I have yet to travel to many other rivers other than the
ones here in Oregon, but I am not afraid to say that I think the Deschutes is
one of the greatest in the country. Not only does it hold quality fish, but the
scenery is incredible. Whether I am rafting down it wishing I had my fly rods,
or on a fishing trip, the Deschutes never fails to impress. The canyon, the
rolling hills, and that train that looks like it’s going to run right through
your tent at 2 in the morning because you pitched it too close to the tracks,
all add up to something special.
After high school I went down the Deschutes from Warm
Springs to Maupin on a fishing trip. I went with my uncles and my cousin. It
was a lot of fun. I caught my first Redside on the fly while on that trip. I
guess you could say this trip was my initiation, but I’m going to call it my
pre-initiation. After this trip I got busy with college and what not, and my
dad was still holding out on me with those fly rods in the safe.
Needless to say, when my Uncle Mark called me in June to see
if I would be interested in going down the Deschutes in July, I was game. This
time I would have my own gear and would actually know how to fly fish.
After work I left for the canyon. While driving I couldn’t
help but feel blessed to live in Oregon. This state has a lot to offer, and I
got to see a lot of it on my way. Starting in Eugene heading east you get the
lush rainforest of old firs and beautiful McKenzie. Then you see Three-Fingered
Jack over the pass. After that you’ve got the high desert and big ponderosa
pines and not to mention the awesome view of Three Sisters. I was lucky not to
run into on coming traffic. Finally, heading down into the canyon you’ve got
the desert and barren hills. Let’s just say I have had much worse four hour
drives.
I got to camp that evening excited to see everybody, and
enjoyed some good food. They got there a day earlier and had some success.
Uncle Mark hooked an absolute pig. The steelhead was about 30”. After some more fishing stories and catching
up, oh and a couple Mirror Ponds, I was ready to hit the sack and get ready for
the next day.
The alarm went off at 4 a.m. and I wasn’t even tired. I was
stoked to get on the river. The light that morning was incredible and it made
for a beautiful initial float. In fact the main picture on the blog was taken
on that morning. We got to our first spot that was a good one. It had a big
riffle with some deep slots. I had a spey rod this trip and was trying to get
the hang of it. After working it over for a bit we didn’t catch anything. On to
the next spot. The next spot was a great riffle for trout. I had my 7-weight
and tied on a couple nymphs. Sure enough I hooked into a nice Redside. The next
take was a
big surprise. Granted, I
was nymphing for trout, but in this riffle there happened to be a steelhead. I
set the hook and then realized this was no trout. It took about 15 minutes to
land him. It was a nice hatchery steelhead that we were going to throw in the
cooler. This guy had other plans though. As my uncle was just about to take the
picture, the steelhead had one more wiggle in him and I dropped him in the
river. I tried tackling it, but it was too late. He was gone. My uncle and I
just stared at each other for a split second, then we started laughing. Oh
well! We agreed that next time we would finish him off,
then take the picture.
Catching that steelhead was fun, but it didn’t compare at
all to my first one I caught on the swing. I have to say that swinging for
steelhead is the way to go.
The rest of the day was fun, but uneventful. That evening
though, was one for the books.
After dinner, I went with my uncle’s stepson Cullen who is
an excellent angler and respected guide as well. We headed down river to a
famous section that produces a lot of steelhead. I had a spey rod that Cullen
was kind enough to let me borrow. A while had passed, and I was finally getting
in a little rhythm with the spey. Using a spey rod is a fun way to fish for
steelhead. Not long had passed and there it was, the initial grab. FISH ON! I
yelled downstream to Cullen and he came up to coach me on this one. This
steelhead was different than my first two. It was strong, and very aggressive.
It was a native. She took me into my backing twice, and even with the large
spey rod she was quite a ride. I landed her and was able to take a picture. She
gave quite a fight and it took a long time to revive her. But she swam away
with confidence.
That night at camp I was telling my story and everyone kept
saying how lucky I was. And I was. Then the train came around the corner and
lit up the whole canyon almost to confirm how lucky I really was to be on the
Deschutes. Everyone just stopped and watched. It was epic.
The next day was a nice float. No fish. It was one of those
days that Mr. Orvis talks about. Being rewarded by the beautiful surroundings,
despite not catching any fish. And that’s why I love this sport, and the
Deschutes especially.
As if I hadn’t had enough. It was November and I had heard
that the Middle Fork of the Willamette was a good section to fish. Well I just
had to check it out despite the temperature being in the 40’s and it was
raining. I’m always up for an adventure though. 
I pulled off, grabbed my gear and jumped over the guardrail.
I found a spot that looked promising. Although, it was not easy getting down to
the river. It could have been a lot easier if I hadn’t been so careful. It was
quite steep, and I probably could have been at the bottom in a couple seconds.
Once I traversed down and got to the river I was able to cross onto a shallow
gravel bar and fish a decent hole. I tied on my go to possie bugger, and it didn’t
fail me. Sure enough there were some nice trout holding in there. I caught a
few, one decent one that I decided to take a picture of. Clever me.
