Deschutes River TroutFly Fishing & Camping Float Trip

Your guide will meet you at the boat launch at Trout Creek Campgrounds at 8:00 am on the first day of your trip. Large dry bags will be provided for each guest to pack their sleeping bag and clothes. Your bags will be loaded onto a separate boat and taken directly to camp.  Put on your waders, string up your fly rods, and split into groups of two.  We typically fish two anglers per boat and guide.

You will float from one fishing spot to the next, getting out of the drift boat to wade and fish.  The wading can be difficult on the Deschutes, but we tend to fish pretty close to shore, or in shallow water, and our guides are experienced and place a top priority on putting anglers in water that is within their ability and comfort zone. Bring your own waders and/or wading boots, or arrange rentals through Bend Fly Shop.

Deschutes redsides are an all wild and native subspecies of rainbow trout. They’re a hearty fish and great sport on a fly rod. From Trout Creek to Maupin redsides average a girthy 14 inches and larger fish are common. The trout’s diet consists mainly of aquatic insects, with the occasional sculpin, leech, or crawdad mixed in.

The Deschutes has great aquatic insect hatches throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Some of the most noteworthy hatches include Blue Winged Olive and March Brown mayflies in March and April, salmonflies and golden stoneflies in May and June, and caddis hatches July through October.

We place a heavy emphasis on traditional dry fly fishing, although anglers can expect to use a variety of fly fishing techniques that may include several styles of nymphing and swinging flies with miniature spey rods.

From September through November steelhead (ocean-going rainbow trout that average six to eight pounds) return to this stretch of the Deschutes and create the unique opportunity to target both resident rainbow trout and steelhead during the same trip. There are overlapping nymphing techniques that are effective for both fish, however we encourage anglers who wish to specifically target steelhead to swing flies with two-handed spey rods – a traditional Atlantic Salmon fishing process originating in Scotland. Our idea of the perfect fall fishing trip is to opportunistically cast dries when the redsides are rising, swing flies with spey rods for steelhead when the best water presents itself, and nymph fish for “whatever is biting” in between.

Most trout fishing is done with nine foot five weight fly rods and full floating lines. Four and six weight rods are also appropriate. We swing flies for trout with lightweight spey rods when the time is right. Most often we drift down river with both nymph and dry fly rods rigged up and adapt our technique to each spot we fish. In addition to a well stocked fly box, trout fishing tackle includes nine foot 4X leaders, 3, 4, and 5X tippet, fly floatant, split shot, and strike indicators.  We are happy to provide fly rod setups, flies, and tackle for our guests.

Casting and fishing instruction is always available and part of our service. We use simple and effective teaching methods and have introduced a ton of people to fly fishing. Helping people learn and being a part of the joy of hooking and landing fish is better than catching fish ourselves. That’s why we guide. Also, we believe there is no minimum age requirement. We can tailor the experience for young anglers, keeping things light, fun, and safe.

Experienced anglers will appreciate our bird dog-like energy and enthusiasm, and capitalize on what we have learned over a lifetime of fishing the Deschutes to maximize their effective fishing time.

Each day begins with coffee and breakfast in camp. Wake up time is casual, and we have coffee brewing by 6:00 am (we set up the coffee program the night before, and super early risers are welcome to get it going). After a hearty breakfast guests are welcome to fish near camp while we break down and prepare for the day. Between 9:00 and 10:00 am we set out in the drift boats to float and fish a new stretch of river. You’ll fish through the morning, hitting a number of good spots before meeting for lunch as a group. We usually take about an hour for lunch (or as long as you want to rest), then continue fishing our way downriver toward our next camp. We tend to arrive at camp early to mid-evening for appetizers and dinner. Again, fishing around camp is welcome and encouraged.

The last day begins like the others, and we will float and fish our way downriver, arriving at the take out near Maupin at 2:00 pm. An early takeout can be arranged to accommodate schedules if necessary. We will arrange a shuttle for your vehicle ($65 per vehicle, not included in the price of the trip) and it will be waiting for you at the take out, along with your bags.