The Complete Guide to Deschutes River Fly Fishing

Upper Deschutes 

How To Get There:  We will start all directions from Bend Oregon for the Upper Deschutes River.  We like to start at Little Lava Lake.  Take 97 South from Bend and follow signs to Sunriver.  Cross Harpers Bridge and follow signs to Crane Prairie.  Bend to the Deschutes Bridge Hiking area is 35.5 miles.  Follow this MAP for more information.  From the Deschutes bridge drive west to Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway and turn north.  Please note the Scenic Byway is closed from December to March.  From the Deschutes Bridge to Little Lava Lake is 8.1 miles.  Follow this MAP for more details.

Closest Towns: Sunriver, LaPine, Three Rivers

Fly Shops: The Hook Fly Shop

Lay of the Land:  The Upper Deschutes has a lot of fallen trees across the river with undercut banks where trout will hide.  Look for small deeper green pools and use stealth where you find open meadows.  This section from Little Lava Lake to the Deschutes Bridge is more pocket water and fishing near fallen timber.

Seasons: Opens May 22 and closes September 30.  For more information please follow Deschutes River Regulations.

Fly Fishing Tactics:  Anglers should pack light with a three, four, or five weight nine to ten-foot fly rod.  Pocket water fly fishing with small bead head nymphs and dry flies.  No need for 60-foot casts, but you will find lots of tree snags so bring a full box of flies.  Take some water and mosquito repellent, the angler that hikes the most will be rewarded.

Conclusions:  If you find a pull-off along the Byway with easy river access, so have many other anglers.  Hike and explore.  We like to hike around Little Lava Lake, Cow Meadow Campground, and the Deschutes Bridge.  Google Maps is your friend, use it.  Try Sheep Bridge Campground near Crane Prairie and then move closer to Wickiup.  You will notice a big change below Wickiup, but you can still find productive spots to fish streamers and catch a big brown trout.  Start at Tenino Boat Site, then Bull bend Campground.  Please make sure you are not hiking through private property.  Once you reach Pringle Falls Loop you will find houses.

Pringle Falls Upper Deschutes

Pringle Falls Campground is another great spot to hike and explore with a fly rod.  If you have a small raft or kayak try a float from Tetherow Boat Launch to LaPine State Park.  A WaterMaster Raft can dominate this section of the Upper Deschutes.  Please remember no fishing from a floating device.  This should give fly anglers plenty of water to explore, have fun, and good luck.  We skip all the recreational swimmers near Sunriver and focus on Benham Falls Trailhead.  This is one of our favorite sections of the Upper Deschutes River.  We hop from Benham Falls to Dillion Falls to Big Eddy Trailhead to Lava Island Trailhead and finish at Meadow Day Use Area.  This is a lot of real estate to cover and will keep fly anglers busy for a week or more.

Middle Deschutes 

How To Get There:  We love to start at Sawyer Park near Boyd Acres in North Bend Oregon.  Hwy 20 to O.B. Riley Rd. north.  Look for Angles Flight Road.  Sawyer Park is near one of our favorite restaurants, Mckay Cottage.  You can follow the Deschutes River north from Sawyer Park, then find the Deschutes River Tail and find more public access.  Tumalo State Park is North of Bend on O. B. Riley Rd.  Explore north and south near this very cool state park.  You can spend a few days fly fishing near Twin Bridges, this gem is North of Tumalo State Park.  Sawyer Park to Twin Bridges is 8 miles.  Click this Map for details.  The next stop is Cline Falls.  East of Redmond on Hwy 126 and Cline Falls Rd.  From Cline falls we will hop to Tetherow Crossing Park to Odin Falls to Borden Beck Wildlife Preserve to Steelhead Falls Trailhead.  This is a lot of ground to cover so take water and be prepared.  The fly angler that puts in the work will be well rewarded at the end of the day.

Closest Towns:  North Bend, Redmond, Terrebonne

Fly Shops: Fin & Fire & Bend Fly Shop

Lay of the Land:  The Middle Deschutes is amazing.  High canyon ridges, small meadow riffles, beautiful pocket water, deep pools, and breathtaking waterfalls.  The fly angler will find any water they prefer on the Middle Deschutes River.

Seasons: Open Year-Round.  See Lake Billy Chinook to Benham Falls for more information.

Fly Fishing Tactics:  We like to travel light when fly fishing the Upper and Middle Deschutes River.  A 9-foot-five-weight fly rod will be your workhorse.  This rod can Euro Nymph, Cast Dry Flies, Indicator Fish, and throw small streamers.  You will need to cover ground and carrying two fly rods will slow you down.  A waterproof backpack with the following items will increase your success rate.

RIO Euro Nymph Shorty
RIO Trout Versileader (7 foot 7 ips)
Small and Medium Indicators

We will share a blog post later this week on our hike and wade trout gear.

Conclusions:  If you will hike and explore the Middle Deschutes with a fly rod you will be a happy camper.  If you fish spots near trailheads and parking lots you will catch trout.  If you put in some work, hike, and travel the path less traveled; you will be rewarded ten times over.  Good luck and be safe.

Lower Deschutes River Fly Fishing

How To Get There: The Lower Deschutes is best covered with a drift boat, raft, or jet boat.  Please note you can NOT fish from a boat on the Deschutes River.  If you have a boat and are new to the Lower Deschutes please use caution.  The lower river has some major rapids that require boating skills.  Buy a map of the Lower Deschutes and study it.  The Upper section is from Warm Springs (Madras) to Harpham Flat (Maupin).  You have bank access at Warm Springs Boat Ramp, Mecca Flat Campground, and Trout Creek Camp Ground.  BLM access road runs from Maupin City Park to Locked Gate. The Middle section runs from Maupin to Mack’s Canyon.  Bank anglers have a BLM access road that follows the river with spots to pull off and explore.  The Lower section runs from Mack’s to Deschutes River Recreation Area near the Columbia River.  Bank anglers have a fantastic 11-mile trail on the east side of the river from the recreation area.  The River Trail offers excellent access to some fantastic fly fishing.

Closest Towns: Madras, Maupin

Fly Shops: Deschutes Angler

Lay of the Land: The Lower Deschutes River is a big waterway with heavy whitewater and excellent fly fishing for trout and steelhead.  The insect hatches are epic from May to October and the Redside Trout get thick and healthy.  The Lower Deschutes is best covered with a boat, but bank anglers have lots of road access.  You will find long runs, classic riffles, pocket water, bankside brush, overhanging trees, back eddies, and much more.  The Lower Deschutes is the fly fishing jewel of Oregon and well worth a visit.

Seasons:  Open year-round for trout and steelhead.  Please check Tribal Regulations for Warms Springs area and Deschutes Fishing Regulations.

Fly Fishing Tactics:  The Lower Deschutes can offer delicate presentations to back eddy foam lines to Trout Spey with T-8 sink tips.  A five-weight nine-foot rod will take care of your dry fly and or dry-dropper tactics.  A ten-foot-three-weight Euro Rod is a great tool for Deschutes trout on the lower river.  We love to Trout Spey and an eleven-foot-three weight should get the job done.  Steelhead Spey rods range from 11’6″ to 13′ depending on the angler’s preference.  We see Steelhead Spey Anglers carry five to eight-weight rods.  The Lower Deschutes can get very windy and require a heavy line weight to cut through the breeze.

Conclusions:  The Lower Deschutes is amazing and worth your time.  The best time to fly fish the Lower Deschutes is whenever possible.  Foot and Boat traffic on this section is HEAVY.  Weekends are Super HEAVY!  Please practice proper river etiquette, use common sense, be safe, and have fun.