by Robbie
Despite marginal returns summer steelhead fishing the last few weeks has been just good enough to keep anglers interested. Compared to last year, we have about a quarter as many fish in the Willamette Valley which translates to about a tenth the amount of pressure. Water temps this year, at least on the Willamette, have been much colder than last year and water levels have been superb for fly angling unlike the high flows experienced last summer. Not going to lie and say I have had many, multi fish days like last but anglers who know where steelhead sit are catching fish every couple of outings on the Willamette and the McKenzie. The cooler, fall weather coming up should help keep “the bite” steady till early November.
Steelhead road trip options abound in the fall. We have gotten decent reports from the upper Rogue. Excitement may have petered out a bit on the Deschutes, but we have heard of many productive trips. A peep or two has come out of the North Umpqua despite poor returns. Conditions were excellent when I went down there in early august, overcast with water temps at 58 degrees! As we head later into fall Columbia tributaries like the Klickitat, John Day and Grande Ronde should be worthwhile road trips. If you are feeling adventurous, after our first fall rain try to figure out where this classic video by Todd Moen was filmed.
Some great steelhead flies to be throwing currently follow: RIO’s Coo Coo for Cocoa Puff’s, Hoh Bo SpeyChou’s, Mooshoo Muddler, Moal Leech, Anderson’s Euphoria, or a Mack’s Canyon. Carrying an array of sinking tips will allow you to cover many types of water. We are especially excited for the new Rio MDC Sink Tips which feature a progressive sink design aimed at keeping your fly in the zone for longer. Through the fall I keep it simple and continue to fish 10 feet of T8 or a 5/5 T8 on most of my Skagit lines. The new MDC Sink Tips from RIO pair well with the remade RIO Elite Scandi Body, a versatile unique head. The MDC tips can be fished with Skagit heads as well. Great straightforward Skagit lines like the RIO Elite Skagit Max Power or *Airflo Superflo Max Skagit continue to excel. The Airflo Superflo Max Rage Compact is my favorite fishing Scandi line for Oregon because most the rivers I fish tend to get a bit windy. For a more a classic Scandi line the RIO Scandi Launch. Fall is a fun and productive time to try to get some surface bites or swing smaller flies.
Our coastal Coho run looks excellent and opens in about a week in most places. Most of the time they are a lot easier to catch on flies than Chinook. I am inexperienced in fishing for them in tidewater but I’m sure it will be productive for those who put their time in. Once the fall rains hit, they will move upriver or uplake and become easier to target. In terms of Valley Coho the Clackamas should have the notoriously stingy A-runs in anytime now. The Santiams should follow a in few weeks. Make sure to check the ODFW regulations and updates on their website. When it comes to salmon angling there are lower river deadlines and some deadlines change within season. Look out for a more in depth how to on Oregon Salmon Fly Fishing in a couple weeks.
-Robbie
