I love fishing in the fall on the Deschutes River in Oregon. I have made this trip a part of my annual fishing schedule for many years and it never disappoints. I was joined today by Dan Radkee, Brian Raab and Brian Kurzbein of Big Rock Sports.
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We fished with guide Forrest Foxworthy. Fishing with Forrest is alway a fun, entertaining and productive. Forrest is one of the most experienced guides on the river. Forrest works hard to help his clients catch fish, and has a great time doing it. I have been fishing with Forrest Foxworthy for over 10 years and I have never had a bad day on the water. I highly recommend contacting Forrest if you are interested in Fishing for Steelhead on the Deschutes. You can contact Forrest at: 503-720-6993
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We met Forrest at 6:30am at Heritage Landing on the Deschutes River at 6:30 am. It takes about an hour and a half to get there from portland, but I always give myself a little more time just in case of traffic or weather.
It was a brisk morning with temps in the low 40’s, so the boat ride up the river was more refreshing than usual! On the way up river, we spotted a flock of wild turkeys along the river bank - a sight that is becoming more common along the lower Decchutes.
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Even though steelhead runs are down this year we were all able to catch fish today. Dan caught two wild Steelhead, Brian Rabb and Brian Kurzbein each caught one and I caught a Chinook, a whitefish and had a LDR on a nice steelhead.
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The water was a little low and very clear today, so we primarily fished jig and bobber and tadpollys. Dan caught both of his on the jig and bobber. Brian R, myself and Brian K caught ours on the Tadpolly. My Whitefish ( Considered a gamefish by the way ) came on a jig and bobber.
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On the way down river we were treated to a Big Horn sheep sighting, a perfect cap on another beautiful day on one of the most beautiful rivers in the NW!
© 2025 Bill Matthews Outdoors