Sneak Peek: Live Auction Packages That Will Have You Practicing Your Paddle Raise
High, lonesome, wild: plus there’s steelhead in there. Bid on a guided John Day trip with Alex Gonsiewski, paired with a stay at the Horseshoe Bar Ranch, at this year’s Auction and Gathering. Photo courtesy of Horseshoe Ranch.
John Day R. Steelhead Trip, A Gorge Getaway, First-of-its Kind Burkheimer Spey Rod? You Choose.
If you were the kind of kid that snuck around the parents’ closet before Christmas, you’ll love this week’s blog: a preview of the live auction lineup at this year’s Deschutes River Alliance annual Auction and Gathering. There’s much more to bid on than this trio of trips. Like eleven more packages in the live auction alone, plus an impressive slate of online auction goodies. Make sure to get your ticket to the show, February 21st, at the Redd, 831 SE Salmon Street, in Portland. First up:
Horseshoe Bend Ranch Steelhead Fishing, December 4-6, 2026
Head out with renowned guide Alex Gonseiwski into eastern Oregon canyon country to ply the John Day River for late run summer steelhead–and a stay at one of the most unique ranch operations in the Pacific Northwest.
You'll arrive at Horseshoe Bar Ranch on the evening of Friday, December 4th, settling in for a quiet night in luxury accommodations on the banks of the John Day. With renovations completed just last summer, the lodge features a full kitchen and living room with a wood burning fireplace. The wide porch overlooks the John Day River and the west side of the Canyon, and the rooms will keep you warm and comfortable now matter how much it looks like winter outside.
Wake up looking forward to connecting with steelhead that are all wild, and the scenery, where wildlife and ochre canyon walls look astonishingly gorgeous. Alex and another guide will use a combination of float and road access to put you on the best water for the day, with the possibility of ten miles of private bank access on the Ranch grounds.
In between steelhead sessions on day one and two, a gourmet dining experience awaits, fueling your anticipation and delight for chasing steelhead on the John Day.
First-of-its-Kind DRA Burkheimer Spey Rod
Nothing else like it: Burkheimer spey, only one of its kind, made for the DRA and steelhead on the lower Deschutes.
For 35 years, Kerry Burkheimer’s artisan shop has been designing and crafting the world's finest fly rods. Most of today's fly rods are, in Kerry’s mind, "soulless.” So he and the crew at Burkheimer set out to make a rod with soul.
Each Burkheimer rod possesses a signature warm, fuzzy combination of action, weight, balance and feel that makes it elusive to pin down in technical fly-fishing vernacular. You find yourself gravitating to words you’re more likely to hear in a coffee shop, spoken in the afterglow of a class in the yoga studio next door: vibe, sensitivity, grace, poise, connection.
The latest incarnation of that Burkheimer soul makes its debut at the DRA’s annual auction and gathering. Kerry has designed and built a rod perfectly suited to ply the Deschutes River for summer steelhead, a first of its kind.
The 13'3" 6wt pairs with a 390 Scandi line as perfectly as a marbled ribeye pairs with an earthy cabernet sauvignon. The Kingpin reel and line have been hand-picked by Kerry Burkhiemer in consultation with John Hazel. The result is a finely-wrought instrument that will take its lucky owner a very long way toward a world of delight in every cast.
The rod’s inner soul is reflected in its outward beauty, featuring bright nickel hardware with a stabilized California Buckeye wood insert above the cork, and Snake brand E-coated speed guides, wrapped with DRA colors. It could be the last time something this beautiful was designed to work so perfectly with tension on a line it was called a Stradivarius. The difference between the several hundred of those violins left in the world and this rod: there’s only one DRA Burkheimer–and it could be yours.
Gorge Getaway: Pfriem Goodness, Griffin House Luxury, E-Bike Fun, Society Hotel Soak
Your happy place? Bid on a stay at Hood River’s historic, luxurious Griffin House, along with a host of other Gorge Goodies.
Just an hour from Portland, but a world away… escape with your family or friends (up to six total) for a long weekend or mid-week getaway with two nights at the beautiful Griffin House. The 120-year-old home ensconced on a private cliffside property in west Hood River provides positively sublime views of the Columbia River Gorge.
Pfriem Family Brewer’s CEO and co-founder Rudy Kellner will personally welcome you to the Gorge with an exclusive tour at their Columbia Riverfront facility, and lunch/dinner with paired tastings of Pfriem’s award winning beers. You’ll eventually leave this award-winning brewery, but it won’t leave you: the lucky winner of this package will be awarded a pFriemster Union beer club membership ($600 value) and have premium, barrel-aged beer shipped to your home for an entire year.
Beyond the enchanting land of Pfriem, you’ll have access to e-bike rentals from Mountain View Cycles in downtown Hood River. Check out the incredible scenery on the paved Twin Tunnels trail between Hood River and Mosier, or cruise the two-and-a-half mile waterfront path along the Columbia. After that, if your quads are a little sore…
In your back pocket, you’ll also have passes to the spa at The Society Hotel just across the big river in Bingen. A warm salt-water soaking pool, an enormous hot tub, cold-plunge pool and sauna will rejuvenate your mind and body.
Get your 2026 Auction and Gathering Tickets
Click here to get a seat at the DRA’s annual Auction and Gathering, set for February 21st, at the Redd, 831 SE Salmon Street in Portland. Doors open at 2 p.m. Be there!
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