The family and I went camping in Oregon and wound up staying by the McKenzie River. Being that I haven't floated my Pontoon boat down a river much (only once before), it was time to get awawy from the salt and try something new. Well, I was having a blast, trying for trout on caddis on the surface when after going through a few riffles and over the high side of the river, I looked back and my cooler with my $400 Nikon camera was gone... Oouch!!! Then, while trying to undo my flyrod, I lost an oar. Now I have to get down the river with one oar. Made it down, bought a makeshift paddle, see the picture and floated the same area again, just hoping to get my camera back. Well after about 20 minutes, I look up and off to the side of the river, there is my cooler and with my camera inside. Whew!!! Ya, its a bit wet, but still takes good pictures. After about another hour or so, I look up again and there's my oar, with the oar lock still attached hanging on a snag on the side of the river. Had a couple of trout on and lost them. Now I know why you use an anchor!!!

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Much like you I had trials on the McKenzie. Broke both bones in my lower leg in two but found the bottom part still in my neoprene waders!!! nb I was fishing again 59 days later with the help of plates and pins

Have many fond memories of the river -- salmon, trout, and steelhead all on the same drift. The top water dry fly action is great for rainbows and cutts. No wonder they named a boat after it

Hope you enjoyed the fishing as much as the lost and found excercise!!

Wow!! I thought I had it tough with one oar making it down the rest of the river. How did you make it to the take out with a broken leg? Yeah, I really like the abundance of trout in that river. It would be nice if some of our local rivers tried a trout hatchery. The Snohomish, Stilliguamish, and Sky don't have too many trout.

I fished that same river a couple of weeks ago from the bank. My 14yo son had a blast hooking into a few of the springers that were milling around the Leaburg dam, he outfished me on that trip. Glad to hear you recovered your gear, it always puts a damper on things when their lost or you break em. Small world, how many others from Snohomish do you figure have fished that river this year.

I did see a king jump at Flynn Rock and put on a sinking fly in a deep pool. No takers. I mostly put on dry flys and targetted the trout and had a couple on but lost them, as I didn't have my anchor on the pontoon boat. I love wathching the take on a dry fly.