Deschutes River

April 19, 2026April 19, 2026

. . . and, it Snowed

The scene of Tip’s early morning jaunt one April morning

After days of near summer-like weather, we woke to a half-inch of snow. That’s how our week started.

It’s not like we don’t expect some cold and wet days in April, we would prefer it not include snow. Fortunately it was gone by afternoon. But still . . .

Our soup is back in supply on pantry shelves.

While the weather is stormy, we have been completing “at home” projects, like canning, baking, and touch-up painting. That means furniture moving, pulling art off the walls, and in many cases rearranging.

In this house, cleaning results in a series of messes shifting between spaces, until we finally move a pile to the donation bin.

Winter’s cold fingers warmed by mid-week and we decided to take a break from all this housework. We went for a drive.

We have not been to Maupin in quite a while, so we headed north to the Deschutes Canyon.

The Deschutes River Canyon, upstream of Shears Falls

Seems like in Oregon all the good rivers are cut into basalt canyons . . . that’s a good thing.

Spring has started to take hold on the Deschutes. There is noticeable green clinging to the hillsides, occasionally dotted with the yellow of early wildflower blooms.

We saw a couple of herons and of course Canada Geese and a variety of ducks, in and along the river.

Tip’s lunch features his favorite, slices of pastrami, followed by a selection of dog biscuits.

We set up camp chairs, pulled out the picnic, strung a rod, and enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon along the Deschutes.

It seems that Central Oregon weather has moved on toward summer and we are making plans to do more of these kinds of longer outings.

November 5, 2023November 5, 2023

Fall on the Deschutes

Days are growing shorter and mornings colder. Leaves have shifted from green to gold and paint the ground amber around our picnic spot.

Fall in Central Oregon is a very short season . . . a brief few weeks between ‘Indian summer’ and first snow.

I’m still looking for Steelhead, so we’re making the trek to the Lower Deschutes.

This week we scouted different access spots, a task acknowledging Tip’s desire to wade, as well as the need to access good holding water.

Just upstream from where the White River empties turbid waters into the Deschutes was a nice stretch. Still no luck catching Steelhead.

However, the sun tempered a morning chill and we found a nice spot to brew a cup of coffee and enjoy our lunch.

Winter looms and we wake to a dusting of snow on the ground more than once.

The week ahead promises wet but mild weather. We’ll pack rain gear, break out the beanies and generally prepare for colder days.

However, this day was a perfect Fall day on the Lower Deschutes and we took advantage of that.

May 28, 2023May 27, 2023

Chasing Bugs

Just a brief post this week as we’ve been busy tracking Stoneflies.

Flyfishing is always about the aquatic insects. However, in late spring there is an increase in activity. As rivers come out of their winter hibernation, water warms and invertebrates start to move about.

This usually means dry fly fishing . . . that’s the best kind.

Plecoptera; stonefly (Pteronarcys californica: Salmon fly and Calineuria Californica; Golden Stones) have been burrowed in gravel on the river’s bottom for a few years.

When the water temperature gets around fifty degrees, these very large bugs crawl to the bank, shuck their aquatic shell and fly up into the bushes.

Come evening they fly back over the water and deposit their eggs, which sink to the rocky bottoms and the cycle starts over.

To a flyfisher this means those large fish who normally hold in deep pools are lured out into the shallows along the bank to feast on stoneflies. Thus, we are prowling river’s edge hoping for a hook-up.

May 21, 2023May 20, 2023

Return to Maupin

Spring shifts to summer quickly in Central Oregon. The days are already getting near eighty . . . not complaining, but rivers will get crowded soon enough.

In the spring the canyon is all shades of green

In a typical year the Deschutes has a salmon fly hatch at the end of spring. This is not a typical year and with the high run-off we’ll not see salmon flies for a few more weeks.

The other infamous Deschutes River event is the ‘rubber hatch’ which fills the river with rafts overloaded with happy boaters. This year it’s looking like that event will overtake the salmon fly hatch, at least downstream from Maupin.

Musical trills of redwinged blackbirds echo through the canyon

This week we made one more trip to Maupin, hoping to enjoy a relatively uncrowded river and a canyon just coming into summer foliage.

The day was sunny and warm, though we didn’t hit any hatch, the fishing was good.

Caught in mid-flight protecting his territory

As is usually the case, wildlife was active along this stretch of water. JQ managed to get some great images of Red-winged blackbird and a Heron who seems like a permanent resident of this stretch of river.

Male Merganser, the perfect shape to hunt fish

We’ll try to fish salmon flies a little further upstream in the next few weeks. In the mean time, we just set up the camp chairs and enjoy a rare quiet day on the Lower Deschutes.

March 26, 2023March 25, 2023

Maupin, Oregon

Spring officially started this week.

While we have no illusions this marks an end to snowfall, it does mean days are getting longer and warmer. When there is one of those warmer days we head to the river. We’ve made several trips to the Lower Deschutes this winter and have gotten more familar with Maupin.

Hwy 197 crosses the Deschutes River in Maupin

It’s a small town precariously occupying a hillside over looking the Deschutes River. It’s really returning to an old haunt and with a bit of exploring we discovered a stretch of river with easy access for all.

Highway 197 (Deschutes Ave.) winds it’s way in and back out of the canyon passing through the center of Maupin.

Where the highway crosses fifth street is the Deschutes Angler. . . . a flyfishing shop.

Among the hundreds of shops in river towns only a handful are must stop locations.

The adage “if they don’t have it you don’t need it” hallmarks these places. Deschutes Angler is on that list.

A fishing shop visit could replenish a tying bench or fishing pack, however mostly it’s a means to acquire current intel on local waters. Not all establishments are equal in these aspects, so when you find a good one it gets marked on the map.

The sun helps cut the chill but hasn’t been around enough to coax spring color back into the canyon walls.

A narrow road follows a section of the Lower Deschutes River

We need wadeable access so take advantage of pullouts along the Deschutes River Access Road.

Fishing alongside traffic comes with some limits. Tip is on constant duty, so if the road offers the shortest route between JQ and Jack he’ll be on it.

Fortunately he is a good listener.

The spot we settled into this winter offers lots of dog friendly access to the river. There’s a wide swath of river silt and grass cut with jagged outcropping of lava rock.

Hunting Red Band Trout on the Deschutes River

The scattering of trees and willow bushes at river’s edge seem bare from the road. Ducking under a branch to gain access to a new pool I notice bud sites and the beginnings of summer foliage.

Won’t be long before the banks are lined with fisherman and the water is full of rafters. By then other waters will become our regular haunt.