John Day Steelhead with Marty and Mia Sheppard

Swing Water Corner

John Day River Steelhead
Chances are, if you are a die-hard steelheader, you have heard about the John Day River and you know that the John Day River has the largest run of wild steelhead in the lower 48. On average 10 thousand summer steelhead return to the John Day to spawn each year. These aggressive critters have been crushing our flies every year since we started guiding there in 2001.

What is unique about the John Day is, there is no hatchery and no dam. This makes the fishery even more special. Except for the occasional stray hatchery, most the steelhead we see are wild.

The Waters
The John Day is a small river in comparison to some of the other great big rivers of the West. The river is low gradient and can be quite wide in many places. These are spots where it takes a solid cast to reach the prime holding spots but there are many runs were a short cast works. This is why beginners have success here and good casters have splendid success!

Trips
We offer day trips and multi day camp trips with a drift boat or raft. On our trips we will cover about 9 miles a day. As we float you down river you will be surrounded by sun-drenched canyons lined with basalt rock faces and sagebrush-dotted hillsides on one of the third longest free flowing rivers in the United States.

We will stop at runs and walk and wade. On camp trips a designated gear boat will pack, move camp and have it set up when you arrive in the evening.

All meals with be prepared with fresh ingredients and we utilize Dutch ovens. Our camp trips have been described as “glamping.” These overnight journeys provide magical wilderness adventure and campground comforts.

Prices
We charge $600.00 for a day trip (1 guide for 2 anglers) We provide transportation to and from your hotel, permit fee, lunch, coffee, rods and flies and professional guides.

Our camp trips range from 3-5 days, the rate is $550 per a day. Shuttle fee is an additional $100.00.

We are currently taking bookings for day trips and we have openings on a camp trip November 11-13th and 15th -17th .

Contact Marty and Mia Sheppard at littlecreekoutfitters@gmail.com to book today!

Trip Report - Chelsey's 1st Deschutes Steelhead Trip of the Summer

Ahh, first light and first casts back!

While temperatures heat up here in the Gorge, so does my anticipation for my first summer steelhead of the season. There has been some talk about a few fish being caught already along the Deschutes, so Cody and I used one of our days off to check it out first hand. My 2:30 am wake-up came quickly as I left our home in White Salmon to meet up with him at Mack's Canyon, where he'd spent the night sleeping under the stars riverside. I prepared with a couple extra scoops of coffee for the morning brew, and the bumpy access road kept me alert while I navigated the dark canyon road. I wasn't able to see the extent of the recent fires while driving down the road, but was interested to see what the blanket of darkness would reveal once lifted off the canyon in the morning light.

Rigged with my 7130 Sage X loaded with a scandi line, and a couple of favorite summer steelhead flies, Cody and I were pleased to find only one other boat at the launch. We didn't expect the river to have too much pressure, as it's still early in the run, which meant we wouldn't need to compete as much for prime water. As we made our way down to the first run, I had a difficult time choosing which fly to put on the other end of my line- Do I start with a dry fly or a wet? Fly anxiety can be a real thing, but man it sure would be sweet to get on on a skater! Nothing beats seeing those fish come up and boil on your fly and even better when they commit!

A little bit of the charred hillsides from recent fires.

Its been roughly about a year since I last chased anadromous fish on this desert river, and it only took a few steps to bring back memories of difficult wading as I tried to find my footing. I'm usually stubborn when it comes to using a wading staff, but I had to give up my ego and allow myself to be humbled. The Deschutes has always intimidated me with its large size, powerful current, and slightly makes me feel like I am on another planet while down in the deep canon walls. The smell of sagebrush will hit you like a ton of bricks after a light rain, and sometimes it's hard not to focus on the landscape with seemingly endless hillsides that are filled with so much beauty all around.

It didn't take long after the sun penetrated the canyon for air temperature to rise, and also my concern of rising water temps as we crept into the later hours of the morning. Don't get me wrong, I love to chase steelhead, but when water temps start getting into the upper 60's, Id rather go grab my inner tube, a cold beer, and work on my tan rather than put a steelhead through the stress of running a marathon in those conditions. With that said, Cody and I were off the river around 11:30 am and headed up to the Rainbow Tavern in Maupin to grab a little lunch before heading home.

 About the time you start to think of wet wading...

Though we didn't find any steel on this particular trip, I've still got high hopes of shaking hands with a summer-run coming up here soon! With some early fish already in the system and more on their way, I imagine we will be hearing some more fish stories as they migrate back home. On one of my next days off will likely be spent back down in the canyon- casting, stepping, and repeating. And maybe, just maybe, I'll have made my thousandth cast...

Chelsey Betterley
Gorge Fly Shop | Product Specialist
541.386.6977