Griff Marshall Outdoors

2024 - That's a Wrap

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 22:38:44 GMT

2024-What A Year!!
This year began like every one before it for decades, with an outdoors activity. My thought has always been that every day of the year can’t awesome if the first one isn’t. This year the activity was a mountain bike ride. More on that in a minute.

Before moving to Bend, going back another fifteen years, New Year’s Day meant a visit to a tailwater a couple hours from home. We even named a run on that river for the day. My fishing buddy, Enzo and I would drive out not long after the bars had closed, not long after the midnight kisses had become early morning romances. Not long before some would wake to a long, mimosa-soaked eggs benedict breakfast. We partook in none of that. Not anymore. The big night had become a quiet one for tying flies, a cocktail or two, tucking in by ten o’clock. The following day, the first of a new year, would require full attention and fitness. Catching the first fish of the year was our goal. And this river was not one that gave up her jewels easily. The canyon was steep, with game trails the only way from one hole to the next. I wrote a story about this river in my last book. It wasn’t the most impactful river on my angling journey, but it was there when I needed it. New Year’s Day was one of those times.

2024, though, began with said mountain bike ride. The winter had been mild up till then. And while the skiers were moaning, some of the trails and forest service roads were still in great shape. So, I bundled up and went out. It was during this ride that a life-changing goal emerged. I decided to try something that had been on my radar for over a decade: I’d enter the High Cascade 100 Mile Mountain Bike Race third week of July. To put how crazy this notion was in some perspective, my longest ever ride till that point was just over thirty miles. After a quick consultation with Michelie and Lola, I committed to the race.

From the very beginning, 2024 took on a very different shape than any before it. I will not bore you here and now with all the details, but I trained hard, I suffered through frozen fingers and toes, I broke and built bikes, I leaned heavily on a remarkable group of friends for every brand of support. And I fell on my ass a lot. The first four months of the year were almost entirely dedicated to my quest.

The winter was also spent playing music in town with Lola, who has become a very talented singer/songwriter. To share the ‘stage’ with her is still one of the cooler things I’ve ever done.

In February I was invited to SoCal to present at seven fly-fishing clubs! It was a rock and roll tour without the sex and drugs. Or at least the sex… But sincerely I was honored to be asked. These clubs have an incredible history, including having been presented to by a who’s who of angling legend and lore. I was nervous as hell! In the end, all seven presentations went great. I got people engaged and asking questions. Even got ‘em to laugh at my tired old jokes. It was a mega road trip, complete with hanging out with many old friends, lots of golf, and bathing in warm sunshine in February!

I did sneak in my annual pilgrimage out to the Big “O”. Lucked into two days of off-the-charts BTO dry fly fun. The river was already higher than I’d ever seen it in March. But then it got really high! I was actually there for Day 1 of what became a month’s long blow-out of our fave little brown trout fishery.

Then we ran down to Cali for the wedding of my amazing niece, Hope. Lola was asked to be a bridesmaid. It really was one of the more beautiful events I’ve ever been to. And a great opportunity to spend some time with much-missed family and friends. Oh, and yea, I took my bike!

The other thing I dove into over the winter months was fly tying! I’d kind of let that part on my angler’s path get lost to my life as a guide, working in a fly shop and busying myself with other things. But through basic necessity I busted out the vise last year and then got after it with a vigor. I’ve been blown away with so many new materials, hooks, beads, threads, hell, even got myself a rotary vise! The old Regal will forever be with me, but the rotary is a clever tool. The patterns I tie most are basically evolutionary takes on established flies. But boy do they work! Over the many years I wasn’t tying, I forgot how much fun it is to fool fish with home-spun flies. I am, it should be noted, selling flies now through the website!

Then our guiding season began. We were busy from the outset, as most are in these parts. With much of the same crew from previous seasons, we got after it for most of May and June. There are too many great memories to go through here. Too many bent rods and glimmering Redbands to count. But all the while I felt the same deep gratitude for all our amazing clients, the same admiration for my crew’s hard work, the same enduring love for the canyon I get to call my office. The fishing, as it goes, was better some days than others.

We stayed super busy through the end of June. Then I went into pre-race training mode, which went great right up until a week before the race. That’s when I had what was not my first wreck, but certainly my worst. My right hand and wrist were seriously blown up. For a couple days I thought there was no chance of riding for a while. But with the help of local chiropractor extraordinaire, Andrew Torchio and Rebound PT hand and wrist master Tony Dao, I was put back together again and braced up in a way that I went ahead and started the race. What followed was a descent into the deepest, darkest suffer cave ever. Every time I squeezed the brake, switched gears, hit a bump, hole or root, searing pain shot up my right arm. And I had to endure over nine hours of it… But we finished! In the end, for me it was a triumph. It was also an adventure of self-discovery. For all those months of training and then through the race I learned a lot about myself, and also gained a sense of what any of us can do if we accept a challenge and push ourselves to overcome it.

