The summer of 2012 is in full swing.

On the upper McKenzie, trout action has been excellent.  Scott and I got to run a pair of Two Dudes – Two Boats Specials up there last week with returning guests, and a fishy, fun time was had by all.  What could be better than to spend a summer day in a beautiful place catching trout on dry flies?

Meanwhile Steelhead are in our local rivers in good numbers, and biting! From Town all the way up to the dam, the fish have been making their presence felt. Some October dates are still available for those of you who’d like to hit the finale of what has already been a memorable run of action. Here are some of the latest images for your consideration. See you on the water!

Special thanks go out to all of our returning guests.  You are the reason we love our job!

Steelhead are in on all the rivers of the southern Willamette Valley.

Numbers so far over Willamette Falls suggest this could be one of those years to remember. Book now for late summer and early fall. Here’s a taste of the action so far. See you on the water!

So chrome it isn’t fair!

Summer is in full flower here in the southern Willamette Valley, and the summer steelhead run is filling into the local waters nicely.  Team Chromer has been logging plenty of swing time in the last few weeks.  Here’s a look at some of the latest action.

After an unseasonably warm weekend melted major amounts of our Cascades snowpack, the McKenzie once again rose out of fishable range. But in the week that followed, cooler weather led to a steady drop. On Friday, April 27th, I hit the river with my good friend, Cougar, for a look around. I’m not sure if I’ve ever fished or boated the McKenzie at or above the 11,400 cfs it was running, but it sure seemed to be the highest I’d ever attempted it. Fishing was entirely a nymphing show, and spots were few and far between. But in the areas where the water ran green and even, the trout were there.As the river has dropped over the weekend, fishing has only improved. Today saw one of the best March Brown emergences of the season, but it was scarcely noticed by any fish, judging from the lack of any surface feeding. In any case, the nymph fishing remains steady, and there are some fantastic native redsides and cutthroat on the bite. When the river flows stabilize, we should see the surface action improve. Trout season is here!

2012 has been a year to remember here in the Pac NW.  Many of us will remember the parade of violent weather and epic floods that sent residents scrambling to read the fine print on their insurance policies.  But in between storms, when rivers dropped into glowing jade, the steelhead were there.  Some days it seemed reasonable to believe there was a fish behind every rock.

Now, as our focus shifts to the Valley waters closer to home, please enjoy some images from the Two Dudes 2012 Oregon Coast Winter Steelhead season.  Tight Lines!

Winter trouting on the McKenzie is a great way to get out and get the jump on the season. Redsides and cutthroat are on the grab whenever the river is in shape from here on out. This can be the best time of the year to intercept trophy-class McKenzie Redside trout. With the cold and predictably unpredictable weather, fishing tends to be best in the middle of the day, from noon to around 4 pm, and nymphing is generally the method of choice.

From now through April 20, 2012 we’re offering a Two Dudes McKenzie River Half-Day Trout Special: $275 for 1-2 anglers. This trip is timed to coincide with the best fishing hours, all tackle is provided, and does not include lunch (Of course, lunch is still available for all full-day trips at the standard rate). Contact the Dudes for available dates and details, and let’s get out there for some of the best wild trout fishing of the season!

Rivers in Western Oregon are dropping and clearing after the last big weather event. A little over a week ago, waterways were at or over flood stage and the rain came pouring down. Since that time, as the floods have receded, there have been some great fishing days under high pressure with clear skies.

In the last week many streams have become low enough that the bait fishermen have moved elsewhere, leading to light traffic and perfect fly fishing conditions. There has been a nice mix of fresh chromers and more “experienced” specimens as we have moved into the middle stretch of the winter season.

Now is the time! Tight Lines!

The 2011-12 winter steelhead season has so far been a roller coaster of extremes. Up until around Christmas, we had barely a trace of precipitation, leading to low water conditions more typical of summer flows.

Fishing fluctuated from slow to excellent and back again, depending on your timing. But it was cool to be able to swing fish some of our larger rivers under such manageable conditions.

Just after Christmas, a big system came ashore and rivers went from summer low to flood stage in the span of 48 hours. When the storm abated, the waters dropped and soon were in perfect shape up and down the coast.

Since that storm we’ve been back to low water again, as little to no rain has fallen for weeks. All that changes tonight as a series of heavy storms are predicted to come ashore through the next week. Rivers will rise again and anglers will watch carefully for that perfect window where the waters go from brown to green and a fresh batch of chrome is in the house.

Despite the unusual run of dry weather and the return of the usual yo-yo-ing river levels of late, the one constant has been the fish. The winter steelhead are in.

Are you feeling lucky?