Fishing

With over 100 mountain lakes and the Deschutes River within an hour’s drive of Bend [1], your piscatorial pleasures will be satisfied in central Oregon [2]. The high lakes offer rainbow, brown, and brook trout as well as landlocked Atlantic and coho salmon. The Deschutes River is famed for its red-sided rainbow trout and summer steelhead.

Not surprisingly, the best fishing is outside of the Bend metropolitan area near Sunriver [3], Cascade Lakes [4], and Prineville [5]. If you’re stuck in town, head over to the Old Mill District, where the Orvis store (320 SW Powerhouse Dr., 541/312-8200) has constructed a clever 18-station fly-fishing course on the edge of the Deschutes (think putt-putt with a fly rod).

A full-service pro shop with everything for the fly fisher is The Patient Angler (822 SE 3rd St., 541/389-6208), where you can stock up on information as well as gear; a guide service is also part of this business. Just up the road, the Riffle Fly Shop (1255 NE 3rd St., 541/388-3330) is another fly shop with guide service.

Deschutes River Outfitters (541/760-0956, www.deschutesoutfitters.com [6]) features float trips, lake walk-in trips, and steelhead fishing trips that can be customized into single-day or multiday excursions. They have so many different packages and rates that it’s best to refer to their outstanding website for specifics.

All of these outfitters require completion of a trip application form and a deposit. It’s always a good idea to make your reservations well in advance, especially during the fall fishing season.