McKenzie River Fishing Report

I’ve been back from the Deschutes and guiding the McKenzie all week. This is always a magical time of year: there are always so many great options in our area in the late spring and early summer. Water temperatures have finally warmed into the optimal range throughout the entire McKenzie and Willamette drainage. Trout fishing opportunities abound. This is the time of year when we get the most impressive hatches on our area streams. On both the McKenzie and Willamette we have good numbers of Golden Stones, Green Drakes, and Green Caddises. Some smaller bugs are also out in profusion, but this time of year the big bugs always take center stage.
I had a great day today fishing the extreme upper reaches of the McKenzie. With just one guy in my boat and a good fisherman at that, we pulled a lot of beautiful rainbows from various types of water. We fished a two-fly rig for the bulk of the day, using a big #6 golden stone dry higher on the leader with a slightly smaller nymph suspended below it. The trout responded well to both patterns.
Now is the time to go. Get out on the river and have some fun.
-Ethan