It seems as though the rivers are either really high or really low anytime I get a chance to post. Funny how that works. And so we sit, staring at some pretty darn impressive current CFS numbers. The Sandy hit darn near 30,000 while the Siletz crested at almost 40,000 and reached moderate flooding. That’s some big water. Rivers will all be out at least through the weekend. The extended forecast looks wet, so it could be even longer before rivers are green again.

On the flip side, the last couple weeks fished great and there were lots of fish to be caught. Our anglers tangled with at least a hundred fish in the first couple weeks of January, including a day of 24 hookups and several other double-digit days. We found mostly hatchery fish, with an occasional native here and there. Natives have yet to arrive in any numbers and the hatchery run is still going strong. There will be another fresh batch of hatchery fish around once the flood waters recede.

Based on the moderate returns we’ve seen so far, this year’s run is average or better than average and fish are just a little late in arriving. We’re hoping for the latter, but either way fishing is good as long as those pesky streams come into shape. Drop fast little rivers….

Tight lines,
Jesse
Inquire About Booking a Guided Trip with Small Stream Outfitters

They don’t get much brighter than this fat 10-11 lb. hatchery hen. Nice job Mike!

Releasing a center-pin caught buck. The center pin was really fun until the actual center pin fell in the river. Good thing for back-ups.

We are currently fishing the Nestucca, Siletz, McKenzie, Sandy and Clackamas. Give us a call at 503.515.3533 or Email us to book a Summer Steelhead and/or trout fishing trip.

The holiday season is nearly upon us! What could be a better gift to your favorite angler than a gift certificate for a day of guided fly fishing, complete with rods/reels, flies, lunch/beverages, 9 hour fishing day and a FREE Small Stream Outfitters embroidered logo ball cap! Offer good, November 26 – December 21, 2010. Certificates are good for 1 year from date of purchase and are good anywhere we fish including the Sandy, Clackamas, McKenzie, Siletz, Nestucca and Nehalem.

EMAIL US to order your gift certificate. Just type “Holiday Gift Certificate” in the subject line.

Per Boat Rates:
Single Angler: $350.00
2 anglers: $395.00

Happy holidays and tight lines,
Small Stream Outfitters

Early Winter brought with it a LOT of rain and mild temperatures. Over a 4-5 week period in December and January the Oregon Coast Rivers were only in shape a handful of days. If you were lucky enough to be on the water, there were plenty of early Winter Steelhead to be caught. The weather finally settled down the last week of January and we went to work, making up for lost time of the water. Steelheading was as good as the Oregon Coast gets. Guests hooked 40 fish in 5 days of fishing that week including lots of hatchery fish and a few incredible native fish.

Luckily, the season doesn’t end January 31. As we enter February we’re beginning to see less hatchery fish and more angry native fish, which is just fine with us. We look forward to the challenge of doing battle with this big, wild fish through the end of April. Give us a call and come experience these incredible fisheries. To book an upcoming Winter steelhead trip, call us at 503.515.3533 or email us!

See Photographs

We’ll be chasing these units around the rivers and tributaries at least through Thanksgiving so if you want to get in on the action, give us a call or drop us an Email. We have just a few dates left available for this Fall.

Tight Lines,
Small Stream Outfitters Guide Staff

As predicted Coho or Silver Salmon runs on the Oregon Coast and in Columbia River tributaries are better than average and getting better by the day. River levels remain low and look like they will stay that way for at least another week, but it’s not stopping a heavy trickle of fish up every system. It’s enough fish for great angling and it’s spreading out the fishing pressure from top to bottom. Rivers like the Sandy have good numbers of fish from the hatchery all the way down to the mouth. We’ve had several double-digit days in the last week and have heard a few similar reports from other systems like the Yaquina, Nehalem and Clackamas. It looks like it’s shaping up to be a fabulous coho year. Many anglers are switching their focus from Chinook to Coho and it’s probably a very good call at this point in the season. Reports from of Coastal Chinook remain dim and we don’t expect them to catch fire anytime soon.

