End Of April 2013 McKenzie River Trout Fishing Pics

On tight to a line ripping McKenzie Redside....

Wet wading and releasing a trout at the end of April.....

Fish on!!! Another McKenzie River trout....

Releasing this trout so it could keep on growing for another day.....

This trout fell to a presentation on a nice drop off shelf - McKenzie River

Trout making a nice line peeling run on the McKenzie River

Nice trout like Chubby Chernobyls with the Royal Dress......

They told me to throw a cast in to get a triple, and it worked.......

Some adult golden stones were fluttering around......

On tight to the largest Coastal Cutthroat trout I have ever seen on the McKenzie

Lots of these throughout the spring fishing days...

Short Carp Video - Sight Fishing Cast & Delivery

Went out carp fishing yesterday with a couple of friends. The fishing was okay; to the point where we all caught fish, but it could have been better. I managed to get into enough fish to make my day, and one of the highlights was seeing this fish holding off the bank. I got a cast to land my fly 6" from the fish's nose, and it turned down to inhale my fly instantly. It was really fun to watch that fish climb onto my offering. Short video, and a small fish for carp standards with not much of a fight, but a killer take from the fish.

Rod/Reel/LineFly Fishing Outfit Deal At The Portland Orvis Store

Right now there is a killer deal going on at the Portland Orvis Store. If you decide to purchase a fly fishing outfit, where you get a rod, reel, & line; the deal will be 20% off the total price of that outfit. That is a killer deal that you never see coming out of fly shops! If you hypothetically decide on a outfit that would be at $1000, then you will get $200 off!! Sweet deal; so get yourself a totally awesome H2 Outfit right now! Pick up your first switch rod, if you have been wondering how awesome they are to fish with. Get that 2wt you always have been pondering on.

The deal is good through April; so pop on by The Portland Orvis Store, and we will get you all rigged up with an awesome outfit for an awesome deal!

(Offer not valid with any other promotions - Just good for outfit's full retail price with 20% off of that full retail price)

Orvis Access 8wt Switch Rod with Mirage Reel (awesome year round steelhead outfit)

Rockfishing Class Pics

Well after having to postpone the class twice; we finally had a break in the wind and swells to get out there. Everyone did really well out there, and fishing got really hot during the last hour of the class. It was so good to the point where someone was hauling in a fish at all times for that hour, and we saw several doubles with multiple fish on between class members. Really fun and successful FF301 class!!!

Nice fish on large white bunny leech

Nice healthy pacific black rockfish that really pulled hard

Fishing was really hot right when the tide started to ebb

This rockfish fell to a chartreuse, white, and blue clouser minnow

Carp Fly Fishing Video

Check out the new video I just made. Click the link below to view the video.

April Fool'N with Carp & Flies 

Here are some pics from early last week too.....

This Common Carp made me see the backing twice

I always love the hue of red on the tail.....

The carp were eating very heavily the couple of days I was out fishing....

Bye bye.....

Carp have some seriously awesome scale patterns.....

Please Help Get Frank Moore Back to Normandy

Frank Moore is one of the most amazing people I have ever met, and I know everyone I have ever talked to who has crossed paths with Frank seems to say similar positive things about him. I am actually baffled that he is 90, and that is simply because he can out-fish and out-wade most people. When he shakes your hand it feels like he may turn your hand into a diamond. He is the living legend of the North Umpqua River. Nobody has seen more of that river than he has, and he can still fish it at 90 years old like a champ. Everyone needs to meet Frank because he would have on impact on you in some way. I have seen him at sportsman demo shows with 20 kids around him, and he is busy giving them all a free casting lesson.

There is a mission to get him back to Normandy France to be able to fish the rivers he saw as a soldier. There is a large fundraising event going on, and YOU need to take part in it. I know I am taking my part by donating a guided fly fishing trip as part of a fundraiser that has a goal to raise the funds to get Frank over to Normandy.

I have a link below to see more information about the documentary called Mending the Line which will be about Franks life and also going along with him to Normandy.

Mending the Line is a documentary about Frank Moore, a 90-year old WWII veteran and fly-fishing legend, returning to Normandy to fish the rivers he saw as a soldier.

 Frank Moore: Mending the Line

A documentary about Frank Moore, a 90-year old WWII veteran and fly-fishing legend, returning to Normandy to fish the rivers he saw as a soldier.

