It’s been a weird water week on the McKenzie River. The river jumped due to snow melt and water releases on the upper end of the system. It’s now dropping again. Next weeks cooler temps should bring the river down even more. Additionally you will see the lower river get added water with the lowering of the Walterville Canal. Fish like water so expect fishing to be good in the coming days. More water in the lower river is great to see, keeping water temps cooler will extend the lower river quality fishing.
From EWEB
The Eugene Water & Electric Board will begin dewatering the Walterville Power Canal on Friday, June 4, to clean and make repairs to the Walterville fish screen at Partridge Lane, complete maintenance on the Walterville Powerhouse and inspect the canal embankments.
The work is expected begin on Monday, June 7, and requires the utility to drain the canal to minimum levels.
The shutdown of the Walterville generating facility and power canal is expected to last about 20 days. EWEB anticipates re-watering of the canal will commence around June 25, depending on the progress of planned maintenance.
Today we have another jig nymph tied by Justin Helm. This fly is a great guide fly; the “phlashy pheasant jig” is an attractor pattern that is quick to tie, versatile, and fishes great. Mix and match different colors in the tag, body, CDC hackle, and dubbings in the thorax to suit your needs — this is a surefire fly to fill your nymph box with.
The bugs are out! It was a classic dry fly fishing day on the upper Mckenzie this week. The hatch brought many fish to the surface mid day and into the early evening.
Today Justin ties his variation of another local guide Clay Holloway’s pattern, the Clay Maker. Clay’s original is tied with a flashy copper body, and Justin makes a change to the fly with a peacock colored theme. Justin fished the fly consistently over the past year for trout in the area, and it has been a tremendous producer. Try it out, make variations of your own, and let us know what you come up with!
Right now, Oregon’s state legislature is considering a bill, HB 3150, that will require ODFW to utilize hatch boxes in southern Oregon, a strategy that is ineffective at bolstering commercial and recreational fisheries and threatens the conservation and recovery of wild fish populations. Hatch boxes place fish eggs from a fish hatchery directly in a river instead of hatching the eggs and rearing the young fish in a hatchery facility. This management scheme was abandoned by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife due to its ineffectiveness (very few fish survive to adulthood) and because it complicates the management of wild and hatchery fish populations.
Specifically, hatch boxes have the following problems:
1) Hatch boxes harm wild fish populations and impede recovery efforts;
2) Hatch boxes fail to contribute to sustaining or improving fisheries;
3) Hatch boxes impede ODFW’s ability to meet the state’s legal obligations, Endangered
Species Act mandates, and conservation plan directives;
4) Hatch boxes are inconsistent with the state’s Native Fish Conservation Policy;
5) Hatch boxes divert the department’s limited resources; and
6) Hatch boxes risk the resiliency wild fish need to survive our changing climate
Eugene Water & Electric Board Generation staff on Thursday afternoon started diverting less water into the Walterville Power Canal to increase McKenzie River flows in the bypassed reach of the river to improve fish migration and water quality.
Under the federal operating license, the Walterville hydroelectric project is allowed to divert up to 2,577 cubic feet per second (cfs) into the canal during normal operations. The license requires EWEB to maintain minimum instream flows of 1,000 cfs in the bypassed reach of the McKenzie at all times.
However, in 2018 EWEB made an operational decision to voluntarily adjust the flow going into the Walterville Canal during low flow years in order to maintain 10% more flow in the river than the canal from June through October. Maintaining more flow in the river than in the canal improves fish migration and enhances water quality and recreational use during the summer months.
With the unseasonably warm and dry conditions this spring, and with adult salmon already present in the McKenzie River, staff made the decision to keep more water in the river immediately. EWEB had planned to begin diverting less water to the canal on May 20 due to the low flows.
“We decided to put more water in the bypassed reach of the McKenzie River at this time because we are hearing anecdotally that adult Spring Chinook are showing up a bit earlier than usual,” said EWEB Generation Manager Lisa Krentz. “This will have a minor financial impact, but with the low river conditions we’re experiencing, we felt it was the right decision.”
