Snow in my chili, Oregon's Deschutes River Steelhead in November

 

High desert in central Oregon is great during the summer and fall but when winter weather hits you had better be ready for the cold.  It is mid-november and Water Time Outfitters has great clients like Jeff, Penni and Eric who are ready to brave the cold and mine for steelhead in the cool waters of the Deschutes River.  Steelhead in the Deschutes river are of a genetic strain that stays in freshwater a long time; their final destination is to spawn in late winter or early spring.  That means long after the prime time crowd has left the river, steelhead by the thousands swim silently in the cold waters of thebig river northbound from the Cascade mountain crested town of Bend. 

 

Our first days lunch was hot chili that warmed us up inside out just as snow flakes began to fall.  Snow fell softly and then moved on as the weather changed quickly.  We wondered how the night might go with precipitation in the air.  Arriving in camp with the glow of lanterns lit in the sturdy canvas tents and the crackle of a warm fire we quickly forgot we were in the wilds of the canyon in winter weather.  Heaters warmed each tent and Marty our camp preparer delivered hot chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven.  That night we clinked our glasses in a toast to the weather and the steelhead gods which were so generous our first day. 

Each day we worked our way down the river about 10 miles.  The runs and riffles of favored steelhead water were everywhere.  What we didn't see were other anglers.  The scenery and setting were amazing.  We even saw 2 bull elk along the river.  Golden eagles soared high above distant ridges and mallard ducks were around each soft bend in the river. 

Layering with good thermal base layers like a thin merino wool then a medium thermal with good fleece and a warm hat coupled with waders that didn't leak and all were warm and toasty even when the mercury dipped into the 30's and 40's.  Not bad by B.C. standards but still a big change from a warm and comfortable office. 

By the last day all had experienced the thrill of fighting and landing steelhead on the fly rod.  Wild and hatchery fish were caught.  Some were lost but most were landed.  A few good pics happened along the way as well. The photos along with the text from this trip. 

Even with a few snowflakes the chili was still great!

Deschutes River Steelhead Wrap- November 1

Steelhead fishing was generally good with the occasionally tough day this year on the Deschutes river.  (See photos below).  Overall, we had consistent results and found fish on almost every trip.  We had a few tough days as can be expected on a year with 10 year lows for fish returns.  All in all it was a great season and we had a blast. We caught some incredible fish made some new friends and shared an amazing river with a lot of people. 

Here is a note from one of our recent customers:

Hi Rob,

On behalf of the three of us that fished with you and your stellar team of guides, I want to thank you for what was by far the best guided fishing trip I have ever been on! We talked to a person at one of the fly shops the day before the trip who stated that the steelhead counts were at a 10 year low. I was fully expecting this trip to be the same as every other with other guides where we didn’t catch anything for the 3 days. Don’t get me wrong, it is steelhead fishing so catching one is a bonus, and to have 6 fish between the 3 of us and 10 more hookups was phenomenal!

Not only were all the guides amazing at fishing, the food and accommodations exceeded all expectations.

Please sign us up for the same time next year, 4 fisherman or maybe 6 if I can pull it together.

Lastly, send me a good mailing address for you. I want to send you a gift you may find useful on the river. It is just to say thanks again for the best fishing trip I have ever been on.

Feel free to use this as a testimonial on your site.

Thanks,
Steve E.

Looking forward to another great year ahead.  If you'd like to fish with us find us at: www.watertimeoutfitters.com  Here are some highlight photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clackamas River Steelhead & Salmon to See Big Changes

Casadero Dam on the Clackamas River- Summer 2012

The Clackamas River is fish bearing stream about to see big changes. It is near the city of Portland, Oregon and flows through communities like, Oregon City, Gladstone, Estacada, Barton and Carver among others. Spring and fall Chinook salmon, coho, winter-spring and summer Steelhead run in it's waters. Flowing off the cool slopes of the Mt. Hood the Clackamas River is a complex system with a number of power generation projects interupting it's flow. PGE operates with-in the Clackamas basin and is up for relicensing it's current project. For relicensing PGE has been tasked with some major changes to the way business is done.

Warm water temperatures are death to salmon & steelhead juveniles as well as resident trout. The Clackamas river has been exceeding the maximum temperature requirements during summer months. PGE's solutions to lowering the water temperatures are big moves that in theory will improve the health of the river system.

North Fork Dam on the Clackamas River



First, adding spawning size gravel to the system below River Mill Dam is supposed to help the water run faster and cooler. Thousands of yards of gravel are expected to be added to the river. More water will be below the riverbed surface and under and around rocks gaurding it from the sun. This also mitigates for lack of spawning size gravel moving through the river system from upriver tributarys. The dams stop this movement of important sized gravel and over the years this is having a cumulative effect. Less spawning gravel for wild fish.

Fish Trap below Casadero Dam on the Clackamas River- Spring Chinook in the water



Second, Faraday lake on the Clackamas river system is a diverted portion of the river split apart at Casadero Dam. This water historically sat in the lake and then is run through power generation exiting back into the main river channel. This is also beleived to be a culprit of warmer water temperatures in the lower river during the summer months. The current plan calls for eliminating the lake and channelizing the water to the power generation facility.

Third, new fish trap facilities are planned to be state of the art and reduce fish handling. A new facility is being built near North Fork reservior. This new facility is promised to be much better than the old facility below Casadero Dam.

