"Maupin needs draws," Mark Roper, owner of Maupin Country Store and Hardware, told the Deschutes River Alliance this summer. "We don't have many draws, but steelhead is definitely one of them."
This year that draw is gone until the calendar runs out. Without the fall steelhead crowd, the stretch from now to the holidays is mostly a season for the people who live here. The river is still open to a few things, the rules change three times by Halloween, and the businesses that count on fall anglers are still open.
What the closure covers, and why it happened
On July 31, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the closure. In July 2026, 7,388 wild steelhead passed Bonneville Dam. The cutoff for keeping the Deschutes open was 9,900. ODFW says it developed that framework in 2021, the year record low returns closed the Deschutes to steelhead for the first time in decades.
The current regulation update splits the river into three pieces, all closed from Aug. 15 through Dec. 31, 2026:
- I-84 bridge up to the upper railroad trestle three miles below Sherars Falls: closed to salmon and steelhead.
- That trestle up to Sherars Falls: closed to steelhead.
- Sherars Falls up to the Pelton Reregulating Reservoir: closed to steelhead and coho.
Every other permanent Central Zone rule in the 2026 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations still applies. The in-season update replaces the printed booklet wherever the two disagree.
What's still open on the water
The stretch from the trestle to Sherars Falls is the exception. Salmon fishing there runs through Oct. 31. In its Central Zone report last updated Oct. 5, ODFW said the Chinook at Sherars are "starting to look a little darker" but that there are "lots of nice bright coho." Bright coho with three weeks left on the season is the best salmon news around Maupin this fall.
Trout is open along the whole lower river. The same report calls the fishing good, with stonefly nymphs working and some dry-fly action in the evenings. The redband trout fishery has nothing to do with the steelhead count at Bonneville, and the closure never touched it.
The boater pass still applies. On the Lower Deschutes, Recreation.gov requires a pass all year for day and overnight trips on any watercraft or floating device. What has ended is limited entry. Segment 1's limit ended Sept. 15, and Segment 4's ends Oct. 15.
Three dates that run through Halloween
From today, Tuesday, Oct. 13, the next three weeks hold most of the season's rule changes:
- Thursday, Oct. 15. Segment 4's limited-entry window closes. The seasonal fire restriction stays in effect through this date.
- Friday, Oct. 16. Fires are allowed again, but only in an elevated metal fire pan or a BLM-provided fire ring, and all ash and fuel have to be packed out. That rule runs through May 31.
- Saturday, Oct. 31. Salmon season on the Sherars-to-trestle stretch ends. After that, trout is the only open fishery left on the lower river until the closure expires Dec. 31.
From Nov. 1 to the end of the year, the lower Deschutes is open to trout and nothing else.
Who usually carries Maupin's fall
The steelhead closure matters most in the businesses on Main Street. The Deschutes River Alliance did an informal survey of a dozen businesses in The Dalles, Maupin and Bend. For those businesses, steelhead accounted for one-third to more than half of annual revenue. The same article cited an Earth Economics and ODFW study putting fishing-related revenue in Wasco, Sherman, Jefferson and Deschutes counties at more than $40 million a year.
John Hazel, who owns Deschutes Angler with Amy Hazel, told the Alliance that steelhead makes up "over 50%" of the shop's business in a year, including guide trips booked two to four years out. In a separate DRA piece, a lower Deschutes guide with more than four decades on the river said he had canceled 21 client days, about $30,000 in business.
Jordan Belozer, who leads the Maupin Chamber of Commerce, described the reach in the Alliance's reporting:
"Our local businesses rely on steelhead fisherman to keep their doors open in the fall. This closure will affect more than outfitters; it means that our restaurants, stores, lodging, and shuttle companies will also suffer."
The closure also followed a rough summer. The Chamber's August report to the City of Maupin said smoke and evacuations from several South Wasco County wildfires had already cut into July and August, the two months it called "extremely important" for a tourism economy. The Chamber said it was working with the Deschutes River Alliance to collect data from outfitters, hotels and stores, and planned to meet with MCEDD and Business Oregon about possible help for affected businesses.
Some outfitters have looked to other rivers. Little Creek Outfitters, run by Mia and Marty Sheppard, has been building a client base on Alaska's Kasilof River. The Alliance reported that some of their Deschutes steelhead clients are fishing there this year.
Where to go in town this fall
These are the places in town with published hours this fall. They sit inside the economy Belozer describes, where restaurants, stores and lodging all lean on fall steelhead anglers.
| Place | What's on this fall | Published hours |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial River Company | Open year-round, pizza Friday through Sunday | Pickup orders daily, 4 to 9 p.m. |
| Deschutes Angler | Fly shop for the open trout season | Winter hours Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Sunday |
| Maupin Market | Groceries | Daily, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Southern Wasco Public Library | Branch of the Wasco County Library District | Tuesday to Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday |
| Maupin City Park | 25 RV sites, 22 tent sites, 3 group sites | Open year-round |
One note on Deschutes Angler: the header of its contact page lists an 8 a.m. opening, while the winter-hours section lists 9 a.m. A quick call before an early trip will settle it.
Dec. 6 and the end of the closure
The next date on the town calendar after the salmon season ends is the Maupin Holiday Festival on Sunday, Dec. 6. The Chamber's festival page describes it as a first-Sunday-of-December tradition with lamp-post decorating, crafts at the library, Santa, refreshments and a tree lighting.
The 2026 Maupin Person of the Year will be announced at the festival. Nominations are open, with applications at the Civic Center or online at MaupinOregon.com.
The steelhead closure ends Dec. 31, 2026. Whether there will be a steelhead season next fall depends on next year's wild fish count at Bonneville, the same measure that triggered this year's closure. Fishing and boating rules can change in-season, so check ODFW's update page and the BLM pass rules on Recreation.gov before heading out. This post is general information, not legal advice.
If you live along the lower Deschutes and want to talk through how a season like this shows up in river property around Maupin, from boater access to what a quiet October means for a cabin's rental calendar, Tiffany Hillman is glad to have that conversation. Contact Tiffany to start your Eastern Oregon search.
