2026 Events & Outings
Cleawox Lake
Fish Masters: Phil Johnson
Contact: 541-554-8256 (phone/text)
Come join in for the first club outing for 2026. The lake is 3 miles south of Florence at Honeyman state park. ODFW is planning to stock the lake with trout the 2 weeks before our fishing day. Last year we had good success casting with sinking lines using a variety of woolly bugger leach patterns in black and green, seal bugger in green and orange, carey specials and a variety of nymphs below a strike indicator. There is limited shore access so a boat, float tube or pontoon boat is the best way to get over the fish. When signing up for the outing indicate if you have a boat or are a passenger needing to pair up with a boat.
You will need a parking permit you can purchase at the kiosk past the boat launch. You will also need a camp type chair, your own bowls, cups and utensils to enjoy the Chili and corn bread lunch. We will plan lunch for 1:00 pm. Fishing can be catch and release, take home 5 fish per angler, or donate your catch to the raptor center.
Please RSVP if you plan to join us by either the sign-up sheet at the MFF meeting in January or February, email us, or give us a call.
Munsel Lake
Fish Master: Jeff DeVore
Contact: oakcrk@aol.com, 541.505.2692
• Sunday, March 15, 2026
• Lunch 1:00 pm
• Munsel Lake OR, 97439 United States
All Mckenzie Flyfishers and their guests are invited to the annual rain-or-shine outing to Munsel Lake on the coast Sunday, March 15.
Munsel Lake can be reached off Highway 126 by driving North up the North Fork Siuslaw Road and then turning West onto Munsel Lake Road, or by driving North on Highway 101 and then turning East onto Munsel Lake Road - 62 miles from downtown Eugene and 1 hr 24 min down Hwy 126 and up the North Fork Rd.
An optional, no-host breakfast is held at the Three Rivers Casino coffee shop at 7:30 am. The Casino is just West of the intersection of Highway 126 and the North Fork Siuslaw Road. Turn right off the highway and drive up to the casino parking lot. Meet in the casino coffee shop for breakfast. There is a lot of room for boat trailers in the parking lot.
A lunch of hot dogs, beans and maybe brownies will be served at Munsel Lake County Park Boat Landing at 1:00 pm. Those of you who would rather try your luck (again) at Cleawox Lake in the morning can still participate in the 1:00 pm lunch at Munsel, so long as you sign up before Noon on Friday, March 13th.
The 2026 ODFW stocking schedule shows that 2,500 “legals” and 150 “trophy” rainbow trout will be stocked in Munsel Lake during the week of March 9-13. Bring your boat, float tube or kayak - there is very little shore fishing at Munsel Lake. Information on Oregon Coastal lakes trout fishing can be found on the Caddis Fly Blog.
Contact the Outing Host (see below) before 12:00 Noon on Friday, March 13th if you plan to attend the lunch at Munsel Lake County Park Boat Landing at 1:00 pm March 15th. A signup sheet will also be available at our regular club meeting at Wetlands Brewpub on Wednesday, February 18th.
If you have questions about the outing, call the Outing Host Jeff DeVore at (541) 343-3109 or (541) 505-2692 and leave a message, text at (541) 505-2692, or email at oakcrk@aol.com. If you have a vacant boat seat, or if you need a boat seat, please indicate that. The absolute last chance to sign up (or opt out) is noon on Friday, March 13th.
PS - Don’t forget to buy a Lane County Parks Pass. A day pass is $5.00 or an annual pass is $40.00 ($20.00 for age 62 and older). Passes can be purchased on line at www.lanecounty.org/parks or at several local vendors, including Bi-Mart, Cabelas, and REI.
Bill Nelson Memorial Breakfast & Float
Fish Master: Jim Rhoten & Steve Hackett
Contact: jerhoten@yahoo.com, 541.484.1407
The Bill Nelson Memorial Float, a name change for the annual March Brown outing, to honor our club’s founder. Start the day off with breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon and fixings, served from 9 to 10 am at Hendricks Bridge Park on the McKenzie. We’ve reserved the shelter for the day, ensuring we’ll have a dry area with picnic tables available. Show up for breakfast and conversation, even if you don’t intend to float and fish!
Boaters can float any section of the McKenzie they chose. If you have questions about possible hazards or a section that best fits your skill level, please let Jim Rhoten know. You could always follow another member who’s done that section of the river recently. We can coordinate and help each other with the shuttles during the breakfast.