Fourth, new juvenile collection traps will be placed at the top of Rivermill and North Fork dams. Funneling fish into the newly updated bypass tube that takes downstream migrating fish from above NF all the way to below Rivermill dam.

Suffice it to say there are a lot of things going on with the Clackamas river system this year (2012). We'll see how these new changes impact our wild and hatchery steelhead runs.

Fall Weather and Oregons Deschutes River Colors

Finally the summer weather has given way to fall and cool crisp evenings are common now on the Deschutes River.  The leaves are in full fall dress now (mid-October) and the colors of riverside foliage adds sharp color to the grand scene of the Deschutes canyon.  Steelhead are spread through the entire system and many like the fall leaves are sporting coloration of varying shades.

The water levels have bumped up sharply mid month and wading is a careful exercise in some spots.  Currently the water levels are around 5300 cfs at Madras. 

Water temperatures are slowly decending and are hovering around 53 degrees. 

See more about Oregon's famous Deschutes River at:  www.watertimeoutfitters.com  

A Good Morning on the River

Deschutes steelhead fishing is full swing with fish spread through the system from the mouth to Warm Springs.  Water levels have been low on average for the first part of the month and have finally started to bump up over 4000 cfs at Warm Springs. 

October client Ken lands 4 fish before lunch.  Great morning Ken!  Way to go.

See more about fishing the Deschutes River on this blog or at our website: www.watertimeoutfitters.com

Mad Steelhead Mid-Day-Angler in Pain

It was a slow morning and we had to drop off a friend at the boat ramp at 1:00 so we decide to fish close by. The sun angle was good and I told Josh sometimes if there are fish around we can have great fishing mid-day if the sun angle is right.  Josh and I split the run and worked through with sink tips.  I was enjoying the opportunity to work on my cast and this spot was a good one for it.  The swing was wide and a long cast would reach out mid-river to the fastest water and swing into the sweet spot very nicely.  I worked on my D-loop and focused on using the bottom hand to tighen up the loop and launch the line into the wind. 

Fish were rolling mid-way through the run.  As the water deepend, fish rolled a lot and they were not trout.  Violent rolls of aggressive fish would snap my head around when I heard them. Often they were above me, fish that had not taken my fly as I moved through the run.  Anticipation built as I worked into the tailout.  In the deeper water above I could reason why I might not have had a grab but in the tailout all bets were off; fish should be seeing my fly. 

Then it happens when you least expect it.  At the end of the swing my fly came across a boulder as the swing was slowing down.  The line tightened slowly and I was sure I hung up on the rock.  I tightened the rod and started to lift to unhook the fly when I felt the unmistakeable pulse of a throbbing fish ripping the rod the opposite way and then - it was gone!  Uggh!  bad mistake.  I continued into the tailout with long casts deep into the current and far into the tailout.  Two casts after the "rock" incident the loop ripped from my fingers.  The line came tight to the reel and ripped out in aggressive surges.  I tightend the rod lifting towards the downstream side and a the fight was on!

Large headshakes shook the 13'-6" #7 weight Z-Axis spey rod I was using bending the rod deeply.  The fish ripped out some line and then cooled a second for more headshakes, then, well then it was gone.  Water sprayed off my reel as the fish ran downstream into heavy current.  The running line quickly dissappeared and then the backing.  Lots of backing.  I thrashed towards shore.  The bottom gave way under me and I dog paddled a bit getting a good dose of cool water in my waders.  Once to shore I scrambled down stream over rocks, boulders, branches, trees and other fun obstacles. 

I pulled hard on the fish.  It would slow down from time to time but the current and gravity were on it's side.  I couldn't stop it.  At one point it nearly spooled me.  That's right, all my flyline and over 100 yards of backing.  Running through the water with half full waders as fast as I could go over rocks and under trees was the best workout I've had in a long time.  My legs ached my lungs were burning and my rod arm was starting to cramp. 

Finally after what was close to 1/2 mile the fish slowed and held up.  I got the backing on the reel and then finally some of the running line.  Once caught on a boulder mid rapid, I was able to free the line and come back tight to the fish.  Working the fish downstream to softer water we finally were able to land one tough steelhead. 

See the video of Rob getting beat up by a steelhead:  Steelhead beats up Water Time Guide- Video

Josh and I came back through the run and got one more steelhead, a wild fish about 10lbs that stayed in the hole and didn't run so hard down river.  That was good because I don't think I could have run that run a second time. 

To get your excercise chasing steelhead come fish with us: www.watertimeoutfitters.com  

 

 

 

 

Upper Deschutes River First Steelhead Since 1960

The first adult steelhead since the 1960s was passed upstream above the Pelton dam on the Deschutes River Friday, September 14th (photo attached), and the second this passed Wednesday,  September 26th.   12 or 14 PIT tagged steelhead adults from above the dams have passed upstream over Bonneville Dam.  Neither steelhead caught and passed so far has been PIT tagged.   Passed adults are receiving double green floy tags for ID purposes.  Some are receiving radio tags.

 

Also, yesterday while conducting a kokanee spawning survey, Mike Gauvin, ODFW, took the attached pdf photos of an adult male Sockeye on a Redd in the upper Metolius River at Smiling River Campground.   He is carrying a radio-antenna coming from the mouth.  

 

These are the early results of a monumental new project by PGE on the Deschutes river system to enhance and restore wild chinook salmon, steelhead and sockeye in the upper Deschutes river basin. 

 

See more on the Deschutes River at: www.watertimeoutfitters.com