Freestone · Basalt · Oregon, US

Lower Deschutes River

Aerial view of the Deschutes River winding through a golden canyon in central Oregon at sunset.
Today · About as good as it gets
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Forecast · Today
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% projected
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.85 m
Water temp12.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather14°C
WindN 14 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal
13°C est.ideal 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
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 21:00

12:00(now) — Mahogany Dun

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 63%
Peak emergence window6 food groups active

Peak activity at 21:00 — Brown Dun (Brown Dun, 5 food groups active)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October 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
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

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

Ranked for today
Fly box · Rainbow Trout
SD
Sex Dungeon
2-6 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
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
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 80 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity54 × 12%6.5
Conditions total= 80
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts