Freestone · Volcanic · Oregon

McKenzie River

The clear blue-green McKenzie River flowing over boulders through a dense conifer forest in Oregon.
Prime · Steelhead
McKenzie Special · 12–16
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.32 mLast reading 14h ago
  • Water temp12.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
MS
McKenzie Special12–16
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.32 m
Last reading 14h ago
Water temp12.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather22°C
WindNW 7 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Ideal
12.0°Cideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Trout spring through autumn (caddis and green drake hatches); hatchery summer steelhead summer into fall.
Where
The McKenzie is the friendly face of Oregon trout fishing — a cold, fast, drift-boat river running clear out of the Cascades through the Willamette Valley,…
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 2 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2
American March BrownHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Steelhead fly box
MS
McKenzie SpecialTop
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Year-round; hatchery Chinook/steelhead retainable, wild steelhead over 24" rules, bait/artificial changes by season/reach
  • Verify ODFW Willamette Zone.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Gallery · 2
  1. The clear blue-green McKenzie River flowing over boulders through a dense conifer forest in Oregon.
    McKenzie River, Oregon
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

The summer steelhead here are a HATCHERY lane, not a wild run — Skamania-stock smolts have been released since 1972 and most returning fish are hatchery-produced. We score them as a legitimate, harvestable introduced fishery, distinct from the wild-steelhead rivers in this pack. The native fish are the redside rainbows and cutthroat; wild steelhead over 24 inches are also present. Do not market this as wild-steelhead heartland.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
  • Fish consumption: Impaired
What this classification means

Fish consumption: Consumption advisory (Mercury) — fish for sport, not the table.

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'McKenzie River' (OR_SR_1709000407_02_103884), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Temperature, Oxygen Depletion, pH Acidity Caustic Conditions, Mercury. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · OR_SR_1709000407_02_103884

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time8013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity6412% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts