Freestone · Basalt · Oregon

Lower Deschutes River

Aerial view of the Deschutes River winding through a golden canyon in central Oregon at sunset.
Marginal · Rainbow Trout
Parachute Adams · 12-18
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River steady at a fishable height. Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.81 mLast reading 13h ago
  • Water temp18.2°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams12-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.81 m
Last reading 13h ago
Water temp18.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather28°C
WindN 10 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
18.2°Cideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 18.2°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2
American March BrownHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Artificial flies/lures only; barbless recommended/required for steelhead
  • Retain hatchery steelhead only — release wild
  • Summer hoot-owl (post-2pm) closure on the lower river; run-strength steelhead restrictions in low-return years
  • Check ODFW Central Zone in-season updates.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here at 18.2°C. Nothing cooler within range.
Gallery · 2
  1. Aerial view of the Deschutes River winding through a golden canyon in central Oregon at sunset.
    Deschutes Wild and Scenic River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Wild summer steelhead here belong to the ESA-listed Mid-Columbia River DPS (threatened). There is a legal fishery — retain fin-clipped hatchery fish, release all wild steelhead, unharmed and in the water. We read whether the river is in shape and whether the run is in; we never score wild fish as a harvest target. Chinook are present and largely closed to targeting.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
  • Fish consumption: Impaired
What this classification means

Fish consumption: Consumption advisory (Mercury) — fish for sport, not the table.

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Deschutes River' (OR_SR_1707030611_05_101828), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Temperature, Mercury. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · OR_SR_1707030611_05_101828

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 39 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature93 × 28%26.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity65 × 12%7.8
Conditions total= 82
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts