Fishing report 1-22
The die-hard Pacific Northwest Fisherman dreams about this time of year. Chasing some monster Winter Steelhead is what many folk dream about. This past week we had reports of rivers starting to get low, but fish still coming in off the tide. The Wilson, the Trask, the Nestucca, and many southern Oregon rivers have all been kicking out fish. Fisherman’s Pro, Chris Vertopoulos, had a nice day recently where the river was low, but they found several fish by putting in the effort and staying persistent. Pro, John Klar, has been bouncing back and forth between southern Oregon and Northern California. He has reported that rivers are starting to clear up and fishing is starting to get a little more difficult, but that they are still finding fish nearly every trip. As rivers clear, having a variety of jig colors, bead colors and a few bait choices can pay dividends when it comes to finding fish that have been hanging in a hole for a long time.
The first Spring Chinook of the year is bound to be caught any day now as the real die-hard Springer fanatics are starting to brine their herring and spend some hours trolling for that elusive purple back Springer. If you catch one, be sure to bring it into any one of our three stores to get weighed in. If you are the first one to bring in a Spring Chinook and weighed it in, you will win a $100 gift card to Fisherman’s Marine and the New Xstream Fisherman’s Kill bag!
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing is a great Winter time activity that anyone can enjoy. Large prehistoric fish that bite well, fight hard, are numerous and often times give you an opportunity at hooking a fish over 10 feet long! Squid, Sand Shrimp, Herring and Smelt are all top bait choices.
Bottom fishing in the Winter can be very rewarding as the fish are still as abundant as ever and often the angling pressure is light, due to the inclement weather. Be very mindful of waves and weather conditions as this time of year things can change in a hurry. Vertical jigs, farallon feathers, shrimp flies and large curly tail grubs are all baits to have in your arsenal.
Winter time Crabbing can be stellar, especially when we have a lack of rain which means that coastal estuaries and bays have less fresh water in them.
Razor Clamming was great during the last set of digs allowed by WDFW. And they have just announced another set of 7 digs starting January 26th.
With all of this sunny weather along the coast, it’s starting to feel a bit like spring. Although mornings are very cold still, the sunny afternoons are making people think towards spring. One fishery that tends to get popular in the spring is Surf Perch fishing. With all of these low tides and Clamming tides. The Surf Perch fishing can be great. Berkley Gulp Sandworms, Sand shrimp and Clam necks are all great baits. As always, be cautious of the waves and ocean currents.
Kokanee fishing at Lake Merwin has been going on for some time now and those in the know, understand just how good it can be during the winter months. Trolling high in the water column, often times with out any additional weight, is one of the fun reasons folks spend time in the winter chasing Kokanee. Now, this time of year the Kokanee really seem to ball up and live in very large schools. So don’t be discouraged if you go for an hour or two without a bite, as once you do find one of the largest schools, boat limits often follow.
