Summer Steelhead / 45 posts found
McKenzie River Spring Chinook Still Awarding Anglers
With over 40,000 Springers in the Upper Willamette System, our local salmon fishing should peak through the month of June and hopefully endure beyond. A glimpse of what can happen when you bring a can of magic MOJO!
McKenzie River and Middle Fork Willamette are producing some sporty Spring Chinook
A Memorial Day Float produced some Spring Chinook action for us. We were pleasantly surprised with an unexpected lack of boats out on the holiday. It made for a very peaceful and scenic outing.
Spring Chinook Arriving in Good Numbers to Willamette System Tributaries – McKenzie, Middle Fork Wilamette, & South Santiam
RFGS Newsletter – Spring/Summer – 2015 Dear Friends, Fishermen & Guests, I greet you with exciting news. Hard fighting Spring Chinook salmon are currently arriving in really decent numbers in the major tributaries to the Willamette River. With a low snow pack in the mountains, a mild spring, and below average rainfall, the Springers have migrated way earlier than usual this season and are posting some pretty impressive numbers. Nature never ceases to amaze me. It seems the fish instinctively know that they need to make their move upriver early this year while river levels and water temperatures are […]
Spring Chinook & Summer Steelhead Season to Arrive Soon on Oregon’s McKenzie River
We are currently anxiously awaiting the arrival of our Spring Salmon & Summer Steelhead here on the gorgeuos McKenzie. These hard-fighting migratory fish have begun their migration from the ocean to their natal stream but usually begin to show locally here east of Eugene in May. The peak of the run normally tumbles in between June & July with the exact arrival time often a factor of water temperatures and river flow. Other local alternatives to the McKenize, including the Middle Fork Willamette and the South Santiam, sometimes coax the salmon and steelhead in a week or two earlier […]
Lots of choices when it comes to Fall Fishing
Last week I had the priviledge of introducing a couple guys from out-of-town to the McKenzie River. They were looking for a couple days of mostly fly fishing and got to see quite a bit of river as we did about 10 miles each day. Day 1 we fished the upper river and gave the guys a few good rides through some white water with a chance to enjoy the scenic majesty along the river. Fall is a wonderful time of year with perfect temperatures and great color emerging in the riparian vegetation as Big Leaf Maples show in […]
Early Fall Fishing on the McKenzie River
On Day 1 of Frank & Tinas’s McKenzie River Drifts, we headed to the Upper McKenzie to enjoy the scenery as we picked our way through the rapids in search of Rainbows. The fish cooperated and we even found a few chunker Bows among the many willing participants.
The Middle Fork Willamette River & the McKenzie Continue to produce Quality Summer Steelhead
With stealth and patience we are still able to find a few cooperative fish in spite of the hot weather and low & clear water. Mornings and evenings are best on these hot days. On my Wednesday evening trip I had a gentleman who had never touched a fly rod before. After going through the basics he was swinging a purple leach through a rather fishy-looking stretch. As luck would have it, the take from the steelhead was savage and quick. Poor Rich really never knew what hit him before the fish had busted the 10 lb flouro and escaped […]
Steelhead Fishing on the Middle Fork Willamete and McKenzie Rivers will continue well into the Fall Months
Our local steelhead fishing can provide great sport for acrobatic, tailwalking, line burning fish. These feisty critters have been known to pound quite a variety of presentations including flies, jigs, spinners, plugs, and drifted baits
McKenzie -Willamette Steelhead Fishing
As our Spring Chinook Season begins to wind down, local steelhead fishing on the Middle Fork Willamette & McKenzie Rivers will get more attenion. My guest and good friend Jeff went home with a late-arrival Springer and nice Summer Steelhead as testimony to his evening’s effort.
McKenzie River Continues to Produce some Nice Salmon
The McKenzie River continues to produce some nice Spring Chinook Salmon for folks with a little patience and diligence. During yesterday’s drift, we landed 3 nice hatchery springers that will make for great 4th of July barbequing….and then some. It’s hard to beat buttery & succulent Spring Chinook fresh off the BBQ. Meanwhile, reports of great Steelhead fishing over on the Middle Fork Willamette right in Eugene and up above are beginning to filter in.