FALL CHINOOK (KINGS)
The Fall run of chinook is the most prevalent of the two different runs and is limited to the Coastal streams only. These fish begin to enter the bays on the Oregon Coast as early as August and tend to hang out in estuaries until the Fall rains come. At that point (ususally in October) these fish bolt into all the river systems and make their way to spawn. We'll chase the chromers in tidewater early in the season and then move upriver with the fish. Oregon coast fish average 20-25 lbs. with a few fish in the upper 30's. Our largest fish was taken on a fly rod in 2003 and weighed nearly 55 lbs.!

SPRING CHINOOK (SPRINGERS)
Springers are native to Willamette river tributaries like the Sandy and Clackamas. Anglers go crazy for these prized fat rich fish and can be seen by the hundreds trolling the Willamette and Columbia throughout the Spring. Not exactly our cup of tea, we'll wait until May and June when these fish move into the smaller streams. We like to target these fish in conjunction with Summer steelhead. Springers are smaller than their Fall cousins and average in the mid teens and low twenties. A 30 pound fish is massive.

RIVERS TO CHOOSE FROM: Fall Run; Siletz, North Fork Nehalem, Nestucca, Oregon Coast Creeks. Spring Run; Sandy or Clackamas
SEASON: Spring/Early Summer or Fall

Native coho numbers have dwindled considerably since the 70's on the Oregon coast. There are still a few hatchery programs like the Nestucca, N. Fork Nehalem and Sandy. There are also several rivers have smaller native runs that mix in the with the Run of Fall chinook. Streams with hatchery programs see large numbers of anglers while native runs go largely unfished due to the catch and release requirement. The coho run is timed with the chinook run and they can be caught from early September until December. Oregon Coast and Cascade coho range from 6-15 pounds with a handful of fish in the high teens and low twenties.

RIVERS TO CHOOSE FROM: Sandy, Nestucca, Oregon Coast Creeks, N. Fork Nehalem
SEASON: Fall

Summer Steelhead begin to enter streams in May and continue through August but they don't spawn until the Fall which make them a very different fish than their closely related cousins, the Winter steelhead. Summer steelhead exhibit more trout-type behavior than Winter Steelhead, like holding in shallow water and striking at natural insects. These fish are very wary, due mostly to low water and intense sunlight. The best time to target these fish is before the sun hits the water and in the evening once it begins to set. Cloudy days are also excellent and a little rain or mist is even better. Summer steelhead are generally smaller than Winter fish and average 6-9 pounds with big fish in the 12 pound class. We love to angle for these acrobatic fish with bobber and jig, sand shrimp, spoons and plugs and flies.

RIVERS TO CHOOSE FROM: Siletz, Nestucca, Clackamas, Sandy, McKenzie, Oregon Coast Creek
SEASON: Late Spring, Summer, Fall

Winter steelhead are available to anglers over a four month period. Their size, power, numbers and willingness to bite make them our most guided fish. We begin chasing hatchery fish in early December and gradually transition over to native runs by early Februrary. We'll chase native and broodstock fish through mid-April.

Winter steelhead are a hearty species surviving well in numerous rivers on the Coast and in the Willamette Valley. Water conditions throughout the Winter months vary greatly and can affect fishing. We're always keeping a careful eye on the river levels, so feel free to contact us for the most current conditions. Oregon winter steelhead range from 7-20 lbs. with average fish around 10-12 lbs. For some, the wet, cold, blustery weather and difficult fishing conditions isn't their cup of tea, but for others the anticipation, excitement and chance to land one of Oregon's most powerful and beautiful gamefish keeps them coming back again and again.

RIVERS TO CHOOSE FROM: Siletz, Nestucca, North Fork Nehalem, Oregon Coast Creeks, Sandy, Clackamas
SEASON: Winter, Early Spring

SEA-RUN CUTTHROAT
Perhaps the most under fished on any species in Oregon, the coastal sea-run cutthroat is a favorite of ours. The blueback trout finds its' way to coastal tidewaters by mid-August and numbers increase throughout September before moving upstream with the chinook in October. These fish are most often angled for with ultralight spinning gear and fly rods. Fish range from 8-22" and average fish are 13"-14". Fish over 20" are considered trophy class.

NATIVE CUTTHROAT
The oregon native coastal cutthroat is nearly identical to the sea-run variety above, but for some reason chooses not to go to the ocean during the summer months. These fish are generally smaller than the sea-run variety and average 5-12". They provide excellent sport on dry flies and are most often targeted by walking cool coastal tribuataries during the Summer months. Ask about our famous Coastal Cutthroat trip complete with a streamside crawdad boil.

RIVERS TO CHOOSE FROM: Siletz, Nestucca, Oregon Coast Creeks, N. Fork Nehalem
SEASON: Late-Summer, Fall

Several West Slope Cascade streams have populations of native rainbow trout. Certain rivers including the Clackamas and McKenzie are additionally stocked by ODFW during the Summer months. Our favorite river to guide the large native redside trout is the McKenzie, near Eugene, Oregon. The McKenzie has a good population of redside trout as well as hatchery rainbows and native coastal cutthroat. The length and size of the McKenzie makes it a perfect river for the drift boat.

We also guide the Clackamas for rainbows as it has good numbers of hatchery rainbows. Often times our Clackamas trout trips are combination days with Summer Steelhead and Spring Chinook.

RIVERS TO CHOOSE FROM: McKenzie River, Clackamas River
SEASON: Spring, Summer, Fall