I’m not gonna lie, the first time I tried to row after the race (two days later!) it hurt like hell. Pushing was okay, but any attempt to pull back on the sticks was brutal! Like when entering Whitehorse… In the end we had a great camp trip with a husband, wife and 15-year-old fly fishing-obsessed son! They were some of my favorite people I’ve ever had the privilege of taking down the river. Seeing that kid light up every time he hooked a fish… and watching the pride in his parent’s eyes will stay with me till the end. Then we crammed in a bunch of day trips leading up to me and the girls jetting off to Europe!

This was the first proper summer vacation for my family in well over a decade. Our itinerary was put together over many months. In the end we saw Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy, staying mostly off the beaten track, visiting both places I had and had not been. We met up with Jasper in Tuscany for four epic days. We swam in the Adriatic, discovered towns where I could happily go grow old and die, ate and drank to our heart’s content, laughed and loved and dug into every minute.

We came back and dove straight into a five day six-person trip down the river in late August. Our clients were guys I hadn’t guided in a few years, and it was amazing to reacquaint. We fished hard, took crazy hikes, ate massive amounts of killer grub, drank heartily, threw down mega Washers games and generally had the time of our lives. Such a huge thanks to my crew of guides and camp folk. It was a long trip. We all worked our asses off. Oh, and we bumped into the first steelhead of the season!

And then into the fall we ventured. The river stayed in great shape and hosted one of the better steelhead runs we’ve had in a while. Good mixture of wild and hatchery fish. And some big ones too! All in all, it seemed like the Lower Deschutes was a healthier river this year. The long, wet late winter and early spring helped. We didn’t have any ‘heat dome’ trends to deal with. The trout seemed healthy all season. We saw a solid run of steelhead. A ton of salmon came back to spawn. Hatches were thick and on schedule. So let’s hope for more of all that!

One other highlight of autumn was Lola’s 8 ^th Grade Cross Country season. She trained hard, focused intensely and went out every day to go faster and harder than she’d gone before. We are so proud of her effort. Watching her run is one of my favorite things. And she ended up top 10 in the entire district!

Oh, and I turned 60 on October 3 ^rd !! I celebrated by riding 60 miles! My best present was spending a couple days living on the river with my old pal, Paz, and my son Jasper, my favorite human. And I caught a lovely little steelhead to kick off this next decade.

Last but not leaast I'd be remiss in not mentioning a little trip I took with Lola in November... Way back in August, Lola and her mom were supposed to go to the Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, Austria. The shows there were cancelled because of particularly nasty terrorist threats. A very persistent, dark cloud had hung over my daughter's head ever since. So I hatched a nutty plan to get her to a show in Indy. With the most remarkable help from some true angels in my life, I was able to make it happen. The experience will go down as one of the more epic, beautiful, elevating experiences I've had in these sixty years. And to finally get that cloud lifted away will be one of my better contributions as a parent... And we got to grab a Bulls game too!

As always, thanks for your time and enthusiasm. It is because of you we get to do what we do. And we look forward to seeing you in 2025!

Cheers

Griff Marshall Outdoors

Never hesitate to reach out regarding flies, fishing reports, educational stuff and guided trips! 541-480-4280

griff@griffmarshalloutdoors.com

Late Fall Fishing Report

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 17:12:53 GMT

Late Fall into Winter 2024 Fishing Report

It’s been a wonderful Autumn so far. For many of us, this really is our favorite time of the year for fishing our local waters. Here in Central Oregon, our rivers and lakes change dramatically from mid-October until November 1st. As irrigation season ends and water diversion ends, the flows change a bunch practically overnight. Understanding how this effects the fishing is equally complicated and important.

