This is the first of two contributions authored by Chris Rich, an avid fly angler who lives in Northern Virginia. Chris is a former Foreign Service Officer who enjoys fly fishing around the world as much as he does on home waters of the Potomac River watershed. All photo credits belong to Chris. cerich@hotmail.com
Part I: Big Water in Sagebrush Country
When one of my oldest friends invited me to join him to fish the May salmon fly hatch on the famous Deschutes River in Central Oregon, I jumped at the chance and booked a ticket to Portland. An added bonus, Dick promised, would be a stay at his sister’s lovely weekend “cabin” in the Cascades near the city of Sisters, and close to the Metolius River, another legendary stream, and a tributary to the Deschutes.
On our way early in the morning, we hit the Portland Fly Shop after breakfast. The first thing they did was drill metal studs into our wading boots. The Deschutes is very tough wading, we were warned, and we’d need the better footing the studs can provide. Naturally, we picked up a requisite number of large, bright salmon fly patterns in sizes 8 and 10 with high hopes, along with a few other items that we really didn’t need, and new hats too, of course. Then we drove east on I-84 along the south bank of the mighty Columbia for about 80 miles, past Hood River and turned off at The Dalles, where we climbed up and away from the Columbia Gorge and headed south into the high arid sagebrush country of Central Oregon.
The Deschutes River flows 250 miles north from its source at Little Lava Lake in the Cascade Range. Unlike the rainy coastal range one typically thinks as characteristic of Oregon, the watershed drained by the Deschutes is east of the Cascades and is arid canyon country. The river flows past the Confederated Tribes Warm Springs Indian Reservation, and right through the delightful town of Bend, then churns another 100 miles due north before dumping into the Columbia River. It’s ruggedly beautiful country. The upper Deschutes near Bend is said to offer exceptional brown trout fishing. We aimed for the middle section of the river, one of Oregon's premier steelhead and native “Redside” rainbow trout fisheries. In May, it was the Redsides we were after. Steelhead are mainly a fall and winter pursuit, as on the other big rivers of the Pacific Northwest.
We based ourselves a few miles upstream of the little town of Maupin, and camped at the Longbend Campground, one of the many small, pretty Bureau of Land Management (BLM) campgrounds along the river. The wind was a challenge for both camping and casting, shearing off guidelines and challenging my trusty high-profile REI dome tent the first night - making us very cautious with our campfires. Campfires are not permitted on BLM land along the Deschutes during the summer months due to the risk of wildfire.
As we were warned, the wadding was difficult and tedious. The Deschutes is a big, brawling river, with treacherous drop-offs close to shore disguised by turbid water, hidden rock gardens, and steep banks choked with sage, bunchgrass, and alder. The veteran guide at the Maupin’s Deschutes Angler fly shop explained that the spots with the steepest, hairiest climb down from the road were the best places to fish, and we dutifully bushwacked down some very steep slopes, clinging to the tall grass we fought through. We were also warned to keep an eye out for Northern Pacific rattlesnakes.
A busy Burlington Northern & Santa Fe freight line across the river kept us company, as did a fair number of other anglers also chasing the salmon fly hatch; nevertheless, I could not call it crowded by eastern standards. We mostly had the river to ourselves with the trains and a steady flotilla of McKinsey drift boats going by. And while we saw a number of huge salmon flies in the brush along the river doing adult things, the trout had not yet keyed into the adults in the river. We had more luck with big stone fly nymph patterns dead drifted on tight lines close to the bank and through multiple rock gardens just offshore. Dick fished a Tenkara rod, and I a 5-weight. The size of the river and wind might have made a 6- or even 7-weight the better stick, but everyone there recommended a 5-weight and so that’s mainly what I cast.
If you plan a trip to the Deschutes, the small town of Maupin is about a two-hour drive from Portland International Airport and makes a good base for fishing the middle portions of the river. The Deschutes Angler fly shop on the main drag has everything you could need, dispenses solid advice, and can arrange a guide or float trip. If you want to camp, BLM manages about 25 small campgrounds spread out along the river, most accessible by a good gravel road along the river with picnic tables, but you’ll need to haul your own water. Bend, Oregon, about a 90-minute drive upstream from Maupin might make an even better base as it has more in the way of accommodation, restaurants, and such. Bend has at least three fly shops which have everything you could need and can arrange guides for wading or float trips.
This blog post continues with part II, which will be featured shortly. Tight Lines!