TroutFest Success: Many Thanks to All Who Made it Happen
The Rahr Brothers and Guests made for a melodious Friday Evening at TroutFest.
TroutFest 2026 is in the books. Thursday night’s wicked storm passed, and other than sacrificing a few of our pop-ups to the 50-mile an hour winds, no lasting damage or dampened enthusiasm was incurred. Friday was breezy and a little chilly. Nonetheless, more than a hundred people showed up for Amy Hazel and Rick Hafele’s late afternoon presentation on how to assemble the perfect Deschutes River fly box. Most of the crowd stuck around for the music—the Rahr Brothers and guests raised the temperature a bit, and the cool breeze abated by the time their set was over around sun down.
Saturday was calm, clear, warm and sunny, good enough weather for several hundred more TroutFest attendees to enjoy the full slate of vendor booths, tasty beers and food, casting lessons, a host of amazing raffle prizes, a thrilling back-up-a-driftboat trailer competition, friendly cornhole tournament, and more music from the Greg Haller Band.
Our heartfelt thanks to all who attended, especially those who volunteered to make the weekend run so smoothly. We saw you enjoying each other’s company and building community around the cause of a lower Deschutes River that flows with clean, cold water and supports all the lives that depend on it.
Thanks to 2Towns Cider, Pfriem Family Brewers, Freebridge Brewing, and The Riverside Grill for providing food and drink, The Rahr Brothers and Guests and The Greg Haller Band for the music, Mary Ann Dozer and Fly Fishing Pursuits for the casting lessons. Our gratitude also goes out to Bruce Berry and Mainstream Outdoors, Royal Treatment Fly Shop, The Fly-Fishing Collaborative, iFishiBelong, Stonefly Maidens, NRS, Anderson Rods, The Maupin Chamber of Commerce, The City of Maupin, The Deschutes River Conservancy, and The Oregon State Marine Board.
And last but not least, our presenters: Amy Hazel, Anna Le, Jennifer La Follette, Heather Hodson, Mary Ann Dozer, Rick Hafele and John Smeraglio.
We hope to see you all at TroutFest 2027!
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