The Upper Deschutes River

The Deschutes River upstream of Farewell Bend Park was iced over in spots last week. The river can be good to fish in winter, but variable conditions can be tough to predict.

Why the low flow?
The region’s water managers hold back water behind Crane Prairie Dam and Wickiup Dam in the winter to ensure that irrigators will have enough water in the summer.
The flows below Wickiup Reservoir have dropped as low as 25 cubic feet per second this winter, which fish biologists say is a detriment to the redband and brown trout populations.
Low flows become less pronounced as anglers move downstream, although the effects are still noticeable.
For all the drama of the Deschutes River in the winter — the fluctuating flows, the bitter cold, and the occasional icing over (as happened just last week) — there are still those anglers who cannot get enough.

More about the Upper Deschutes River