Fishing report 11-20
Coastal fall chinook is still a viable option and with the lack of rain, we may be in for a great late fall chinook fishery this year. These hard fighting salmon are staging in bays and in the ocean, still waiting on the rain. There are still fish being caught in these areas and we should get one more solid push of fish once we get the rain to push the rivers up. There will definitely still be a mixture of late coho mixed in with them, so don’t be surprised if you hook a few of those acrobatic salmon as well. In the bay trolling herring with lead or 360 flashers with small spinners have been the go-to techniques, while in the rivers it’s a little different game. Pulling Kwikfish, flatfish or maglips is a great option as is bobber fishing eggs and shrimp. Both of these techniques have stood the test of time and are still very good choices when chasing these fish in the river.
B-Run coho are still flushing into southwest Washington rivers and will continue for a few more weeks. Twitching jigs, Wiggle Warts, Brad’s Wigglers and Blue Fox spinners are all perfect choices when searching for these chrome coho. Once you find them, if they stop biting those techniques, switching over to fishing eggs under a bobber or drift fished are ways to keep the bite going.
Don’t be surprised if you hook either a winter or summer steelhead while chasing coho or chinook this time of year. These fish all tend to sit in similar places and sometime a brand new winter steelhead just can’t resist the wiggle of a k15 Kwikfish or a summer steelhead can’t hold back when it sees a Blue Fox spinner come flying in front of it. These steelhead can be super aggressive so always be ready for the possibility of a November winter steelhead.
Bottom fishing all along the coast continues to be productive with anglers reporting great success targeting lingcod. The fishing has been fast and furious for some anglers so don’t be surprised if you end up catching your limit early. That’s another great reason to bring along some crab pots to soak while you are headed out to the bottom fish grounds. Sometimes all it takes is one drop with a few pots and you have your crab limit as well as your bottom fish limit.
Crabbing in Nehalem and Tillamook Bay has been good and should stay good for quite awhile. The Crab this time of year are full and BIG!
Jetty fishing this time of the year can be quite good and with the mild weather we’ve been having the jetty has been a fun place to be. Anglers have reported success catching seabass, greenling and various types of perch. With an occasional lingcod mixed in. Most anglers will fish with a lead head jig and a medium size curly tail grub in either white, green or root beer colors. Another great technique to try is to fish sandshrimp off of the bottom. Try and get your gear to rest on the sandy bottom where the rocks meet the sand. Once you find the sweet spot, the action can be fast paced. Crabbing is also a great option off of a jetty. All you need is a cheap heavy duty spinning rod and a couple of Crab Hawk folding crab traps and you are in business. You can cast out the crab rods, let them sit, and catch seabass while you are waiting. It’s a great way to spend a day at the coast.
Fall-time trout fishing can be a real treat, especially when we have a nice break in the weather. Locally, Henry Hagg Lake is a great option as it was heavily stocked this year and the trout are feeding heavily for the cold winter months. Bait is always a great option, especially for those that are bank fishing. For those that have a boat, trolling is a great option. Small flatfish, Maglips or wedding rings are all great options as well as casting spinners or spoons along shorelines. Cruising trout love to strike reactive baits.
