Hey All,

I am just back from a 3-day float trip on Deschutes River. The trip started a few months ago when my brother pulled some permits to float the river. David Dines LCO’s freelance photographer and designer and I barely made our 1 hr flight to Redmond arriving at 1am due to insane lines and my lax approach to airline travel. As most LCO’s trips go we try to waste very little time on travel and keep it tactical. We walked on the plane 5 mins before boarding ended a little too tactical…

We had the raft packed up at trout creek by 9am Saturday morning with 10 fly rods, camera gear, and camping gear for next 3 days. The ramp was buzzing with baggers and guides getting ready for a variety of different length trips asking each other where they planned on camping some smart asses commenting simply north and others working together to find some space. Saturday was to be our best day of weather with rain forecasted for Sunday and Monday. For those of you who have not fished the Deschutes, it has few unconventional rules: You can only fish the right side of the river through the reservation, You cannot fish from the boat.

I fished a size 8 purple chubby with a variety of droppers the whole trip and with a 3x leader I fished the same fly the whole trip. The first day was my best day of fishing with the rain holding off until just after we got our tent set up.  For the next 24 hours had pretty constant rain which is not what one hopes for or expects in a desert.

I caught plenty of fish the first 2 days and by day 3 the fish were keyed in on the PMD’s that were intermittently coming off. Dustin, my brother, spent most of his time nymphing and absolutely slayed them. The fish seemed to be stacked up in the head of the runs with very few fish spread out in the soft water.

While the fishing was excellent and the weather was not what had hoped for the pace of pack raft trip is great. The methodical packing of the raft to maximize space and ensure everything is available is oddly therapeutic and comforting. Finding a rhythm where everyone becomes a well-oiled machine is a beautiful thing. The trip became less well oiled when we are delayed 18hrs out of Redmond back to SF. Many beers, a few bloody mary’s, and a day later we made it back to SF.

I can’t wait until next year. If you want to get a Deschutes float trip on the books for next year now is the time to book as there are limited permits. We have a good number of guide friends up there that we know will put you on fish and run a first class camp. Email us and we will put you in good hands.

Cory Godell reports on 4.25.19

The Deschutes is now open for business. The water level has been dropping nicely the last few days but is still a bit on the big side of things flowing 5390 cfs out of the dam. 

As long as this incredible weather sticks around make sure you have some stonefly and caddis nymphs and some caddis dry flies. When the clouds shows up this weekend make sure you have a few big...

Cory Godell reports on 2.7.19

Because of the cold snap that hit us a few days back, fishing has slowed a bit. The weather this time of year definitely plays a major part in bug hatches. We are still catching fish, but whenever we get a two or more consecutive days of sunshine the bite should pick up. 

This can warm up the river a degree or two which can make all the difference to the fish and the...

Cory Godell reports on 1.28.19

Cory Godell reports on 12.13.18

This fish was a perfect end to a great season. We were able to hook into this steelhead on our last guided day of the season. There are still fish to be caught, but you must get your flies down to them. Water temps are cold and the fish aren’t willing to chase flies very far. Sink tips or even nymphs are your best bet late in the season.

Don’t forget that a good chunk...

Cory Godell reports on 11.29.18

If you are a trout fisherman and don’t mind some cooler temps it’s definitely worth hitting the Deschutes. The trout fishing is still really good through a chunk of the day.

Unlike steelhead there’s no reason to get to the river for first light, the trout are more active once the sun pokes out for a few hours. If you are nymphing, hold on tight there is a fighting...

Cory Godell reports on 11.15.18

Oregon

The trout fishing is some of the best of the year. This is the time of the season where you catch some of the biggest trout in the Deschutes. The big boys are eating everything that comes their way fattening up for the log winter.

Steelhead, on the other hand, are still playing a little hard to get. With the numbers of steelhead down this season, catching them...

Cory Godell reports on 11.1.18

Steelhead fishing has definitely been full of ups and downs this season. For one reason or another the amount of steelhead that came up the Columbia and all it’s tributaries are down this year, which has made things more challenging. But for those who are willing to put their time in there are still fish to be caught.

Even though the steelhead fishing has been a bit on...

Cory Godell reports on 9.27.18

Steelhead Time

It was a fun ride while it lasted on the Owyhee this summer. The hoppers seemed to come and go a bit faster than normal. This is probably do to the long hot, dry summer we’ve had. With that being said the browns still knew what they were and were definitely on the hunt for them. Even with hatches coming to an end quicker than normal the quality of the...