On Thursday morning, the power canal was running at about 1,700 cfs, and the bypassed reach of the McKenzie was flowing at about 1,200 cfs. By Friday morning, the bypass reach will be running at approximately 1,700 cfs and the canal at 1,200 cfs.
This is the third year EWEB has voluntarily decreased diversion into the canal to maintain an additional 10% more flow in the river. This “low-flow” operation will continue through October.
The Walterville powerhouse, located off Camp Creek Road northeast of Springfield, can generate about 8 megawatts of electricity, enough to power approximately 4,000 homes or roughly equal to about 3% of Eugene’s average daily consumption of electricity.
Lower Mckenzie continues to produce! We saw a sporadic hatch of Mckenzie Green Caddis, Yellow Sallies, and tan caddis. Most of our fish were caught nymphing with Mega Prince and the infamous Possie Bugger. However, keeping a keen eye for the random surface rises brought fish to the wet Mckenzie Caddis. Looks like the warmer weather will continue for the weekend. Time to get out there!
The Willamette River and tributaries are seeing some quality fly fishing for smallmouth bass presently. Lower and warmer water have the bass lighting up to patterns like RIO Meat Sweats, Micro Game Changers and Double Barrel Poppers.
Give Alex a shout at the shop for more info on locations and more.
Check out more info on bass in this informative video from Matt Callies of Loon Outdoors.
The 2021 Flyfishers’ Club of Oregon Auction and Keith Hansen Memorial Paddle Raise is taking place online this year.
It opens on May 17 at 8 am PT and closes on May 23 at 8 pm PT.
We will be celebrating the work of the North Umpqua Coalition to improve the presence of wild fish in that region of our state. Our paddle raise will help with repairing the damage done by forest fires in that area as we will dedicate funds raised to support the work of the Coalition.
We are honored to have one of Oregon’s finest guides, with an equal commitment to conservation, as our Honorary Co-chair for 2021: Brian Silvey. He has been engaged in conservation as long as he’s been an angler and guide. He grew up on the Deschutes and Sandy rivers, and has spent thirty-years guiding on those waters.
AUCTION ITEMS
We have completed our twenty fantastic auction items! Many favorites are back, and some fabulous new ones. There are great fishing guides, food events, venues to stay at, and the infamous “Spectacular Goodie Boxes” filled with beverages, flies, gift certificates and treats.
For detailed information, please register for the auction soon so you can make plans with friends for those events you want to secure. You can use this link to set up your account.
-Drift Boat Fly Fishing for Two – Dave Moskowitz, The Conservation Angler
-Spanish Seafood Paella with Spanish Wine Pairings – Janet Arenz, Curt Marr, Jose Olavarrieta
-3 Racks of BBQ Pork Loin Ribs – Delivered! – Mike Collins
-Guided Fly Fishing Trout Trip – John Wall, The Portland Fly Shop
-Coastal Cabin at Cannon Beach – Jim Stallcup
-Leonetti Cellars Pair – Lisa Hansen
-Bandon Treehouse – Bruce Oldenburg
-Guided Saltwater Fly Fishing Trip On Puget Sound – Capt Nicholas Clayton, South Sound Skiffs
-A Grand Day Out (Fishing Trip with River Choices) – Mark Metzdorff
-3 Night Stay at Luxury Home in Manzanita – Danna Kittell, Starfish Luxury Rentals
-Half-pounder Fly Fishing – Mark Sherwood, Native Fish Society
-A Night at Steamboat Inn – Melinda and Travis Woodward
-Fall Steelhead Guided Trip for 4 Anglers – Monica Wall, The Portland Fly Shop; and Chris Matthews, Semper Fly Guide Service
-Historic Fitzpatrick Homestead on Deschutes – Sally Bachman and the Bachman Family
-Leonetti Cellars 2016 & 2018 Merlots – Bob and Becky Lowry
-Rocky Ridge Ranch Lakes – Carol Joy Ryan and the Ryan Family
-Famed “CREEL” Literary Set of Fishing Stories – Flyfisher Club of Oregon member donors
-Rustic & Charming Cabin on the Deschutes River – Curt Marr and Janet Arenz
Spectacular Goodie Box from the Flyfishers’ Club of Oregon – FCO Board Members
Our raffle item is a Spectacular Goodie Box from the Flyfishers’ Foundation that includes the following amazing items:
