It’s spring break and the McKenzie River near Eugene is coming into shape nicely. The Willamette is still running a bit high and dirty but could come around later this week. March Browns are hatching daily around 1:38pm. Here are six fly suggestions to keep you successful on the McKenzie and Willamette this Spring. Six more coming in Part 2.
Fish the Mega Prince under an indicator or swung deep. It’s consistently one of our favorite high water nymphs. Continue reading
So here’s a question. Why would anyone want to go to Alaska to fish for Kings when the same fish can be caught here in Oregon? Good question. The simple answer is, “look at that silly grin on Rob Elam’s face with a Kanektok King in this photo.”
Our friend and sales rep Jon Covich just returned from a 3 week trip to Argentina. Summer is looking pretty good right now. Thanks for sharing Jon. Check out future issues of Catch Magazine for more on his trip.
Jorge Graziosi is now a fixture in Argentine fly fishing circles, having now guided for more than 40 years. His lodge, Arroyo Claro, sits amongst the trees, high above the beautiful Carrileufu Valley, just outside the gates of Alerces National Park.
I have now fished with, and taken photos for Jorge three times. This latest adventure, in January of this year, was one of the best. Continue reading
It takes a lot to trigger performance anxiety this far into my angling career. Fishing days are my own since I quit guiding, and I’m going for good times, come hell or high water. Last week, though, I had the jitters. My usual weekend excursion was to include two of my favorite authors, John Gierach and Scott Sadil. That part was great, if not a little daunting. But as the weekend approached, with plane tickets purchased and accommodations pre-paid, the fish gods threw us a knuckle ball. The hydrological prediction shifted from desirable to precarious. So much so, that when Scott called for the final word on Thursday night, I did not know what to tell him. A decade of guiding this country had taught me never to cancel trips due to weather forecasts. Continue reading
This just in from Siskiyou Bigfoot Correspondent Issac Roman: I am a guide in Siskiyou county….32 yrs & I live in Dunsmuir, but travel the tributaries to the Klamath quite often…..a couple summers ago we stumbled upon this prints up a creek off of one of these tribs……earlier in the morning my pops tried to relieve the gut a bit and got pretty spooked. He came back to camp and mentioned he felt like he was being watched…..but there definitely was no humans around…..so we went for a walk and came across this in bed of d.g…..the rock was dislodged a pressed into the d.g.(decomposed granite)……we don’t know what it was, but it definitely was not a bear print….four toes and the big toe was giant….also no claws……just thought you would enjoy checking these out….the flip flop was a size 11…
High water usually coincides with the March Brown emergence on the Mckenzie and Willamette Rivers near Eugene. One of our favorite methods to catch trout during the emergence is to swing one or two wet flies on a floating line and a 9-10ft leader. Many traditional wets can work, Coachman Wet, Dark Cahill, Light Cahill, Hare’s Ear Soft Hackle and Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle to name a few. But when you need that wet to stay down as it swings across that fast edge or riffle give the Hidden Bead March Brown Wet a go. The added weight to the traditional look will help the fly track and sink better in faster runs and tail-outs than many of the lighter “traditionals”.
Hidden Bead March Brown Wet Fly
Hook: TMC 3761 or Daiichi 1560 #10-16
Bead: Gold to match hook size
Thread: Ultra Thread Rusty Brown 70D
Tail: Pheasant Tail Fibers
Rib: Brassie Copper Wire
Body Casing: Pheasant Tail Fibers
Body: UV Ice Dub Tan
Hackle: India Hen Back Natural
Wing: Mallard Flank Dyed Woodduck Tan
We’ve gotten some great winter steelhead reports from Mike Bellmore (pictured), James Frasier and Dave Reese.
