Southern Oregon

Friday, December 21 marks the beginning of winter, and with a little bit of luck, the first big storm coinciding with the third week of winter usually ushers in the first large schools of winter steelhead.   Unfortunately, many south coast rivers like the Chetco River have been plagued with low-water conditions.  Thankfully, the Chetco received enough rain on three separate...
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Gear restrictions were officially lifted on the Chetco and Winchuck Rivers last Tuesday, when an onslaught of back-to-back low-pressure systems in southern Oregon and northern California created numerous freshets, raising the streams and allowing stranded salmon and steelhead to escape upriver. It also beckoned late fall Chinook and early winter steelhead to enter the river as well. “We are back on track...
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Last week, unusually flat seas and calm winds beckoned anglers to head out to the ocean out of the Port of Brookings in search for the lowly bottom-grabber.  Daily limits of 5 rockfish per person commonly hit the fillet tables, with anglers catching large rockies averaging between 3 and 5 pounds. The predominant fish species was the black rockfish, although...
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About 10 boats including drift boats and jet sleds continued to troll the Chetco bay in search of Chinook salmon. The action has been very sporadic, but predictable. Anglers have had better luck getting a savage take-down every other day. But, the main question that is puzzling most anglers is why the Chetco bay is spitting out king salmon in the middle...
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Being in a drought situation is a double-edged sword.  Most of the south coast rivers are running much lower than normal.  Usually the Chetco is running anywhere between 2,000 and 4,000 cfs this time of year, with anglers whackin’ and stackin’ their kings using sardine-wrapped banana plugs like K-15 Kwikfish and 4.5-inch Mag Lips. Oh, did I just use the jinxiest...
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When the winds of died down and the swells have diminished, anglers fishing out of the Port of Brookings Harbor have been puttin’ the hurtin’ on limits of rockfish and lingcod, but anglers have had to slow down their presentations in order to get the bottom-grabbers to engulf their baits. So the smart anglers are taking the metal off and putting...
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