Flats Angler Explorer meets the Big D.
Bill Gibbs
[This is the text that appeared in the Traveling Angler publication several years ago- written by one of our clients]
“Awesome”
best describes the experience fishing the Deschutes River
for Fall Steelhead with Rob Crandall’s Watertime Outfitters. I and three other anglers took a four day
trip float trip down the Deschutes
River last fall.
We meet in Maupin, Oregon. Then in early morning were taken to the Trout
Creek boat launch 32 miles upsteam to start our adventure. Then for the next
four days we had a blast - daylight to dawn swinging flies, excellent prepared
food, comfortable stand-up heated tents, gorgeous scenery, abundant wildlife,
shooting rapids with names like Buckskin Mary, Whitehorse and Three Chutes. A scenic canyon, great fishing and guides
with knowledge and good personalities.
Starting at
the Trout Creek put-in we set up our
gear, put on our waders and rigged rods while the guides and camp staff loaded
the boats and prepared for our four days on the water and away from
civilization. Our camp man “Superman
Marty Smith” runs a 20’ Willie Drift boat with more gear than I’ve ever seen on
a drift boat. Our gear was placed in dry
bags and portaged down to camp. We headed
out on the water with two anglers per guide boat with Superman rowing down the river
ahead to the selected camp site.
Although I
have fly fished worldwide for many species from brookies to marlin, I had never
fished for steelhead swinging flies or used a Spey Rod. For the last several years I’ve focused on
bonefish and permit, so I was not sure I would like the methodical approach of
steel head fishing (even though I am an engineer) versus the sight fishing of
the flats.
Waist deep
in a big river, the water flowing quickly like the thoughts running through my
head; my analytical mind was working overtime trying to adjust to the current,
the 13’-6” Spey rod and the possibility that a steelhead was only a cast away.
The Deschutes is a big river, flowing through a wild and scenic designated
canyon in the high desert country of Central Oregon. Flowing north to the Columbia River, the Deschutes is home to wild steelhead, resident red-band
trout and hatchery steelhead. Some years
up to 50% of the run consists of hatchery strays that originated somewhere
farther up the Columbia River system but like the cool waters of the Deschutes enough to wander upriver sometimes 100 miles
before heading back towards their home. I was truly lucky to be on this trip. I
was able to fill a last minute cancellation in the year of the second best ever
recorded steelhead returning numbers on the Columbia River (over 500,000 fish) with
many making it up the Deschutes.
Being a
flats fishing fanatic, the smooth sands and warm waters of the tropics were a
polar opposite of where I now stood. We
fished floating lines in the mornings and evenings with a consistent charge through
each run. Cast, swing, step-down, repeat,
was the mantra. Never casting to the
same spot twice we searched the water for aggressive steelhead. During the day we fished a floating line with
a 10’ type-6 sink tip. The trick with
the swung fly strategy hookup was elusive.
With a downstream swing, we kept a tight line to the fly. When a fish
would take the fly it was an instant connection. Waiting until the line pulled tight and the
fish returned to its holding lie with fly in tow ensured a solid hookup;
anything else proved to be a missed fish.
Steelhead in
the Deschutes River average around 6 pounds, and occasionally strays show up
with much bigger shoulders and in the 20lb range. In the four days, we caught about 64
steelhead in the 4 to 12 pound range or four per day per angler. These are hard
fighting fish fully utilizing the river’s current which in most sections
averages six miles per hour. July is
generally the beginning of the run, with fish arriving into the fall
months. Migrating through the countless
rapids upriver towards their origin, wild steelhead return to the few major
tributaries like Bake Oven Creek, Trout Creek, Warm Springs
River and others. Meanwhile, hatchery fish are headed to the
Round Butte Dam where they were released into the system.
The setting
here is high desert with sage brush and juniper trees dotting the canyon
walls. Columnar basalt layers jut
upwards hundreds of feet in some areas.
The smell of sage and juniper mix a spicy sweet smell that invites you
to breathe deeply and soak up the canyon glow.
The weather was calm with afternoon winds and sun for most of our
mid-October trip.
Maupin, OR.,
where we met, straddles the Deschutes roughly
around the mid-section of the lower 100 miles.
Plenty of road access is found both up and down river of the Maupin
area. By mid-October, steelhead have
strung out through the entire lower 100 miles; making Maupin a central location
for this part of the run. A great shop
to visit for local reports and flies is John Smeraglio’s Deschutes Canyon Fly Shop
located on the east side of town near the end of the bridge.
Now, back to
the fishing. Cast, swing, step; our
guide Rob Crandall coached me on the finer points of the swung fly and moving
through a run when my rod jolted and the line lurched tight! After some ripping line and a lot of bent
graphite (I used a 13’ -6 “ #7 weight rod), we soon landed my first Deschutes steelhead.
After the third fish of the day I finally remembered my goal of landing
one steelhead for the entire trip!
The fishing
strategy was fairly simple; cast, swing, step and repeat. However, many little
details to the main point flushed out with my time on the water. The more
controlled the swing speed, the better the results. Carefully mending the line
after the cast prepares the line for the swing. Move the line smoothly across
the water, like steering your car through a corner. Fish here like to follow a
fly. Consistent speed of the swing optimizes results.
Moving
through the run is another part of the strategy. To consistently hook Deschutes
steelhead we rarely casted to the same spot twice. My biggest argument with the Deschutes was the boulders and bottom structure that
required careful wading. With wading being a big part of the effectiveness of
the strategy, good traction is a must. Felt-soled boots with spikes provided a
good grip and a wading staff helped probe out the depths and steady me against
the current in some spots. Polarized
glasses helped in seeing the bottom structure and avoiding underwater
obstacles.
Fly patterns
varied depending on the run we fished and the fly line of choice. For morning and evening fishing with shaded
water, we could use a floating line with classic patterns like the Green Butt Skunk,
Purple Peril, Undertaker and such.
During the day or on specific runs in the shade we would use sink
tips. With the submerged patterns we
would use leech type flies. Black was a
favorite color and purple a close second.
Camp was
comfortable with ample food and well prepared comforts. We all had a cot and sleeping pad in large
canvas tents with plenty of room to get up and walk around. Dinners were hearty and served in one main
tent in a group setting. This is where the stories flowed, the fish lies grew
taller and the fish got bigger.
With 32 secluded
and scenic miles on the Deschutes
River now behind me, I found my first
steelhead and many more after that, made some new friends, learned to Spey cast
and waded some big water. It was a great
adventure and I recommend it to anyone from beginner to expert steelheader. I know I’ll be back and while I’m on the
flats this winter and spring I won’t be worried about my wading but I might be
dreaming of swinging a fly for steelhead.
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