Oregon Fly Fishing Report – Small Stream Outfitters & Guides

Greeting anglers,

There is no question that we’ve had some wild weather in December, 08 and thus far in January, 09. Heaps of snow to end to 2008 was then marked with copious amounts of rain to begin 2009. The result has been super high water over the past few weeks and very little fishing. However, all streams are now on the drop and only a couple days away from fishing well. Fish are streaming into all systems right now and angling expectations are high for the coming days and for the rest of the steelhead season.

At Small Stream Outfitters we are gearing up to hit it this winter steelhead season hard and expect great fly fishing as soon as the rivers are fishable. We are now booking winter steelhead trips on the Oregon Coast (Siletz, Nestucca and others) and on the Sandy River near Portland. Please Email or call us at 503.515.3533 to book a trip.

Tight lines,
Small Stream Outfitters

As we approach the end of September and get closer to the peak of the local salmon runs, a few things are becoming clear. There are a lot of coho (silvers) this year. A lot. Every stream (including the Siletz and Nestucca) on the coast is seeing increased numbers of coho from years past and the Sandy has been its’ usual stellar self. I wonder why that it? Could it be that there was no commercial fishing off the Oregon coast this year? Funny how that works.

Angling pressure for these coastal coho has remained light, due mostly to the fact that it is a catch and release fishery. For fly fishing guides that live on catch and release, this is great news. We love to strip flies for these silver bullets in tidewater. It’s tremendous sport. For those that like to take a couple fish home the limit on the Sandy river has been increased to 3 hatchery fish and will remain that way in future seasons. We haven’t had trouble garnering limits and on many days have released lots of fish just to continue enjoying the amazing action. Photos of these beautiful fish can be viewed at this Coho (Silver) Salmon Gallery

The chinook run on the Oregon Coast run got a nice shot of chromers early in September, but the action has slowed throughout the month with low and warm water. There are certain to be additional shots of fish throughout October and November, but overall expectations are for a fair season with average to slightly below average numbers. We’re seeing increased numbers of jack chinook which should translate to better returns in 2009 and 2010.

Coastal Sea-run cutthroat fishing continues to be good, although in certain areas the smaller cutthroat have been pushed to different holding areas by the chinook and coho. Good numbers of fish can still be found and on cloudy days the fishing has been excellent.

To book a fly fishing trip for Chinook, Coho or Sea-run cutthroat call 503.515.3533 or Email Us

The last week of February leading into the first week of March was unseasonably cold and wet. Heavy precipitation dropped lots of rain in the elevations below 1500 feet, but fell mostly as snow in the cascade foothills and coast range. So while the majority of coast streams ran high and dirty throughout the week, the Sandy River outside of Portland dropped steadily.

Temperatures began to warm towards the end of the week triggering some mild snow melt and predictable rise to the Sandy River.

Anglers fishing around the Cedar Creek hatchery area just outside of Sandy found the river in prime shape early in the week and then slightly high over the weekend. Clarity remained excellent at 3-4 feet even with the rise in water.

Fishing over the weekend was fair to slow. Anglers that were able to cross to the North side of the river were rewarded with a few bright hatchery fish from 6-9 lbs. Anglers fishing above the hatchery from the South side found just a few big native fish, but action was generally slow.

As of Thursday March 8, the Sandy remains around 11ft. Clarity is still good, but anglers will find the river moving very quickly. Crossing the stream is not recommended. Concentrate efforts above Cedar Creek.

Tight Lines,
Small Stream Outfitters