Steelhead Racing Up The Deschutes River

Have you been watching the steelhead numbers flowing over The Dalles dam complex? We have.  Sure, it sucks having restricted fishing hours below Macks Canyon. Big dam deal! With the next tsunami of triple digits, fishing in the evening is a loosing bet anyway. The Moody gauge topped out at 68.5 yesterday and that number will most likely grow over the next week. But wait, all of the water above Macks is business as usual. We have clean cold water with reasonable temps allowing you to fish until your arms fall off. We've had fresh chrome swimming all over Maupin the last two weeks and very few anglers know about it. Remember, we have forty miles of walk-in access opening the river to all...all day!

Wanna float and can't get a boaters pass to save your dying grandmother? No surprise. The BLM has decided, in their infinite wisdom, to turn the town of Maupin into the "new" Shaniko (Eastern Oregon ghost town). So, what do you do to let the BLM know that they suck? Call them 541-416-6700 or email them BLM_OR_PR_Mail@blm.gov ask for Amy Bannon. They could give a shit that the local businesses in town rely on the boating access of the Deschutes River to support the entire economy. Ask any BLM official on the river as to why this is happening and they'll look at you with the "deer in the headlights" look as they stammer to come up with anything sane. Our conversations with the BLM have fallen on deaf ears. Folks are just simply not coming to the Deschutes because it is impossible to float the river for the day unless you know to stay up til midnight, keep your fingers crossed that you beat someone to the punch and score a boaters pass. How do you plan a vacation to the river with your family when you can't even guaranty that you'll get to float? You simply can't. This system does not work for anyone! But whatever you do, don't float without one. Officials are foaming at the mouth to write tickets to violators for a few hundred dollars a crack and with four or six of you in a boat...cha-ching! Who needs to sell boaters passes with this new revenue stream. You all have voices...LET THEM BE HEARD!

-Steve Light
Deschutes Angler Guide Staff