Click the link Below to see more information about how to get involved by donating to this mission to get Frank to Normandy.

Link to Frank Moore: Mending the Line

Spring Trout Pics with Report

This past Friday the 29th was the perfect example of a spring trout fishing day on the McKenzie River. If you were to go fishing over there seeking out the March Brown hatch; you would probably come home saying the fishing was slow and the March Brown hatch was weak. With that being said, the fishing was fast action at times, and steady throughout the day, but we never once caught a fish on a March Brown dry fly.

Typical cookie cutter on this sunny bright day

We did catch fish nymphing, swinging wets, and I think we maybe had a fish look at a dry fly. We did not fish a dry more than five minutes or so though, and it was because the fish never got going on anything in a consistent manner. There were grannom caddis hatching hard for the first day in numbers and March Browns peppered in the mix. Maybe a Pale Morning Dun flew by, but no official confirmation; since we could not grab one from the air.

Lots of bent rods this time of the year....

Fishing was slower until about 11am, and then it picked up to a fair to consistent level till about 1pm. After that it was lights out till about 4pm, and we were drilling fish all over the place on many different fly patterns. Swinging softhackles wets and a March Brown wet proved to be most effective out there, and the fishing was really good in pulses, and then it would slow down to fair. Just when you would think it was going to slow down and turn off, it would pulse on out 20 minutes of hot action again. After 4pm, it slowed back down to getting a fish here and there on wets; so we tried nymphing again in a probable slot. We had several good take downs on the Thingamabobber, and had on a couple a nice fish to head into the boat ramp. Dave hooked something really big, but it got off in that slot. I never got to see it, but Rose showed some excitement when she saw the big mysterious fish. We swung up a last couple of fish, and then mosied on down to the take out boat ramp.

Well fed little McKenzie Rainbow Trout

Another great day on the water getting into lots of nice rainbows and cutts with many little ones in the mix to keep the action hot and heavy. The weather was the nicest day of the 2013 calendar year so far, and the fishing will stay strong throughout the spring if the current weather trends stick around. Ironically speaking we can use some weather to raise the water levels up a bit, and to make the March Brown surface fishing more what the stereotype says it should be. My key words regarding the March Brown hatch and trout fishing the upper Willamette and McKenzie Rivers would be to go fishing and don't worry about the March Brown hatch. Don't fish a bug hatch; fish the river's offered conditions. Use the given conditions and decipher what to do with them. This past Friday, I knew the night before there was going to be the first big grannom caddis hatch of the year. The weather was supposed to be over 70 degrees and that is the bug that will hatch in early April when it is warm and sunny. The March Brown likes cloudy, cool, and drizzle the most, but when you have time to go fishing you should go.

Scrappy rainbows like this make your reel hum nicely

Fishing during the spring can be totally awesome on the McKenzie and upper Willamette Rivers, and many people have no idea how much fun can be had in the southern Willamette Valley from March through early June with the spring bug hatches. There will be hatches of March Browns, grannom caddis (in clouds literally), pale morning duns, blue winged olives, some skawalas, a random salmonfly, and the McKenzie Green caddis (end of April). The fishing will be awesome this spring with the given water conditions; so get yourself out there. 

Tight lines resulted from swinging softhackled wet flies in the surface film

If you are interested in going on a guided trip for the Lower McKenzie or Upper Willamette Rivers then email me at fish@mckenzieangler.com or call me at (541)-232-6360.

Tight to a large fish while swinging a wet fly through a riffle's inside bend

Mrs. Rainbow Trout keeping her nose down and not giving up

The "Daily Double" McKenzie River in Oregon - Landing two fish on one cast....

Red Ass Softhackle works well during the slow moments.....

The #14 yellow softhackle is a must have on the McKenzie River

March Brown wets are fish catchers from Mid March through early May

The Possie Bugger can be deemed the number 1 fly on the McKenzie River by many anglers

Jetty Class Pics & Report

This past weekend offered two differing scenarios. Saturday was postponed to the alternate date of April 6th due to a super windy storm that rolled into the coast right when our class was scheduled. We went by the forecast which was a tough decision; since the coast was semi calm and nice for the morning hours. The class was scheduled to start at 2:45pm, so I went with the gut instinct, and we opted to go for the class on the alternate scheduled date. It turns out that Chris from Sunday's class came down with his wife on Saturday, and said it was one of those days where you could barely get out of the car to see the beach. Super windy and stormy; which does not agree well with casting shooting heads and larger flies. Postponing the class was a wise choice in the long run. 

