[cmtundra]

Hi all. I'm a pretty new member, however I've been reading posts for some months now. The info from your posts has been very helpful, as I've been stationed here at Ft Lewis for only a year.
Can anyone provide some info on the Deschutes River? -As in, what species? techniques? flies? -but escpecially, What can I expect there now? I may hit it tomorrow. The river recently got my attention when I drove over it a couple times while elk/deer hunting. I hadn't realized it was such a close drive from home. It'd be great if it was a dependable enough river to make one of my regular holes. Til now, I've spent most of my time on the Puyallup & Nisqually (& some on McAlister Crk). Didn't care a lot for the Nisqually, but had pretty good success on the Puyallup this summer.
I'm thinking chums & maybe SRCs, but game for whatever is catchable. Anything would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

-cmtundra :HMMM

 

[Rob Blomquist]

Go to the outdoors section of The Olympian at www.theolympian.com and get the fishing report, they report often on the Deschutes and they have a whole subsection of the report on fly fishing. It's updated every Friday.

Rob
---------
Genetic pollution damages wild
stocks, bonk those Hatchery Zombies!

 

[OlyFlyguy]

I would also suggest the following:

1. Visit with the folks at Streamside Anglers in Tumwater, they can tell you anything you want to know about the river, including what's hot and where to go.

2. Search the archives in this site. A lot of information on the Deschutes river has passed through this website and you'll find it useful.

3. I've fished the river a lot, and find the SRC action pretty good this time of year, and the recent rains are providing better access for fish to get up the falls and up river, which has been very low the last several months.

4. Review the regs--the river is C&R upstream of Pioneer park , and year-around fishing (yeah!) beginning this season.

Good luck and tight lines!
:THUMBSUP

 

[cmtundra]

Thanks for the tips. The Olympian website was good, I added it to my faves. I'm back from church & out the door in 10 minutes -tied some flies last night over a movie for the occasion. The wife hates it when I do that!
Also, I will stop by Streamside Anglers...I've heard a good bit about them on the website. Good to get some verification that their might be some SRCs. I'll be going upstream of Tumwater SOMEWHERE...so, I'll be C&R today unless I lay into some chums. Never eaten a chum, but I might keep one & sample it on the ole' smoker.
Thanks again, I'll tell y'all how it went.
-cmtundra

 

[billylee]

Have fun! The SRC sometimes are tricky to find. Keep moving until you run into some. I don't believe there are any chum in the Deschutes however. It does get Chinook (all spawned out now) and a small self sustaining run of coho. Given the weirdness of the weather this year you just might find a coho. Let us know how you do. I'm curious about how much the rain has affected the color of the river.

 

[Tom Bowden]

You might want to try Solo Point for SRC's. The sign says the area is maintained by the Army & you need a DOD permit.

I've heard rumors that a civilian fly fisherman w/o a permit has been known to ignore the signs & fish the area with a 6wt clear intermediate line & #10 Rolled Muddler pattern. I also heard that this guy has released a few fish over the years there. Sometimes it seems like there are no fish & then, like magic, they're all over the place. Be patient & the fish will eventually come. Or so I've heard......


Tom

 

[cmtundra]

Well, by the time I finished mulling over stuff at Streamside Anglers & getting tips (great place, people), I was left w/a grand total of 2 hours of daylight...very windy daylight. It was nonetheless a good time, I got to figure out the river a little. I caught 2 rainbows to boot...ok, I CAUGHT one, and one (the bigger one) slipped off my line just in front of me. I wasn't really expecting bows, but that was an acceptable surprise.
The water visibility is pretty good, not muddy but a little stained -kind of a tanic acid look to it, maybe from all the leaves in the water. Did see a nice size king carcass & two dead coho's that look like someone killed them & through them back because they were still bright silver.
When I arrived, fish were sucking bugs off the surface. I thought about cutting off my bead head pheasant tail nymph and switching to a blue or olive dun...but laziness won over & I stuck w/the pheasant tail. Didn't want to spend my 2 hrs switching flies. Hmmmm, maybe I'd have done better on the surface, who knows.
Is there a way to go back and view this string without losing this post I'm typing? I don't remember everbody's names that I'm replying to, but I'm afraid to click "go back" for fear of losing what I've typed.
In any case, WHOEVER mentioned that there may not be chums in the Deschutes, you may be right...I saw no sign of them. Could be there aren't any, could be they're not up that far yet??? Anyone else?
Tom, I've been to Solo Point to have a look-see before. I wondered if it might attract some SRCs. Now I know. I may try it sometime.
I'm out again this AM since I have Vets Day off. Maybe the Deschutes again, maybe the Satsop. I never can seem to decide until the last minute.
Thanks again for all the pointers.
-cmtundra