Pre-Trip Information

Oregon Fishing Licenses

If you need to purchase an Oregon fishing license for your trip you will need to do this before you get to Maupin. You can use myodfw.com online or via the app to purchase these at home. If computers are not your thing you can stop by one of the big box stores like Coastal Farm and Ranch or Bi-Mart. Please note that it is best to plan ahead with license purchases online; if you run into issues with your online purchase, you will have to contact the ODFW office and they are not staffed on the weekends. If you are purchasing a 1 to 3 day license and do not want to set up an account be sure to use the “Guest Checkout, products that don’t require verification” menu on their site or app for an expedited purchase option.

Boaters Pass Info

The Lower Deschutes River has a boaters pass system to track use of the river and help drive revenue for maintenance. Your boaters pass cost is in addition to the trip price and will vary depending on group size and dates on the water. Some sections of the river are limited entry and some are not. If your trip is not limited entry, then your guide will purchase the boaters pass the day of the trip under their account. If your trip is on a section of river that is deemed limited entry you will need to create an account on recreation.gov, as we will not be able to purchase limited entry boaters passes under our accounts. Your guide will walk you through the steps needed to purchase your boaters pass in advance for any limited entry trips. Please keep in mind almost all of our camp trips are limited entry floats, so booking camp trips in advance is recommended to ensure there are boaters passes available for the float you want.

DIY Fishing in Maupin

If you’re looking to do some fishing before or after your trip then you’re in luck! With almost 40 miles of road that parallels the river, you have ample public access to head out and test the waters on your own. Take a look at our fishing report to keep up on hatch activity and steelhead run intensity. Upstream from Maupin you have 5 miles of pavement and 2 miles of gravel before hitting the locked gate that has hiking access above it for another two miles. Downstream from Maupin you have almost 30 miles of road. About 10 miles is paved from Maupin to Sherars Falls (a stunning Class V waterfall) and the rest is gravel from Sherars Falls to Macks Canyon. This road rarely wanders farther than 100 yards from the riverbank, and you will find short trails from anglers all up and down the river providing ample access and some hints on where people fish.

Camping in and near Maupin

  • Tent and full trailer hookup camping at the Maupin City Park

  • BLM campsites are available on the Deschutes River Access Road above and below Maupin. These campsites are first come, first served with self pay stations. Keep in mind that May and early June can be a busy time here due to the stonefly hatch and these sites fill up quickly. Be sure to get here a day or two early for sites closer to town.

Where to Stay in Maupin

Where to Eat in Maupin

General Grocery and Liquor in Maupin

Fuel in Maupin

Gear Shops in Town

  • Maupin Country Store and Hardware (This store has a selection of camp gear and fishing gear for both fly and conventional gear anglers. If your camp stove needs fuel or replacement or if you need to snag a spool of tippet and a couple flies the friendly staff here will help you out)

  • Deschutes Angler Fly Shop (This fly shop has everything you need to gear up before your trip. If you are in need of rental waders they have a large inventory and are able to fit any body type or foot size. Here you can find one of the largest fly selections in the northwest)

Seasons on The Fly in Maupin

Late Winter and Early Spring (February, March, April)

During this time you will find yourself fishing Blue Wing Olives, March Browns, Pale Morning Duns and Pale Evening Duns during cloudy days. If you get lucky you might encounter some of our small Skwalla stone population as things warm up. Nymphing can be very productive in between hatches, and dry dropper will start working well once the water temps start to rise. The back half of this time frame is also one of our favorite times to swing trout spey, as the fish become more active and predatory coming out of the colder winter months.

Late Spring Early Summer (May, June, July)

It’s all happening at once this time of year! Mayflies are out on cloudy days, caddis on sunny days, and our Golden Stones, salmon flies, and Yellow Sallys will come out in full force in May. The Deschutes is a great place to start your season with some big bug dry fly action as we are one of the first rivers in the Northwest to see a hatch of stoneflies. Caddis continue to hatch during this time frame and all through the summer making for some fantastic dry fly fishing and soft hackle swinging. Nymphing will continue to be very productive in between hatches and dry dropper is a great option this time of year as well. July we will start to hear of a few steelhead being caught, though this is on the early side of our summer run. We recommend not targeting steelhead when water temps rise in the afternoon on hotter days.

Late Summer and Early Fall (August, September, October)

You can expect to continue seeing good caddis hatches throughout the last of our warmer summer months ending with our October Caddis hatch, the largest of the caddis species. Nymphing as always is a good standby to find hungry trout. By this time our summer steelhead have been cycling into the river for at least a month and your chances of having an encounter with one greatly increase as we progress through the fall. We will start to see more Blue Wing Olive hatches as conditions cool off, and this becomes yet another great time to swing streamers and leeches on two handed rods for trout. Egg sucking leeches and egg patterns dead drifted can also be deadly as trout start to key in on Chinook spawning activity.

Late Fall and Winter (November, December, January)

This is usually the time of year most anglers retreat to the vice to concoct new creations of feather and fur for the upcoming spring season. However, if you’re willing to brave the colder weather, late fall steelhead and trout fishing on the Lower Deschutes can be fun and consistently productive. We typically leave our steelhead alone a little after Thanksgiving, but the trout fishing will remain productive all winter on nymph patterns fished low and slow. Blue Wing Olive hatches are always a possibility during the winter months and a delight when they happen. For those willing to put some extra hand warmers in their bag and bundle up, solitude and bent rods can be found. We are a tailwater fishery with a rather large flow that just refuses to freeze over even in the coldest months!