Down on the Lower Deschutes , we had a nice bump in the flows in mid-October. As usual this got the trout eating as the bugs were pulled from their rocks and what few eggs are in the river were displaced from their redds. This is an annual occurrence down there. Sadly, this year the powers that be only raised the river less than a thousand cfs and even then, for less than a week. The river needs more water in it for the steelhead and salmon to get busy on their redds. Because while we do love to have steelhead in the river, their journey will be for naught if they can’t successfully spawn. And for that, more water is very important. Until then—and this might happen any day—the fishing remains solid. For trout, every day is a slightly different program. Some days, a Jimmy Leg and red Copper John (the ol’ Jimmy John!) gets the job done. On others, we’ve actually had our best action on #18 Black Perdigons!! So if you’re heading down to catch trout, be prepared to get creative. Other flies to have handy: #14&16 Rubber-Leg Hare’s Ear, #18 Olive Soft Hackle, #16 Psycho Prince. For steelhead, if you’re swinging, it’s time for T-11 and Intruders! There are still fish working their way through the system, but they are less, curious, less “chasey”, and therefore we have to get into their zone, present the fly as long as we can, entice their interest/aggression. Also, as we get deeper into the short, cold days of Autumn, we like to start presenting to steelhead (and trout) what nature provides. And that means eggs! The combo of a Hot Bead Peacock Stone with a Glo-Bug has been a crowd favorite for many years. Our experience has been that something is gonna eat it!! Keep an eye on the flows https://levels.wkcc.org/?f=y82&daysback=10 Let’s hope for an extended, responsible rise. 5500cfs would be great!

Meanwhile the Crooked River has been dropped to a great flow and is fishing awesome! On a recent visit, fish were fooled on midge nymphs, small black leeches, BWO dries and even little egg ‘patterns’. The river is holding just under 100cfs, which is perfect for this time of the year. Fingers crossed it stays there all winter! The fish are spread throughout all the public water. You don’t have to fish the upper couple miles (with everyone else!). Do yourself a favor, explore! As in the summer, you’re looking for water with a medium current where you can’t see the bottom. That’s where the trout migrate to when the flows drop. For swinging leeches, the big pools are perfect through the winter. I love to trail the leech with a small Olive Soft Hackle. A slow, micro-twitch retrieve is most effective. For targeting the whitefish spawn, fish the shallower, quick, riffle areas. This is where they spawn. The trout will be both behind and amongst them.

Up on the Fall River , this time of the year means the first BWO hatches to go along with the ubiquitous midges. As usual, we look for an overcast, wet day in the 50’s for the mayflies to hatch. Typically, this will happen around eleven o’clock in the morning and last for a couple hours. Then the question becomes, where to fish? While the stocking program slows to nothing by the end of the October, the trout will get harder to fool day in and day out. In the areas that get the most pressure, even though there are more fish to catch, you’ll find the catching gets tougher. And that is precisely as it should be! So look around, take a hike, locate a fish (or ten) and figure out how to get hooked up. If you’re up there before or after the hatch, you might need to get a little ‘dirty’ to fool, by which we mean flashy Crystal Bugger and/or large Glo-Bugs. And often times this requires getting your flies right on the fish’s nose! So you will lose some in the submerged wood, which is where the fish will be holding. As a reminder, the river below the falls is closed until May 22nd.

A few other things to keep in mind: The Middle Deschutes below Bend is now in high flows. It will be like this until mid-April. Much as we love that beautiful, rugged stretch of river, anything over 350cfs makes getting around tricky. Over 600cfs it’s just plane sketchy! There are still places down there where you can wet a line, but be careful. Meanwhile, Town Water , the river from Bend up to Benham Falls actually fishes pretty good this time of the year. If you live here, do yourself a favor and explore. Yes, it can be fickle, there are stretches that don’t hold a lot of fish, hatches can be sparse and the canyon gets cold, but a hike along a river with a fly rod at the ready is always worth doing! On recent treks between Lava Island and the falls, I saw trout rising for BWO dries during the middle of the day. The bigger browns will have moved to the safety of the deepest water. Some of the boulder pockets below the falls and the Big Eddy rapid is classic holding water for the browns through the winter. As a reminder, the river above Benham is closed until May 22nd.

As I write this, the snow is flying! Looks like we might have one of those early winters… Bundle up, get out there and enjoy the cold season!

As always, feel free to reach out for tips. griff@griffmarshalloutdoors.com or 541-480-4280. I’m happy to offer them!

Griff

You Never Forget Your First

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 16:29:01 GMT

I just got off from four days in the canyon. As per usual this time of the year, we experienced everything from eighty degrees and sunny to sixty-something with crazy winds and sideways rain! And as per usual, the fishing was awesome. The dry/dropper under a Chubby with a couple of my Custom Flies caught so many nice trout. And one lovely little wild steelhead! More on that in a minute. We also did some bobber fishing and caught a bunch of really healthy, crazy beautiful trout.

