Mckenzie reports?

[everett464]

This is just a general opening weekend thread I wanted to start to get some output on the Mack. Anybody fishing this gem yet?

I headed out to Hayden Bridge today, and spent some time early nymphing, and then later threw out some dry flies.

My nymphs (a homemade golden-stone/mega-prince hybrid) got quite a bit of attention, but mostly from pinner rainbows. The dry fly did not get quite as much action, but a few fishies gave it looks, I just didn't connect with anything.

I did get hooked up with one monster early in my trip: I am going to assume it was a great-white shark. I threw out an ugly little roll cast, and was drawing in my line to try again, when I saw my indicator go down. I set my hook, and moby-dick proceeded to take me out to about 3/4 of my backing before I put too much pressure on him and he broke off, all in about 10 seconds. It was so exciting, considering I was trout fishing, that I didn't even curse about the lost indicator.

 

[natro]

Well I went out in the afternoon for a few hours today. I planned on getting up early and heading out, but ended up sleeping in. By the time I got out to the river it was around 5pm. I started at a spot just up above that little utilities station below the dam. There was a couple there who had 4 trout total, while I was there I watched them land 2. They were using single eggs. I stayed with my thomas lure, but didn't get anything. After about an hour or so I went up to that white bridge that crosses the river, and while there a guy doing surveys came and talked to me. He said out of the people he talked to there hadn't been too many fish caught. Not even on the park side of Leaburg lake. So I decided to head back to my original spot. When I got there there were 2 new people there, and when I talked to them they said that the hatchery was stocking the river in a different way than usual. They said that the guys stocking were floating the river and released a few here and there throughout the river. There were a lot of little guys jumping out of the river, but I never caught anything. Left @ about 7:45 pm. Maybe I'll actually get up early this time so I have more time to fish.

 

[natro]

I went back out in the afternoon today. Stopped up at a spot a few minutes up past the dam, I was out there for about an hour, with no luck. It was getting late so I decided to do a bit of exploring, and headed back down the river a ways. Found a nice little spot and gave it a try for about 20 minutes or so. No luck but had a nice sized spawned out fish come swimming right past me and gave 2 little vertical jumps out of the water. It hung out about 10 feet in front of me for about 30 seconds or so, then headed back down river. Thought that was pretty cool to see. It was the first time for me in person to see a good sized fish in the river. So the day wasn't a total bust, got to see a decent sized fish, and found me a new fishing hole.

 

[everett464]

Nice, he was spunky it sounds like, which is always a good sign from a down river fishie.

 

[natro]

Yeah, it gave 2 little jumps. The whole body didn't completely make it out of the water but he tried! LOL. I'm not sure if it was trying to follow my spoon or if it was just making it's way. I'm guessing it would of been about a 6lb fish.

 

[mosd]

took the jet boat out today, launch at hayes lane and boated all the way up to hayden bridge, then back trolled all the way back. didn't really get into any fish till just below armatige park, theres a nice flat just there, that we hit pretty hard. got a lot of cutts the biggest being 17", with a lone pellet head stocker. all where c/r.

 

[Thuggin4Life]

Can't really tell but that almost looks like greenwood. way to go everyone who got out. I also heard this stocking thing last year and it makes more sense to put fish in all the holes and even holes that are hard to get to so maybe in several years they could be some big ones hiding out. i bet you hooked a steelhead and not a shark lol.

 

[everett464]

Maybe it was a steelhead, but I am not ruling out shark, or perhaps cthulhu.

 

[natro]

That area I was at was just upriver from the deerhorn boat launch if i remember right. I recognize the name greenwood, but can't think of where exactly that's at off the top of my head. Is that the area by the golf course? I also just thought I'd mention that I was doing a search online for some salmon & steelhead info for the McKenzie and I found a site called gameandfishmag.com. If you type in McKenzie River in the search area on the site, there's a pretty good article where the author took a guided trip on the McKenzie for Springers. It was written in 2006, but in the article it gives specific names of areas on the river where they were at. There are also other articles about the river.

 

[everett464]

I think the area by the golf course is actually called "Deerhorn," with "Greenwood," being the area by the boat-ramp, a mile or so East of there. This may be wrong, but it is what I have collected over the years.

 

[flyfisherman4]

i am heading out friday hinking the mckenzie mabey i have a drift baoat whats a good productive float for fly fishing were very expierenced in fly fishing just not the river!

 

[everett464]

Mega Pince, Prince, or a golden stone nymph in the morning. Starting about noon, green caddis dries in an #8, or #10.

 

[everett464]

ahhh, I'm an idiot. You wanted a float, not a fly.

you could put in pretty much anywhere, and get action. Are you thinking about staying in town, or getting upriver a little? You could pretty much float all the way from Leaburg to Hayden Bridge, in a half day. The Deerhorn boat launch is a pretty common area to put in.

 

[JeannaJigs]

Yeah I think you were fishin' the greenwood hole. Very productive spot for springers, and there's a nice seem opposite the boat ramp that holds steelhead consistently. Deerhorn is quite a ways downriver.

 

[natro]

Here's another quick pic. The water was pretty swift upriver, and calmed a little bit as it went downriver. The water was pretty deep off those rocks. Anyways... I'll probably try this area more here in the near future.

 

[plumb2fish]

across deerhorn bridge upstream 1/2 a mile or so is where that spot is.

 

[everett464]

err... On the Mac? I don't know that there is right now. Maybe way up river, but Bank access becomes an issue. In my experience, it is a boat river.

 

[natro]

Plumb2fish was right on my pics, I went up there a few days ago and found the greenwood hole. That sure is a nice looking spot. The water was really high but the color was real good. It's too bad you have to pay to park at most of the decent parking spots along the river, at least at the areas of the river I've checked out so far.

 

[Outdrsmn]

ahhh, I'm an idiot. You wanted a float, not a fly.

you could put in pretty much anywhere, and get action. Are you thinking about staying in town, or getting upriver a little? You could pretty much float all the way from Leaburg to Hayden Bridge, in a half day. The Deerhorn boat launch is a pretty common area to put in.

Leaburg to hayden in a HALF DAY? dont think so dude.

 

[everett464]

You're probably right, it might be a little longer than that.

Still, I am pretty sure I have put in first thing, and taken out around one or two before.