Fishing Report 12-17-2021
Winter Steelhead season is off and rolling! Customer Leng Vang caught this nice chromer yesterday on a jig, and we’ve had recent reports of Steelhead showing on most coastal streams and local rivers, too. It should only get better from here on, folks. Good luck!
Fishing Report 12-17-2021
It’s that time of year when most everyone has started to switch from Fall Chinook to Winter Steelhead. Winter Steelhead fishing is one of those iconic fisheries that the Pacific Northwest is known for. Big, bright, hard-fighting fish that are chased during the worst weather of the year is what sets this fishery apart from all of the rest. We now have a good portion of our rivers running broodstock hatchery programs, which allows fish to be spread out across the length of the whole Steelhead season. The traditional huge push of hatchery Steelhead in early December is no longer around but has been replaced with good fishing over the next four months. We have had reports of fresh hatchery Steelhead caught on several of the North Coast streams, particularly the smaller streams that come back into shape the quickest after a huge rain event. Bobber and jigs have been the ticket for many fishermen, however, after this last high water event many fish will get caught drift fishing or Bobberdoggin' from a boat. This technique allows you to cover a lot of water so it is a fan favorite amount boat anglers.
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing has been fairly good for folks in the lower Willamette. These fish tend to spend a lot of their time in the Willamette this time of year, opting for the slower current than the Columbia. Many baits will work, and at times the preference of the fish changes from day to day. Smelt, herring, sliced shad, anchovies and sand shrimp are all great bait choices. Bring the heater, put up the top and you are set up for a day of fun on the water.
Bottom fishing has remained good for anglers headed to the coast. Fisherman’s Pro, Andy Martin, has been finding great success catching all sorts of bottomfish but the most sought after are big Lingcod. These big, toothy and delicious fish are caught using many techniques, from large swimbaits to small Rock Cod Rigs or shrimp flies. So be ready, as you never know what may eat your bait when fishing for bottomfish.
Winter time Kokanee fishing is going on and this is a fishery that is way under-utilized. Winter Kokanee, hold in the water column and you can catch them at times without adding any weight to your trolling setup. What’s not to like? Dodgers of all types will work, with a wide variety of lures behind them. Wedding rings, Wiggle Hoochies, small, bright-colored hoochies, spinner blades and Spin-n-Glos are all good choices when picking out your terminal gear. With the lakes being cold the Kokanee will be right up near the surface allowing anglers to target them without downriggers and even at times just flat lining a dodger and lure far behind the boat. As always, tip your offering with a kernel or two of Shoepeg corn. Often, using different types of scent can also trigger a good bite response from cold water Kokanee.
Winter time Trout fishing is always an option,although you may not find the super high numbers of fish like you do in the spring after the hatchery truck leaves the lake. You will often find a better grade of fish this time of year. Still fishing bait on the bottom or under a bobber is a consistent producer for cold water Trout fishing. If the clouds part and you find yourself enjoying some mid day sun, casting spinners or Kastmasters can usually temp the Trout enough to produce a few bites.
Crabbing has been great and should continue to be good as we move into much more mild tide exchanges. These smaller exchanges can often yield good Crab numbers as conditions are usually tamer. Still, always keep a sharp eye on the winter weather and avoid unnecessary risk.
Razor Clamming at Long Beach has remained stellar and WDFW just announced 9 more days of clamming starting December 15th through the 23rd. There are a lot more tentative dates throughout the beginning of the year so stay tuned as we get more updates.
Goose hunting has been going strong for many folks, and with all of the recent water, the birds are up and moving around finding new areas of standing water all throughout the Willamette Valley.
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.
