A big Nestucca River steelhead, taken on a cabellero egg, December 30th, 2009

Year-end Winter Steelhead
December 31st, 2009

It’s been a typical December with periods of rain, snow, wind and bitter cold. We had to reschedule lots of days to to weather, but we’re used to it. We’ve got over 100 days to start 2010 dedicated to chasing these Winter Steelhead and we’re looking forward to getting everyone out on the water.

We finished off the 2009 with a wonderful day of nymphing for Winter Steelhead on December 30th. I had decided to hit the upper river in the pontoon raft hoping to avoid some dirty rising water that was supposed to rise overnight and through the morning hours. Instead, all the rain came as snow and the river rose gradually to a near perfect level. We had 4 feet of visibility and steelhead green color, with a hint of glacial haze. Perfect... read more

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We are Western Oregon's premier fly fishing guide service for Steelhead, Salmon and Trout. Guiding fly anglers since 1997, we focus on the Oregon Coast, Willamette Valley and Portland area streams including the Siletz, Nestucca, Sandy, Clackamas and Nestucca. Our knowledgeable and friendly guides can help put you some amazing fish, like sea-run cutthroat trout, wild steelhead and huge coastal chinook all on a fly rod!

From beginning to expert anglers alike, we have the perfect fishing trip to match your needs, desires, skill level and geographic location. We provide all tackle including flies so you don't have to think about it. We also serve great streamside sack lunches and love to create tremendous shore lunches upon angler request. Visit our rates and bookings page for more information!

We have spent decades fishing local waters and fine tuning our knowledge base in order to put you on the best fisheries when they are fishing their best. We cover a broad area from the base of the Cascades to the Southern Willamette Valley and a large chunk of the Oregon Coast. Famous coastal streams like the Siletz and Nestucca, and other smaller creeks prodvide incredible fly fishing opportunities including coastal chinook, sea-run cutthroats and steelhead. If time and travel is short and find yourself in the Portland area, the Clackamas and Sandy are excellent steelhead rivers and also fish well for coho and rainbow trout at certain times of year. For those anglers in the Eugene area or fisherman looking for the blue ribbon trout experience, the world famous McKenzie is a spectacular three season trout fishery. Whatever the time of year, there are always great angling opportunites on the rivers we guide. Let us help show you the Oregon Fly Angling Experience!

Featured Winter Species - Winter Steelhead; Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus:

Winter Steelhead are perhaps the most sought after game fish in the Pacific Northwest. Their size, strength and willingness to bite excites fly anglers everywhere. Fly fishermen will brave nasty fishing conditions in hopes of tying in to one of these great fish. Winter in Oregon is marked by cool temperatures, rain, wind, hail and occasional snowfall. The weather doesn't mattter to hearty steelheaders since often times the worst weather days provide the best fishing action.

The Winter Steelhead season kicks off around Thanksgiving with hatchery steelhead entering the rivers first. These fish are generally smaller and more plentiful than their native brothers. Hatchery runs peak in December/January and taper off quickly in February. Most Winter hatchery fish are gone by March. Native steelhead begin to enter rivers in January and peak in Feb/March depending on your location. Good Winter steelhead fishing can be found late into April on rivers like the Sandy and Nestucca.

At Small Stream Outfitters we love Winter steelhead and never miss a chance to chase them! We primarily nymph 7-8 weight fly rods during the high flows of Winter, but will also swing flies if conditions warrant. We specialize in smaller streams and upper reaches of more popular watersheds to avoid the crowds, get in to some awesome fishing action and show our guests a great time. Weather does play a factor duing the Winter and we do sometimes have to reschedule trips due to high water. We won't take you fishing on days you don't have a good chance to catch the big one. Give us a call and find out just what the Oregon Winter Steelhead Experience is all about! Call 503-515-3533 or email us.

Call 503-515-3533 or email us to inquire about booking a guided fishing trip!

Mt. Hood Winter Steelhead
Sandy River
Now through May, 2010

Oregon Coast Winter Steelhead Siletz, Nestucca and Nehalem
Now through April, 2010

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