Deschutes Trout Fly Fishing

The Deschutes River is Oregon’s crown jewel of Fly Fishing. The upper sections of river hold modest levels of trout, but the lower river features robust levels of feisty native Redside Rainbow trout. The Deschutes flows through a deep high desert canyon providing one of the most picturesque fly fishing destinations in the world. Our Deschutes trout trips are available in single and multi-day options and give you access to water only accessible by Drift Boat.

The river flows straight north through the desert from Pelton Dam – which creates a classic tailwater fishery. The Deschutes runs hard and cold all year long, and this creates a multitude of insect life for its native trout to feed on. The most famous of all Deschutes Hatches is the famed Salmon fly hatch. These big bugs can top 2 inches in length and the biggest lunkers in the river are all looking up when the big bugs are on the water. There is simply nothing in the world like the thrash of a monster Redside devouring your presentation of a Salmon or Stone Fly. Finesse is not the ticket here. Slap it hard on the water and wait for the thrilling strike! While the Salmon fly hatch usually runs from mid-May through mid-June, don’t limit your trout fishing trip to this timeframe, as there are many other great hatches on the Deschutes to take advantage of.

During Fall, winter and early spring, Blue Winged Olives are numerous in the afternoons. Look for trout sipping small mayflies in back-eddies and pockets during these times. With warmer temperatures and spring rains – March Browns and Skwala Stones become the insect of choice on the Deschutes. After Salmon fly season, Caddis are the ticket. There are hundreds of types of Caddis on the Deschutes, and the Trout love them all. It is not uncommon to have 1000 or so Caddis flies swarming the lantern on a summer evening, the morning after can provide amazing trout fishing when the females lay their eggs after a night of procreation. Then to close out the season the big bugs are back. Though not quite the size of Salmon flies, October Caddis are big bugs by any standard, and the fish look up with just as much ferocity as the early season hatch.

The short story is – no matter what time of year you are looking to fish the Deschutes, there are bugs hatching and native Oregon Trout to catch, and very close to Portland International Airport!

Owyhee River Trout Fly Fishing

You don’t need to go to Montana to find big brown trout sipping mayflies – you can find them in large numbers on Oregon’s Owyhee River. Located in Eastern Oregon, the Owyhee is another high desert gem of Oregon’s. Trips here are generally walk-and-wade, as the Owyhee is a smallish river and running a boat through its thin water spooks many of the big trout away.

The Owyhee has a reputation of holding large trout that are very smart. Many people will tell you not to bring any flies over a size 18 with you – but this is not necessarily the case. The trout are very large, and they can be pretty smart, but they eat a lot more than tiny flies. 22 inch brown trout need a bit more sustenance to get that big. In the summer they gorge themselves on Hoppers, and we have found that they find it pretty hard to resist a well-presented streamer in the right conditions.

Simply put, the Owyhee River offers some of the finest tout fishing in Oregon. It can be fickle, but the size and quantity of its trout make up for that. In most cases we sight fish to holding or rising trout – this can be the thrill of a lifetime! Make sure to check out the video of us fishing the Owyhee on a “Guides Day off” – the river sells itself!