Curtain Call

I just finished my last Deschutes steelhead camp trip with Water Time Outfitters. We launched at Warm Springs at oh dark thirty. We had a lot of miles to cover before camp. We were hoping to stay out in front of the crowds. Fortunately, no one was around, and we had the river and the fish all to ourselves. That’s pretty typical this time of year. The weather is starting to change, and people are thinking about doing other things. 

The first day was a little slow, I believe it was because of the crazy weather, high pressure and east winds tend to do that. 

The next morning, we were up and out of camp as it started to get light out. I only had one guy in my boat, Adam Silverblat. He’s a good customer who has been bit by the steelhead bug and has yet to catch a Deschutes Steelhead. 

We pulled into our first stop, a small run in the middle of a long rapid. It was almost light enough to fish. I’m very familiar with this spot as we often have lunch here. 

Adam hopped out of the boat and moved to the top of the run. He unhooked his fly and flipped it, methodically working out his line. On his fourth cast I watched the line come right and a big fish roll down below us. He was into a steelhead.

I grabbed the net and hopped out of the boat, getting below Adam and his fish. After a few minutes and a hard battle, Adam slid the fish into the net like a pro. We snapped a few quick picks and sent her on her way. 

Steelheading is one of those things that you have to stick with. The best way to catch one is to keep going. Keep trying until you get one. 

The fishing on the Deschutes has been good. Steelhead spread throughout the lower 100 miles; over the next few weeks, it will improve in the Warm Springs area. Almost all day long, trout rose. From what I could tell, they were mostly taking BWOs, but there were plenty of October Caddis around, so a dry dropper would be a good option. 

If your focus is Steelhead, there are plenty of options. The Clackamas has some summers around and will soon have winter fish. 

The Klickitat continues to be good for your last few weeks of Eastside summer fishing. Further east, the Grand Ronde, Clearwater, and Snake are all fishing well. 

Over on the coast, Chum Salmon are running strong, and I've heard plenty of good reports of people doing well. You only have a few days left to chase Chums. Check the regulations!

Coho fishing is winding down on our local rivers, but there should be one last push of fish when we get the next rain. 

The fall is one of my favorite steelhead times. I’ll get in as many days as possible before the snows set in and Winter Steelhead show up on our local rivers.