Winter steelhead appeared in a handful of streams on the far north portion of the Oregon coast a few days before Thanksgiving. Gnat Creek and the Klaskanine River are both lower Columbia River tributaries. Also, the Necanicum River and the North Fork Nehalem, which drain directly into the Pacific, all report “fair” success on the early hatchery runs that originate there.
Almost every coastal river system on the northern coast now has fair numbers of bright winter steelhead, including the Wilson, arguably the best coastal winter steelhead river on the north coast. But except for your proverbial “road warrier,” the region is a bit far for a single-day trip and better suited to a two-day or more expedition.
Along the mid-coast
On the Siletz, most anglers focused on late fall chinook, but I expect that steelhead will now capture that spotlight. The Siletz is the mid-coast’s premier steelhead river; the drainage nurtures a summer steelhead run and a winter broodstock program, and thousands of hatchery fish are planted every season.
Closer to the southern valley, the head of the hatchery run reached the bank-angling section of the Alsea River, and a handful of bright winter steelhead had already been caught and landed. The fall salmon ended well before Thanksgiving, and the angling pressure has been light since then.
The Umpqua River
To our south, winter steelhead has spread up the Umpqua River past the forks. Some of those fish have migrated over Winchester Dam and into the North Fork of the Umpqua. Several have already been caught on the Colliding Rivers run. That suggests that winter steelhead has reached the Umpqua’s south fork. The small shot of rainfall we’ve received will draw more fish into rivers where the winter run has begun.
Way down south
On the south coast, on the Sixess, Elk, and Chetco rivers, anglers were focused on late-fall chinook.
However, similar to other Oregon rivers, Santa Claus arrived early, and most of those southern rivers now have the bright and gleaming chrome of a fresh winter steelhead. From the Sixess southward, there are only limited opportunities to catch a hatchery steelhead. All those streams are within the “Rogue South Coastal Area” (RSCA), where, in addition to your general angling license and steelhead/salmon harvest tag, you must obtain and carry an RSCA validation. The validation will also allow you to harvest a limited number of wild steelhead each season from the area’s protected steelhead fisheries. Most of us already carry a Columbia River Basin Endorsement to steelhead (and salmon) fish in the McKenzie and Willamette. The RSCA is very similar; the money used to advance the fish species’ existence in these vital anadromous fish watersheds.
It was early to have the run so widespread, but it is characteristic of years with strong returns. I also have much more to share about steelhead fishing. Email me for an in-depth synopsis of fishing in the far corners of Oregon.
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