The Middle Deschutes is running 452 CFS from Bend, and then takes on all the additional cold and high water from Tumalo Creek above Tumalo State Park. That level is still a bit high. Yes, there are some fishable places if you know the river and are able to find the right spots, but for most of us it just isn’t right quite yet.
With as rainy and snowy as it has been this spring, I am hopeful the irrigation districts DELAY their openings of the canals for irrigation for at least another week or 10 days. I can’t imagine why anyone needs irrigation on their land when it has been this wet and cold. If they delay that, it could conserve water for longer in the summer not only on the Deschutes, but at Wickiup too. A win-win.
Steelhead Falls and Tumalo State Park are the 2 spots I would fish this week. Look for Skwalas and March Browns and BWO’s, fish streamers that look like a sculpin or crawfish, and most definitely fish stonefly nymphs and euro jigs.
This water will be A+ in less than 20 days, but right now it’s a C.