After years of deferring the invitation from my old friend, Manuel Ramon Doe, I finally decided this was the year to join him for his annual visit to his personal Shangri-La. Never having caught a roosterfish or a dorado, it was time to experience the fabled trophy waters of Baja’s Sea of Cortez for myself.

We had an incredible week, with countless opportunities to connect with the fish of a lifetime. What more could a big-game fly angler ask for? Although I never landed a “Papa Gallo,” there were trophy class fish landed by someone in camp every day of the week. The crew of captains were the A-team of the area fly guides and knew how and when to make the most of every day.

Now as we get back to trout fishing on the local rivers, I’m thankful to Ramone and Gui for their generosity and guidance. My trip was made on the first day to be on the boat as Ramone landed his personal best rooster on his 11th visit to this incredible fishery.

Here are a few images from yet another trip of a lifetime. Let me know if you ever want to knock this one off your bucket list. It’s the real deal.

It has been a wild few months of weather here in Western Oregon! Between all the snow, hail, rain, sunshine, wind, and occasionally calm perfect conditions, there has been something for everyone who loves being out in the thick of the elements.

Lucky for us, the fish don’t seem to mind the weather and were quite happily feeding and living their best lives as we occasionally interrupted their zen for a photo op. As we slide into the first week of truly warm weather of the calendar year, here’s a look back at a few of of those moments when the elements align and everything seems right with the world.

Volatile weather is always a consideration for winter fishing, with a recent stretch of snowy, icy, rainy, sleety, etc. conditions as a prime example. But in between moments when the roads and rivers clear, we have been enjoying some memorable days on the water. As we look ahead to Spring trout fishing and the joy of the first good hatches of the season, here is a look back at the times when the weather reminded us that this is a great place to live!

As we look to the warming weeks ahead, we are again offering our Spring Special McKenzie Half Day Rate between now and April 20, 2023: $400 for 1-2 Anglers for a 4-5 hour outing during the best time of the day. Please feel free to contact the Dudes for more information and to save your date for some of the best dry fly trout fishing of the season!

Since the Spring rains tapered off in late June, we’ve had a long run of dry weather. With the Cedar Creek Fire continuing to pump smoke into our region, we’ve been fairly fortunate that the airflow has mostly spared the upper McKenzie Valley. Now half way through the first October without precipitation that anyone can remember, we are again dusting off our rain dancing shoes.

In spite of the persistent dry and occasionally smoky conditions, we’ve enjoyed steady good fishing for trout and even a few steelhead now and then. As we hope for rain to douse the fire, swell the salmon rivers, and wash away the dust of late summer, here’s a look back at some of the moments that keep the spirits aligned.

Well, I guess you could say our rain dance worked! After a mostly dry winter and early Spring, the floodgates opened and we received record rainfall. The Portland Airport recorded the highest April rainfall amount ever! Here in the rain soaked upper Valley, conditions on the river were quite volatile. Some days it would rain hard and the river would rise rapidly, followed by a few days of showers and dropping levels, followed by more rain, etc.

Through it all, however, we’ve managed to find some great fishing (if you didn’t mind getting soaked for your trouble, now and then!). As things settle down into more reasonable weather and river conditions, we are grateful for all the water and snowpack to sustain the fish for the coming summer season. Special thanks to all the intrepid anglers who braved the elements with us over the last month and a half. You make it all worth it!

Now as we segue into some of the best fishing of the year, here’s a look back at all the soggy and sunny and windy and sleeting days that we won’t soon forget.

The riverbanks are greening and the trout are rising. Fishing has been very good over the last few weeks here in the Valley. With our first significant hatches of the season underway, beautiful wild trout are happy.

We love this time of year and look forward to the promise of the next several months on the river. See you on the water!

Winter fly fishing is a often a fickle pursuit. Let’s face it: it can be cold and uncomfortable any given day out there. And river conditions can fluctuate wildly with volatile weather.

This winter, we started out with weeks of rain, swollen rivers, and ample snowpack in the mountains. Then it just… stopped. The rain gods turned off the spigot, leading to 2 months of high pressure and dry conditions across the entire west coast. While it made for nice clear weather on the coast and persistent fog in the Valley, rivers have dropped to summer levels throughout the region. Now as we look to segue into Spring conditions, we hope for a freshet of rain to sustain us through the season to come.

While we do our rain dance, here’s a look back at the action over the last several weeks. See you on the water!

Spring is in the air!

The biggest problem with fly fishing in Oregon in the Fall is choosing where to wet a line. The good news is that it will likely be good fishing wherever you opt to deploy your toys! Fall 2021 did not disappoint. Steady trout action was the highlight, with an occasional steelhead or salmon swimming into range.

Enjoy a look back at all the fishy fun of the last couple of months. The Dudes wish you a safe and happy Holiday Season. See you on the other side!

Finally! Rain has come to the Valley after a seemingly endless summer of dry conditions. Recent significant rainfall should go a long way towards ending the dreaded fire/smoke season.

We’re looking forward to cooler days and happy fish in the weeks to come. As we ease into the comfort of Fall fly fishing, here’s a look back at the last couple of months on the water. Despite the dry spell, it still looked pretty sweet.

It has been a busy couple of months on the water. With Scott doing laps over on the Deschutes, and Matt holding down the local duties, we’ve seen a lot of river miles lately! Fishing has been excellent throughout, with great fish and friends old and new.

As we row on into summer, it’s a good time to look back on a lot of cool times on the river. Spring in the Valley: It doesn’t get much better! Here’s a few scenes from the last few weeks on the local. Enjoy!