Deschutes River, Oregon

Warm Springs to Trout Creek

The lower Deschutes begins below the Pelton Reregulating Dam near Madras, where this page's gauge sits, and the first day-float runs from the Warm Springs launch on US 26 down to Trout Creek campground. This upper reach is the heart of the trout water, with the salmonfly and golden stone hatch in May and June. The west bank from the dam down to Two Springs Ranch is the Warm Springs Reservation, and a tribal permit is required to fish or walk that side.

Trout Creek to Maupin

Below Trout Creek the canyon closes in and there is no road for about 30 miles, so this is float-and-camp country down to the Locked Gate and Harpham Flat launches above Maupin. From Harpham Flat down through Maupin an access road follows the river and the town is the only one on the lower 100 miles, with fly shops, shuttles and lodging.

Maupin to the Columbia

Below Maupin the access road continues to Sherars Falls, a barrier to boats that every float must take out above. From Buck Hollow below the falls the river runs another 44 miles through roadless canyon to the mouth at the Columbia, and this lower canyon is the classic summer steelhead water, fished from camps on multi-day floats or by hiking and biking the old railroad grade from the Deschutes River State Recreation Area at the mouth.

Redside rainbow trout

Deschutes redsides are a native, wild redband rainbow that lives in fast water and eats aggressively during the big stonefly hatches, the summer caddis and the March browns and blue-winged olives of spring. Bull trout are present and protected, and steelhead smolts are common in the trout runs, so handle small fish gently.

Summer steelhead

Summer steelhead enter the Deschutes from the Columbia beginning in July and are fished from August into November, first in the lower canyon and then progressively upriver. They are swung with floating lines and light two-hand rods in the morning shade. All wild steelhead must be released. Returns have been poor enough in recent years that ODFW has closed the steelhead season by emergency rule, as it did in 2026, so check the status before planning a trip around them.

Season and regulations

The lower Deschutes is a high-volume tailwater that normally runs 3,500 to 5,500 cfs at the Madras gauge, and that is the band this page treats as in range; RiverReports calls 3,000 to 5,000 cfs ideal. Wading is limited to edges and gravel bars at any flow, so do not wade where a slip becomes a swim.

From Sherars Falls up to the Warm Springs Reservation boundary the river is open all year; from the reservation boundary up to the Pelton Regulating Reservoir it is open April 22 through December 31. The trout limit is 2 rainbow trout between 10 and 13 inches, there is no fishing from a floating device anywhere on the lower river, and bait is banned except for three miles below Sherars Falls. A Boater Pass is required for any float. Confirm current rules in the ODFW Central Zone regulations and the Warm Springs tribal permit page.