Back to the beautiful weather!

After a rather chilly week, with ice in the guides and very chilly toes, we are seeing a warming trend starting this weekend. Saturday will have a high temp of 44 degrees, but Sunday's high is 57 and Monday we are supposed to be in the mid-60s. In fact, the low on Monday is 51 degrees and we are not even going to get to 43 degrees as a high temperature today. Weird weather!! 

I am not complaining about these unseasonably warm days, but we do need some more rain and/or snow in the forecast. 

The river is very clear and very cold right now. Some of our hot spot Euro flies are just too hot for conditions this clear. It will be important to have a few small and dull flies in the arsenal while the river is this cold and clear. 

Getting on the water at the crack of dawn is NOT the best game plan. Let the water warm up a bit and you will find that the fishing gets better as the day goes on. This is the opposite of what you may find out here during the hot summer months, but trust me on this - sleep in and stay warm in your snuggly sleeping bag. The early bird does not get the worm in the winter time. 

Steelhead fishing remains closed on the Deschutes. The waters that you can reach on access roads originating in Maupin are open for trout fishing year-round. If you leave Maupin and travel south on highway 197/97 you are heading onto areas of the Deschutes that are currently closed to all fishing. Places like South Junction, Trout Creek, Dry Creek, Mecca Flats, and Warm Springs are all currently closed and scheduled to reopen in mid-April. 

We will have a full crew in the shop on Saturday morning - but on Saturday afternoon most of us will be in Portland for the live, in-person, Deschutes River Alliance annual fundraiser. There are still spots available, so if you want to attend go to www.deschutesriveralliance.org. 

We are still closed on Sundays. 

Tight lines on the water! 

Amy & John Hazel and the crew at Deschutes Angler Fly Shop