Float Trips For Deschutes Steelhead

The Deschutes River is considered one of the finest trout and summer steelhead rivers in the world. Every year huge numbers of steelhead migrate up the Columbia to their birthplace in the Deschutes. The Deschutes River canyon is an amazingly beautiful place cut into a deep basalt gorge. Its riverbank, covered with sagebrush and alders, are home to Big Horn Sheep, Mule Deer and a myriad of other wild critters, making for great wildlife veiwing!

Deschutes Steelhead start showing up to the lower river in good numbers by mid-July and are here in full force by September. These Steelhead are best known for their aggressive surface strikes and long acrobatic runs. Skating dry flies or swinging a wet fly just below the surface with a floating line and long leader is the preferred method.

Within this summer season, the Deschutes River gets a varied mix of Steelhead.
 “A” run steelhead enter the river July through September, these fish are about five to six pounds, on average.
In September, “B” run fish, the Big Brothers of the season, start showing up.   They are typically seven to ten pound, two salt fish.
Some larger fish are in the mix.  These brutes can get as large as twenty pounds.  Most of these larger fish are actually on their way to Idaho and are stopping over until river conditions become perfect for the rest of their journey.

To increase your steelheading success, covering as much water as possible is the name of the game. Our float trips begin at sun up and end after dark. This way, you have the most amount of time on the water as possible. And what’s wrong with sleeping and waking up riverside?  Not to mention increasing our odds of hooking multiple steelhead?  If this sounds good to you, you might think about one of our camp trips from Mack’s Canyon to the Mouth of the Deschutes.

We typically target Steelhead on the Deschutes with Spey Rods ranging from 12’- 14’ in sizes 5, 6, 7 and 8wt with floating lines such as Rio’s AFS system.  Traditional wet flies like Green Butt Skunks, Prisms, and the Fly Du Jour work extremely well.

We always have the latest in Spey rods and lines. If there is anything you would like to try out, just let us know. What Is Provided