The river levels have been rising and falling like a yo-yo on both the McKenzie and Willamette this spring thanks to the heavy precipitation resulting from the La Nina weather pattern. That being said, the McKenzie has continued to fish well throughout these fluctuations. The same can’t be said of the lower Middle Fork Willamette, where steelheaders have been frustrated by the high flows for most of the last month.

On Thursday, the 12th, Steve Pailet returned for a long-overdue engagement with the trout of the lower McKenzie. Despite the weather being too nice for great fishing (bright and sunny–nice problem to have!), the fishing was steady and entertaining primarily with nymphs. Steve reveled in the day on the water, connecting with lots of cutthroat, rainbows, and some magnificent whitefish.
Check out a couple of shots from the day:

Deschutes salmonfly season is upon us. Scott and I will be splitting our time between the valley and the Deschutes canyon for the next month or so. Looking forward to some of the best trout fishing of the year!