Guests are enjoying Great Fun on our McKenzie River Summer Trout Trips
Guests are enjoying great fun on our McKenzie River summer trout trips. Beginners to experts alike are all finding fishing success while experiencing the natural beauty of the river. Parts of the trip are pleasantly restful as we meander through the softer and scenic bends of the river. There are other stretches where the elevation drop is greater, creating some exciting whitewater as we pick our way through the boulder runs. These areas demand greater attention for the oarsman and a true appreciation for the design and durability of the classic McKenzie River Drift boats we use which are built here in Oregon and evolved to handle the waves and the rapids.
Though the 2023 salmon run has failed to produce the number of fish originally projected by the experts charged with managing the McKenzie River Spring Chinook run, fishing for rainbow trout has proved a worthy alternative to salmon fishing, especially in terms of number folks are catching. Two factors are felt to have greatly impacted the McKenzie’s 2023 salmon and steelhead run. For the past several years, ocean conditions and river levels during out-migration have been less than favorable. Also, the Holiday Fire of 2021 resulted in the loss of almost all the McKenzie hatchery salmon which had to be released too early, before smoltification. 
We will design your trip to provide a variety of alternatives. We can fish flies, conventional gear, or both. These trips are great for first time beginner fly fishers because we are able to access miles of fish-holding water often unavailable to bank fishermen. We can also maneuver the boat to be in close proximity to the fish where long technical casts are unnecessary. Intermediate fly fishermen have the opportunity to work on their casting and even experts are challenged to work their presentations into tiny pockets at a greater distance away…… i.e. something for everyone.
Ayden with a McKenzie River “Fattie”
The visual impact from the Holiday Fire is somewhat shocking, especially for us folks that were accustomed to a river corridor filled with lush green trees and understory. It is interesting to note however, the patchwork way in which the burn moved. In some cases entire mountainsides were visually devastated by fire. In other places small stands and wet draws were left untouched or only partially burnt. In still other areas only the understory was eliminated. In many of these places only the bark on the lower crowns of mature trees was scorched while the upper crowns remain green. It’s quite a testimony as to how differently fire can move depending on many factors including fuel wind speed and direction, prevailing temperatures, etc. Unfortunately many people lost their houses and the rebuilding effort is in full swing.
