Willamette River
Coast Fork

COAST FORK WILLAMETTE RIVER: Chinook, summer steelhead, trout

Will be stocked the week of May 20, with 750 hatchery rainbow trout. The river is open to fishing all year for trout, hatchery Chinook salmon, hatchery steelhead and wild steelhead over 24 inches. Use of bait allowed April 22 Oct. 31 but beginning Nov. 1 anglers may only use lures and artificial flies. In addition to five hatchery trout, two wild trout may be kept daily. Last updated 5/1/24.

In this video, Simon ties a great extended body Salmonfly dry fly. Every spring some of the Wests largest aquatic insects make their emergence. The salmonfly often marks the beginning of trout season, and means summer is on the way. Here in Oregon, you may have plans to hit the Deschutes, Rogue, or Umpqua for their legendary Salmonfly hatches. Most of the Western United States sees these insects at some point in the spring. It can be a busy event on some rivers, especially during the height of the hatch. Although the Chubby Cheronobyl is a fantastic fly, during this hatch, these fish see countless Chubbies every day. This is where the Mothership Salmonfly makes a huge difference. The long, extended, and segmented body looks far more natural than other dries often thrown during the hatch. When fish are refusing everything else, a more realistic fly like this can save the day. Fish this fly aggressively near brush, trees, and grassy banks, slapping it on the water suggestive of a salmonfly that just fell in.

The fly features a long shank, wide gap Ahrex hook which is fantastic for this type of foam fly. Hareline Hi-Float Foam is new for 2024 and is ultra buoyant and more durable than past types. This fly is ultra buoyant and would make a great dry for a dry dropper setup. During the sun and heat in the middle of the day on the Lower Deschutes things can slow down. Consider running a dropper below the Mothership Salmonfly. A Small caddis nymph, or a frenchie would be a great choice during the salmonfly hatch. This general blueprint can be repurposed for other stonefly species as well: Gold Stones, Skwalas, Shortwing Stones, Nocturnal Stones, Etc. Tie some up, let us know on instagram how they turn out. Even better, tag us on instagram to show us some big redbands with the Mothership Salmonfly in their mouth on the Lower D this spring!

Mothership Salmonfly

Hook- Ahrex 570 Dry Long: Size 4

Thread- Semperfli Nanosilk Black: 50D

Body- Hareline 2mm Hi Float Foam Orange, Antron Dub: Orange, Hareline 1mm Ultra Thin Fly Foam: Black, Hareline Webwing: Medium Dun, Copic Markers: Pale Sepia, Blue, Copper, Loctite Brush On

Wing- Montana Fly Company Widows Web: Grey, Hareline Krystal Flash: Rootbeer, and Hareline Mule Deer Hair

Legs- Montana Fly Company Medium Barred Sexi-Floss: Orange

Glue- Loctite Brush On

Additional Tools- Stonfo Extended Body Tool, Hareline Bobbin Threader, and Dr Slick Bodkin

Bobbin- Smhaen Tension Bobbin

Vise- Renzettti Traveler 2304

COAST FORK WILLAMETTE RIVER: Chinook, summer steelhead, trout

Will be stocked the week of April 15 with 750 hatchery rainbow trout. The river is open to fishing all year for trout, hatchery Chinook salmon, hatchery steelhead, and wild steelhead over 24 inches. Use of bait allowed April 22 Oct. 31 but beginning Nov. 1 anglers may only use lures and artificial flies. In addition to five hatchery trout, two wild trout may be kept daily. Last updated 4/10/24.

MIDDLE FORK WILLAMETTE RIVER: trout, salmon, steelhead, Chinook

WILLAMETTE RIVER: catch-and-release sturgeon, steelhead, spring Chinook, coho, small and largemouth bass

For week of April 15-21 preliminary catch/effort:

There is no rush to get out there on these cold mornings. I kept close track of water temps yesterday with my new Fishpond Digital Thermometer and there was a swing from 45-50 degrees between 830 and 5pm. Once water temps moved to 47-48 degrees, Grannom Caddis, Blue Winged Olives, and March Browns were present. Needless to say fishing improved. Nymphing was the most productive method for us yesterday.

Water levels remain excellent, and the forecast is for cold nights to end in the next couple of days. Fishing should really ramp up when we see nighttime temps move into the 40s.

Best Fly Patterns to have on hand for the McKenzie and Willamette include: Jigged Girdle Bug, CDC Hot Spot Pheasant Tail, Crostons Full Metal Jacket, Split Case BWO, Extended Body March Brown, Hi and Dry Western March Brown, Morrishs May Day March Brown, Beadhead March Brown Emerger, March Brown Soft Hackle Spider, Klinkhammer March Brown, Possie Bugger, Antonios Superman Caddis, Black Caddis, Burkus Bearback Rider.