Brown trout illustration
Brown TroutSalmo trutta
Illustration © [artist name]

Brown Trout

Salmo trutta
Peak: March–OctoberIntroducedUpper & middle river

A non-native trout found mainly in the upper and middle Deschutes and its reservoirs. Wary and often nocturnal, browns like undercut banks, logjams and deep structure.

Best flies for brown trout on this river

Sculpin streamer
Stripped tight to banks and structure
Woolly Bugger (olive/black)
All season, especially high or off-color water
Pat's Rubber Legs
Bounced along the bottom in deeper runs
Parachute Adams
Mayfly hatches on slower water
Hopper pattern
Late summer near grassy banks

More on the Deschutes River