The Scenic & Fishy Upper McKenzie

The gorgeous Upper McKenzie River distinguishes itself from the lower reaches as faster, shallower, and with more gradient. Boaters need to pay closer attention while plying the waters and fishermen need greater accuracy, especially when picking apart the tiny pockets located within a rapid and the micro flats or steps that comprise a given gradient. With a little direction from his guide, Bosey did a great job of locating the miniscule fish-holding buckets, often no larger than a standard bathtub, as he deftly worked his flies down through swift and choppy gradients. More often than not, the fly caster only has a single quick shot at any given bucket, so it’s a one & done deal…hit or miss, no second chances. We hit fish, missed fish, occasionally missed the bucket, and even suffered the embarrassing, yet obvious last second refusal from Mr. Trout. At the end of the day, it was all fun and rewarding for the Boserman. Hopefully next time around, Bo will bring along his lovely wife Mandy to provide some specialized casting tips and to beef up the final creel count ……. not that consecutive double digit days are anything to scoff at.