Oregon Fly Fishing Report – Small Stream Outfitters & Guides

Spring is always a time of transition for Oregon fishermen and while it’s sad to see the Winter Steelhead disappear until next season, new exciting fly fishing opportunities abound. Rainbow and Cutthroat trout are now in full swing on Willamette Valley streams like the McKenzie; Coastal trout season opens this weekend; and the Clackamas already has good numbers of Summer Steelhead and Spring Chinook.

At Small Stream Outfitters we love to mix it up this time of year, go new places and try new techniques. As one of our new endeavors this Spring we’re going to try and find BIG schooling Sea-run cutthroat in their estuary Summer home. These fish are often targeted in these tidal areas on Washington’s Puget Sound but rarely on the Oregon Coast. We think we can find them and that it will provide another great opportunity for fly anglers during the Summer months. Who knows, maybe we’ll find a tidewater springer while we are at it.

In addition to experimenting a bit, prospects for our traditional Spring and Summer fisheries are good, if not excellent. Swinging flies on the Clackamas for Summer Steelhead has been very good and McKenzie trout fishing is always good this time of year.

To book a Spring/Summer Trout, Steelhead or Spring Chinook trip give us a call at 503.515.3533 or Email Us

Tributary Spring Chinook Salmon caught Mid-April, 2010 while Summer Steelheading. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good!

Yesterday we put in at dark-thirty in hopes of avoiding the heat and tempting a spring chinook to bite. Unfortunately, the chinook bite was off and has been for the last few days. We worked hard until 10am with no results and then switched over to steelhead and trout. The sun was already beating on the water and we were soaking it up in t-shirts and shorts. Not exactly the best Summer steelheading conditions. Still, my guest Bob got one really aggressive fish to go, which made the day for all of us. We dry fly fished for trout here and there and caught a few nice ones, although even the trout could feel the heat and rose more tentatively than normal.

As long as the heat wave continues concentrate efforts first thing in the morning and again when the sun is off the water. Smaller, darker patterns and lighter tippets are key. We are officially into summer conditions.

Contact us to book a Clackamas River Summer Steelhead and/or trout trip. 503.515.3533

My guide trip yesterday was a combo day of summer steelhead fishing and dry fly fishing for rainbow trout. Steelhead fishing was slightly tougher than it has been the last week or so, probably due mostly in part to the high pressure and warm weather. We hooked two beautiful fish and brought one to hand. A chrome bright 30.5″ hatchery fish. It was Jim’s largest fish of his life and I was pleased to be a part of it. His excitement made my day!

We switched over to an assortment of size 14 brown and black caddis dry flies around 10:00 and had a blast catching rainbows on 4 weights. The trout were extremely aggressive yesterday and we literally caught dozens of trout between 10″ and 13″. We even caught a 15″ whitefish on a dry. Now that’s looking up!

It was another great day on the water! To book a Summer Steelhead or Summer Steelhead/Rainbow Trout trip on the Clackamas River call 503.515.3533 or email info@smallstreamoutfitters.com

The Clackamas has dropped down to more typical June flows over the last couple weeks (at 12.2 as of this morning) and fish are beginning to transition from high water spots to their regular Summer hiding places. While spooky, the fish still bite well when presented to in stealth mode.

The bite has varied day to day with the changes in weather and fishing pressure. Yesterday, we were able to find some unpressured fish under cloudy skies and had a fantastic morning, hooking five and landing three. We weren’t able to get any to go on a dry line waking fly, but we’ll keep trying, remembering those moments of top water brilliance last Summer.

We were done steelheading around 10am, just in time to catch an incredible caddis (size 14 brown) and green drake hatch (size 8). The soft current edges came alive with rising trout. We broke out the 4wts and had non-stop dry fly action for the next hour. It was a blast and a great way to close out the morning!

To book a Clackamas River Summer Steelhead/Trout combo trip call 503.515.3533 or email us

After a couple weeks of typical high water from Spring run-off, the local west slope Cascade streams are now coming into shape nicely. The Clackamas started fishing well for Summer Steelhead a couple weeks ago and continues to produce fish daily. Action is fair-good. This fishery should continue to produce good numbers of Summer Steelhead in the coming weeks. Spring Chinook action has been slow. Trout fishing is fair and will continue to improve as the water drops and concentrates the fish.

The McKenzie is finally below 3.0 feet and fishing well. As usual it is heavily stocked and will fly fish well for hatchery and native trout all Summer. This is a great trip for beginning anglers, kids and families. Fish can be caught on a variety of methods and fly patterns. We love to fish hopper/dropper style or strip streamers for these fiesty trout.

To book a Summer Steelhead or Trout trip, please call 503.515.3533

Tight Lines,
Small Stream Outfitters Guide Staff