddis emergers. There are also some October Caddis and mayflies hatching to add to the feed. Back eddies, bank lines, flats all can be spots to find fish feeding up top. Especially in the evening.
Nymphing is also very productive.. either long line nymphing or euro nymphing techniques work. And as I mentioned early combo set ups targeting both trout and steelhead work as well. Just make sure to have a valid license and steelhead tags with your columbia basin endorsement if you are targeting steelhead!
We still have availability for guide trips this fall..
For day trips and limited walk and wades out of the shop. This a great time to get out on the river because you never know what will bite this time of year!
Give us a ring at the shop at 541-553-2589 for questions, inquiries, or to book over the phone. Or… Book Online Here!
We are headed into fall.. the turn of the seasons is very welcome. Fall is a wonderful time in Oregon. Cooler temperatures plus the arrival of some anadramous fish makes for an exciting time to fish the Deschutes! Fishing is good for trout on the river. The fall is when we see a resurgence of hatches, including caddis, Mayflies (BWO’s & Mahogany duns) and we are already seeing some October Caddis also.
Double Trouble
Long line nymphing and euro nymphing techniques work best for nymphing. There are fish looking up as well.. small caddis dries and caddis emerger type flies work. As long as the weather stays warmer (70′-80’s) and before it cools off too much the caddis will be out. The last few evenings have been very buggy and we are seeing trout on the surface like it was June!
As it cools down we will see more mayfly hatches and October Caddis. Hatches of BWO’s and Mahogany Duns can be imitated with parachute mayfly patterns like adams and purple hazes in sz.14-18. Some of your old Salmonfly dries like Norm Woods and Orange Stimi’s can imitate the Oct. Caddis
We also have some October Caddis specific patterns in the fly shop, and along with a ton of other there good flies! Swing into the shop before you hit the river for more recent intel!
Steelhead Update:
While there have been a few reports of steelhead in the Warm Springs area, based on the Sherars Falls fish counts there are not too many fish in the upper river.. yet. We had a client swing one up on a trout spey just above Maupin last week though. The trap numbers have not been updated for over a week at this point either. That many and more go over the falls and not through the trap so the numbers in the trap are not accurate to the exact number. But the numbers are low so far..
The good news is that there is over 50K more steelhead total over Bonneville Dam on the Columbia at this time versus last year. And there have be reports of some pretty good catches on the lower river so we are hoping that we will get some fishable numbers in the upper river too! Late October and November, even December (for the die hards) is best in the Warm Springs section of the Deschutes!
We offer trout/steelhead combo guide trips until then, and steelhead specific trips in October and November on the day stretch (Warm Springs to Trout Creek) Call the shop or shoot us an email for more info..
August equals the dogs days of summer on the Deschutes. The dry fly fishing has gotten pretty tough of late, but the nymph bite is still pretty darn good. This is the month hystorically we see some of the largest catches of the season as well. Not entirely sure why, but part of it for sure has to do with the fact the fish have been done spawning for a while now and have been packing on the calories ever since. Fish grow when they feed.. we are on the back side of some of the biggest hatches of the season and the the fish have most definitely benefitted. It shows in their fat bellies!
All nymphing techniques, including deep water (or long line) nymphing, and Euro Nymphing work. Also this is the time of year swinging flies starts to be more productive as well. This is also when we see the immature stoneflies get back on the menu for the trout. Try small jimmy legs in sz. 10-12 or larger pheasant tail nymphs or the like. They make good point flies if your tying in line and fishing under an indicator.
Steelhead Report: The Deschutes opens to Steelheading for the 2022 season August 15th. The is great news considering the run and fishing was shut down do to low returns last season. While the numbers are still on the low side, and fishing expectations or more exactly catching expectations need to be gauged. We will get to, for the very least visit our favorite runs and get to swing flies once again!
We are excited to pass on the news that the Deschutes River opens to steelhead fishing for the 2022 season August 15th. This is great news considering last year was the first time the river was shut down because of low returns. Returns this year are a bit of a surprise, but improving ocean conditions are aiding in comeback with all Columbia basin anadromous fish stocks seeing improved numbers this summer.
As a result we will be offering day and multi day guide trips for steelhead and combo trips targeting both trout and steelhead this fall. It takes awhile for good numbers of fish to get into our section of the river (the upper most section of the lower Deschutes) Late October and November, even December (though we are closed for the season at that point) is when the fish really start to stack up in the Warm Springs area and when fishing is best there. We offer day trips targeting steelhead starting in at this time floating the day stretch (Warm Springs to Trout Creek) and combo trout/steelhead trips through out the fall.
We also offer multi-day, fully outfitted camp trips lower in the river where you can target steelhead a bit earlier. Combo trips where we spend some time targeting trout and then focus on steelhead later in the drift as we get farther down river is also a good option during the camp trips. You are guaranteed some good action on trout, and hooking an anadromous fish or two makes for the icing on the cake!
Feel free to give a ring or email if you have any interest, or questions in regards to steelheading on the Deschutes this coming season!
Fishing is good to excellent on the Deschutes right now, and will only improve over the next month… The river has been most recently in transition from the Stonefly hatch to the summertime mix of Caddis, PMD’s, Little Yellow Sallies, and the like. Fish have had gorged themselves and been pressured hard during the hatch, so once they recover and digest the fishing usually picks up!
We see some of the best dry fly fishing of the season in June and early July, typically head hunting and stalking fish slurping caddis. The evenings and morning can be especially good this the time of year when you can experience those magical evenings when it seems the whole river is boiling! Crowds are typically more light and camping and weather ranges from warm to hot.. but don’t let that detour you from of some of the best fishing of the summer! Stop into the shop for more beta on top flies and where and how to get in on the caddis topwater action!
Crooked River Fishing Report (85 CFS) Low water level
The Crooked is fishing good right now, but low water levels are concerning and leave us wondering just how long the water will last this season. Typically the Crooked is a great summer fishery as the the dam is a bottom release dam, releasing cold water from the bottom of a deep reservoir. But currently water levels and a persistent drought again make us wonder how long the fishery will hold up this summer.
Typically the PMD’s and Glossosoma Caddis start to hatch here soon, and you get some great summer dry fly fishing. Nymphing is always good on small midge, mayfly, and caddis patterns and the like. We will be running trips out there almost daily for the remainder of the summer or until flows get reduced.
Flows much under 75 CFS are really to low for good fishing, and the fish mortality also increases also with the lower flows, less oxygen, etc.. the fish are already stressed at that point.
It’s been a minute since we posted.. what a whirl wind the last month has been. But the hatch is now tailing off and the river is transition.
There are still a few big stoneflies flyin’ around, but the fish are starting to take notice of some of the other hatches ocuring as well. Caddis in the morning, PMD’s in the afternoon, little Yellow Sallies too. And on overcast days especially if your in an area that has a lot of down wood, you may see a Green drake or two! We really like two fly combo’s; dry/dropper, dry/dry set ups this time of year with a size 8-10 Orange or Yellow Stimilator with about a 3′ tag of 5x and either an x caddis in the sz16-18 range or Light Cahil or Parachute PMD dry fly pattern (Especially mid day or evening) and a split case PMD nymph or a Bubble back PMD nymph as a dropper mid day!
Come in to the shop before hitting the river and we will show you these flies and few more of our favorites on the way to the river!
