Fishing report 1-16
It's definitely Winter Steelhead season now! Most of the rivers with Steelhead runs should have fish spread out throughout their systems at this point. From right off the tide, to fish that came in early and are nearing their spawning grounds. The fish are here! Many folks who are fishing from a drift boat have been finding great success with Bobberdoggin worms, beads, eggs, yarnies and more. This technique really allows anglers to effectively cover a ton of water as you usually have multiple rods/baits going through every hole as you cover miles of river. Fisherman's Pro, Josiah Darr, is no stranger to the Bobberdoggin technique and is his go method as he floats down coastal rivers in search of Winter Chrome. In fact this past week he had multiple days of double digit hook ups using beads or yarn and eggs. Another one of our Pro Staff members that has been lighting them up is Brian Campbell. He has been finding great success in the high water using 20mm beads. Big baits to get seen in the high green water. Back trolling plugs is another technique that oftentimes gets overlooked by anglers, but it shouldn't. Over the years some of the biggest Steelhead that get hooked each season are on a well backtrolled k11 or Maglip. Plugs offer a way for new anglers to be effectively fishing without the possibility of casting into trees all day. Which is an added bonus.
Spring Chinook are still not really an option. However, there's usually one or two that are caught by the hard core springer fishermen late January or early February. Will that be you? If you are one of the lucky anglers to get the first springer make sure to bring it into one of our stores for our annual springer bounty.
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing is a winter time fishery that often gets overlooked. In the Willamette, these fish are here all year long, and at times in the winter the fish will start to congregate in the lower river, Portland Harbor area. We often will see an influx of fish down there when the Columbia gets high waters and fish are looking for a reprieve from the ragging current. Those in the know, understand that having 20+ hookups in a day is not uncommon. Squid, herring, anchovies, sand shrimp and prawns are all great Sturgeon bait.
Bottom fishing in the Winter can be challenging, but mainly due to the unpredictable ocean and weather conditions. However, when the ocean lays down and we get some of those blue bird sky days at the coast, the bottom fishing can be lights out. Shrimp flies, farallon feathers, vertical jigs and large curly tail grubs or scampis will all put fish on the deck.
Crabbing remains a killer option and is a fantastic way to get young outdoorsmen or just folks that are new to the outdoors involved. Between baiting pots, pulling pots, and sorting through Crab there is a job that everyone can do successfully.
Razor Clamming keeps going strong along the Washington Shoreline. Long Beach has been open a lot lately and for good reason. Limits of Razor Clams seem to be the word on the street. We just finished up the most recent open digs and there are a load more tentative dig dates on the schedule! Be on the lookout for updates as we get them from WDFW.
Kokanee fishing at Lake Merwin is a fishery that goes on all throughout the Winter. The fish tend to be very high in the water column and the winter-time gives anglers a special opportunity to catch these delicious landlocked Salmon without the need of downriggers. In fact, you can oftentimes catch them without any additional weight using only a dodger and lure. Shoepeg corn is an absolute must, tipped on a Small spin-n-glo, spinners blade, Kokanee Cut Plugs, or wiggle hoochies and you are in business!
