The Lower Deschutes has another good news/bad news story this week. Trout fishing is great. Steelhead fishing is officially going to be closed as of 10/1/21 due to the historically low run coming up the river this season. We are saddened by the steelhead runs all over the Columbia Basin.
As far as the Trout go, from Warm Springs to Maupin there is a ton of opportunities to fish, and fish well!

Still a ton of caddis, so pupa and adults will take a fair share of fish. My friend Mike W and his son Michael sent me some iPhone photos at dusk last night of some pigs caught on caddis.
Stonefly nymphs and euro jigs are very good. Our guide Troy is a high believer of the Copper John on the D, and judging by how many fish that dude catches I’d say we all should add some CJ’s to the box.

Have you tried swinging leeches and sculpins for trout? The Lower D is a perfect place to do that. A 9 or 10′ 6 weight or a 3 or 4 weight Trout Spey is a great way to approach that technique. The tug is the drug, and the tug is what you’ll get when you swing these flies. Swinging you say? Also swing soft hackles on the Deschutes. That is fun. I need to get back into that myself. I used to love all the Sylvester Names Soft Hackle books and need to sit with them again for inspiration to do that on the D and other rivers locally.