Fishing the Siletz river

[bbbass]

This guy's got most of it right. I like that he starts with a clear area and a large net. I don't like that he is netting fish far out from the boat.

 

[Caveman Jim]

And for the record, THERE ARE NO FISH IN THE THE RIVERS....

 

[Tarawa86]

And for the record, THERE ARE NO FISH IN THE THE RIVERS....

I think everything is closed here in Oregon, yet they want to teach you how to fish for steelhead! I don't fish for steelhead, but many reports I've read make it seem pretty scarce. I love to fish, but I have to be catching something to keep me interested.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I think everything is closed here in Oregon, yet they want to teach you how to fish for steelhead! I don't fish for steelhead, but many reports I read make it seem pretty scarce. I love to fish, but I have to be catching something to keep me interested.
View attachment 507925

It sure seems that our Wildlife managers couldn't manage their selves out of a wet paper bag yet are still trying to make up schemes to keep revenue coming in.

 

[EPS]

When I was new to salmon/steelhead, my buddies taught me how to net. IMO, most fishers get it wrong. Too far out, too close, scoops from way underneath, swoops from behind, stabs that knock the fish off, etc etc etc. But the guy playing the fish can screw it up too... lots of ways to lose a fish... the worst is when a seal takes half of it and your left reeling in a head... crab bait.

Yep well it was kinda both are falt we figured out that my leader was to long for one thing .
I had it reeled as far as I could .
And the pole I was using was to flexible .
I was reaching to the sky to get the fish close to the boat and basically he missed the first try and then came from behind and then it was all over .
Spit the hook swam right out of net .GONE
9 foot medium ugly stick.
I switched to the 9 foot heavy burkley rfi salmon pole but we never got a chance to try it .lol

 

[EPS]

It sure seems that our Wildlife managers couldn't manage their selves out of a wet paper bag yet are still trying to make up schemes to keep revenue coming in.

Man that's for sure I just paid 100 bucks for my duck hunting license .
Accully 135 bucks for duck .sea duck .bbrant.and snow geese.plus a discover pass

 

[Tarawa86]

Man that's for sure I just paid 100 bucks for my duck hunting license .
Accully 135 bucks for duck .sea duck .bbrant.and snow geese.plus a discover pass

I can't seem to muster the excitement to bird hunt here either. I think it's because I'm originally from eastern Washington. It's so easy on the east side to hunt upland bird and duck, but not so much over here.

I haven't tried hunting sky carp (geese) though, maybe I should give it a go.

 

[EPS]

I can't seem to muster the excitement to bird hunt here either. I think it's because I'm originally from eastern Washington. It's so easy on the east side to hunt upland bird and duck, but not so much over here.

I haven't tried to hunt sky carp (geese) though, maybe I should give it a go.

Uppland bird is a problem up here and exspesive.but I live in Skagit county ducks are not a problem they are all over the Skagit valley .there are birds already showing up I went a did a little scouting on Tuesday and saw a few

 

[EPS]

Not to mention I paid I think it was 65 bucks for a 7 day fishing license in Oregon lol non resident

 

[EPS]

OP, I gotta ask...

Did somebody tell you how to fish the Siletz? Or did you figure it out for yourself?

The Siletz is not an easy river for the un-initiated

Sometimes extreme tide ebb and/or flow. Causes back trolling so fast you need to be turned around to see where you're going, backwards. And because of this tidal flow, crabs can be many miles upstream grabbing your bait, as well as the other flotsam and jetsam the tide has brought in, with a natural magnetism to your gear.

I grew up fishing Bluebacks on the Siletz, and it was a great river.

My friend has been fishing it for a few years .
And one of the other guys that we fish with has been fishing it for 19 years .
And yes the tides and the wind can be a problem .some times the tides make you drag your ancor .and the wind blowing by the bridge by the bay make it hard to drive the boat slow trolling.
Lot of the people we where camping with said this was one of the worst years they have seen.
As for fish coming into the river.
Unless there is a late run this month .
The SILETZ RIVER is going to be in trouble

 

[EPS]

They were telling me that there used to be a hatchery up river that the state and or the Siletz tribe ran but they closed it and stopped release hatchery fish years ago

 

[bbbass]

Uppland bird is a problem up here and exspesive.but I live in Skagit county ducks are not a problem they are all over the Skagit valley .there are birds already showing up I went a did a little scouting on Tuesday and saw a few

You eat them?

Recipe for mallard ducks:
Shear off head and feet
Dunk duck in scalding water
Shuck down and pull pin feathers
Rinse cavity (duck)
Place duck on non-stick baking dish
Rub duck with dry Russian salad dressing
Place clay brick on tray/dish with duck
Preheat oven too 450F
Place dish with brick/duck in oven
Cook dish/duck/brick for 1hr
Remove dish/duck/brick
Throw away duck and eat brick

 

[Mikej]

I think everything is closed here in Oregon, yet they want to teach you how to fish for steelhead! I don't fish for steelhead, but many reports I've read make it seem pretty scarce. I love to fish, but I have to be catching something to keep me interested.
View attachment 507925

Steelhead and salmon fishing is GONE compared to what it was like when I started fishing, here in Oregon for salmonids/anadrmous fish in about 1984. None of it is even a shadow of what it was.

OP, I gotta ask...

Did somebody tell you how to fish the Siletz? Or did you figure it out for yourself?

