Where to Fish in the Hood River area - Lower Deschutes River

Species:  Rainbow trout, summer steelhead. 
Seasons:  Check regulations.  Brief description below

Links:  Deschutes Recreation Area, Deschutes Boaters Passes

There is not much I can say about the Deschutes that has not been said by much better writers than I. Dozens of books have been written about the Deschutes River.  It is famous, it is infamous, it is our home on the water.  This is the only world-class trout fishery that we have access to within a reasonable drive, and what a fishery it is! 

The 100 miles or so between Pelton Dam and the confluence with the Columbia River make up one of the best places to fish in the US.  Redband (or redside) trout are a unique strain of rainbow trout native to the area.  They are smart, and they fight better than most other trout in most other rivers.  I can promise that.  They are strong fish.

Plenty of easy road access exists near the town of Maupin.  10+ miles upstream and 20+ miles of downstream roadside access make this a superb place to start fishing the Deschutes.  There is no fishing allowed from a boat, so everyone is on a level playing field on that aspect.  

The big draw is the spring stonefly hatch.  Salmonflies and golden stoneflies hatch in May and June, and the big bugs bring in anglers from across the US.  Most of the rest of the year is pretty quiet on the river, if you are trout fishing.

There is a large contingency of rafters in the summer, but the fishing side of things is far less busy than more famous rivers.  It is still a busy river, especially around the town of Maupin, but it sees far, far less pressure than most big trout fisheries.

Speaking of big trout fisheries, I would put this river up against anything in Montana, Idaho or Colorado any day.  Anglers on those rivers can boast 60 fish per day because, no offense, fishing out of a drift boat is easy.  A good angler on the Deschutes can still catch plenty of nice, big trout, but it takes more skill and time to wade for your fish.  You can boat six fish on the Madison just in the time it takes to row down to the first spot on the Deschutes.  

It is a bit harder to get it dialed in than other rivers, but once you have the D figured out, the trout fishing cannot get any better, anywhere.

Near Pelton Dam (100 miles upstream of the confluence), there is access around the Warm Springs area. A boat ramp along with a couple miles of road access downstream to Mecca Flats makes this a popular area when open.  It is close to the town of Madras and attracts plenty of folks from Bend, so it can be quite busy.  There are several camping areas and the access is easy to get in and out.  There is some solid road access, but nowhere near what is available downstream near Maupin.

A few miles below Mecca Flats is a large campground called Trout Creek.  This campground has a boat ramp as well as a nice trail that follows the river up to Mecca Flats.  Trout Creek is a very popular boat ramp.  It is a takeout for an easy overnighter or day float from Warm Springs.  It is also the put-in for most multi-day trout trips in the spring.  32 miles in between boat ramps makes for an awesome 2 or 3 night adventure.  The takeout (Harpam) is upstream of Maupin. 

The section between Warm Springs and Maupin does include the Warm Springs Reservation, which is on river left for most of that section.  An access pass may be purchased from the Warm Springs Tribe which will allow anglers to fish on river left along some (but not all) of the reservation.  The lack of left-bank access for much of the river is another reason why the fishing is so good.   

There is also plenty of access downstream of Maupin, along the road that ends at Mack's Canyon, about 20 miles from the mouth and 30 miles from Maupin.  This section is open year-round for trout fishing.

Trout seasons has varied in years past, but here how it has been laid out in recent years:  Trout fishing is open year-round from the mouth upstream to the Northern boundary of the Warm Springs reservation. This is above locked gate, but below Maupin.  The section from Pelton Dam downstream to that boundary opens in the end of April and closes in October.

The section between Mack's Canyon and the confluence with the Columbia is great trout fishing too!  You do lose a few trout per mile compared to the upper sections, but the trout are still big, feisty and strong.  Better yet, trout fishing pressure below Mack's Canyon is ridiculously low.  I mean there can be sets of days in mid-season that nobody (zero people) are trout fishing down there.

The main reason that folks are not trout fishing much below Mack's Canyon is that the lower stretch is considered the best summer steelhead river in the US.  Tons of great water, and an easy bike or hike trail follows the river the whole way if you are not into boating.  Many folks bike in a few miles from the mouth.  Some bring a little bike trailer loaded with gear and camp out for a few nights. 

Steelhead season peaks in September as well as the angling traffic on the lower river. You will not find much solitude on the river during a typical September within 5 miles of the mouth.

 

Both Trout Creek to Maupin (section 2), and Mack's Canyon to Heritage Landing (section 4) are very popular multi-day rafting trips.  In the shop here, we do a Trout Creek>Maupin in May for trout and a Mack's Canyon>Heritage in the fall for steelhead.  

The section that flows trough Maupin is also popular with day-trip whitewater rafters.  Several boat ramps in the Maupin area allow for a variety of floating options.  There are some big rapids in this section, so be aware.  This is what folks in the industry call "splash and giggle" rafting, where boats filled with tourists in wetsuits take a short ride down some big rapids, get their picture taken going over a waterfall, fun family stuff.  Fishing is great in this section because most anglers do not want to deal with the boaters and the whitewater. 

All boaters need a permit which can be purchased in advance following this link:  https://www.recreation.gov/permits/251980

Camping is available at almost all access points.  There are a good dozen campgrounds in the areas around Maupin, Mack's Canyon, Trout Creek and Mecca Flats.  The state park at the confluence also has a nice campground.  

There is not much more I can say about the Deschutes.  We are so lucky to have such a fantastic river so close to us.  9 times out of 10, this is the best choice for someone looking to have that all-around blue-ribbon trout fishing experience in the area.