Mckenzie
One of the many great things about fishing the Mckenzie River is that there is a wide variety of scenery and water types allowing for the use of multiple tactics throughout your day.
Each stretch of the Mckenzie River from Blue River to the confluence with the Willamette River near Eugene offers a different feel and a different experience. The Mckenzie near the town of Blue River is a young, steep river with boulder strewn runs, broad tailouts and a close, intimate feel. This stretch of river is home to wild cutthroat trout, wild redside trout and hatchery rainbow trout as well as the occasional bull trout.
From below Leaburg Dam to Hendricks Bridge Wayside, the Mckenzie River undergoes a drastic transformation. Near the dam, the Mckenzie River has large basalt cliffs and boulders, deep pools and short, swift riffles. The closer you get to Hendricks Bridge Wayside near the town of Walterville, the river broadens out and has more of an agricultural feel. This stretch is home to Spring Chinook Salmon, Summer Steelhead, wild cutthroat trout, wild redside trout, and hatchery rainbow trout.
From Hendricks Bridge Wayside, to the confluence with the Willamette River, the Mckenzie River meanders through the towns of Springfield and Eugene. The scenery here ranges from agricultural to industrial and depending upon the time of the year, you may be the only ones on your stretch of river. This stretch of river is famous for its wild redside trout and wild cutthroat trout and its prolific march brown mayfly hatch.
Central Oregon Lakes
Central Oregon offers some truly unique opportunities where you can fish inside an active volcano for trout or kokanee, chase trophy Mackinaw and Kokanee at Odell Lake (about 75 minutes east of Eugene), or target the famous Cranebow at Crane Prairie (about 2 hours east of Eugene). All Central Oregon trips will be booked through Day One Outdoors which operates under a special use permit issued by Deschutes National Forest. Please contact us to learn how to book these trips!