August of 2024 has been one of the coolest I can remember. The Willamette Valley has largely escaped the smoke and water temperatures have been holding steady at cooler than last summer temps. August is never a month with significant hatches but despite a lack of bugs fishing has held up nicely. Recently both the McKenzie and Middle Fork of the Willamette Rivers had reservoir release related water bumps. Steelhead and trout fishing has been rock solid through the entire system. Per normal the upper reaches of both rivers and their tributaries have had the best dry fly fishing. Fishing attractor patterns like Dry Humpers, Purple Haze and terrestrials like, Henneberry Hopper and More or Less Hopper. Hopper dropper rigs remain effective but shrink your dropper a bit, try Berry’s PCP, Jigged Perdigons and Pheasant tails.
Steelhead fishing has really been better than solid with fish distributed throughout the McKenzie and Willamette. A ton of steelhead have been hooked on trout flies this year above Leaburg Dam. Why? The Leaburg canal is not operating and the Leaburg hatchery is not producing it’s typical effluent into the lower river, so steelhead don’t smell home. Summer fish keep trucking through the fish ladder at the dam, and we don’t really know how far they will go. Cold clean water smells good to these fish and anglers have hooked them as far up as Paradise campground. Its been a prolific steelhead season on both of our local watersheds. Best flies for steelhead include M.O.A.L Leech, Loop Leech, Sylveynator, and Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs. A wide range of patterns will catch these fish.
We have seen hatches improve steadily with overcast days and even the odd rain shower. Pale Evening Duns, Blue Winged Olives, Mahogany Duns and smaller caddis have been around in the evening. Nocturnal stones have already been seen on the lower Mckenzie and Willamette Rivers near Eugene.
We will undoubtedly see another warm up but this respite from the heat has really been great for our local waters. River levels are perfect for great fishing to come. Hatches will improve and steelhead keep coming over Willamette Falls. Things are setting up for a great fall fishing season.
