Its officially fall 2014 and with Thanksgiving on the horizon plus some recent rains to increase and drop river levels in both the valley and the coast….its time for a report.
Mckenzie River
Fishing has been fair to good from Hendricks to Hayden. Hatches are between slim and none depending on air temp. Currently, the air temp is enough to question your sanity about going outside, but hey, we fly anglers are a crazy bunch!
Nymphs have been the best producers with the usual suspects: mega prince and the infamous posse bugger. Anglers need to be aware of Mohawk River flows below Hayden adding muddy water. Recent rains have increased the flow of the Mckenzie. In a few days with water levels dropping (hopefully) the Mckenzie should offer some fair fishing. It is the Fall and expectations should adjust accordingly for this time of year.
North Fork Willamette
Not much to report here other than keep a keen eye on the levels and watch for the drop. Nymphing prior to the cold weather, with mega prince and posse bugger were producing. The North Fork of the Willamette is open all year round for fly fishing only. Check the regulations for details.
The Coast
Recent rains have pushed Coho’s and Chinooks from the tidal areas into the lower sections of the Siuslaw, Yachats, Alsea and Siletz. Anglers are should be checking out Jay’s fly tying videos on which patterns are working well. Anglers should also be very aware of the regulations regarding harvesting of fish for all coastal streams.
If you bring your own space or wish to wait in line to cast, the Sixes and Elk have had mixed reports. Anglers are using the Rio Outbound Short Intermediate to make some decent catches. Clousers and Comets are the flies of choice.
Another fishery little spoken, but widely know is Siltcoos Lake. The lake is a remnant of the Siltcoos River delta that existed before the most recent ice age. The lake was formed after melting glaciers caused a rise in sea level that created most of Oregon’s coastal rivers. The lake has tributaries and an exit to the ocean. Hence, a nice Coho run exits within the lake and near its tributaries. Both hardware and fly anglers are reporting decent catches of Coho. In addition to Coho’s, the lake is home to a good bass fishery and trout. Not a bad place to hang out while the coast rivers might be blown out.
LV
