The Lower Deschutes has been as good now as any time of the year, at least on the Warm Springs to Trout Creek section. Remember that the Warm Springs Reservation side is closed and all fishing is legally done from the Main Channel east to the BLM side. Be careful on some of the islands as they can be hard to determine which side of the channel the main flow is. Some are really obvious. 
Trout are on Midge Nymphs, Eggs, Stonefly Nymphs, Oct. Caddis Pupa and Perdigons. 
Steelhead fishing is very good but has become a deeper water game for the swung fly. Think skagit lines, sink tips and a myriad of flies including intruders, leeches and traditional steelhead patterns like Green Butt Skunks and Freight Trains. 
We had a really fun “steelhead swing theory” conversation in the shop yesterday with Eric N, Alex G, me and Mattias and talking about swinging the fly broadside and how to do that more consistently by NOT MENDING and letting a belly form in the line as it swings. You show more of the fly to the fish, takes will be harder and if you (like so many of us) had the habit of mending as soon as the fly hit the water and began to swing, you’ll be less likely to drag the fly away from a fish but NOT MENDING. That is going to take some getting used to on my part, but we learn as we go and it is advice that makes a lot of sense. 
I know a lot of us steelhead with a nymph, and obviously an indicator rig needs to be mended to achieve the drag free drift you need with that set up. And a lot of us catch a lot of fish with the nymph and indicator rig. No harm in that.