A Pacific Black Rockfish taken on a large white conehead bunny leech

Sunday's class was a whole other story regarding the weather. Swells were small rollers; so the jetty fishing was nice since the water was relatively calm. Winds were light, and never went over 10 knots; so all of the students were able to cast the shooting heads very well. It was really nice to see the students bombing out big nice casts with tight loops. Everyone in the class fished very well, and looked really good casting off of the awkward jetty rocks. Fishing was relatively slow for what I am used to seeing out there, but that is why we call it fishing and not catching. Several students had some action from the Pacific Black Rockfish, and one of the students who did not land one said he was receiving bites on some of the presentations. There was just enough action to keep things interesting, and it was refreshing to let the students know it was ultra slow; even though we were still catching something. Nice to know that slow equals to several fish, and not zero fish like we can experience with something like steelheading.

Two of the students were lucky enough to tie into a lingcod each. One of the fish was what I would consider "leader landed"; while the other fish was officially landed. The first lingcod took a small chartruese and white Clouser Minnow tied with bucktail. The second fish was caught with a 2/0 white tungsten conehead bunny leech. Everyone was fishing with 28' long shooting heads ranging from type II through Type IV with intermediate running lines. We were using rods in the 8 - 10 wt range and one student was using a 8wt switch rod. It was a really fun class, and we were gifted with perfect fishing conditions. The fishing could have been much better, but it also could have been worse. It was a great primer to show 5 people the underutilized fishery that exists right here at the Oregon coast.

The Saturday class that was postponed to April 6th (7:30am-12:00pm) had one spot open up due to a student having to cancel out of there spot due to something that has come up for them. if you are interested in the Rockfishing/Lingcod class that will be on April 6th email me at fish@mckenzieangler.com or call me at (541)-232-6360. For more information on the April 6th Rockfishing/Lingcod Class Click Here.

Winter Steelhead Short Video

This is a short video from a recent outing.....

Due to Popular Demand - Rockfish/Lingcod Class Day Added - 3-17-13

The same class as Saturday 3/16/13 will be offered also on Sunday 3/17/13. The original class filled up really fast; so another date has been offered. Everything will be the same format, but the meeting time will be at 3:00 pm (45 minutes later than Saturday's meeting time), and the class will end at 7:30 pm. (The backup date will be Sunday April 7th 8:30am-1:00pm - If really severe weather strikes for original scheduled date.)

White Conehead Bunny Leech took this black rockfish

There are three spots open for the class; so it is first come first serve to get signed up. Class costs $75 per person, and you have to prepay to get your spot/s reserved. Email me at fish@mckenzieangler.com or call me at (541)-232-6360 to get signed up.

For details about the class CLICK HERE, and remember this class is for Sunday 3-17-13, and the description you are reading is for the Saturday the 16th class. Saturday's 3/16/13 is full already, but Sunday was added to accommodate more people due to high interest in this type of fly fishing. 

FF301 - Rockfish/Lingcod Seminar

Fly fishing off of the rocks in the Pacific Northwest can be very exciting, and it is a totally untapped fishery for the fly fisher seeking out an alternative to the standard trout/steelhead/salmon game. You can hook fish after fish at times, and you will often be the only person out there. Some locations offer fishing where you have no idea what fish may bite your fly next. It may be a Black Rockfish, a Quillback Rockfish, a Lingcod, etc...

Checking out a Black Rockfish caught off of a jetty

You may be wondering how do I even start to target any of those fish on my fly rod? Well this FF301 is designed to show you how to fly fish for "bottom fish" in the Pacific Northwest. It is a class, and not a guided fishing trip; so make sure before you sign up that you understand that we are not going on a guided fishing trip in the saltwater. This will be a class with 5 students, and we will be out there in waders learning how to bottom fish on our own for future outings. We will be learning how to fish for these rockfish and lingcod with our fly rods, and catching them will only be a byproduct of the demonstrations, and people learning the techniques properly. We will be fishing a lot in the class, and fish should be caught, but the point of this class is to be able to target these fish species with the right fly lines, flies, and techniques all on your own.
 -My goal is to have the class participants to be able to tell me how they are successfully catching "bottom fish" on their own after they have taken the class.

