Fishing Articles

Chetco River Officially Opens to All Techniques
Southern Oregon
by Larry Ellis, DECEMBER 1, 2018
Chetco River

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...
Full Story

Telling weekend for late fall king run
Kenny Priest
by Kenny Priest, NOVEMBER 29, 2018
Chetco River

The season for late fall kings finally got going last week following the first significant storms of the year. For the Smith and Chetco, I’d say the fishing was fair. While there were some big, bright fish caught on both rivers, the overall scores were pretty underwhelming. Now granted, conditions weren’t exactly perfect, but we were all hoping to see...
Full Story

ODFW Salmon and Trout Advisory Committee to meet at Salem Airport on Dec. 6
by ODFW, NOVEMBER 28, 2018

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program (STEP) Advisory Committee will meet in Salem on Thursday, Dec. 6 beginning at 8 a.m. The meeting will occur at the Salem Municipal Airport located at 2990 25th Street SE, Salem. The agenda is available at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/STEP. The agenda includes review of mini-grant applications, STEP program planning and program updates. The...
Full Story

Gear restrictions lifted on Chetco, Winchuck rivers
by ODFW, NOVEMBER 28, 2018
Chetco River

Angling gear restrictions are now lifted for the Chetco and Winchuck rivers due to significant rainfall eliminating snagging risk to fall chinook. ODFW had extended the restrictions to December 31 or until rainfall raised water levels. “We are back on track with water flows in the Chetco and Winchuck and fall chinook are now moving upriver,” said Steve Mazur, district fish...
Full Story

Trinity River Fishing Report: We Have Rain!
Trinity River Fishing
by E.B. Duggan, NOVEMBER 25, 2018
Trinity River

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and was able to enjoy family together. We had a good rain last week. This last storm brought the Klamath Valley 3 to 5 inches of rain depending upon where you were. The good part is that it was enough rain to help the firefighters get control of the fires, but not enough to...
Full Story

Last Chance Rockfish - First Chance Steelhead (Chetco River)
Southern Oregon
by Larry Ellis, NOVEMBER 24, 2018
Chetco River

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...
Full Story