Taking Aim | RIO Welcomes Spey Ambassador Curtis Ciszek to the Squad

Today, this longtime pro snowboarder turned legend-in-the-making guide blurs the seasonal lines, transitioning between session-ing the Cascade Range backcountry and missioning for summer-run steelhead on central Oregon’s Deschutes River. It’s a good life... if you can get it. And the only way to maintain it, he says, is simple: “Wade deep, cast far and keep fishing.”

Read on to learn how RIO’s newest Ambassador brings insight and appreciation to a steelheading world that never ceases to mystify and amaze and, every so often, kick us in the teeth.

RIO: How did you first become immersed in the steelhead game? Talk us through your initiation days.

CURTIS: Living in Bend, I was already trout fishing the surrounding drainages. I was probably 17 or so when a buddy I was working with at the local snowboard shop [Troy Garcia] asked me to join him on a Lower Deschutes steelhead float. I bought a cheap Spey rod and we dropped in. I hooked one fish on that three-day float… and lost it. I’ve been obsessed ever since. Once I connected with a steelhead it changed my flyfishing trajectory forever. It was the only fish I wanted to target for a very, very long time.

RIO: You run Jet Boat Fly Guides on the Deschutes. Tell us about the program.

CURTIS: We offer single- and multi-day camp trips in the lower 100 miles of the Deschutes. Everything from upper river multi-day drift boat trips to single-day jet boat trips, running upriver from the mouth. I guide trout in the spring for the salmonfly hatch but mainly target and guide summer steelhead from July through October.

RIO: Good gear makes the flyfishing world go ’round. What’s your preferred summer-run setup for the Deschutes?

CURTIS: On the Deschutes I prefer a longer Spey rod: 13’ to 14’ 6/7wts. Scandi heads and small traditional flies are the go-to but when the sun’s on the water we do fish Skagits, sink-tips and bigger bugs.

RIO: With all the fish in the sea… why steelhead and why now? What keeps you connected to the species, the culture, the pursuit?

CURTIS: In my eyes, steelhead are the most badass fish. From their lifecycles to their migrations to how hard they effin’ pull. Also, they eat drys. Steelhead are just incredible animals and we are all very fortunate to have the opportunity to fish for them.

RIO: Bend, OR, is home. How has life there influenced who you are and what you stand for?

CURTIS: I was very fortunate to grow up in Bend. It’s crazy how much it has grown in the past few years, which I kinda hate, but living within a 3-hour drive to multiple river systems that get steelhead returns different times of the year is incredible. I can almost fish for steelhead 12 months out of year. Also, Mt. Bachelor is only 20 minutes away and I can be surfing on the coast in about 3 hours. Oregon has a lot to offer. 

RIO: Favorite crew to fish with and why?

CURTIS: My brother [Martin]. He used to guide flyfishing as well, but since has got a big boy job. Now when we get out he’s more fired up than ever. It’s super motivating and the shit-talking never ends between us.

RIO: Rowlf… perhaps the world’s greatest steelheadin’ dawg? Who’s your furry sidekick and how did you wind up with such a legend?

CURTIS: Oh man, Rowlf’s a huge part of the program. I didn’t really train him, I just brought him everywhere with me from a young age. He’s always been super chill in the boat. I feel like I won the lotto with that guy. He’s getting older and it crushes me.

RIO: By all accounts, 2024 has been a solid fishing year for steelheaders in your region, and beyond. How do you view this year’s return with the shifting baseline syndrome in mind: just another wonky outlier, or a sign of potentially more prolific times to come?

CURTIS: Hopefully we’re experiencing an upturn on the runs. It’s still not what it used to be. It’s been so bad for so long that the 10-year average is all bad. That said, this year was so much better than the last 5. Hopefully it just keeps getting better... and I think it will.