A typical steelheading day on the Deschutes might go something like this: In the dawn twilight you slip into your waders, shrug into your vest, grab the rod you strung the night before, and head to the river. The desert air is crisp, cool, and calm. You're ready to battle steelhead with your 7- or 8-weight 9- to 10-foot rod and a floating line with a 9-foot leader tapered to 0X or 1X (8- to 10-pound tippet).

You cover the water close-in first. Because the brush is right behind you and you need a little room to make easy roll casts, you wade in ankle-deep. You pitch a #6 Green Butt Skunk across the riffle, then let it ease back across the current slowly, mending your line when necessary to control the fly's speed. Usually steelhead react best to flies moving slowly; they seem to need time to see and follow the fly before striking.

Most wild and hatchery steelhead in the Deschutes River range from 5 to 11 pounds, but some fish weigh into the teens. The fish begin to arrive in the river in mid-July, and can be caught until the season closes Dec. 31. The best months for fly-fishing (in terms of numbers of fish and fishing conditions) are September and October.

You wade farther and extend your casts, covering the water with a classic wet-fly swing, showing your saucy Skunk to every fish in the riffle, then the run, and finally the flats. Your fly glissades cross the current until it sweeps the final bit of water in the tailout, just ahead of the next patch of rock that forms another riffle.

By now the sun is warming the topmost rock bastions of the canyon wall to the west and you are daydreaming about hot coffee and breakfast. You're into the rhythm now--rod flexing, fly swinging--and then your rod goes thunk as something rudely waps your fly. Line zings from the reel as the steelhead charges downstream. Twenty-six inches of red-striped chromium blasts out of the water, and you yell with excitement. You lose more line, then regain it, then lose it again; but eventually the fish tires and you cradle it in your hands. You grin, the camera clicks, and you slide the steelie back into the water. The fish may be gone, but you won't forget.

Since mornings are usually calm, many steelheaders forget the stout rods, opting for a fast-action 4- to 7-weight. Though these rods magnify the fish's fight, the will shorten your casting range and are limited to casting flies not larger than #6 or #8. They are a delightful option if you're fishing water that doesn't demand boomer casts.

When the wind kicks up around noon--a normal occurrence--you'll need at least a 7-weight, but more often an 8- or 9-weight. The fish don't demand it, but the wind does. Trust me.

Two-handed rods are helpful on the Deschutes, because they provide incredible fly control and allow you to roll cast from anywhere. Also, instead of exhausting your wrist, forearm, and shoulder, two-handed rods allow you to use both arms, your back, and shoulders to make the cast. With more of your body sharing the casting load, you won't tire as easily, and all-day casting is easier. Two-handed rods also allow you to cast from either side of your body, spreading out fatigue and allowing you to cover the water more effectively. These rods are also ideal for grease-lining, coaxing and steering the fly across-current so it swims broadside to the fish.

Because steelhead sometimes won't respond to flies scooting just under the surface, you'll need a sinking-tip or full-sinking line. To cover broad runs and tailouts, many Deschutes steelheaders use shooting heads for maximum distance with minimal effort.

When these overgrown trout won't charge your Skunk swimming in the classic wet-fly swing, try dead-drifting a Woolly Bugger with weighted eyes or a stonefly nymph with rubber legs. It requires more concentration, and often a strike indicator, but it can be a deadly technique for fish holding in slots under foam lines, along ledges, below sunken trees, and anywhere else you would drift a nymph for trout.

At the other end of the angling spectrum, if you get bored with the wet-fly swing, try skating or waking a dry. Skaters work best. They form a wake in the surface film that draws the fish's attention. If you don't try it, you'll never take a steelhead on a dry; if you do nail one on a dry, you'll never forget it. Look for water of shallow to medium depth (three to five feet) with slow to medium current. Cast and mend the fly line as you would for the wet-fly swing, allowing the fly to cruise and wake across the top of the water about as fast as would you walk when relaxed.

The Deschutes is a popular place with many recreational rafters and anglers. To gain some water to yourself, try the rough water that others pass by: Side-arm cast into the deep, quick water canopied by overhanging tree branches. You may have to negotiate patches of poison oak and the prickly thorns of wild roses to reach this water.

A collapsible wading staff, such as the Folstaf, is handy for safe wading, and boots with cleated felts or Korkers strapped to the soles can help you stay upright. And because you can get in trouble in the fast water of the Deschutes, you should wear SOSpenders or an inflatable vest. Be sure to wear a wading belt, especially with breathable waders. If you fall in, unbelted breathables will billow out like an underwater sail, collecting water and making it nearly impossible to swim to shore.