This year's El Nino weather pattern has resulted in a limited snowpack and low-water conditions on all the streams draining the Cascades. The lower McKenzie has already been producing some great redsides of late, and unseasonably warm air and water temperatures bode well for an early onset of the annual March Brown Mayfly emergence.
With water conditions perfect, it looks like this could be a season to remember out there!
Winter steelheading has also been exceptional this year, with productive outings far outnumbering skunkings for most anglers. On Friday, February 5th, my old friend and college roommate, Willie Tiffany, joined me and Cricket for a float down the Siletz. The weather was perfect and calm, we never saw another boat, and we had several encounters with the elusive winter steelhead. And, hey, Willie even landed one of those fish to put the icing on that cake!
Winter is feeling a lot like spring around here these days. The scent of daphne is in the air, the daffodils are rising, and the Magnolia trees are set to burst into bloom. We could be due for a return engagement of winter weather, but from where I'm sitting, I'd say the fishing forecast is quite sunny!
