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| Kaufmann Streamborn Northwest Fishing Report |
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| OREGON |
Clackamas River - The Clackamas is in great fishing shape though a mite mired in the ‘tween the seasons doldrums...for steelhead that is. Steelhead anglers should prep their gear for the end of the month when fresh chrome table bounty should be arriving around the holiday.
If you're a Silver angler, well...it's good news for you. In a slightly bolder move than expected, ODFW has extended the coho season until the end of the year. Sounds great in theory; however the majority of fish caught after mid-month should be viewed with some skepticism. Even for filling the Big Chief. If you're out a-huntin' silvers, Eagle Creek and its confluence with the Clack is the epicenter, expect fishing to radiate outward from there.
Sandy River - Somewhat mirroring the Clackamas fishery, steelheading on the Sandy is at a low ebb. You should find some opportunity as the month moves forward, but kickoff will happen sometime around the beginning of December. Not to say it wouldn't be worth getting out and finding out how fast that new piece of T-17 gets to the floor, just in case.
Here's a bit of a quote from ODFW regarding the Silver fishery on the Sandy this year: "The Sandy hatchery staff is finding it difficult to keep up with the constant flow of fish into the facility. Anglers and sightseers alike are showing up in force to see the spectacle. The hatchery has fulfilled its brood stock needs for the year and is now processing up to 2,000 fish a day that ODFW is donating to the Oregon Food Bank."
Bountiful in all ways...lots of fish, lots of people, lots of trash and lots of pulls. Enjoy the fishing, don't say you weren't warned.
Deschutes - Starting off with a reminder...trout fishing is now closed from Pelton Dam downstream to the northern boundary of the Warm Springs Reservation. Which is to say...don't get busted fishing a 5 weight at South Junction. If you're in this stretch, tactics are steelhead only through the end of December. Not to preach, but this is really important...the trout population in this section of river needs as much of a break as any in the country, mounting pressure over the last decade has taken a toll and we must do what we can to preserve this amazing resource.
Trout fishing in the Maupin area to the mouth remains open year-round and if you're an angler on the prowl for trout, the world is your oyster. There is very little pressure on trout with this steelhead season being the best of the decade. In addition, it's really the best of the fall baetis activity...if you're headed here and not carrying small baetis (18 and smaller), get by the shop. If not, you're not in the game like you should be.
Steelhead fishing continues on. November brings crisper weather, cloudier days and declining water temps...not altogether unfavorable conditions. Keep bringing your floater to the party, but keep your eyeballs on the thermometer...not the one outside the back door, the one you've dipped in the crick. 48 degrees is your benchmark...if you're hovering in the 46-47 degree range, it might be time to slap on the tips and get down. Over 48? Skate away...or whatever's clever. All in all, November is a great time to be fishing on the D, with many different tactics in play. Fish are spread out...and pressure should become a little more favorable for everybody involved as the month goes on.
McKenzie and Willamette - There's fine fall fishing to be had on both rivers in the trout department. Baetis are ruling the roost in terms of feed and fodder. Should you get a sunny day out, keep your eyes peeled for caddis - they'll be out and the October's will keep popping for a couple more weeks. Once these rivers see their first hard freeze, I'd start to look elsewhere for your trout fix...it tends to signal the end.
N. Fork Umpqua - Just a couple quick comments for the North. Things are going to get quite a bit cooler here this month and tips will be the tactic of choice in the fly water. Not normally the easiest of rivers to decipher, November can be an effective time to fish here with numbers as good as any time throughout the year.
Oregon Coast - A funky time for the coast as well, though there are some intriguing options here to throw into the mix. Chum season is open through the 15th of November. The Kilchis is the primary river in Oregon noted for this fishery and anglers fixated on Mr. Chumley might be better served by heading up to the Puget Sound area where options abound. Pound for pound, no Pacific Salmon fights as hard and everyone should catch one at some point. Make sure you take a look at Kevin's comments a few scrolls down.
Kings will continue to be in play up and down the coast through the mid part of December and longer in some areas. Tillamook and mid-coast anglers are having moderate success despite the somewhat small return for 2009. It's worthy of a reminder, no king fishing in the Nehalem this year.
Late November has always been a kickoff mark for coastal hatchery runs with the Alsea and Necanicum tops on the list. Don't expect this to be the situation on the Alsea as last year marked the first year of alterations in the return and while you may find a few early lurkers, it won't be the circus of previous times. The Necanicum should remain the best of the early suspects with Big Creek and Gnat Creek also in the mix. Water conditions are always a factor in the early winter season and for two year's running we've had epic floods on the coast combined with mass timber related carnage. Let's hope we don't make it 3 years in a row for jet sleds on Main Street in Tillamook.
