the drift

The Drift--March 2004

By Scott Richmond

Perspective on the Deschutes.

he first week of March, I floated the Deschutes River from Trout Creek to the mouth. My wife and I launched around noon Thursday, and took out Sunday afternoon. I'd bicycled from Mecca Flat to Trout Creek on Monday, so I saw the entire lower Deschutes--nearly 100 miiles of river--up close and personal in one week.

This was the earliest by six weeks that I'd done a float-and-camp on the Deschutes. I was struck by what a gorgeous time of year it is to float the river. The grass was greening up, and you could feel the river coming to life for a new season. The osprey were not back yet, but we saw otters, minks, the usual herons and kingfishers, and five not-so-usual bald eagles.

What we didn't see was people. Between Mecca Flat and the Locked Gate above Maupin I saw one person. From Buckhollow to Macks Canyon I spotted two boats and a couple of anglers. Below Macks the river was deserted except for a few mountain bikers. Clearly, people who complain about the Deschutes being too crowded are NOT going to the right places at the right time of year!

This was not a fishing trip. I carried a rod in case there was a major blue-winged olive hatch, but I only fished about an hour in the four-day span. The purpose of the trip was to do a final catalog and check of campsites for the second edition of my guide book, Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (now off to the printer; available in late July). I manned the oars, while my wife manned (womaned?) the GPS. This was a repeat of a trip I'd made last October; it takes a couple of passes to get these things right.

I've floated all sections of the Deschutes before, of course, but it was always section-by-section. Even my trip last October skipped the stretch from Harpham Flat to Pine Tree. This was the first time I've done all of the river in one week, and I have to say that it's a special treat to see the entire Deschutes over that short span of days.

I'm struck by how few people have seen the whole river. A couple of years ago I met an angler in the Wagonblast section, about five miles up from the mouth. He had a jet boat and fished that section about 150 days a year. Yet he'd never heard of the place I'd camped the night before, even though it was only 12 miles upriver. I know guides who float from Warm Springs to Maupin twice a week in summer, but have never seen the Deschutes below Macks Canyon.

Everyone has their favorite pieces of the river, but to see it in its entirity is to gain a heightened perspective. And a renewed appreciation of how much it has to offer.

Scott Richmond is Westfly's creator and Executive Director. He is the author of eight books on Oregon fly fishing, including Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (second edition).

Uploaded 03/28/2004.

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Looking for a grab on the lower river.