The Deschutes River
Fish Master: Greg Williams
Contact: gregoryw@comcast.net, 541.729.1122
The club outing to the Deschutes River is scheduled for Thursday, May 29-Sunday, June 1, at Mecca Flat Campground. The weekend after Memorial Day has several advantages for us: We need some space between this outing and the Crooked River outing, we need to skip the Mother's Day weekend, and it will be best for us to avoid the the salmonfly circus, which is usually in mid-May. It's fun to fish the hatch, but if you go on a weekend you'll find almost as many fishermen as salmonflys. Mecca Flat does not take reservations, so strategic selection of campsites will be important for our large group. A few us will go a day early. If we secure three specific sites, we will have almost half the area of the campground for our group.
A float from Warm Springs to Trout Creek in a pontoon boat, drift boast or raft makes for a delightful day of fishing. We can arrange shuttles for those who would like to do the easy seven-mile float.
There is a surprising amount of good wading water around Warm Springs, including day-permit access to the Reservation side of the river, starting at Dry Creek, about a mile down-river from Mecca. This area can be reached either by float or by a short hike. And if that's not enough water for you, a good trail for hiking or biking runs all the way from Mecca Flat to Trout Creek. There are plenty of great rainbows, but the Warm Springs area is fished hard, so bring your A-game and your confidence patterns. Don’t forget those Percolaters, TJ Hookers and and Disco Walts!
Mecca Flat is a sparse campground. There is another option for camping, if you prefer something more developed. The fly shop at Warm Springs has a camping area that accommodates both tents and RVs, with full hookups. It's also more expensive than Mecca Flat, and it's not on the river.
Mecca Flat is green and beautiful in mid-May. The desert air smells of sage and spring. The shrubbery is full of birds, and sometimes at night we hear coyotes yipping in the canyon. An evening campfire is still allowed at Mecca Flat in May. Please join us. For more information contact Greg Williams.
Umpqua River
Fish Masters: Carolyn Mason and Steve Hackett
Join Carolyn and Steve for a great time fishing for the tough fighting small mouth bass, with opportunities for hooking a shad.
This campground has 10 gravel camp sites with tables and firepits, no hook ups. There is a large pavilion with water, electricity, picnic tables, BBQ and a large fire pit. The group site has a capacity of 100 people, so there should be plenty of room for tents and RVs to spread out over the 10 sites. We will plan a group meal for Saturday with a menu to be announced.
River access at the campground is walk & wade only. However, there are 3 launch sites within short distances to allow other walk & wade opportunities and boating access. There are a couple of short ramp to ramp floats. And frog water that can be fished all day from the same launch site. A map will be provided.
Eagleview BLM Group Site is on Bullock Rd, across river from Hwy 138. Cross the river @ Bullock Rd intersection, turn right and follow Bullock Rd 1.5m from bridge.
River access - - Put-ins & take-outs
• Osprey Landing – up river approx. 7 miles
• Cougar Creek Access – off Cougar Creek Road approx. 6 miles up river
• Yellow Creek Landing – down river with a 3 mile float to Hutchinson State Park
(You won’t find the State Park on a map, but it does exist in a primitive way)
North Fork Willamette
Fish Master: Al Eckerdt | DATE TBD JUNE 2026
For those of you new to the club or the area, this river originates high in the Cascades mountains from beautiful Waldo Lake. It is one of the few rivers in Oregon designated as Wild and Scenic, having achieved that status in 1988, which means the water quality is one of best in the state. It is also one of the few rivers managed by ODFW for wild trout (no fish are planted).
The outing is organized primarily as a one day event, scheduled for Aug 23. For those interested you can arrive on Aug 22 to help secure a campsite, fish the river and join everyone else on the 24th. The schedule for the day is very flexible in that the only time we meet as a group is for lunch at Kiahanie Campground (bring your own). The river offers some outstanding dry fly fishing, great trails to check out and a very ‘back to nature’ experience.
We have not been able to do this outing for a couple of years due to fires in the region. Last year there was a fire on the North Fork so we canceled the event. This year we have a ‘Plan B’ which is if there are fire issues on the NF, an alternate location on the Upper Willamette (above Hills Creek reservoir) has been chosen.
More details will follow with recommended gear to bring, flies to use and additional information.d For now, pencil the date(s) on your calendar.
Crane Prairie (Quinn River)
Fish Master: Tom Fauria, Phil Johnson, Stevie B
Contact: tomfauria@gmail.com
The Crane Prairie Outing is set for July 21, 22 and 23, 2026, at Quinn River Campground.