Date:  Saturday March 16th  (alternate date Saturday April 6th 7:30am-12pm - If really severe weather strikes for original scheduled date)

Time:  2:15pm-6:45pm

Location: Tillamook Bay area or Netarts Bay area (to be determined according to conditions when class date arrives) - Both are similar in driving time.

Cost:   $75 per person - 5 people will be in the class

Equipment Needed:
The Basics:  Waders and Sturdy wading shoes with studs, polarized sunglasses, raingear for the elements, Oregon fishing License
Rod/Reel: A saltwater 7wt at the minimum all the way to a 10wt saltwater rod will work with a saltwater reel to match the rod. Fly lines for the class and future rockfishing trips are specialized shooting heads; so inquire about what you will need if you are serious about taking the class, and plan on doing saltwater rockfishing in the future. The same fly lines can be used for tidewater salmon fly fishing; so there are more uses for the shooting heads than just rockfish and lingcod.
-I do have some extra gear; so inquire if you are interested but lack the rod/reel to take the class. Switch rods will work for this fishing too. Ask again if you are interested, and have equipment questions. 
Flies:  The class will include several flies per person, but you may also want to pick up some flies for your own experimentation as well. If you are interested in tying up some flies for the class, or buying any to try out, then email me, and I can provide a list of some options to try out.


If you are interested in taking the class; email me at fish@mckenzieangler.com or call (541)-232-6360. 

A nice hefty Black Rockfish caught on the first cast of the day.....

Pacfic Fishery Management Council (PFMC) released its Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP)

The Pacfic Fishery Management Council (PFMC) finally released its Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) and accompanying appendix of concrete ecosystem initiatives late 2-14-2013. There is a web feature with Pew's video animation on their website, which just went live today. It’s also on their YouTube page here. Pew will release an action alert today calling on people to ask the council to adopt the plan in April and move expeditiously to its first initiative -- extending management protection to vulnerable species of forage fish

Please get involved with this issue!! The basis of all food chains in the marine ecosystems are aquatic plants and forage fish, and with declining populations of forage fish; you can only imagine what is going to be the end effect of the predatory fish that rely on these forage fish.

Please get involved by at least spreading the word. A little thing you can do is to copy and paste the codes below into your favorite social media networking websites like Facebook or Twitter, and word can spread like wildfire. 

SOCIAL MEDIA SUGGESTIONS:

For the video:

Tweet: ANIMATION: Little #forage fish are a big deal. Learn why we need to protect these small creatures to ensure ecosystem health. http://bit.ly/VZBJG0

Facebook: It’s time to take a minute to think about the bottom of the food chain. Learn about the little fish that iconic creatures like whales and tuna depend on for survival, and why it’s so important to protect them.  http://bit.ly/VZBJG0

For the action alert:

Tweet: #CA, #OR, #WA & #ID residents: Take action to protect the #forage fish of the Pacific Ocean! http://bit.ly/ZwogXu

Facebook: If you live in California, Oregon, Washington, or Idaho, you can make a difference to the Pacific marine ecosystem. Take action today to protect forage fish! http://bit.ly/ZwogXu

Winter Steelhead Action Close to PDX

Normally I tend to do my winter steelheading towards the coast, and I just prefer to fish over there. Here and there you have the days where you are at home taking care of errands, but you are itching to get out and at least wet a line. I was fortunate enough yesterday (2-6-13) to squeak out for a little while to try out a new Skagit Switch head I got for a 7wt rod. I worked a nice run from about the halfway point towards the tailout, and then the line came tight. After a long intense battle with several blistering runs, and one long upstream run the bright bodied steelhead yielded itself toward the bank. The fish was caught with 10' of T-14 sinking tip, and a black and blue creation I whipped up at the tying bench.

Keeping cozy in the rain....

Go Ducks!! Always a sucker for that green helmet!

Lets tango with blue and black

Nice deep bodied male winter steelhead

Tight Lines!!!

Winter Steelheading Two Hand Casting Pics

Tailout fading into rapids

Working a probable run

That little mark on the water shows the anchor point of the cast

Little one salt steelhead

Moss,Water, and Sun.....

Sending off a cast

The aftermath of the "Snap-T"

Setting up the two handed cast

Pausing for the "D-Loop"

Casting in a chaos of scenic branches

Understandable why you can call it roll casting....

The results of working the water

Running it through a slot like run in the river