Fishing Report 01-15-2021
Customer Erika Lantos caught this impressive Winter Steelhead earlier this week from a Metro area river before all of the rivers blew-out. She entered the big fish into our Fisherman’s/Shimano/Maxima Steelhead Derby, on now through March 31st. Great job, Erika!
Fishing Report 1-15-2021
Winter Steelhead fishing can often be all about timing your trip according to weather and water conditions. Well, this past weekend the stars aligned and the rivers fell into shape for a few days. Anglers found success from the Willamette Valley to the southern Oregon coast. As rivers dropped into shape, anglers patiently waited and watched river graphs, followed fishing reports and tied up leaders. This past weekend anglers have reported that this year seems to be a "large fish year" with many of the fish being caught in the 12-15 pound range. And some bigger yet!
Folks caught fish backtrolling small plugs like Mag Lips, Kwikfish, Wiggle Warts and Hot Shots. They caught fish Bobberdoggin and Sidedrifting with a multitude of different baits, from pink worms
to clusters of pre-cured salmon eggs. As rivers dropped into shape all of those techniques were effective. Now we have had some substantial rain blowing out nearly every local river for a few days at the very least. Now is the time to check gear, re-spool reels, tie leaders and re-stock tackle bags. Making sure everything is in tip top shape for your next outing. Currently, many rivers are dropping as quickly as they rose, so smaller systems should drop into good shape over the weekend.
Trout fishing is always a great option and has been good for those that have been putting in the time. Large bodies of water such as Henry Hagg Lake are great places to spend your time as they get heavily stocked throughout the year and will have some of the larger amounts of hold over fish. Casting spinners, Spoons and Kastmasters are all good options when searching for fish. Fishing bait either on the bottom or under a float are both good choices as well. Those fishing from a boat will find good success trolling small Flatfish or Maglips as well as wedding rings with Nightcrawlers.
Kokanee fishing is another good option for those wanting to get their boat out on the water chasing some fish. As the lakes have cooled down substantially, the Kokanee have moved up in the water column and even those without downriggers are having good success at catching these delicious land locked salmon. Small Spin-n-Glos, Wiggle Hoochies, small spinners or Wedding Rings all tipped with corn will entice these fish. Of course, having them on a short leader behind a dodger will drive these fish crazy. Bring along your favorite box of scents and you will have the recipe for success.
Always be sure to check local regulations at ODFW and WDFW before heading out. Find reports and two most widely used baits, information on the Fisherman's Community page.