We have three campsites reserved. Stevie B will be in #36. Phil Johnson and Tom Fauria will be in #38. Mike and Linda Matthews will be in #32.
All three sites are on Quinn Creek, so we have easy access to park our boats, rafts, float tubes and pontoons on the water near our campsites, eliminating the need to trailer each day.
Those tent camping can pitch tents in the above mentioned sites if you wish if space is available, first come first served. You will have to make your own parking arrangements.
If you prefer, feel free to make your own campsite reservation at recreation.gov
Cabin lodging is available at South Twin and Elk Lake Resorts. Best to make reservations as soon as possible. July is prime vacation time.
More information about the outing will be released as July draws closer.
Quinn River campground is centrally located with a short drive to Davis, North and South Twin, Little Cultus, Lava and Little Lava, and Hosmer Lakes. Access to multiple fisheries offers nearly unlimited opportunity to hook a variety of fish, including bass. If you prefer river fishing, Fall River is about a 20 minute drive and the Crooked River is a 1.5 hour drive from Quinn River.
Upper Klamath Lake
Fish Master: Kris Henry
The Upper Klamath Lake Outing is scheduled for August 7-9
We will be fishing at Rocky Point on the northwest corner of the lake about 30 miles west of Klamath Falls on Highway 140.
Rocky Point area is a clearwater summer refuge for Redband Trout. These fish are caught with Wooley Buggers and Seal Buggers on an intermediate sinking line and Balanced Leeches using a strike indicator. Check out Denny Rickards web site for additional info on fishing still waters.
This is a good amount of water to cover so a boat is recommended. They may be rented at either Harriman Lodge or Rocky Point Resort. Both resorts have accommodations. Rooms can be reserved at Harriman Springs Resort. There is a public launch between the resorts. There is camping at Rocky Point Resort and Lake of the Woods (20 miles west on 140) with cabins and camp sites.
Diamond Lake
Fish Master: Mike Matthews | Contact Info: 541-786-4947, Email: jmmatt65@gmail.com
McKenzie Flyfishers Diamond Lake Outing August 20-22
We will meet to fish this scenic high country 2800 acre lake. The lake is located about 15 miles north of Crater lake. From Roseburg take Hwy 138 about 90 mile east up the Umpqua River. From Bend South on Hwy 97 to 138.
Linda and I will be camping August 19-22 at the Diamond lake campground on the south end, sites yet to be reserved. We will camp in the G loop near the shore, if possible. The 2 week window for reservations will open Feb. 12. Some of the best fishing is near there. We will plan on a group potluck meal Friday around 1 pm.
Fishing the lake is best done by boat, pontoon, or belly boat. The lake grows some beautiful rainbow, brown and tiger trout. They can be caught a variety of ways from floating lines, intermediate, sink tip or deep full sink lines. Best flies include small chironomids, Carey specials, woolly buggers, damsels and dragons, flying ants in black and cinnamon and black beetles.
There are a variety of options for those who don’t want to camp. Diamond Lake Lodge has motel rooms, rustic cabins, big cabins and an RV park. They have 2 restaurants. They also rent boats and kayaks and paddle boards. Check it out at (diamondlake.net). There is also an RV park at the State campground.
There will be a sign up sheet at future MFF meetings. You can let me (Mike Matthews) know if you are joining us by email: jmmatt65@gmail.com or text at 541-786-4947.
Gold Lake (Death to Char)
Fish Master: MFF BoD
The Gold Lake outing is scheduled for October 4 and 5, Saturday and Sunday. It will include a fish fry dinner Saturday, with pot luck sides.
There is talk of adding more categories to encourage more brookies removed from the lake.
· Gold Lake Fisherman of the Year - The combined length of your biggest 3 brook trout
· Biggest Fish – A single fish measured nose to its tail fork
· Smallest Fish – A single fish measured nose to its tail fork
· Most Fish – The total fish landed and brought to shore for count
Those wishing to spend more than one day at Gold Lake are welcome to do so.
Gold Lake is a fly fishing only water and there is really no practical way to fish from shore. Bring your boat, raft, kayak, canoe, float tube, etc.
Bring a side dish, dessert or appetizer to share at dinner. The main course will be fresh-caught and fried brook trout, happily prepared by your Board of Directors.
Watch your email for sign-up information and contest details.
For information on Gold Lake Campground go to: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/willamette/recarea/?recid=4496
Here is the turn off from OR 58:
Look for the McKenzie FF group in one of the lakeside campsites.
