I have been ignoring the drivel that continues to come out of the Deschutes River Alliance, but a local fly shop asked to me to comment on a recent post the DRA made titled “What’s Happening With Bull Trout on the Lower Deschutes?“. So, I took a look and, as usual, the tin foil hat crowd is off base. Yes, bull trout are ESA-listed which means that they are managed by the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Not Portland General Electric and not the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife. USFWS is the agency that has told Portland General Electric to transport some bull trout from Lake Billy Chinook to the Lower Deschutes. To reiterate, this is not a decision made by PGE and ODFW has nothing to do with it.

UPDATE 1/17/26: see below for an important comment from a fish biologist.

USFWS requires PGE to pass bull trout 10″ or smaller captured at the Selective Water Withdrawal tower into the Lower Deschutes. These fish are right maxillary clipped (like steelhead and spring chinook) and fitted with pit tags. From 2010 through 2024 a total of 1,241 bull trout were passed downstream. This is a pretty modest number over 15 years given the large population in LBC.

PGE has also been told to pass back upstream all bull trout of any size captured in the Pelton Trap that are RM clipped. These are fish that originated above the SWW and then later decided to return. That total over the past 15 years is 109 bull trout.

There is a healthy population of bull trout in the Lower Deschutes. (I certainly catch my share of them.) They spawn in Shitike Creek and the Warm Springs River far up the side of Mt. Jefferson. Bull trout in the Metolius River and LBC also spawn in creeks that originate on the side of Mt. Jefferson but mostly reside in the Metolius and LBC where there is better hunting. Bull trout in the Lower Deschutes have a similar life history, spawning in cold, high elevation waters and hunting in the Lower Deschutes.

Passing small bull trout from LBC where they are abundant into the Lower Deschutes makes a lot of sense from a biological diversity perspective. Historically, these fish travelled great distances, from high up Mt. Jefferson to the Columbia River and perhaps further. Adding back a little bit of that genetic connectivity is a good thing.

Not long ago I had a reporter ask me why I thought the DRA says the outlandish things they do. My honest, blunt answer is I don’t know if they are low IQ, don’t bother talk to anyone who would know what is going on, purposefully spread disinformation to get people riled up in an attempt to get more donations, or remain deeply upset that the nature of fishing on the Lower Deschutes has changed. (Fishing is better in my opinion but the timing has certainly shifted.) Frankly, I just don’t know but wish they would stop. There are good things they could be doing. Instead, they are simply leading people astray and not helping the Lower Deschutes.

UPDATE: on 1/16/2026 I received an emailed comment from a fish biologist that added important information. More verification that the DRA is off base.

“I read your bull trout post from December, then subsequently read the DRA post.

Point of clarification, the DRA state that the lower Deschutes is ‘the exception’ to the states temperature standard, ODEQ section (4,f) of 340-041-0028. This is false, because there is not spawning of bull trout in the main lower Deschutes River. The policy states spawning and rearing.

The ODEQ standard of 53.6 F is for areas where spawning bull trout occur, which is still generally too high for successful spawning. Bull trout need water below 48F for spawning and year round juvenile rearing, generally.”