Saturday, December 12, 2015
Sunday, October 25, 2015
October report 2015
The 2015 Deschutes season is winding down and so is the fishing. Despite otherwise perfect conditions the Deschutes has been fishing relatively poor this October compared to prior years. Several factors have made it tough but most noticeably the river levels have been up and down for most of the month. Traditionally when irrigation is shut down the river is raised over a few days and then stabilizes, 2015 has been all over the place.
The weather has been great, water temps have been in the mid fifties and water clarity is generally pretty good minus a couple days I had to cancel from a storm. The good news is, traffic is light so odds of hitting a fish should be better as the season dwindles off.
I'll be taking trips into November (weather permitting). It's a lot like winter fishing, a couple chances a day... maybe, with a real opportunity at big steelhead.
As usual some fish porn.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Fall is here!
After an unusually cool August and watching the White River blow in and out it seems September is coming in with a show of force! It's now Labor Day weekend which usually marks the peak of the Deschutes season and high winds and rain are in the forecast, the weather patterns continue to play a huge role in the Deschutes experience.
For good or for bad the limited entry system seems to have reduced the number of anglers on the lower, lower Deschutes or, segment four. Most of us that are there daily are very suspect of the 193 people supposedly on the lower river, it appears to be about 50% of that number. Then again, the lack of people could be the result of the river clarity due to the glacial melt from Mount Hood.
Fishing has been miserable this season if your sole desire is to fish a dry line fly, I think I went close to a month starting the morning with sink tips. Yesterday we started with dry lines and even managed a fish or two. I find myself here after a cancellation due to a hurricane wind forecast but I'll be back at it again tomorrow!
Current river conditions are 58 degrees, 4300 cfs and about 20" of visibility.
As always, some fish porn...
For good or for bad the limited entry system seems to have reduced the number of anglers on the lower, lower Deschutes or, segment four. Most of us that are there daily are very suspect of the 193 people supposedly on the lower river, it appears to be about 50% of that number. Then again, the lack of people could be the result of the river clarity due to the glacial melt from Mount Hood.
Fishing has been miserable this season if your sole desire is to fish a dry line fly, I think I went close to a month starting the morning with sink tips. Yesterday we started with dry lines and even managed a fish or two. I find myself here after a cancellation due to a hurricane wind forecast but I'll be back at it again tomorrow!
Current river conditions are 58 degrees, 4300 cfs and about 20" of visibility.
As always, some fish porn...
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Deschutes Time!
The Deschutes River is the king of rivers in the Pacific Northwest, maybe the world for all I know. The 2015 season is off and running despite some pretty serious obstacles; limited entry, selective water withdrawal, 2PM fishing closure from ODFW, and of course the threat of the White River mucking things up.
-Limited Entry. 193 boaters passes available every day until October 15th. No one person can hold more than one pass at a time and they sell out quick.
-SWW. The round Butte facility designed to mix warm and cool water...way too much warm water for my liking.
-2PM ODFW Fishing Closure. This was meant to help the fish in warm water temps (courtesy of the aforementioned SWW). The Deschutes has cooled down the last three weeks and we hope this ends next week. (THIS WAS LIFTED MONDAY AUGUST 3rd)
-The White River has been in and out daily and went all the way out August7th. Plan your trips accordingly or just suck it up and fish anyway, it's way less crowded!
Now that the bad news is out of the way...
-Limited Entry. 193 boaters passes available every day until October 15th. No one person can hold more than one pass at a time and they sell out quick.
-SWW. The round Butte facility designed to mix warm and cool water...way too much warm water for my liking.
-2PM ODFW Fishing Closure. This was meant to help the fish in warm water temps (courtesy of the aforementioned SWW). The Deschutes has cooled down the last three weeks and we hope this ends next week. (THIS WAS LIFTED MONDAY AUGUST 3rd)
-The White River has been in and out daily and went all the way out August7th. Plan your trips accordingly or just suck it up and fish anyway, it's way less crowded!
Now that the bad news is out of the way...
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Springtime!
We never really had a winter but nonetheless it's springtime. Thank you to everyone who came to steelhead with me on the Sandy River - this is for the brave. On average we hit a fish about every other day. My last day out there was Friday and we hooked two, the day before we got one.
The Sandy will fish into June if there's enough water in the river. The real prize in the springtime is our return to the Deschutes to chase their elusive "resides"! April 25th is the opener for the section running adjacent tho the Warm Springs Tribal Lands (Warm Springs, Trout Creek, etc.) but the Maupin stretch has been fishing very well.
I'm taking a spring break then going Spring Salmon fishing on the Columbia until it closes. I'll be taking trips again starting the week of the 6th.
You can follow me on Facebook or follow Steelhead Outfitters if you want to know what's going on with us more frequently.
I still have some availability in May during the Salmon Fly hatch, so hit me up if you want to get out this spring.
Tight lines,
Sam Sickles
samsickles@gmail.com
541-400-0855
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