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| AN INTRODUCTION TO THE OREGON STREAMS AND RIVERS WE GUIDE (8 Distinctly Different Systems) | |||
| Siletz River - | Nestucca River - | ||
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The Siletz, along with the Nestucca are two of the most balanced coastal fisheries. Open year-round for steelhead, there isn't a single day in the year you can't find a steelhead somewhere in the Siletz system. Winter steelheading peaks in January and February while Summer steelheading prime time is during the first rains of late Summer and early Fall. Deep holes in excess of 20' can make fly fishing in the mid-lower river during the Winter a challenge. Our favorite time of year for flies on this river is August-October for awesome sea-run cutthroats, Summer steelhead and Fall chinook. The numbers of sea-run cutts here are unrivaled anywhere on the coast. Depending on the time of year and water conditions we'll fish from the drift boat, raft or walk-in. SPECIES: Summer Steelhead, Winter Steelhead, Chinook Salmon, Sea-Run Cutthroat Trout |
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The Nestucca is located 2 drainages to the North of the Siletz and shares similarities in species, consistency, techniques and run timing. The advantage to the Nestucca over the Siletz (especially during the Winter months) is its' size and depth. About 2/3 the size of the Siletz and without the incredibly deep plunge pools, the Nestucca is far more suited to fly fishing Winter Steelhead. We love this stream once river levels stabilize in late January or into February and will often fish it into April. Winter steelhead trips are primarily run out of the driftboat. In addition to the great Winter steelheading the Nestucca also fishes well in the Fall for Chinook, Coho and Sea-run cutts. Like the Siletz, there are fish in the river 12 months a year and they're just waiting for the perfect fly. SPECIES: Summer Steelhead, Winter Steelhead, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Sea-Run Cutthroat Trout |
| McKenzie River - | North Fork of the Nehalem River - | ||
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The McKenzie is a classic Western trout stream. Rich in aquatic life and natural beauty the stream has been a favorite of U.S. trout fishermen for generations.
This beautiful river flows Southwest out of the Central Cascades until its' confluence with the Willamette at Eugene. The size of the McKenzie makes it perfect for fishing from the driftboat,
so perfect in fact, the McKenzie style drift boat was originally built for this stream and now has become the choice of guides and anglers everywhere. The season begins in March with a great hatch of
March browns and continues through the Summer and Fall with other classic hatches like yellow sallies, McKenzie caddis and October Caddis. The stream is stocked with rainbow trout during the Summer months,
but also supports populations of native rainbows and cutthroat as well as some Summer steelhead. Choose one of several available floats for a scenic, peaceful day of classic trout fishing.
SPECIES: Summer Steelhead, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout |
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The North Fork of the Nehalem drops quickly out of the North Oregon Coast range meeting up with the Nehalem in tidewater near Wheeler, Oregon. Compared to streams
like the Nestucca or Siletz, the N. Fork drops at a quicker gradient, creating waterfalls, long sections of rapids and deep canyon pools. It is navigable only in a raft and even that is only for
the most experienced of oarsmen. There is a hatchery about 13 miles from mouth, which produces a strong run of Winter steelhead. These early hatchery fish taper off in February making way
for a good run of native steelhead which fish well until the season closes March 31. We like to walk and wade the upper sections during February and March for big native steelhead. Native fish here
average 10-12 lbs with a fair amount of fish in the 15 lb range. 20 lb. fish are in the system, but come prepared to do battle, because strong current and river obstacles can make landing the really
big a fish a serious challenge. The N. Fork is our most consistent Winter steelhead fishery and with it's relative proximity to Portland (1.5 hours), it's a great day trip for business travellers and
local Portland residents alike.
SPECIES: Winter Steelhead, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Sea-Run Cutthroat Trout |
| Hidden Stream Alpha - | Hidden Stream Beta - | ||
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Stream Alpha is relatively short stream of about 20 miles. Much of the stream is bound within long sections of private property. However, there are a few local access points to launch our 3-person pontoon boat for day float of 5-7 miles. This stream gets very little pressure and it is unusual to see another angler on this system. The stream is narrow with brushy banks and very little room to backcast. Nearly all the fishing here is done from the raft. The river gets a small run of hatchery winter steelhead, a healthy run of native winter steelhead, good numbers of sea-run cutthroat and incredible numbers of Chinook. We love this river in January-February for steelhead and again in early November for the mighty kings. Coho are also present during the Fall. Low Summer flows make this stream unnavigable until the Fall rains arrive. SPECIES: Winter Steelhead, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Sea-Run Cutthroat Trout |
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Stream Beta is quite simply, a gem of the Oregon Coast. Buried deep in the coast range this stream flows about 30 miles before entering into tidewater on another system. Its' size and location make it a walk and wade only stream. In an average days fishing you will cover 2.5 miles of river or about 5 miles of total walking. We've been fishing this river for 25 years and know it and its fish intimately. The stream is vibrant and healthy with excellent populations of coastal cutthroat and crawdads during the Summer. During this time we like to dry fly fish for cutthroats during the morning then break for a crawdad shore lunch, a guest favorite! This river begins to come alive in the late summer with a few summer steelhead and then just gets better from there with amazing sea-run cutthroat, coho and chinook fishing throughout the Fall. The Fall season leads right into Winter steelhead which fish well through March. More grand slams (2 types of cutthroat, chinook and steelhead in the same day!) are taken here then any other location we fish. SPECIES: Winter Steelhead, Summer Steelhead, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Sea-Run Cutthroat Trout, Coastal Cutthroat Trout, Crawdads |
| Sandy River - | Clackamas River - | ||
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In 2007 Marmot Dam was removed from the Sandy River, freeing fish to run unobstructed from the Pacific all the was to tiny spawning tributaries along Mt. Hood. As of Mid 2008 it is unclear exactly what impact the dam removal and increased river flow will have on the fish. We believe that the river will cleanse and reshape itself over the next few years and that the Sandy will be better than ever! Our favorite times on the Sandy are February-June for Winter and Spring Steelhead, May-June for Springer/Summer Steelhead combo, and October for a great hatchery Coho run. SPECIES: Winter Steelhead, Spring Chinook Salmon, Summer Steelhead, Fall Chinook, Coho Salmon |
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The Clackamas, like the Sandy has year-round fishing but because we can't be everywhere at once we target the Clackamas just a couple times a year. When the water is right in Winter, we'll run a few trips for Winter steelhead, but our favorite time of year is all Summer long. We love to swing flies, through classic long runs and riffles for Summer steelhead. Because the stream stays cool all year and doesn't warm up to the degree the coast range does, Summer steelhead remain agressive even in the heat of the Summer. Most of our dry-fly caught steelhead come from this stream in June-August either wading or from the driftboat. SPECIES: Winter Steelhead, Spring Chinook, Summer Steelhead, Rainbow Trout |