The first few adult steelhead of the season have been caught on Oregon's Chetco River, just as the king salmon season has begun to wind down.
I got my customers into ocean-fresh steelhead Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Today, Dec. 2, we got enough rain to raise river flows above 1,500 cfs, perfect for steelhead fishing.
We have been side drifting roe and Puff Balls with size 4 hooks in the faster riffles.
Now that we've had a decent amount of rain, the entire lower river from Ice Box to Social Security Bar should produce fish.
Salmon fishing, meanwhile, was fair at best this season. We found fish just about every day in November, but the low, clear flows made fishing tough.
Our biggest king of the year was a 51 pounder landed by Bruce Beck.
Look for steelhead fishing to be good from now through March. Late December, January and February is peak season.
I'll be side drifting roe cured with Pautzke's BorxOFire with pink or orange Puff Balls and size 4 Lazer Sharp octopus hooks. I also like to run plugs, such as the new 3.5 MagLip from Yakima Bait, when I find an area without other boats.
Some dates are still available in January and February. Visit www.wildriversfishing.com for more information.
