TroutFest 2025: The schedule drops
We're just over a month away from TroutFest 2025 in Maupin, OR, and the Deschutes River Alliance has released the first schedule of events.
The DRA has released its first schedule for TroutFest weekend in Maupin, and there's something for everyone.
From core festival fun of music, food, and beer to the more fishy elements of casting, bug identification, and technique discussion, it's shaping up to be a tremendous weekend.
They've brought back a lot of the fun parts from last year, and expanded the educational opportunities as well as created a scholarship program to help more people attend.
Read on for the full run-down.
CFS 2025 Maupin Meetup
But first: The CFS fish-along / 2025 Maupin Meetup will be happening during the day Friday and Saturday.
We'll be heading to some spots along the river in a loose confederation of anglers to check things out and log some sessions.
There are going to be a lot of anglers on the river. Depending on where other groups are headed, we'll determine where it might be least crowded closer to the date.
Do me a favor and register here if you're thinking of coming out and want to link up, so I have an idea of how many folks will be joining for the fish-along, or other stuff:
We'll probably also do a happy hour at some point at the bar at Imperial River Company, maybe Saturday, so sign up to stay tuned for more on that as well.
And, as a reminder, if you want to pitch a tent and stay over we've still got a couple slots in our site at Maupin City Park. Let me know here with a direct email if you want to join that group.
Official TroutFest activities
The bulk of the action happens on Friday May 30 and Saturday, June 1 at the Oasis Riverview campground, with some post-event cleanup on Sunday, June 2.
Let's take a look at what's in store:
Casting education and workshops
If you're interested in tuning up your cast, you'll have ample opportunities at TroutFest. The casting education effort is being led FFI-certified instructors including the one-and-only Mary Ann Dozer. I've worked with Mary Ann before on my cast, and can testify that she's got a way with both beginners and even the most recalcitrant casters, with the deepest bad habits (ahem, it me).
Two day-long casting clinics on Friday and Saturday will be led by instructors Mary Ann, Marion Hiller, Liz Lair, and Marti Loeb. It costs $275 to participate, but between the instruction you receive on the day and follow-on materials and coaching I can state definitively it'll be worth every penny.
The group, as well as other accomplished casters, will also be hosting drop-in :30 tune-up "Casting Doctor" sessions that address a particular casting fault.
It hasn't been officially announced yet, but I reckon the casting contest will happen on Saturday night. Stay tuned for that. It's always fun to watch folks throw super-long loops for long distance.
Biology and learning the river
Two other very fun opportunities will take place around learning more about the river's biology and how to choose the right flies to match the Deschutes' offerings.
Bug gurus Rick Hafele and John “Smurf” Smeraglio are leading a free clinic on the river for folks to learn more about what fish eat, and how the river is changing, as well as what flies work best. Sign up for the clinic here.
Additionally, friend-of-CFS Anna Le will be hosting TroutFest team trivia on Friday night from 4-6pm, with prizes for the winners. Team CFS, anyone?
Anna is a biologist who also teaches intro to fly fishing classes through Portland's Metro regional government, and we got in touch after some PCC students raved about her instruction.
She recently appeared in a short film created by rod manufacturer Reddington (go Anna!). Check it out here:
Additionally, Anna and others will be giving presentations including Delson Suppah, who will be sharing the Warm Springs Tribal Land Acknowledgment, Amy Hazel, Tom Larimer, and Jeremiah Houle.
So, expect to be able to learn anything and everything Deschutes-fishery-related from noon to 5pm on Saturday. Stay tuned for more on presenters and topics, but it's an all-star lineup.
Fun festival stuff
In and around all this angling education is the typical fun festival stuff: beer, music, and merch.
Manufacturer and retail exhibitors will be showing off their latest wares, and you'll probably be able to try out various rods, and learn more about gear.
There'll be food carts and a beer garden from sponsors pFriem Family Brewers, Freebridge Brewing, and 2 Towns Cider, as well as a Dutch Oven Cook off on Friday, where you can showcase your ability to handle the iron. I'm most interested in playing the role of "judge" (yum) at 4:30. And, back again, the Takes will be playing music on Friday.
Financial help in attending
One very cool thing the DRA has introduced this year is a scholarship to help a few folks who "for any reason, (have) experienced a financial barrier to tourism in rural Central Oregon (specifically the lower Deschutes River)."
If this sounds like you, you should definitely put in an application. It's a pretty sweet opportunity, including a stipend for travel and a waived fee for some of the activities, including casting. The deadline for applying is Sunday, May 4th.
Volunteer opportunities
The DRA is also looking for volunteers to help the even run smoothly.
If that sounds more your speed, and you want to meet the great DRA crew, you can sign up for a volunteer slot here and nab a free T-shirt.
Bottom line: come to TroutFest
Hopefully you've already got it in your calendar and are planning on attending, but if not, and you're still on the fence, this should help solidify your plans.
If you're a Deschutes regular, or are interested in learning more about the river, I can't stress enough how much you'll get out of the weekend.
Sign up for stuff, tell your boss / partner / cat you'll be away for the weekend, and get ready for TroutFest!
