McKenzie in August

[Harry]

Thinking about going to the Vida area in mid-August to do some fishing and rafting. Can anyone tell me what the water level would be like at that time? Thanks

 

[Raincatcher]

Unless we get a good amount of rain, most of the rivers are going to be sketchy for the rest of the summer. Your best bet is to keep checking back. I was in Oregon City yesterday and was shocked by the extremely low water level. There was virtually no water going over the falls. I think it's going to be like that all over the state, especially by August.

 

[hobster]

It will be scary, it already is. The fishing will be horrible also...don't mean to be a downer but it is just reality. Honestly i don't think ayone will know how low it will be, this has not happened in any of our lifetimes.

 

[jamisonace]

You'll be fine in a raft. Trout will still be stocked so check the schedule. Lower River will be a good choice from deerhorn to Hendricks. Again, check the stocking schedule for the best fishing.

 

[sapo]

It will be scary, it already is. The fishing will be horrible also...don't mean to be a downer but it is just reality. Honestly i don't think ayone will know how low it will be, this has not happened in any of our lifetimes.

That's a bit of an exaggeration..The Mckenzie is low but not as low as many other rivers, it is usually a more stable river than most. The fishing won't be horrible at all, actually I bet if Harry goes in August he'll have a good time. But yes this is a very dry year, the fishing in most rivers will probably be worse than it usually is but I've had excellent success trout fishing in the past weeks. Don't make it out to be more horrible than it is.

 

[JeannaJigs]

Being dam controlled helps the mckenzie, but it's already at what would be a normal august flow, and it's not even July. The river levels statewide are in a dire situation. All you can do is get your hands on an inflatable and fish low. I'm not a fan of beating the heck out of my drift boat on rocks, so I'm kinda glad I purchased another pontoon boat to fish this summer.

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[Harry]

Thanks for all of the information. This is not planned to be a serious fishing trip. Was hoping to do some bank fishing and then take a raft trip with my wife. Looks like that may still work. Any suggestions for a nice lake in central Oregon that has places with cabins for rent. We are going to Odell in a couple of weeks

 

[jamisonace]

Bank fishing can be fun at Ben and Doris Kay park about 3 miles upstream from Vida. There are cabins at crescent lake and Odell. Lots of places to choose from up there.

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[hobster]

That's a bit of an exaggeration..The Mckenzie is low but not as low as many other rivers, it is usually a more stable river than most. The fishing won't be horrible at all, actually I bet if Harry goes in August he'll have a good time. But yes this is a very dry year, the fishing in most rivers will probably be worse than it usually is but I've had excellent success trout fishing in the past weeks. Don't make it out to be more horrible than it is.

Exaggeration...............maybe, but there are places that have never recorded such a low snow pack since being recorded as this year. I was reffering more to the water temps. Fish get lethargic and are hard to catch when the water temps are so high. The salmon are dying off already in some rivers. I usually don't fish the rivers that late in the summer unless it's for smallies. I know it will be stocked but how long will those weak planters last if it keeps heating up? This summer has been HOT already, breaking records around here weekly.
Anyway, i hope you have fun Harry and catch some fish. Agree, Ben and Kay is a great bank spot and there is some fairly deep water there, good luck!

 

[JeannaJigs]

The mckenzie will not vary this year in temp a whole lot, it's an underground source. It's the filthy willamette that's killing everything, it's too warm down low.

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[jamisonace]

This is true but in the last week the McKenzie had gone up by two degrees. That is significant over 7 days. The trout might not care much but I haven't gotten a salmon to bite hard enough to stick on my last two trips.

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[Harry]

Looks like we will keep the McKenzie plans. We are going to Odell in two weeks and then to the MCkenzie in early August. If nothing else, this will orient me to the McKenzie, so I can return when the fishing is better

 

[GaryP1958]

Saw huge schools of steelhead smolts low in the Slaw today they do adapt!

 

[sapo]

Exaggeration...............maybe, but there are places that have never recorded such a low snow pack since being recorded as this year. I was reffering more to the water temps. Fish get lethargic and are hard to catch when the water temps are so high. The salmon are dying off already in some rivers. I usually don't fish the rivers that late in the summer unless it's for smallies. I know it will be stocked but how long will those weak planters last if it keeps heating up? This summer has been HOT already, breaking records around here weekly.
Anyway, i hope you have fun Harry and catch some fish. Agree, Ben and Kay is a great bank spot and there is some fairly deep water there, good luck!

Lol, I have some of my best success in the hot months of summer..Caught 30 in a day on the Mckenzie last August, last year wasn't as dry as this year but the snowpack was very pathetic last year also. Salmon die every year, it's just exaggerated this year but it's not like 50% of all salmon are dead from warm temps..But yep June was our hottest June on record, 25 dry days in a row and we had our hottest low temp for June, 71 degrees.
Yep have fun Harry!!! If you fly fish for trout, caddis and pheasant tails (maybe a dry/dropper??) are a great choice on the Mckenzie.

 

[Harry]

Thanks, Sapo. I do have fly fishing tackle and this seems like a good opportunity to give it a try