The Siletz is not an easy river for the un-initiated

Sometimes extreme tide ebb and/or flow. Causes back trolling so fast you need to be turned around to see where you're going, backwards. And because of this tidal flow, crabs can be many miles upstream grabbing your bait, as well as the other flotsam and jetsam the tide has brought in, with a natural magnetism to your gear.

I grew up fishing Bluebacks on the Siletz, and it was a great river.

With the help of a couple of mentors, (and friendly people met on the bank), I learned the Willamette for springers, the Sandy and Clack for springers, steelhead and coho. The Columbia for summer steel, fall chinook and coho and Tillamook upper bay/tidewater for fall chinook. Nestuca and three rivers too. I self learned a LOT after getting started. Something maybe not so common these days is going out, Siletz for instance, and fishing the way others do....Like trolling WITH the tide when everyone else is? Anchoring with wrapped Quik Fish, ot bobber and bait, when every one else is? Knowing you're limitations? Simple schtick like that. After you've learned a thing or two, branch out with self thought ideas to put fish in the boat. It's not really rocket surgery.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Yep well it was kinda both are falt we figured out that my leader was to long for one thing .
I had it reeled as far as I could .
And the pole I was using was to flexible .
I was reaching to the sky to get the fish close to the boat and basically he missed the first try and then came from behind and then it was all over .
Spit the hook swam right out of net .GONE
9 foot medium ugly stick.
I switched to the 9 foot heavy burkley rfi salmon pole but we never got a chance to try it .lol

When I'm fishing in a boat I bring a boat rod, under 9 ft minimum. If you're in a drift boat eight and a half minimum, cuz the dance floor in a drift boat is not large enough for a 10 and a half foot bobber rod.... lol
For all my salmon fishing I an eight and a half foot lamiglas 1310 model, I have for that I keep on my boat.
As for leader length, the way I measure is I hook the bottom hook of the mooching leader into the keeper, measure up to the third eye and then tie a surgeon's loop, which is about 36 in.
I use Duo snaps at every terminal location from the flasher to the leader and on the main line to the top of the flasher.
This system works great!!!

 

[bbbass]

Steelhead and salmon fishing is GONE compared to what it was like when I started fishing, here in Oregon for salmonids/anadrmous fish in about 1984. None of it is even a shadow of what it was.



With the help of a couple of mentors, (and friendly people met on the bank), I learned the Willamette for springers, the Sandy and Clack for springers, steelhead and coho. The Columbia for summer steel, fall chinook and coho and Tillamook upper bay/tidewater for fall chinook. Nestuca and three rivers too. I self learned a LOT after getting started. Something maybe not so common these days is going out, Siletz for instance, and fishing the way others do....Like trolling WITH the tide when everyone else is? Anchoring with wrapped Quik Fish, ot bobber and bait, when every one else is? Knowing you're limitations? Simple schtick like that. After you've learned a thing or two, branch out with self thought ideas to put fish in the boat. It's not really rocket surgery.

I learned almost everything I know about salmonid fishing from others... whether it be friends, people I met on the bank/water, authors of magazine articles, books, or even from good local sporting goods stores. Have very fond memories of being curious seeing some guys fishing on the Sandy... I climbed down a steep bank to visit with them... a really nice elder gentleman showed me what he was using for Chinook... I was intrigued since I had never seen ghost shrimp and Jensen eggs. Not sure you can use soft rubber eggs any more.

 

[EPS]

When I'm fishing in a boat I bring a boat rod, under 9 ft minimum. If you're in a drift boat eight and a half minimum, cuz the dance floor in a drift boat is not large enough for a 10 and a half foot bobber rod.... lol
For all my salmon fishing I an eight and a half foot lamiglas 1310 model, I have for that I keep on my boat.
As for leader length, the way I measure is I hook the bottom hook of the mooching leader into the keeper, measure up to the third eye and then tie a surgeon's loop, which is about 36 in.
I use Duo snaps at every terminal location from the flasher to the leader and on the main line to the top of the flasher.
This system works great!!!

Yep downrigger set up but on the river you can't use a down riggers . well you can but it it will get really exspesive when you start hanging up and cutting down rigger wire lol .
We use a leader in front of the flasher and behind because where the main line connect we put a sliding 5 or 6 oz lead ball to get it down .and you have to figure out how many pulls gets you to the bottom .THEN REALLY WATCH THE DEPTH .it goes up and down .fast in some places.
From six feet to 30 feet

 

[EPS]

Put the rod in the rod holders let the line out till the lead hit the water surface.then you start hand pulling line from real to frist eye on pole my pole was around 15 to 25 pulls before bottom .
If you got real with a counter on it it makes it a little easier

 

[EPS]

And you will get hung up on the bottom every one does . I only lost one whole set up .in six days pretty good.lol flasher lead lure .but I did lose two times just the spinner.there are logs rocks and all kinds of stuff on the bottom.
Lot of people use the triangle flasher .
We tried them too. but most people useing a flasher called the SHORT BUS FLASHER.
looks like a HOT SPOT but has two Fins on it .
It spins a little bit different from a hot spot.

 

[EPS]

Like he said above when the tide is really moving in and out most people ancor and quick fish .and trolling in between the tides or trolling on the small tides .

 

[EPS]

Because the size of the boat we are limited to the spot on the river .
From the bridge at the bay to a few miles up river .
Drift boats can go farther up river.
But like you said there is not a lot of dance floor in a drift boat .
We were in 18 foot HEWES CRAFT
So we have a little bit of dance floor