Other Miscellaneous Odds and Ends of Note
Southwest WA - The Cowlitz is in the midst of their biggest Silver run since 1990. Over 35,000 fish have been recorded at the hatchery. Steelheading continues as well. The Kalama and Lewis rivers continue to crank out a few fish here and there.
Gorge Rivers - Steelhead fishing on the John Day and Grande Ronde rivers has been very good on the whole. Barometric fluctuations would seem to have a hand in the outcome of your days here, but they're both well worth a look before things snap to continually frosty. The Clearwater and Snake are also in great fishing condition for those looking for a drive.
Trout - Options are still pretty good for trout anglers till the first hard freeze. The Crooked has picked up in the last couple weeks since irrigation was turned off and the bite to dries has been on. The Metolius and Fall will continue to be good options throughout winter, but are doing very well now. The Owyhee has been nothing short of spectacular for those who've made the trek. Small flies partners....small flies.
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WASHINGTON
Yakima River - The treat is going to be Blue Winged Olives, mid-afternoon on, until they're done sometime in November. The trick will be sampling a few more of these hatches, perhaps an enduring, explosive event, before they wane. At some point here in the next couple weeks or so, those mid-to-late afternoon BWO's will all of a sudden be similarly sized midges (#20-#24), and then it will be Winter.
Methow, Wenatchee and Upper Columbia Rivers - This has already been a legendary year, with epic, record returns of summer-run steelhead throughout the Columbia/Snake system. Double-digit days to individuals are just not surprising at all, more common than not. Waked/skated dries, dead-drift dries, nymphing, and good ol' wet-fly swinging have all resulted in days that will be looked back on in awe for those who have ventured - particularly those who have ventured with some fair routine, or put in enough time to ‘figure things out'.
All that will change between now and the closures (www.wdfw.wa.gov for updates) will be the cooling water temps, and the associated need for tips and up-sized offerings to elicit responses from fish whose metabolisms are going to be slowing progressively as water temps slide down through the 40's. Nymphers will continue to produce fish, too, as pools become more and more attractive for any fish thinking about making it to spring.
Puget Sound Beaches - For those seeking the estuary Chum scene, it's an early go already at Hoodsport on Hoods Canal, with more to come. For that matter, South Sound haunts such as Kennedy Creek and Coulter Creek, et al should also begin receiving numbers if they haven't already. While classic chartreuse ‘shrimpy' patterns (bright green versions of Pink flies - Candies, Sparky's, Comets, etc.) are the typical producers, orange and pink have been known to work as wel, so fret not if shy on chartreuse offerings.
Meanwhile, we are still at the tail end of returning Ocean Silvers, with plenty of mature residents scattered throughout the Sound, now; and, too, let's not forget that not all Sea-Run Cutts are in their natal river systems (some will wait ‘til spring to ascend their natal dinky creeks), so there will be some of these guys around, too. Aside from the Chum Fests, anticipate quiet with variably productive catching, by way of the beaches, moving forward.
Puget Sound Lowland Lakes - Lone is fishing well. Pass is fishing well. The "non-Pass-or-Lone" Westside lakes folks have bothered to ‘venture' to are fishing well, too. Water temps remain ideal for a trout's metabolism, just so happening to coincide with their seasonal trigger to gorge in preparation for over-wintering. As long as water temps remain ‘mildish' (say, 45-50 + degrees), anticipate at least fair fishing, at least through the middle of the day, if not for the duration while those temps hover just above the 50-mark. Leeches and buggers reign supreme by way of sinking lines (faster and faster sinks the colder it gets), with the little fat-head minnows and crayfish of Pass spicing things up a bit. We're still in the window where some dizzying catch rates can definitely be experienced. Go now before it gets too dang cold, then hope for a ‘warm spell' sometime in December, January or February.
Basin Lakes - It's getting cooler, but not necessarily colder, yet. Water temps are trying their darndest to ‘hold-off' on ducking underneath the 50-degree mark for now, and catch rates on all the lakes seem to be roughly mirroring the closer-to-ideal water temperatures. The next few weeks, short of some significant cooling, should remain productive, mainly by way of leeches and buggers on the sinking line (bloodworms, too) as the fish gorge in preparation to over-winter. Dusty, Dry Falls, Lenore, Nunnally, Lenice are all open until November 30th (Beda got ‘whacked', as in rotenone'd = restart spring '10). Then, save for Dry Falls (Apr 1), it's a whole 3-months until they re-open. Is it only that long?
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