Fishing Report 12-24
The Steelhead Scampi from BnR Tackle is a bright, large-profile bait, making it a great offering to use for Winter Steelhead when Northwest rivers are still a bit on the high and dirty side, as many are right now. Available at Fisherman’s Marine and Outdoor, and, conveniently sized to fit in your favorite Steelhead angler’s stocking!
Fishing report 12-24
This past week we had a ton of rain and the majority of the local rivers have blown out and haven’t been fishable. While that didn’t bode well for this past weekend's fishing opportunities, it is actually a great thing, as it has pushed river levels up and provided plenty of flow to get fresh Steelhead on the move. As rivers start to drop and clear, look for the smaller tributaries to be the first ones to become fishable. Bright colored offerings such as plugs, spinners, spoons, pink worms and Corkies are all great gear options. These fish will be on a one-way mission upriver and getting your gear in front of their face is the objective. Look for soft inside seams, or walking speed water that is apart from the main current. This is where Winter Steelhead will pull over to take a break and rest before pushing upriver to their next hiding spot. Bobberdoggin' and backtrolling plugs are two killer ways to get in front of fresh fish. For those confined to the banks, drift fishing eggs and yarn, Corkie and yarn or pink worms are all great choices. Bobber fishing bright colored jigs, pink worms or BnR Tackle’s Steelhead Scampi are all good bait options as well.
Once the Willamette and Columbia clean up from some of the debris that has been coming down river, look for the catch and release Sturgeon fishing to be fairly good. Sturgeon don’t care what color the water is as they are bottom feeders and are constantly on the hunt for food. Squid, sand shrimp, smelt and herring are all great bait choices.
Once the rivers come into shape and we get some nice weather, the bottom fishing along the coast should be good. Bottom fish and Lingcod should be plentiful and willing to bite. Shrimp flies, Rock Cod rigs and large curly tail grubs are all good bait choices.
Crabbing was still good prior to all of the rain, and should get better again once runoff into Coastal Bays has abated.
Trout fishing at local lakes has been decent with anglers finding success between rain squalls. To locate active Trout, anglers have found success casting spinners, spoons and Kastmasters. Another great technique is to troll small Mag Lips, Flatfish or Wedding Rings. These Trout are still feeding and getting in as much food as they can.
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.