Singleton Single Malt Scotch / $200 Gorge Flyshop Gift Certificate / Ingredients and Recipe for James Bond’s Vesper Martini – Gordon’s Gin, Gordon’s Vodka, Lillet Servir Tres Frais / Woodward Canyon 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon / Lunazul Double Barrell Reposado,100% Agave Tequila / 4pk/pints Foreland Nameless Rivers IPA w/ Fish Opener / Alaskan smoked sockeye salmon / Robert Matteri 2014 Estate Pinot Noir / “Raising the Ghost” Steelhead DVD / 6 Custom-tied RRR Monster Trout Flies / 6 custom-tied BlueMax Steelhead flies / BlueMax fishing hat / Dry Fly Gin / Everybody’s Brewing, White Salmon 6pk Local Logger Lager, 6pk Mountain Mama Citra Pale Ale / 7 Sirens White Rum / “A River Seen Right: A Fly Fisherman’s North Umpua” by Michael Baughman / “The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing for Carp” by Kirk Deeter
Our online bidding portal is open for business! You can use this link to set up your account, preview our auction items, make a cash donation, and purchase raffle tickets. Please note that bidding on auction items begins May 17 at 9 am PT.
How to Register as an Online Bidder
We suggest using Google Chrome or Firefox as your web browser and recommend using a personal email address to access the online auction site. Follow these steps to create your online bidder account.
1. Click the GET STARTED button in the upper right corner of this page.
2. Click the Create Account green bar at the top of the page.
3. Enter your e-mail address.
4. Check your email for the confirmation link, and click on that link.
5. Complete your registration process by entering your contact information, credit card and creating a password.
How to Bid on Auction Packages
Once your account is created you can bid on packages anywhere once the bidding time opens up. It is incredibly simple and designed to help you easily manage your bids. Follow the steps below and get started now.
1. After registering, access the Online Bidding page by clicking Start Bidding on this page.
2. Log-in to your account by entering your username, which is your email, and password.
3. Select the package you wish to bid on by clicking that package.
4. Select Bid More and choose your bid increment.
Bidding Opens: May 17 at 9 am (PT)
Bidding Closes: May 23 at 8 pm (PT)
Restrictions
You will only be charged for donations you make or auction packages you win.
Fished the Deschutes River from Warm Springs to Trout Creek Sunday 9th. Overcast and cool morning. No big bugs flying, but small numbers of shucks in the grass. Euro tactics are killer on the Lower D. Jigged 20” point fly with rainbow warrior #16 small fly. Water is lower than I ever remember and I was able to stop the boat in random spots that I haven’t fished before. Word is tons of Salmon flies around Maupin.
The following day we fished Justesen Ranch, private waters hosted by the G Loomis staff. Fished the “Big Lake” and cast the new Loomis NRX+ 590 and 4100. Both cast amazing with bobber and midges or Parachute Adams and chironomids. Stripped buggers with the IMX Pro 696 and it was a cannon. Really impressed with the new lineup and we have a fresh shipment of the new sticks. Got to wiggle the new IMX euro but it wasn’t applicable to our fishing. Excited for the June 1 ship date in those.
Lake is teeming with life. First off fish were smashing midges on the surface so our lakeside pep talk was cut short and we all spread out in our respective boats. Next we switched to suspended midges under a bobber or even better for the shallows was a short tag under a #12 para Adam’s. Fish were all 17-22” and built like tanks. They are Kamloops rainbows and pull and jump like fresh steelhead. Fishing was just difficult enough to make it interesting but rewarding with beautiful fish, and runs into the backing the norm. After lunch we switched to streamers and Kyle quickly got 3 dandies in a row. We explored the lake for the last hour and fishing slowed a bit but looking over at Jake, Tom and Steve they stayed put and continued to put on a clinic. Last spot the shade had fallen over an overhanging branch and I finally got a fish to crush a dry fly.
