When you hear people refer to the lower Deschutes river they are talking about the approximately 100 miles below Pelton dam. This amazing river is home to one of the Northwest's premier fisheries for both Trout and Steelhead. The Trout that inhabit this amazing river are known as Redsides and have a well earned reputation as one of the hardest fighting trout available anywhere. Most of the redsides you will catch in the Deschutes will range anywhere from 16 to 18 inches with a few fish going 20 inches or even slightly larger. Fishing is open year round in parts of the lower river but we prefer to target fish in the warmer months of the late spring through fall.
Insect life on the Deschutes is plentiful and varied with each and every month bringing new hatches and others fading out. This can make dialing in on the right patterns problematic for those who don't spend enough time on the water or are not familiar with these cycles on the river. A mixture of nymphs and dries will usually take fish assuming they are right for the season.
Castaway Guide Service works on the Deschutes with Rob Crandall of Water Time Outfitters to give our clients the trip of a lifetime. No matter what you choose, a one day float trip , a five day outfitter float trip, or anything in between; we have the equipment,knowledge, and experience to give you the trip of a lifetime.
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Long known for its famous runs of Salmon and Steelhead the river of the Oregon coast are home to a lesser known but equally amazing fish, the Coastal or Sea Run Cutthroat. While these migratory Cutthroat are known as a "sea run" fish they actually travel a much shorter distance than their true ocean going neighbors, the Salmon, and Steelhead; preferring instead to migrate from the upper stretches of their home rivers down to the tidewater or estuary stenches of brackish water.
Because of the migratory nature of the Coastal Cutthroat their diet is incredibly varied consisting of thing like shrimp, worms, and other marine invertebrate when living in brackish water to insects and the eggs of other fish when in the upper stretches of the river. No matter where they are the voracious appetite of the Cutthroat ensures that one food item is always on the table, fish. The coastal Cutthroat is an aggressive predator and any fish smaller than him is seen as a potential meal herring, candlefish, small surfperch, salmon or steelhead smolt, and even smaller trout will find themselves eaten with often reckless abandon.
Fishing for the Coastal Cutthroat can be an absolute blast as once located their aggressive nature makes them great targets for both surface and sub-surface presentation with a fly rod. Often times a fast strip retrieve is key to getting these acrobatic fish to smash your offering. Most of the trout that we see on the coast tend to go from 10 to 16 inches but I have been surprised by a few specimens that topped 20 inches in length and fought hard enough that they seemed all but impossible to land on a four or five weight. There is a kill fishery for the Searun Cutthroat on the Northern Oregon Coast but Castaway Guide Service and most others who target them will only fish catch and release on these amazing fish.
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