The rain we needed to blow up the coastal rivers and bring the next and probably last really big push of native steelhead into the rivers arrived. Unfortunately, it came a little late in the week and Saturday is totally shot for steelheading pretty much statewide. Sunday is looking a little better and the Alsea should have stabilized at a fishable level-the coloration remains to be seen. The Siuslaw is also supposed to crest Saturday but at 8.8 feet it won’t be conducive to fly angling. The Siletz will also remain too high for consistently good fishing at about 7 feet on Sunday.
The trout angling forecast is similarly grim. The Mckenzie is running a little too high and the lower Willamette is in the trees. The Middle Fork Willamette will be out. The water right beneath the dam from Salt Creek to Hills Creek dam should be in shape though. Don’t count on central Oregon spring creeks to bail you out either. A massive snowfall is forecast for the Cascades and trying to access the Metolius is a fool’s errand.
If you have an itch that you just have to scratch, your best drift boat bet bet is to fish a stretch of the Mckenzie that doesn’t have canal water in it. Hendricks to Bellinger comes to mind or Deerhorn to Hendricks. Taylor Landing (the old and now improved Mudhole off Deerhorn Road at mp 5) to Henricks is available for a shorter drift and is a good option as there is a fair amount of good water on that side of Goat Island. For shore anglers, your best option is to fish in the vicinity of Hills Creek Dam above Salt Creek. Yesterday, a good hatch of Blue Wing Olives came off and the fish were rising to them.
