Fishing report 1-29
We are nearing the end of the first month of Winter Steelhead season, and boy has it been a good so far this year! We’ve had lots of reports of big fish being caught so far and it’s just begun! In fact, last week we had a customer bring in a gutted, 19.2lb hatchery Steelhead. He has taken over as the overall leader in our Winter Steelhead derby and we still have a couple months to go! There have been fish caught on jigs, pink worms, Scampi tails, spoons, spinners, plugs, beads and eggs. Sand shrimp have been working well when you can get some fresh ones and if not, then prawns work well also. Rivers are low and clear at the moment, but we have a storm coming in that will certainly shake things up and raise water levels and change the clarity. As rivers come up and start to get dirty, the fish are still there and will be looking for slow moving current seams or even back-channel areas to get out of the ragging current. Larger bright colored offering can be your best bet and bringing several scent options can definitely help tip things in your favor.
Has this sunny weather made you start to think about Springers? Any day now we should be hearing of one getting caught and if it’s you, be sure to bring it into any one of our three locations to get weighed in and you’ll win our Springer Bounty! Prizes include a $100 Fisherman’s Marine Gift Card and our NEW Fisherman’s Large Fish Cooler Bag.
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing is still a good fishing option in the lower Willamette and the fishing has been decent. The river has been pretty cold, which makes sense considering the outside temps lately. Often times a cold river can slow the Sturgeon action a little, but once you find a pile of them, it’s game on! Squid, herring, sand shrimp, prawns, smelt and shad strips will all be great baits to bring along.
Bottom fishing has been good this past week with anglers finding quality Lingcod and a wide variety of other bottom fish. Pro, Andy Martin, has been having great luck getting his customers their limits of Lingcod. Farallon Feathers, shrimp flies, large curly tail grubs and Scampi's have all been working well.
Razor Clamming has been great, and you have a few more days to get after them along Washington Beaches. WDFW has Long Beach open for evening digs through February 1st. There are also tentative digs scheduled for this next week, so be on the lookout for any updates.
Kokanee fishing at Lake Merwin has been good for those looking for a nice and mellow fishery, that is until you find a school of Kokanee. The schools can be quite large this time of year and they are typically close to the surface which means anglers without downriggers have just as good of a shot at finding fish and being successful. Small Spin-N-Glos, small spinner blades, Brad’s Kokanee Cut plugs, and small Hot tails have all been proven baits. Of course, tipping your offering with a kernel of Shoepeg corn is a must. And bringing along several scent options will drastically improve your odds.
