T
TheBigFoote
What are you fishing for?
Mckenzie trout....anything below Hendricks bridge shouldn't pose much difficulty and anything below Hayden bridge is easy.
Willamette trout and steelhead....jasper to d street is easy. Dexter all the way down isn't hard by any means but there are a couple bigger Rapid but it gives you better salmon options.
Let me know more specifics and I can help more.
I don't know about techniques from a pontoon but if you want salmon you'll want to fish between leaburg dam and the golf course on the Mckenzie or Dexter dam and Clearwater park on the Willamette. Both of thos stretches are the technical water of each river.
Also:
You should become familiar with the Hayden Bridge to Harvest Lane float for trout. It's very productive for how short it is.
Honestly on a river its more about moving down the river and getting out to wade or trolling big slow water, you do most fishing standing in water unless its real slow. I have seen the water down from leaburg dam, I have also seen a dirft boat pinned on a rock in the middle of the river in front on the McKenzie cottages, definitely not comfortable in water like that. I got a picture of it, this was 2-3 weeks ago. Is the water from dexter to say the pengra boat launch this tough?
Sounds like you should target trout and bring a steelhead rod with you and hit the lower stretches of rivers then. Focus on hayden bridge down to Armitage. hayden to harvest is great trout water (remember the big fish have to swim through it too) Or you should be checking out jasper town to d street like Jamie said above. If you don't want big boulders and rock shelfs to avoid along with some swirl holes and rock walls, the lower sectios with bigger water and more flat water will be your friend.
Take the advice of @rippin fish lips . Get your confidence level up and then move upstream.
I have floated every section of both the Mckenzie and willy many a times. You sound like you are a little concerned about what" might be around the next corner" that's a good thing. I have a rule that I don't row a new section of water until I see it first. This does two things tells you " I can run this" and you'll have a much more enjoyable trip or " this is over my head I need more time on the sticks" and you get to live another day. You can get a hold of me before any of you trips and I can help walk you down the runs your thinking about doing. As for how does a new guy get started very cautionly these rivers have no conscious and will eat your boat at there first opportunity.
Ps there are plenty of fish around just don't tell anyone