Deschutes tomorrow?

[Slow and Low]

Normally I don't ask a stupid question about this place but I can't decide whether to jetboat down to the water tower and back, float Buckhollow to Macks, or to do WS to TC.

I know the fishing to be crappy the last couple weeks (personal experience) but I also know there are many large fish in the system.

I am leaning towards dragging the jetboat down. Any thoughts?

[PTS]

I fished mecca on Friday. I have very little interest in Summer steel since I much prefer a day of fighting good numbers of redsides rather than a couple D steelies. Using my 6126 spey I nymph the river from close in to out past the middle. Besides a nice trout day I caught one summer steelie and one native chinook (yes that's correct).

I did see two big steelhead jump. Two gear fishers I talked to at first light said there are good numbers of steelhead up there and they have been doing well. I noticed they had silver spoons on their bait casting rods. So, there may be good numbers of steel between WS and TC. On the other hand the spey casters I talked to said they had "grabs" but no hook-ups.

I will be interested in steel when there is Winter chrome available. See you then, Sam.

[Slow and Low]

Originally Posted by PTS

I fished mecca on Friday. I have very little interest in Summer steel since I much prefer a day of fighting good numbers of redsides rather than a couple D steelies. Using my 6126 spey I nymph the river from close in to out past the middle. Besides a nice trout day I caught one summer steelie and one native chinook (yes that's correct).

I did see two big steelhead jump. Two gear fishers I talked to at first light said there are good numbers of steelhead up there and they have been doing well. I noticed they had silver spoons on their bait casting rods. So, there may be good numbers of steel between WS and TC. On the other hand the spey casters I talked to said they had "grabs" but no hook-ups.

I will be interested in steel when there is Winter chrome available. See you then, Sam.

Thanks Phil!

I too yearn for some winter chrome. Soon...

[River Borne]

I would fish above Maupin, Nena -Wapinitia. Your right there are some big fish around, I hooked a buck last week that was 12-15lb, saw a hen that was landed that weighed in right at 15lbs. All above Nena, but not to far above!

[Slow and Low]

How big is this fish?

We got this one Friday before last. Lost one during the hand off, half again bigger the following Sunday, my buddy thought it was a chinook it was so dark. Fin clipped and a long way from home. It's a sickness.

I pulled the trigger in the JB Macks' down to Harris and back. Hopefully it snows and we light it up. I'll post since it's so late in the year. Thanks for the input.

Sam

[Slow and Low]

Fishing was good. Put in in the dark, took out in the dark. Fish are still looking up. We hit fish in every run we fished but two. We had zero aggresive takes, all fish just nudged it a bit. Very windy and overcast. Water temp 52 degrees. Two other jetboats below macks both speyfishing.

Great day to get out.

Saw lots of deer and sheep.

[Patrick Kollodge]

Thanks for the report, Sam. Yesterday I spent a couple hours in the river near Maupin. No tugs.

[Sore Lip]

I was on Friday From WS to TC, We were about the only ones that hooked up and that was later in the afternoon. I did however see a gear fisherman hooked up towards TC. I would agree that Neena would have a better shot at a tug!

[FishWonk]

That is one beautiful steelhead there, Slow and Low. Thanks for posting that shot. I had to stare at that fish for a while just enjoying it!

-FW

[etacada]

Thats one heck of a fish, I keep logging onto ifish to look at it. What do you think it weighed?

cb

[Slow and Low]

Originally Posted by etacada

Thats one heck of a fish, I keep logging onto ifish to look at it. What do you think it weighed?

cb

somewhere between 15-17. I wouldn't let him tape or take anymore pictures due to length of the fight. It was bigger than the 15# fish I caught last winter. We landed one quite a bit biger two days later but dropped it before we could photo it (very glad it was fin clipped), definately a 40" inch fish.

The photos turned out awesome. The guy in the picture is a very good friend of mine who I think after that fish is a dry line convert. It's not very often a guy gets a fish like that on a dry line with the sun on the water behind a sink tip. Great year for big fish.

[AlseaAssassin]

WOW, that's a hog nate!!!! Love the monster shoulders on that big boy! I think that has to be the biggest nate I've ever seen on the Deschutes.