We are closing out much of our Fall/Winter clothing from EX Officio, Simms, Mt. Khaki’s, NAU, and Patagonia. Get great deals on fishing shirts, jackets and pants. Many items are marked well below cost. Continue reading
Join us tonight for our monthly TU meeting, Wednesday March 9th at 7pm, in the green room downstairs on the left at the Vet’s Club, 1626 Willamette St. Eugene. We’re hosting special guest Spencer Miles. Spencer is a steelhead fly fisherman and wild fish advocate who lives in Portland. He is a river steward for the Native Fish Society and has recently been involved in a campaign to reform the Sandy River’s salmon and steelhead hatchery programs.
Unless you’ve been living like a squatch in the woods for the past year, you probably heard that Oregon Fly Fishing Blog accidentally shot the most significant bigfoot video of the 21st century. Now two and a half years later, the hunt for Sasquatch in the McKenzie River Valley has reached fever pitch.
Rumors abound that a national cable network filmed a TV show this past week featuring the McKenzie Sasquatch. Below are some grainy photos that may or may not confirm said rumors.
For the rest of March and April The Caddis Fly is running a “Spring Special” guide trip for two anglers focused around the March Brown emergence on the lower McKenzie. Interested anglers can book online by clicking here: Guided Trips or give us a call at the shop. The rate for the “Spring Special” trip for two angers without lunch is $275. The typical day is to meet at the shop around 10am and finish in the 3:30-4pm window. All gear and flies are provided. Enjoy a nice day out fishing the lower McKenzie River via drift boat and wading.
It doesn’t look like Oregon will be banning felt soles this year, as HB 2338 got stuck in committee. TU testified in favor of the felt sole ban, but ODFW did not support the measure.
British Columbia fertilizing its fisheries: Young steelhead and salmon grew dramatically in streams seeded with sacks of slow-release fertilizer, a method that shows real promise to help rebuild collapsed spawning populations, according to B.C. biologists. Steelhead fry in treated areas are typically about 95% larger than those in untreated streams, while coho fry are about 40% bigger. Fish counts in the Keogh River found a 50% increase in the number of coho that survived the freshwater stage of life.
Check out this awesome Coastal Cutthroat Video:
Behind the bubble curtain: The Underwater World of Coastal Cutthroat Trout from David Saiget on Vimeo.
Sign up for the Chewaucan Challenge: Come and enjoy a unique challenge on a beautiful unspoiled and nearly unfished river. Visit Eastern Oregon’s best fly-fishing river and test your skills. Three days of fishing the wild Chewaucan River while visiting the rural community of Paisley, Oregon and its 220 friendly residents! The Chewaucan Challenge is a 3-person, catch and release team event held annually over fathers day weekend in Paisley, Oregon.
A new issue of Catch Magazine is out, featuring some O’Keefe Cuba action.
From our man at the FFF Lou Verdugo:
The 2011 Northwest Fly Tyer & Fly Fishing Expo is set for March 11 & 12 at the Linn County Expo Center in Albany, Oregon.
For over 20 years the NW Expo has been a fly tyer event. Five years ago a new vision was conceived to have an Expo for the total fly fisher. Since then the NW Fly Fishing Expo has evolved into a two day event with a full educational curriculum of over 90 classes and draws over 2,000 attendees. The NW Expo has been heralded as the “largest fly tying event west of the Mississippi”. The education class curriculum offering is the largest fly fishing education offering on the west coast. Vendors are starting to call it their show of choice. And with all its success the NW Expo is still an event planned and delivered by volunteers from the fly fishing clubs in Oregon.
One of the classics, the Elk Hair Caddis is a must for any Western Anglers fly box. Barrett demonstrates a couple of new twists using mono for the rib and Hareline Ice Dub for the body. This is a quick and easy tie for an extremely effective fly.
UV Ice Dub Elk Hair Caddis
Hook: TMC 100 or Daiichi 1180 # 10-18
Thread: Ultra Thread 70 Denier Black
Rib: 5x Mono
Body: UV Dark Olive Ice Dub
Hackle: Gizzly Saddle or Neck Hackle
Wing: Dyed Dun Comparadun Deer
