Big, bright fall salmon headed to the Chetco River in Southern Oregon are stacking up off the mouth of the river at Brookings.
The latter part of the Oct. 1-12 ocean salmon season ws excellent, with dozens of 40-plus pounders caught, a monster 51-pounder, and countless 30 pounds.
"It was good fishing, with more 30-plus-pounders than I can remember seeing in a single season," said pro guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing (www.wildriversfishing.com) who was on the scene the entire season.
Oct. 11 produced the best fishing. Martin's clients were back at the dock by 8:30 with limits, including a 40-pounder.
The salmon are staging off the mouth of the Chetco and will run upriver after the first big fall rains. Expect excellent fishing when the Chetco River opens above rivermile 2.2 on Nov. 6.
Pulling plugs and back-bouncing roe will be the go-to methods for catching the big fall kings.