One day one I was fishing a guy a from Southern California who straight up told me his objectives for the trip were to get a native trout on a dry fly and catch his first ever steelhead. After our first stop, during which he landed several trout and seemed to take instruction well, I told him I liked his chances to achieve what he’d come to do! After lunch, at one of my favorite fishin’ holes, I put him in the prime bucket. He landed a good trout on the dropper/dropper fly (my unbeatable GMO Frenchie!). Then a little farther out, he got nibbled. I told him to put it right back in there. Next cast the Chubby went down, the rod went up, and fish on! His first words were, “Not as big as the last one.” Then he uttered the words no Lower Deschutes fish wants to hear: “Yea, I think it’s a small one.” I’d come over to land the fish. Just then, the line starts moving slowly, inexorably up river. There was no panic from the fish at that point; more an annoyance, perhaps just another obstacle in what’s been a long journey. Only certain fish display that characteristic. Sometimes it’s a foul-hooked whitefish. Sometimes it’s a six-pound Butter Belly. Sometimes it’s not. My guy was doing great, keeping solid pressure without horsing the fish. I didn’t mention the possibility of what might be on the other end of his line for two reasons: I wasn’t sure, and often times, when the word ‘steelhead’ is uttered to the uninitiated, they can get a wee bound up––never a good thing. Instead, I simply stated the obvious, “Don’t ever call ‘em small. They don’t like that.”

We were five minutes in when my guy complained of his sore wrist! It should be noted that he was fishing my ten-foot four-weight Vice, a great all-around rod. For trout. I let him know that he was doing great, to keep his rod ‘tacoed’, maintaining solid pressure. The fish would begin to tire out.

It was only when the fish briefly moved into shallow water that I got a good look at it. Yep. One of those fish. The ones that swim a couple hundred miles, down fish ladders, dodging every manner of treachery, finally get to the Pacific where they chase schools of baitfish bigger than them, until they are the bigger of the two. Then three or four years later, maybe a thousand miles from the Columbia, the homing beacon starts beeping… and the entire journey is reversed. Only now they’re too big for cormorants! But boy oh boy are there a lot of other predators, primarily us. Back up the big river, avoiding sea lions and every shiny attraction humans create, take the hard right into the Deschutes and push against currents, hoping that native curiosity doesn’t get the better when swung flies cross its path on the daily. Find the strength to get through Whitehorse Rapid. Grind it out for another ten miles. Pull over in my favorite fishin’ hole. And then not once, but twice find my Jumbo Jiggy Prince nymph just too darned irresistible. And after all that, the fish finds itself in yet another mortal struggle. Only this time it’s with some random dude from SoCal… oh the absurdity of it all.

As mentioned, my guy was blissfully ignorant to his quarry of the moment. And I’d keep it that way. I know his type. And if I told him what was up, he’d have put his hand over the reel spool right away! As it was, he played the fish like another good trout. Which was fine with me. I had my medium-sized net. The big one was in the boat, but if I went for it, he’d have suspected something. So we stood there, twenty feet apart, the Vice doubled over nicely, a certain peace reigned over us. Until…

The fish made it’s final, impressive, otherworldly display of vexation. This time it was fifteen seconds of non-stop crocodile rolls and entire body shakes, all aimed at ejecting the annoyance from its jaw. It didn’t work. As soon as the explosion subsided, I stabbed the net under the fish and scooped it up.

One of my guy’s two objectives achieved.

There followed the declaration that he caught his first steelhead. His stunned disbelief emanated into the canyon. We exchanged the usual, slightly awkward high-fivin’ white boy thing. There might have been an equally uncomfortable hug… But what was done was done. As is always the case, I was super happy for my guy. Being there for that moment is witnessing the birth of a new-found appreciation for all things salmonid. And that’s a good thing.

His fish was a wild one. Not real big, but not tiny either. Super healthy. And even more pooped. We took our time preparing the ‘grip ‘n grin’. I perhaps over emphasized the importance of keeping the fish’s beak in the river. We got the shot.

And then I had the moment I always take with steelhead. Out in the current, I cradled it––they like that––and expressed my gratitude, my respect, my hopes that it enjoys a successful spawn. And I apologized. I told it that I always feel regret for having disrupted this primordial, inexplicable, mind-blowingly arduous journey it’s on.

Then we rowed on, to the next spot.

Fall Fishing on the Lower Deschutes: Trout, Steelhead, and Autumn's Bounty

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 15:31:54 GMT

As we ease into the autumn, the Lower Deschutes River is enjoying great conditions, solid hatches, lots of healthy redbands and the best return of steelhead we’ve seen in several years.

