McKenzie River Fishing Report and Pictures

Last week I was out on the McKenzie River every day guiding, and the fishing conditions ranged from "pretty good" to "as good as it gets" out there. We caught fish on a straight up CDC palmered size #10 McKenzie Green Caddis dry fly when the bugs were causing the fish to look up. If you are wondering about the McKenzie Green Caddis (which also comes out heavy on the upper Willamette), then click HERE to learn more by reading a Westfly entry posted a few years back (amazing entry). The hatch is on the way out for this year, but it is one incredibly fun bug to fish when the fish are keyed on them. Fishing a straight up dry fly was only really effective for about an hour or so here and there compared to fishing a dry fly and dropper nymph or swinging a double wet fly softhackle rig. We ended up fishing a Chubby Chernobyl with a Possie Bugger all week long for the dry fly and dropper rig, and it worked extremely well; with the nymph receiving the most attention. The dry gets crushed enough here and there to keep things really interesting. For the wet flies, I had the clients using a yellow #14 softhackle with a larger green caddis wet fly imitation dropped off the mid-point of the leader on a dropper tag. Both flies got plenty of attention, but the best fish would charge the green caddis wet fly offering. The key element of the week that provided the hot fishing action was the Pacific Moisture that was delivering to us "on and off" showers in pulses each day of the week from Tuesday on. Whenever the sun would break through and dry things off the fishing would slow up a bit, but then the bugs would pulse on out each time the next shower would roll through. The best fishing weather you could ask for on the McKenzie River resulted in a lot of fish being caught all week long.

Steve showing of his turbo charged rainbow with Taylor the Golden retriever

First hole of the day with a one person "double" - two fish on one cast

 "Landed double" - You can put a wager with someone saying you can catch 2 fish in 1 cast

Green Drake Mayfly Resting on my Silver Sonic Waders

Green Drake Drying off on the Clackacraft's rear standing station.....

On tight to a nice McKenzie River Rainbow Trout

Admiring a nice McKenzie River Rainbow Trout caught on a swung green caddis wet fly

The #14 Yellow Softhackle accounts for many trout caught on the McKenzie River

October McKenzie Fly Fishing Update - Photos

Well I have been out touch lately on a heavy guiding bender; so I have been away from the computer. Sorry for the lack of blog postings in the recent days, but this is the last month of the dry season fly fishing, and the weather is currently swinging into the wet season. Here are some pics from the fishing trips I have been experiencing recently. We had one big gusher that blew the river out for a day, and now we are on more of a normal weather pattern again. Fishing should be good over the next couple of weeks as long as the weather cooperates. Between fall trout fishing, fall summer steelheading, and fall salmon; there is plenty of good opportunities to engage in fly fishing-wise.Get out there and experience it before the wet season kicks in, and you get cases of "cabin fever"

This Coastal Cutty took this October Caddis Dry Fly

Some red fall colors on the banks of the McKenzie River

This rainbow took a Morrish's Super Pupa dead drifted under a October Caddis Dry

On tight to a McKenzie River summer steelhead after the first fall freshet....

Summer steelhead taken on a dead drifted pink glo bug.....

Angler with a nice hard bodied summer steelhead caught in October

A nice big buck summer steelhead that I managed to catch in between my guided trips....

On tight with a large McKenzie River rainbow "redside" trout that took a swung October Caddis Pupa 

Pic of a fine McKenzie River Rainbow Trout caught on a October Caddis Pupa pattern

Trout Fishing Report - McKenzie and Willamette Rivers

The trout action over the last several weeks was very consistent, with fish being taken regularly on a dry fly and dropper nymph along with swung softhackled wet flies. Fishing a double wet fly set up is always a good way to go about it, because you can give the fish two options, and often you can crack the code easier in what the fish are keying into that particular day. You even get two fish on one cast occasionally, and that makes for a great angling story. No one will believe you when you tell them that you caught two fish in one cast.

Swinging softhackled wet flies can be extremely productive on the McKenzie River

The same occasionally occurs when fishing the dry and dropper, where a fish attacks the dry fly, and then another feisty fish decides to clobber the nymph offering. Dry and dropper is a great tactic for summertime; since often there is not much of a hatch during the heat of the day, but fish still are seeking out food. A large buoyant dry fly imitating something large like a golden stonefly or a grass hopper (ambiguously covering both - attractor style) with a Possie Bugger nymph has been the ticket for me over the last several years. It catches fish on just about every day out on the water in the summertime, and often you learn how productive the subsurface offering is. Sometimes you can catch 10 fish, and 9 are on the nymph and 1 is on the dry fly. For those of you who only fish dries, think about how many fish are not climbing on it, but are eating the nymph. A dry and dropper is a summertime must set up for trout fishing.

This McKenzie Rainbow took a swung yellow softhackle

It always blows me away how strong McKenzie and upper Willamette wild trout are. I hear things from clients all of the time how impressed they are by the shear power and fight the fish offer on these rivers. I heard someone say on a trip that the fish were picked on as little kids, and now they have attitude for it. I think it is simple as the high flows the fish deal with in the winter months only lets the strongest fish survive. The fish are the ones that make it through the swollen flooded flows that persist in the winter, and when they are hooked the 12" makes them feel like they are 16". The little rainbow above ripped me so silly, and it was maybe 13" if that. It literally made my reel scream hard with two nice runs, and when I saw the size, it was almost humorous. What powerhouse fish we have that exist in the southern Willamette Valley. They hit another level of fight once they breach the 15" mark, and the ones that top the 18" mark really implant serious memories.

Fish on ! McKenzie River - Oregon

Chubby Chernobyl dry fly took this cutthroat

This side channel was loaded with cutthroats when water levels were higher