January Winter Steelhead Update

Report:

A few fish trickled in late November, early December but steelheading was slow overall due to low water and frigid conditions. The rain dances were heard and answered with an overcompensating vengeance. A lot of rain and milder temperatures came mid-December that allowed some success around Christmas time and New Years, but high water made catching tough.

I spent most of my time on the Alsea before New Years. I love the Alsea river early season. It helps that I caught my first steelhead on a fly rod sixteen years ago in its maligned headwaters! I fish it sparingly after New Years to escape the crowds that arrive when the fish are really in. The Midwestern style combat fishing on its North Fork gives one of my favorite rivers a misunderstood reputation. The mainstem Alsea is a beautiful, varied stream with a classic Oregon Coast feel. It has many boat launches (some slides), creative bank access and a true early run of steelhead. In December, I usually see zero to three other boats per drift and maybe a couple more in the upper river on weekends. After New Years expect to see A LOT more traffic. Which is fine! Just not what I look for.

Since the rain has halted this week I have switched to waters closer to Eugene. Steelhead fishing has been pretty steady with solid reports from myself and other anglers. Hopefully you were able to get out this last week as well! 

Outlook:

The rain has halted for awhile, the next couple weeks are shaping up for a slow steady drop. From now onward most rivers will have fish in them. In January I find fish in pods rather than evenly distributed throughout a system; if you find one or a couple keep it to yourself and maybe fish that same zone again the next day. If you like to fish larger rivers like the North Umpqua, the next couple weeks will be very kind levels for swinging. Colder weather will turn “the bite” off intermittently but you can be confident that there are some around. Get out there!

I feel more confident in swung flies the warmer the water is in the winter. I used to trust that 47 was the cuttoff for bedrock lies (for fresh fish), but I swung an absolute chromer this past weekend out of bedrock bucket when the water was 46! I will swing the primo runs in all water temperatures. When swinging in colder water, look for shallower and gradual sloping runs. The runs that look like they are from a postcard about Olympic Peninsula not the Oregon Coast. In Oregon these runs usually occur near a corner in the river or above rapids and are usually contain smaller rock mixed in with some big boulders that fish can hide behind. 

Some Tech & Preferred Products:

When the water gets cold the fish will move a lot less. Over the next couple weeks I would keep the unweighted flies in the box unless you want to put some shot in front of them. For our bedrock strewn, coastal streams my swung flies are tied with medium lead eyes or larger. I have caught a lot of winter steelhead on: Signature Intruder. Other killer flies from the shop: Guide Intruder, Loop Leech, Stu’s Metal Head Tube.

I like to color code my flies by the eyes. I use chartreuse for small (used sparingly in winter), orange for medium, pink for large, and purple for xl. That’s how much I think color matters, for identifying the weight of flies not for catching fish! These are the eyes that I like to use: Double Pupil Lead Eyes.

My usual Oregon Coast tip wallet is simple: t11, t14, and 5/5 tip are the mainstays. I use 10 footers on a switch and 12.5 footers on a full spey if I’m fishing a bigger river. On the Umpqua, I will use more t17. I use a 5/5 MOW Tip in either t11 or t14. In smaller to medium sized streams during normal to low water (what is on the forecast) it is a must. This tip is super versatile. Use it to fish classic “bobber water” with a slightly upstream cast and slack tosses of extra running line as it passes by. It works great for fishing shallower buckets with a straight across cast and a pullback mend. Lastly, use a 45 degree cast downstream for the shallow tailouts; all with the same 5/5 MOW tip! It is important to use a weighted fly with a true MOW tip (the 5/5s 2.5/7.5s). They were designed for fishing deep quickly, while not snagging, with slightly upstream or straight across casts. 

I use RIO Elite Skagit Max Power Spey Head on most of my full spey rods in the winter. Due to the size of most rivers I fish my winter full speys are all 12’6”s. If you are fishing a 13 or 13’6” the RIO Elite Skagit Max Launch Spey Head is great. I have been demoing a 12’8” Scott Swing and love it with a 575 max launch and it does well with a 550 max power. This rod has a lot of soul and is a joy to cast all day. I just picked up the ultimate Umpqua stick: the Sage R8 8126. I can’t wait to break it in next week with a 625 max power as well as a RIO Elite Skagit Pickpocket Shooting Head 600gr. My go to head for my switch rods is the OPST commando head . I use the Echo SR or “Switch Rod” on smaller water in a 7wt or 8wt. I like 3-4ft of 12lb or 15lb Maxima Mono in the winter for swinging flies.

Of course I “indicator” fish and I have been loving the new mega XL Oros Strike Indicators. They can hold a lot of weight, their depth is easily adjustable and they float better than the larges do in turbulent currents. The Scientific Anglers Amplitude Anadro line is my favorite for indicator fishing. Use it true to size on single handers and size up two line weights on a switch. I have not played around with but have heard positive reviews of  the SA Integrated Switch Line. This line is specialized for indicator fishing from the shore with lots of weight on a switch rod. It is the successor to my favorite, poorly named and sadly abandoned “Great Lakes Switch” line from SA. 

-Robbie