We’ll continue to fish, coho, chinook and sea-run cutthroat throughout the Fall and are still accepting bookings for late-October and November. To get in on this great action give us a call at 503.515.3533 or email us.

A Sandy River buck Silver just beginning to show steelhead like colors

Typical Sandy river male silver salmon.

Rich Youngers of Creekside Fly Shop in Salem took this beautiful little cutt on Monday

When you see a harbor seal in upper tidewater, you know there are more than a few salmon around.

The Fall fishing season is nearly upon us. It’s that time of year when fishing opportunities abound around the state. As the days get shorter, the leaves begin to change color and the first rains arrive, rivers and streams in the area cool off and the fishing gets red hot!

We’ll begin targeting the first to arrive of the Fall fish, the Sea-run cutthroat (Blueback Trout) on the coast next week and then progress into Coastal Fall Chinook, Coastal Coho and Willamette Valley Coho in the coming weeks. We generally begin having good salmon fishing by September 15 that will often last until the 1st or 2nd week of December on various streams and rivers.

The buzz among anglers this year is of a record coho run. Based on the number of coho jacks present last year as well as adults that prediction may very well come true. Even if the run is half of what scientists are predicting we’re going to have a great run of coho on rivers like the N. Fork Nehalem, Nestucca, Siletz, some coastal creeks and especially the Sandy! Last year the Sandy fished the best of all Coho fisheries and we look forward to many more days of bent rods this fall.

We expect sea-run cutthroat fishing this year to remain consistently good as it has for the past several years. 20 fish days are very common for trout ranging from 10-18 inches. They readily take swung and skated flies and are spectacular sport on 4wt fly rods.

The Coastal Chinook run will probably be the weakest of the three fisheries as it has been for the last 2 seasons. However, we expect a slightly better run than last year, but still not up to historical averages. We keep a close eye on the strength of the run and keep our anglers posted on chances to land one of these massive fish.

It looks to be another great Fall and we’re all set for the action to come. To inquire about a Guided Salmon or Cutthroat Trout trip with Small Stream Outfitters please call us at 503.515.3533 or Email Us!

Tight lines,
The Small Stream Outfitters Guide Staff

So three intrepid anglers set out to fish an evening and a morning on some amazingly beautiful water. Soft trails underneath the old-growth forest canopy kept the constant summer drizzle off our backs while we fished along the rivers edge. We worked the deep pools and runs for steelhead and dry fly fished the pockets, pools, riffles and runs for trout. While narrow, the river is quite deep and provides ample opportunity for big fish to hide.

Fishing was spot on to what we imagined. We stuck one fish in the 18-20″ that was either a very large trout or more than likely a small steelhead and had a couple other grabs from big fish on steelhead gear, but no hookups. Trout action was great, especially in the evening. Hatches of Yellow Sallies and size 14-16 brown caddis brought small rainbows and cutthroats to the surface. The average fish is small, perhaps 6″, but you wouldn’t expect much more from a high gradient mountain stream. We hooked a few larger fish in the 10-13″ range and saw a few bigger than that.

It was a great trip and it’s always fun to explore new water. If you are interested in more details on a guided walk-in Summer adventure, give us a call at 503.515.3533

Sean works dries in a beautiful run with one of his signature cane rods.

Hooked up to a nice trout in the head of a riffle

For us the 2009 Winter Steelhead Season, despite it’s ups and downs finished right on par or slightly better than the last couple seasons. We averaged over two fish per trip on flies, the mark we set for ourselves as the gold standard for fly fishing Winter steelhead. All in all it was a great season! Thanks to all the friendly anglers who came fishing with us. We enjoyed your company and hope to see you on the water in the future! Tight lines and best wishes from Jesse and the rest of the Small Stream Outfitters team.

We are now booking Clackamas Summer Steelhead/Trout, McKenzie River Trout and Summer Sea-Run Cutthroat. Call 503.515.3533 or email us to book a trip. We look forward to hearing from you!

VIEW STEELHEAD PHOTOS FROM FEBRUARY AND MARCH