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.

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

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

For week May 6 12, catch didn't pick up until end of week when the river cleared up. Best area for catch last week was Oregon City.

Preliminary catch/effort estimates below Willamette Falls (including Multnomah Channel):

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.

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 29-May 5 preliminary catch/effort:

Quite a few McKenzie Green Caddis out this afternoon. PMDs, Brown Caddis and a few late March Browns were on the water after 2pm. The high cold water is beginning to dissipate, look for hungry fish to start looking up more. Dry fly fishing has been tough, but later in the day more fish are active on the surface. This trend is only going to improve! Have fun out there.

High water and cold water temps have been the norm of late. Fishing has still held up on the McKenzie River near Eugene. Blips of sunshine have shown whats to come. Pale Morning Duns, Green McKenzie Caddis, stonefly adults, Little Yellow Stones and assorted caddis have been emerging. With the nice weather to come, we should see a lot more in terms of hatches in the near term.

Water temps have remained really cold. During the day water temps move up and fishing has been best between 1-6pm. Once the current melt off related to all the recent rains pushes through, we will see temps move up, and remain more stable. Temps in the 46-51 range give us more productive fishing the entire day.

Levels seem to have crested so look for lower water in the days ahead.

Nymphing remains the most productive method. Make sure you have black and brown stonefly nymphs, and get them near the bottom. Its time to start thinking hopper dropper over pure strike indicator set-ups as fish will smash a big salmon or golden stonefly. Have fun out there!

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