Fishing in the Upper Deschutes has been excellent. The stretch between Wickiup Reservoir and Crane Prairie Reservoir produced many fish. The main tactic that worked was a dry dropper setup. Using some type of small stimulator pattern on the surface paired with a small bright nymph 2.5ft - 3ft bellow, attracted a solid amount of brown trout. Above Crane prairie the fishing was even better. Using a small ant or beetle pattern was all that was needed to attract many fish. Fishing the slow water near the banks and bellow log pilings is where most of the fish can be found. The stretch above Crane Prairie only holds rainbow and brook trout, mostly in the 6in - 10in range. There are some large brook trout but during this trip I wasn't able to hook any of them. I usually have better luck with the larger brook trout on small streamers fished under the overgrown banks. Good luck!
Upper Deschutes Fishing Report - 7/25/2025
- Thread starter Oliver Luedtke
- Start date
I last fished those waters in ‘74, the skeeters were horrible….
Skeeters will always be an issue on the upper D. Really fun place though. I always had a good time fishing streamers for those larger brookies on the upper portion....once you get that dialed in, you may just give up on dries!
Did ya take any pics of at least a little scenery? Talk about a beautiful area!
Did ya take any pics of at least a little scenery? Talk about a beautiful area!
I’ve been to some skeeter/insect infested areas here on Mother Earth, and ended up looking like a dart board on Monday morning after a tournament, but the upper D ranks right up there with anything ever encountered.
And I was warned by @Canuck from Kansas.
A strange sound emanating from the woods welcomed me after stepping out of the truck and (not) closing the door quickly enough. If my memory serves me correctly it struck me as a soft buzzing sound before turning into a thousand bugle led cavalry charge. Attila the Hun attacking Eastern Europe. Vikings landing in England.
Usually when fishing a location for the first time it’s the visuals you retain, not this time. Came back to Bend on Century drive with the windows down, AC cranked down afaiwg at a speed somewhat above legal.
And I was warned by @Canuck from Kansas.
A strange sound emanating from the woods welcomed me after stepping out of the truck and (not) closing the door quickly enough. If my memory serves me correctly it struck me as a soft buzzing sound before turning into a thousand bugle led cavalry charge. Attila the Hun attacking Eastern Europe. Vikings landing in England.
Usually when fishing a location for the first time it’s the visuals you retain, not this time. Came back to Bend on Century drive with the windows down, AC cranked down afaiwg at a speed somewhat above legal.
I was in Sunriver last week and while that area doesn't usually have many mosquitoes, this year it seemed to be worse than usual. So I can only imagine how bad they are right now in the Upper D where it's always bad, at least until fall. Thanks for the report.
