Chris and I just got back from a three day trip down the Deschutes. We wanted to chase steel and avoid the crowds, so we opted for the Trout Creek to Harpham float instead of the crazy-busy Mack's to the Mouth float. Although there aren't big numbers of steelhead in the upper river yet, there's something to be said about getting to fish every good run and camp in prime spots every night. There was no other angler pressure on the water. This made for a very relaxing trip. The fishing was slow, as expected, but steelhead were hooked. I think the final tally was 8 fish hooked between the two of us, plus one big fish that chased after my skater on Friday evening in our camp water. Fortunately, the fire that ripped through the canyon a few weeks ago had very minimal impact on the riparian areas and campsites. The fire burned from South Junction all the way down to Locked Gate--30ish miles of river!
