Any luck on the McKenzie?

N
natro
Haven't had a chance to get on the river in awhile, I was just curious if anybody has been having any luck on the river. I think I'm going to try to hit the river tomorrow, try to fish it before everybody & their mother gets up there for the weekend.
 
N
natro
I've had an interesting couple of days on the river. Spent yesterday and today fishing just around the corner from the Leaburg electric station there on the river. If anybody knows that hole they know that there is a large group of rocks that go out into the river in that deep hole. I was plunking eggs right off to the right of those rocks. There was a guy though fishing on those rocks. Pretty soon his buddy came down and sat with him while he fished. After awhile I just happen to look over at them, and the guy fishing was trying to make his way around the side of the rocks. Well, as he's walking, all of a sudden he squats down a little bit, setting his pole down, all in one motion, and just launches off those rocks doing a dive head first into the water! I saw that and I'm thinking to myself "what in the hell ?". He pops up out of the water, doing this doggy paddle/treading water move, and yells to his buddy to help him. So his buddy grabs him, and pulls him to the rocks. He climbs up on the rocks, and I said to him "what in the hell was that? Are you ok?" He said that his sunglasses fell into the water, and when he reached down to get them, he slipped. He knew he was going in the water, so he just lept off the rocks doing a dive head first. All of us started busting up laughing, and he asked me if I got it on my phone. I said "no", and he said I should have, we probably could have turned it into America's Funniest Home Videos and won 10 grand. I'm glad the guys alright, but I have to admit that it was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. Even his buddy didn't know what he was doing, because to him it looked like he set his pole down and just lept off the rocks into the water. Never did get any bites or anything that day though (Friday).
Then today I went out to the same spot, got there around 6:30 am, and was the first one there. Just a bit after I got there a fish made a HUGE splash in the water about 25 feet in front of me. About an hour after that a drift boat came towards me and I made the mistake of opening my mouth about the fish splashing in front of me, because as soon as I said that the navigator says to his partners "We gotta try it right here". So they proceed to pull in their boat and tie off about 12 feet away from me. Then the 3 of them proceed to float eggs right in front of me & across my pathway of where I was plunking and catching my line 3 times. It didn't help that a little after they started that, that about 30 feet downriver from us another salmon came out of the water. So all this continued for about 45 minutes. I felt like saying something to them, but didn't. Eventually they left with no luck. A little over an hour later another salmon popped up out of the water, but more towards the middle of the river. Tried to get him to hit but had no luck. For all I know the 2nd and 3rd salmon sighting could have been the same fish, I don't know. It looked just a bit dark, but not bad at all, and I would guess would have been in the lower 20's lb range for it's size. So it wasn't a bad day, couldn't beat the weather, didn't ever get a fish or even a real good bite, but it was cool seeing them pop out of the water & letting me know they're in there.
 
L
Left Bank
Now that's hilarious!!! So did he get his sunglasses?
 
N
natro
Hahaha, no he didn't. He was pretty upset about that too. I guess that was his 2nd pair he's lost right there too.
 
troutdude
troutdude
One would that after losing one pair, he'd wear those wrap around gizmo's so he didn't lose another pair...DUH!

BTW, I tip my hat too you. I would've been mad as hell when those other moron's horned in like that!
 
N
natro
Yeah I think he learned his lesson. You couldn't pay me to jump in the water right there. The water's all nice on top, but you can tell it's swirling and doing all kinds of stuff underneath the surface. Luckily he just lived up the road so he could change, but he didn't come back. I was pretty irritated with the boaters just moving in with their boat like that. They were pretty nice people, just a dumb move I think moving in right on top of me and where I was at. If I had a boat and I saw someone there I think I would have just moved on. I'm thinking about heading out and trying to see if I can get something in the afternoon bite right now.
 
R
radiation
I've fished there before myself. I have had better luck there for trout than steelies or salmon. I've had experienced the same thing myself with boats. Some are real courteous and will make a point to go way around me when they see I have a line in the water. But I have had guys slide right into my fshing hole. It seems that the majority of them are either noobies or guides, No offense to the courteous guides but it seems that quite a few of them seem to think that since they are getting paid to do this, then they should have dibs on the good spots. I paid for those fish in my taxes just like they did. Sorry, just venting!
 
troutdude
troutdude
Hey, we understand. I'd personally be tempted to throw something at someone that did that.

There is NO EXCUSE for draggin right over a bankie's line, or sitting on top of there spot. They've got the whole damn river, and we only have that one spot!
 
