Eventually, I left the rivers behind almost entirely and got a stillwater-dedicated boat to access the more well-known lakes of the Cascades. I still fish rivers on occasion, but I will remain a stillwater junky from here on out.

Starting in March and running until about mid-June, the spring fishing season not only shows up, every once in a while, it shows out, too. Whether it’s mayflies, stoneflies or early caddis, spring trout fishing can be epic.

Ask Jayson Hayes about wooden drift boats and you’re in for a good trip… He wants to give a good answer, an answer that does justice to the feel of rivers, to the tradition of the McKenzie, its drift boats, the builders that came before him. And, like the boats he builds, the answer you get is well worth the wait.

It is no surprise that some of the most beautiful, unique looking trout in the state are tucked away where no one can find them.

Like the fish he loves, Karl travels...Come winter, though, he’s here, like he is every winter, fishing for winter steelhead on the North Umpqua, catching what he’s chasing, making it all look easy.