If you are looking to fish above Leaburg dam be prepared to wait for “tree removal” delays as there are several stops east of Vida as you travel on HWY 126. I have been adding 30 minutes to allow for road delays for my trips above the dam.
It seems like we are a good month or more ahead of a normal water year. It’s worrisome for summer water and fishing conditions so it’s a great call to get out there and enjoy ideal conditions now as this summer might be weird.
In this video, Greg ties two patterns that produced lots of trout on Crane Prairie this last summer.
These flies were fished with great success this summer at Crane Prarie Reservoir under an indicator and Greg recommends tying them in appropriate sizes (usually smaller) for still-water fisheries throughout the United States along with colors tied in black/silver, black/white, and red/white.
Follow along as Greg explains his set-up and how to fish these productive lake flies.
Today Alex ties for us his favorite steelhead muddler in a pink, red, and claret colorway. A versatile framework, this fly can be tied in any combination of colors with many different materials. The muddler is a tried and true classic for summer steelhead, and this one can be fished multiple ways — Alex likes to riffle hitch it and skate it. Tell us how you’re going to tie and fish yours!
My family and I were extremely fortunate to lead a small group of anglers to Alphonse Island in the Seychelles this past April. Our week-long fishing adventure was outstanding. The Seychelles offers some of the most pristine marine habitat on the planet. Game fishes like Bonefish, Triggerfish, Giant Trevally, Bluefin Trevally, Golden Trevally, Queenfish, Sailfish, Tuna and many more thrive. Giant land tortoises, at least two species of turtle, tons of birds and dolphins are seen daily. Alphonse is a beautiful island paradise perfectly manicured daily by the large staff of Alphonse Fishing Company employees and IDC (Seychelles International Development Company). The accommodations are fantastic, the service level is as high as any fishing destination that I have experienced. The Seychelles is a bucket list trip for sure, anglers and visitors of all types will not be disappointed.
Each morning anglers depart from Alphonse Island and run top quality flats skiffs across a deep channel towards St Francois Island. On the way, depending upon the tide you can fly fish for numerous species. The main five species that guides and anglers target are Bonefish, Triggerfish, Giant Trevally, Indo Permit, and Milkfish. Bonefish are by far the most available and cooperative of all the species. The numbers of bonefish are incredible. Our week was an ebb tide and there were bonefish everywhere. The guides said a spring tide brought even more fish to the flats. Bonefish seemed to be available at all times of the day, and at any tide.
Triggerfish are a fascinating fish that none of our group had ever targeted. They’re spooky, finicky eaters that are tricky to hook and keep on. After you hook them they immediately run into a hole or off a finger flat into a coral head. You need to “hold” them and minimize the run in most instances. Casting has to be super precise and even with the perfect cast they often spook or ignore the fly. Triggers occupy shallow “reefy” water and guides like to target them when the tide was not moving too much.
Giant Trevally are the marauders of the flats. GT’s can show up at any time chasing bait, cruising along near a ray or a shark or on the protective reef east and west of Alphonse and St. Francois Islands. Our week did not see big numbers of GT’s but they were around for sure and once a GT has decided to grab your fly you can’t keep it away from them.
We saw quite a few Permit over the week, but none really in ideal situations feeding on the flats or on top of rays. The Indo Permit has a really cool look to it but like all permit are hard to find and even harder to catch.
Milkfish were everywhere and our group hooked a couple of them. The algae eating monster bonefish looking Milkfish cruises the flats and has a reputation as one of the toughest fishes that swims. Lacking the lactic acid build up during the fight, they rip line and pull and pull and pull. Ideally you find these fish on the surface feeding like carp in deep water. All things need to line up perfect to actually get a Milkfish in the mouth and then hang on.
There are a ton of other fun species to catch and not necessarily target, Batfish, Emperor Fish species, Pompono, smaller Golden and Bluefin Trevally are everywhere.
