This week we managed to find a sunny day in the midst of spring rains. The weather hasn’t offered much of a chance for outdoor activities. However, we managed to find a few getaways this week … one being the Lower Deschutes River.
The Deschutes River is long, so long it gets broken up into upper, middle and lower sections when people refer to it. We spend a lot of time on the Upper Deschutes in the summer. This is more of a creek than river in the sections we fish.
From Pelton Dam, on the Deschutes end of Lake Billy Chinook, to the Columbia River is the Lower Deschutes. Since moving to Oregon in the late eighties, we’ve spent time on the stretch of the Lower Deschutes, downstream of Maupin. During the spring, the stoneflies begin to hatch, offering meals to winter-hungry fish.
The Deschutes never disappoints. The temperatures were in the high seventies, the wind was light and the water crystal clear. It was a perfect day for some excellent fishing.
All too soon, the rain returned along with some wind gusts, but we were grateful to manage a great day out on the river.