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Deschutes River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Oregon's desert artery: native redside rainbows and a summer steelhead swing.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
4,350 cfs
Air / High
64 / 65 F
Wind
W 12 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 14103000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Deschutes River is in its winter mode: slow, deep and deliberate. The river is running 4,350 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind W around 12 mph, steady pressure near 1023 hPa and a high of 65. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:42 AM-11:42 AM and 10:13 PM-12:13 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Tomorrow: Similar at 67 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Oregon requires a fishing licence from age 12, from $50.00 for residents. What a Oregon licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with ODFW before you keep anything. The season dates for Oregon, read off the agency, are on the Oregon seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from DESCHUTES RIVER AT MOODY, NEAR BIGGS, OR.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 14103000.

4,1204,3054,4904,350 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 123 years of October 23

At 4,350 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 14103000 (DESCHUTES RIVER AT MOODY, NEAR BIGGS, OR) is at the 25th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 123 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 4,800 cfs; the highest was 7,100 cfs and the lowest 3,400 cfs.

p10 3,902median 4,800p90 5,746

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 14103000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp64 F
High / Low65 / 48 F
WindW 12-15 mph
Pressure1022.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:31 / 18:03
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)53 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~47 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Deschutes River this week

The best day on Deschutes River this week looks like Wednesday Oct 28, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Wednesday, Oct 28 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:42 AM-11:42 AM and 10:13 PM-12:13 AM
Minor period
4:08 AM-5:08 AM
Sun
07:31 to 18:03
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 16 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Deschutes River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

When to come: the Deschutes River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Deschutes River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 62 F, wind to 16 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Oregon requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Trout: 2/day outside wild-release zones: most anglers release all. No fishing from a floating device. Check ODFW.

Access

Warm Springs, Trout Creek, Maupin city, Macks Canyon accesses; Heritage Landing at the mouth.

About this water

100 miles of blue-ribbon canyon water, central OR, Columbia tributary. Tribal boundary waters mid-river.

Fishing Deschutes River: the full guide

The Deschutes deal

The lower Deschutes cuts a basalt canyon to the Columbia: home of the redside (a native rainbow that fights above its class) and a summer steelhead run that draws spey rods from everywhere. Salmonfly madness in late May, caddis evenings all summer, swung flies from August. Boats move anglers: fishing from them is illegal: this is a wading river.

Redsides on the swing

The lower Deschutes' native redside rainbows eat dries with violence: salmonfly hatch (late May) is the carnival, but caddis evenings all summer sustain the faith. Nymph the seams deep in the canyon heat; the fish average 14-16 inches of muscle built in heavy current.

Steelhead tributary time

Summer steelhead enter from the Columbia by July, stacking the lower 40 miles: swung flies on floating lines in the low light, jigs under floats midday. The mouth-to-Macks Canyon reach fishes from boats (but you must anchor or bank to cast): know the boat-fishing rule before launching.

Common questions

What is the no-fishing-from-boats rule?

Unique Deschutes law: boats transport, feet fish. Anchor or beach, then wade: it spreads pressure and preserves the drift-boat culture without turning runs into trolling lanes.

Etiquette of the canyon

The Deschutes runs on codes: rotate through steelhead runs (step-down-and-swing, never camp a pool), respect the tribal-side closures (the west bank is Warm Springs water on much of the river), and mind the rattlesnakes on every scramble. The reward for citizenship: uncrowded swings through world-class water. The river culture polices itself: learn it before your first cast.

Is fishing good at Deschutes River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Columbia River13 miKlickitat River18 miDrano Lake35 miSandy River66 miCrooked River75 miLake Merwin78 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 14103000 β€” DESCHUTES RIVER AT MOODY, NEAR BIGGS, OR
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 45.6354, -120.9145 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written guide was drafted with AI assistance. Unlike our newer pages, it does not yet list the official pages its facts were checked against: that audit is under way, and anything it cannot verify will be taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.