J
JodysaHoser
Fished for about 3 hours near the dam. 2 nice native trout but no steelies. I was tossing number 4 and 3 spinners in every color I had. Lots, lots, lots of boats but that is expected so I left mine at home.
 
N
natro
Went out for the afternoon bite. Figured out how to get to where everyone goes down below by the hatchery. It was a bit crowded, but figured I'd try for a little while. Right as I showed up a guy was leaving with a beautiful steelie. It had to be at least 10 lbs. He said he got it on corkie and yarn that morning. Saw 1 more steelie caught, but it started to get crowded so I decided to try elsewhere. Decided to try a little upriver but opposite side. Fished there for about an hour and a half, and during that time I had 1 real good hit plunking eggs. Just as it started to get a little dark out the salmon @ steelhead started jumping. Too bad it was getting dark and time to go home. Plan on hitting it again early tomorrow morning.
 
C
chrishophoto
natro said:
Yeah I think he learned his lesson. You couldn't pay me to jump in the water right there. The water's all nice on top, but you can tell it's swirling and doing all kinds of stuff underneath the surface. Luckily he just lived up the road so he could change, but he didn't come back. I was pretty irritated with the boaters just moving in with their boat like that. They were pretty nice people, just a dumb move I think moving in right on top of me and where I was at. If I had a boat and I saw someone there I think I would have just moved on. I'm thinking about heading out and trying to see if I can get something in the afternoon bite right now.

I think that next time I am asked by some dude in a motor boat about my luck, I'll mention that I saw a bunch of fish rising right over there (a.k.a. someplace way out of the way in a zone I know won't produce any fish), and see if I can get the same response.:lol:
 
troutdude
troutdude
chrishophoto said:
I think that next time I am asked by some dude in a motor boat about my luck, I'll mention that I saw a bunch of fish rising right over there (a.k.a. someplace way out of the way in a zone I know won't produce any fish), and see if I can get the same response.:lol:

Great idea! That outta do the trick!!!:whistle::whistle::whistle:
 
troutdude
troutdude
Hey nate, you're probably out there now. Hope you bag one or two today!
 
T
TTFishon
troutdude said:
Hey, we understand. I'd personally be tempted to throw something at someone that did that.

There is NO EXCUSE for draggin right over a bankie's line, or sitting on top of there spot. They've got the whole damn river, and we only have that one spot!

I would've said something and thrown rocks in the water!!! I've done it before and I will do it again!!!
 
troutdude
troutdude
Like we say at work...

SOP! <standard operating procedure>
 
S
smokypot100
natro said:
Haven't had a chance to get on the river in awhile, I was just curious if anybody has been having any luck on the river. I think I'm going to try to hit the river tomorrow, try to fish it before everybody & their mother gets up there for the weekend.

I fished the Mckenzie on Saturday on private property below Hayden Bridge. In 45 minutes with a Thomas lure I landed 4 Native cutthroat 12-14 inches, 1- 15 inch native rainbow, and another native rainbow prolly 8 inches or so.
 
N
natro
I just got back from the river. Fished a little ways below the dam. Got there around 6 am. Ended up catching 2 nice trout, but kicked em both back. I saw a little bit of action in front of me, as in not anybody catching anything, but salmon jumping. There was a guy off to the side of me that was just slaying the trout drifting a worm. I ended up catching my trout with a spin glo and roe. Wasn't what I was going for but glad I caught something. Watched 1 salmon darn near jump into a guys boat. The guy had his kid with him and they both got a big kick out of that. Never tried them before til today, but I also tried some store bought prawn tails with a spin glo. Has anybody had any luck using the store bought ones? I tried a few of them today, but didn't have much confidence in them so I quickly switched back over to roe. I've heard that when the fish hit the prawns they go for the head, so I'm pretty sure I wasted $3 on those prawn tails. Talked to 2 guys in the morning, and they both indicated that Dexter is the place to be right now for salmon. Never been there myself though.
 
Last edited:
N
natro
Dextor Reservoir
 
M
Mike123
I'm hearing the below Dexter is pretty killer right now for them nooks. Ima bout to say screw the south s. and head that way.
 
N
natro
Maybe that's where they were both talking about. The first guy I talked to said he saw another guy catch 2 salmon in just under an hour. The 2nd group I talked to said if you go there you better pick your rock early, because it gets to be shoulder to shoulder fishing.
 

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