Fishing report 12-20
Winter Steelhead are here! Fisherman’s Pro, David Johnson, landed his first hatchery a few weeks back and now Pro, Josiah Darr, put a couple in the boat this past weekend! Bobber fishing has been the name of the game for many anglers around the region; Bobber-doggin to be specific. Yarn and Eggs have been a go-to option as well as a variety of bead colors. Rivers are dropping and fresh Steelhead should be entering them daily! Boat anglers should have a couple of sets of rods in their boats including Bobber-doggin rods, Side-drifting rods, Plug rods, traditional Float rods and even Hardware rods. You really never know what the technique of the day might be. Bank anglers should also have multiple techniques at their disposal. These include Bobber rods, Drift rods and Hardware rods. Being versatile this time of year will give you the highest chance of catching an early Winter Steelhead.
When not chasing Winter Steelhead, there are many rivers in Southwest Washington that will still have some B-Run Coho kicking around. While not in huge numbers, these highly aggressive Coho love to bite Jigs, Beads, Eggs and Hardware. You never know what you might hook while fishing in December.
Winter is a great time to target Sturgeon in the lower Willamette. These fish love the deep, slow current of the Willamette as there are so many places for these fish to wait out the cold-water months. The Willamette is filled with deep water pockets Sturgeon love to hang in while waiting for food to filter down the river. Having multiple baits on board will really up your chance for success. These baits include Smelt, Herring, Anchovies, Roll Mop, Sand Shrimp and Shad.
Kokanee fishing on Lake Merwin is another great winter fishery. The lake runs cold, so the Kokanee tend to school up near the surface of the lake. This allows anglers to target them without downriggers, which opens this fishery up to virtually everyone. Trolling a Dodger and small Spinner Blade, small Spin-n-Glo, Wiggle Hoochie or Brad’s Kokanee Cut-plug are among the many baits that will produce bites for you. Bring along multiple different scents as you never know when the bite may switch from Garlic to Krill and then over to Shrimp.
Trout fishing around the region remains a constant option for folks. While many lakes have not been planted for quite some time, the Trout that are still there have been putting on weight, so you have the chance at some really nice quality fish. Fishing bait off of the bottom is always a go-to option and slow-moving Trout tend to spend their time analyzing a bait before biting--Powerbait, Power eggs, Nightcrawlers, Shrimp and Salmon eggs will all work well. The addition of some Smelly Jelly or Pro-Cure bait gel is another good idea, especially if you are around a few other anglers. The extra scent can really set you apart from the crowd.
Crabbing has picked back up along the coast as most of the bays have finally flushed out a good portion of the freshwater that was filling them up last week.
