TroutFest 2025

TroutFest 2025, debriefed: We came, we saw, we fished...we won the trivia contest!

Here's what went down at the first-ever Maupin Meetup during the Deschutes River Alliance's TroutFest.

Nick Parish

02 Jun 2025 — 5 min read

A sun dog at sundown in Maupin

Just a short (and late, ahem) debrief note this week to let you know we're back. Done and dusted. Dusted with that fine layer of dust only Eastern Oregon can provide. The first-ever Maupin Meetup for TroutFest 2025 is in the books.

Seven CFSers spent the weekend fishing the Deschutes, having a blast at the third-annual TroutFest.

The event was put on by the major conservation nonprofit watching over the Deschutes, the Deschutes River Alliance. The goal is simple: bring anglers together to support the river. TroutFest is force-multiplied by iFishiBelong hosting one of its summits in town at the same time.

There were probably a hundred-something anglers around to participate. The event melded education and a little bit of fishy fun, too: music, trivia, and a casting contest.

The fish: Gorged, but still keyed in

In between all the social stuff we still managed to fish. Well, to be honest, we spent most of our time fishing. After all, it's the world-famous salmonfly hatch on the Deschutes. The group managed a half-dozen sessions over the three-day event. We hit the water in the morning until we got too warm. We closed each day with a sundown session on account of increased bug and fish activity.

There were a ton of firsts among members on the trip:

First fish on a fly rod
First trout
First Deschutes fish

There were even a few personal bests in there. And we all learned a lot. It was fun.

If you're thinking about fishing the salmonfly hatch, get out before its too late. Frankly speaking, we were probably a week or so behind the main force of the hatch moving upstream through Maupin. So the fish weren't throwing themselves at flies with reckless abandon.

I stopped by the Deschutes Angler to get the latest update on the way in. Its owner used the term "gorged" to describe the general fish demeanor. I was a bit concerned. But that didn't stop us fishing on top.

Most of the fish we found this weekend rose to dry fly patterns. We connected with big foamy Chernobyl variants and sparser Clark Stones alike. We still saw a lot of stoneflies and salmonflies on the grasses and trees. Not biblical amounts, but enough. And when the fish got choosy, we switch down to smaller caddis and mayfly variations.

The fun: Talks, music, happy hour, and TRIVIA CHAMPIONS

In between the fishing, there was plenty of conversation and camaraderie.

Our well-appointed campsite at Maupin City Park was the center of the action. The Imperial River Company next door provided a nice bar and lawn to relax on, and slightly more refined accommodations for the discerning among us. Folks also stayed at the Oasis Cabin Resort down the street.

All were within a few minutes' walk to the main TroutFest venue, and made it easy to pop over to see what was going on at any point in the three-day festival.

The highlight for me? Our trivia team, Musty Waders, topped eight other squads to win the inaugural three-round TroutFest trivia contest.

Anna Le of Grayling Education emceed the contest. There were a mix of questions on fish biology and local ecology, as well as fly-fishing in popular culture. (Where else can you go from the otolith to Brad Pitt?)

The Musty Waders did the PCC Fly Fishing program proud, and I can die a happy man <<wipes back tears>>.

Accepting the victory, and the winning team posing.

The Future: Let's do this again soon.

I hope this is the first of many meetups and fish-alongs we can do. It was a unique moment to experience great fishing, make new friends, and connect to the sport.

Stay tuned for more events in more places as we grow. A lot depends on you. Let me know what would be interesting.