It’s the traditional opener of “Trout Season” this weekend on the McKenzie River. Meaning the river opens in it’s entirety, not just from Leaburg Dam down. High flows have hampered our early season opportunities on the lower McKenzie and those higher than normal CFS (cubic feet per second) readings will continue for a couple more months.
With any luck we will see the river drop into shape by this Saturday and be very “fishable” going forward into May. On the bright side of things our local fish have seen very little pressure. The wild Rainbows and Cutthroat are going to be ready to feed more comfortably when the water does come around. The March Brown hatch is most likely waning, Stonefly Adults have been crawling out, Pale Morning Dun Mayflies, Green Caddis adults and Golden Stones will soon be the bugs to have.
If fishing is not on the agenda this weekend, check out The 7th Annual McKenzie River Wooden Boat Festival held at Eagle Rock Lodge on Saturday April 28th from 10-5pm.