This is truly our favorite time of the year. The cooler days make for comfortable air temps and declining water temps, which equal really good fishing. On recent trips we’ve seen the last of the summer caddis, decent PMDs and even the first few October Caddis.

With each day we get deeper into the fall, the primary diet for trout will get smaller, meaning midges and BWO will begin predominating. This is not to say that a big fly shouldn’t be utilized. I will almost always have either an October Caddis pupae or smaller stonefly pattern on to compliment either a BWO nymph, a soft hackle or emerging midge. These rigs can be fished under an indicator or a large, buoyant dry fly.

While it’s not too early to target steelhead in the upper forty miles of the Lower Deschutes, the trout fishing will get better and better with each passing, shorter day. So we suggest having a couple single-handers set up to go along with your favorite Spey rod. But speaking of steelhead, we are enjoying a solid start to the season. The numbers are way up over both last year and the ten-year average. That doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll see a ton more in the upper forty, but it’s a positive sign.

If you like to fish the Lower D between Warm springs and Maupin, the next couple months might offer the best chance to touch steel in the last several years. And much as we appreciate a day spent swinging with our Spey rods, getting under a bobber might be the more productive technique in this stretch of river. My favorite combo is either a, October Caddis pupae or Double-Bead Peacock Stone (The Cheeseburger!) paired with a sherbet Glo-bug style egg pattern. And yes, I understand that offering this advice with wrinkle some feathers. And no, I don’t give a damn!

Please reach out if you are looking for more info, or would like to book a trip with us as the 2024 season moves into the best part!

Latest News – February 2022

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 04:46:00 GMT

It is with great and humble pride that we are officially launching Griff Marshall Outdoors. For many years, this idea has swirled around our family, and now it’s coming to fruition. For this first year we will primarily focus on ...

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January 2022 Central Oregon Fishing Report

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:01:00 GMT

As January comes to an end, it’s time to recap what 2022 has offered so far in local fishing action. While we rue the loss of a steelhead season on many of our favorite Columbia tributaries, there is much to ...

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2021-That’s a Wrap!

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 18:46:00 GMT

Photos and comments from 2021, covering both fun fishing and guiding

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Her Heartfelt Gift

Wed, 24 Jul 2019 16:06:00 GMT

This is a copyrighted excerpt from the chapter ‘Her Heartfelt Gift’ from My Mistress Whispers and Roars-Second Edition. It chronicles an evening session while camping between guide trips, and one truly special fish…

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Marilyn or Raquel?

Sat, 20 Oct 2018 07:53:00 GMT

This is a copyrighted excerpt from “Marilyn or Raquel?”, a chapter published in My Whispers and Roars-Second Edition. It chronicles a camp trip with four clients down the Lower Deschutes.

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A Steelhead Story

Mon, 08 Oct 2018 08:09:00 GMT

This is a copyrighted excerpt from ‘The Sacred Jewels She Possesses', published in the book My Mistress Whispers and Roars-Second Edition. This chapter is about a jet boat steelhead trip I was invited on with a video crew from BlackStrap. The shoot took place below Mack’s Canyon on the Lower Deschutes

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10th month excerpt

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 08:03:00 GMT

This is a copyrighted excerpt from “The Autumnal Romance” chapter of My Mistress Whispers and Roars-Second Edition. These are stories from October and all the Lower Deschutes has to offer as the season winds down.

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When First I Saw Her Face

Thu, 02 Jun 2016 22:21:00 GMT

the book My Mistress Whispers and Roars – Second Edition. This chapter details my first ever visit to the Lower Deschutes River.

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Griff Marshall Outdoors

2024 - That's a Wrap

2024-What A Year!! This year began like every one before it for decades, with an outdoors activity. My thought has always been that every day of the year can’t awesome if the first one isn’t. This year the activity was a mountain bike ride. More on that in a minute.

Late Fall Fishing Report

Late Fall into Winter 2024 Fishing Report

You Never Forget Your First

Fall Fishing on the Lower Deschutes: Trout, Steelhead, and Autumn's Bounty

Latest News – February 2022

January 2022 Central Oregon Fishing Report

2021-That’s a Wrap!

Her Heartfelt Gift

Marilyn or Raquel?

A Steelhead Story

10th month excerpt

When First I Saw Her Face

2024-What A Year!!
This year began like every one before it for decades, with an outdoors activity. My thought has always been that every day of the year can’t awesome if the first one isn’t. This year the activity was a mountain bike ride. More on that in a minute.