Chris did his best to coax me into a few of those beautiful wild McKenzie River trout recently, and managed to do so, but barely. More than a few bobber-downs were missed and my March Browns landed in trees as often as in the target zone up against the grass-draped riverbank. The trout we caught were beautiful, including post-spawning Redsides and silvery cutts.
Chris insisted on throwing lazer tight loops with a new fly line, while I tried to teach him how to make the less well known open-trailing loop presentation I am so fond of. I managed to capture the take and hook-set on a dry fly, if you look closely, you’ll be able to see the magic moment.
Nymphs did the trick from about noon until 2:30; the fish rose to MBs and Caddis from 2:30 until 2:37. And then the trout lay about with bellies gorged.
We headed for the take out, Chris off to complete some afternoon Shop business, and me headed for home and an early evening nap.
The river is coming back into shape, the trout are seeing a lot of bugs, and on the right day, who knows what joy or surprise an angler could experience, on a truly beautiful river.
Here’s to more adventures to come.
JN
Thanks for the report and I’m really digging the photo of the rising redside….
What stretch of river did you guys drift?