Bluewater fishing is also available at Alphonse and we experienced a half day morning trip. From the same marina as the flats skiffs an offshore boat took us just outside the reef surrounding Alphonse Island (two minute run) and we were into Tuna and Sailfish right away. Wahoo also came to teasers but didn’t stick around long enough to eat our flies like the Sails. Cash was lucky enough on our Bluewater day to have a “Bills and Bones” slam. Billfish on the fly in the Bluewater and a bonefish ( or 10) on the flats in the afternoon.
The fishing schedule at Alphonse: each morning we rode our bicycles a few minutes from our beachside bungalows to the restaurant where breakfast was served at 6am. From there we rode to the fishing center/fly shop. Fishing days were 7am start and 4-4:30pm finish. Upon return to the marina you can clean and leave all your gear for the next day. If you are missing anything, broke anything, or just want to check out specific flies the guides have developed, the Alphonse fly shop has everything one could need. Gear loan is available as well.
A beautiful beachside bar awaits each evening and after a hot day in the equatorial sun. A fresh chilled coconut with a straw is a great way to start. The bar is fully stocked and Ajit and Abe where fun guys who took great care of our crew. Appetizers and snacks where served prior to a wonderful dinner each night often consisting of fresh fish, ceviche, sashimi, grilled fish, salads sides, deserts and more. We had outstanding al acarte dinner services and beachside buffets where you could customize your meal. Alphonse has a massive garden and fresh fruits and veggies accompany all meals. If a person had dietary specificities they were met with ease by the incredibly attentive staff diverse and plentiful menu options. The fresh seafood was phenomenal, Wahoo, Rosy Jobfish, and Tuna were served in some form almost every night.
The Seychelles are a beautiful part of the world and offer incredible saltwater fly fishing in a pristine setting. I feel very lucky to have visited and look forward to returning. The Caddis Fly will be hosting more trips in the near future. Contact me at caddisflyshop@gmail.com for details or if I can help you with an upcoming trip.
Tackle Notes and post trip thoughts on tackle: I continue to love my Echo Bad Ass Glass 8wt, it was awesome on the bonefish. Beulah loaned me a 10 and 12wt in the OPAL series and having the foregrip was really handy for sailfish and GT’s. The OPAL rods are really tough and cast well, I pretty much tried to break one on a milkfish in an attempt to shorten the battle but the rod took the bend no issues. We used Nautilus CCFX-2 Reels that performed perfectly, as did Nautilus XL series. I got a chance to use Shilton Reels that I brought and Shilton Reels that the lodge loans. Shilton is the reel that Alphonse stocks and loans and feels it’s the finest reel out there to handle the tough conditions of the saltwater species they chase. The Shilton’s were flawless on Billfish, GT’s and more. Thomas and Thomas’s new Sextant was excellent in an 8wt and 12wt, fast action stronger than previous T&T salt specific models. Our favorite rod overall for “castability” remains the Scott Sector, the Sector is just lighter and smoother than any other saltwater stick out there, I had an 8,10,12 with me. The Loomis NRX+ is a super-fast rod and in wind performed very well in a 9ft 8wt. RIO’s new Elite Bonefish, Elite GT, and Elite Permit lines were awesome and to hear the guides enthusiasm for them was great. The lines remained slick and few “tangles on the bow” were experienced.
Fortunately, I had lunch with Bruce Berry (our Montana Fly Co. sales Rep) a few days before departure and he hooked me up with his favorite versions of Christmas Island Specials. By far the best performing bonefish flies were very sparse, simple lead eyed patterns, no legs, not much flash. You need a wide range of tippet and the guides basically build saltwater leaders to the specific species targeted, I did not bring 30lbs but the guides wanted it for sure. They have material but one should really bring 16, 20,25,30,80 and 100lbs tippet and you don’t need tapered leaders at all. I used RIO Saltwater Fluoroflex and had zero issues. Bringing a few gigantic poppers on 6/0 or 8/0 hooks is advisable, and small crab pattern as well.
