Salmon are on the tail end or their annual migration up the river to spawn. There are still a few fish scattered throughout the system but it’s slim pickings for fish that are still in decent shape. With the cooler temps and a bump in flows from the rain we are starting to see fishable numbers of steelhead in the system. These fish are bright and full of fight and even the small ones are a blast to catch!
Being that a lot of these fish are still on the move, transition water has been the main focus. Float fishing and swinging flies have been our methods of choice for the fish. The water has a slight stain currently so brighter colors have been a little more productive.
When float fishing we prefer to float a smaller more natural single egg pattern this time of year with the abundance of salmon eggs still in the system, eggs are an easy meal for a fish to grab as they drift by. Lighter orange and white 8mm and 10mm beads have been our color of choice if asked to pick a color.
Swinging flies is another productive method this time of year. With water temps still on the warmer side and fish being located in the narrow chutes and runs of transition water these fish will more eagerly chase down a swung fly. Flies with a bit of bulk flash in them seem to be the ticket right now. In the more stained water we have started to incorporate rattle chambers into the flies to help the fish locate them and have had great success. (Tying Video up soon)
As we move through the month of November the steelhead fishing is only going to get better with the cooler temps and rain that are in the forecast. Things are setting up to be a fantastic fall run. Feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions or just want to talk fishing. We do have a few days open for trips, but open days are going fast.
Capt. Matt Ketter