Salmon trolling help? And Nehalem Bay fishing?

What are your guys favorite trolling rigs for chinook and coho salmon in bays? What lures usually work best? Also: I've heard that Nehalem bay is doing really well for coho and chinook right now, I am wondering when is the peak time for salmon at Nehalem Bay? I was maybe going to hit it in a couple of weeks, but I'm not sure when the peak season is. If the fishing at Nehalem is good now, how long will it stay good. Salmon trolling novice here, any help is appreciated.

I'm hearing great things from the bay. I will be above tidewater in about 5 days, i don't have a boat so i can't tell you anything about trolling. I use big spinners from the bank so i'd guess aomething along those lines trolling of maybe sardine/kwikfish

I can't help with Nehalem Bay, but all the tidewater fall chinooks that we have caught have been trolling herring, we have caught them using a variety of the standard techniques (plug cut, whole herring, whole 'green' sized herring using the smaller FBR rotating head), we have observed that the hot herring method changes with weather (sunny vs. cloudy/raining) and water temperature (>60F vs. under 60F), just as using a flasher or not also changes. best bet is get some local info on what is working and experiment from there... the coho we catch mostly on spinners (trolling and casting them) but a few each year on herring we are trolling for kings...good luck...roger

Big3d said:

I use big spinners from the bank

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Until it rises and cools (rains), I'd tone down your spinner size a bit above tidewater. And I'm still not sharing my "secret" hole.

Sappy, the peak is about now, but Nehalem hold up well for weeks. Should be hot until the rains come. Unlike its neighbor to the south, Nehalem fish tend to run up quickly after the rains, Tillamook is a slower progression.

Last coho I caught there was on a Maglip plug (4.5 size). That was a double, the other being on a herring/flasher. In the warm water, probably go with flasher/dodger at the jaws, probably without further up the bay. But talk to whatshisface at Wheeler Marina for the scoop.

Yes sir, I usually go up 2 or 3 sizes from what I'd fish the trout with, 1's for trout, 3's n 4's for salmon is what I'm guessing I'll throw.no secret hole necessary buddy, i have favorite spots for trout salmon and even the suckers. All plenty o fun!

The stretch above tidewater is such a blast to fish. It would be nice if you could launch a driftboat there without dropping it OFF the side of a cliff (that's what passes for a launch there), but there's some fun bushwhacking to be had.

I would hit it right now! My buddy's own a little stretch of the floating houses right above 101. Between two boats we probably had 25+ takedowns in two days while visiting this weekend. Spinners got a lot of hits and the ol' Jaws and herring produced a hell of a bite on Sunday.

Just get some spinners, (Pink, orange) and troll around both tide changes. Keep adjusting so your near the bottom. There is A LOT of fish in that system right now..

Good luck,

Thanks all you guys!! looks like I'll hit it Saturday and I'll troll spinners, kwikfish, herring, maglips, pretty much all that stuff. I'll let you know how it goes, with pics if I catch something! And, to whoever has been there very recently, about how many boats are there on the bay?

sapo said:

Thanks all you guys!! looks like I'll hit it Saturday and I'll troll spinners, kwikfish, herring, maglips, pretty much all that stuff. I'll let you know how it goes, with pics if I catch something! And, to whoever has been there very recently, about how many boats are there on the bay?

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There will be a handful of boats around, being it the weekend, but don't let them intimidate you. I would be in the Wheeler or Jaw stretch with herring close to high tide and follow them up river as the tide starts to go out as they will start 'shooting' up. I would stick around the 101 area on Low tide with spinners...You'll get Coho with an Occasional nooky! Fishing is really good right now.

Hey steelmonkiller, hows the crabbing been doing?

Slow, but when the tourists leave, and over the next month it will heat up..

Oh, also steelmonkiller, or drtheo, I've been looking at the radar and theres a good amount of light/moderate rain on the coast right now. is that enough to push a bunch of fish out of the bay, or will the fishing still be good on saturday? thx

Light rain usually doesn't do much, although the barometric pressure change can get them moving. With the forecast rise in the river being somewhere around 1 inch, fish won't push upstream (usually takes about a 1.5 foot rise, minimum when the water is very low like now). So if anything, the change in weather should maybe draw more fish in. My friends went over the bar there last weekend, and seemed to think there were plenty of fish staging up.

I might be there at some point in the next few days myself. What kind of boat are you in? I'll look for you (I'd mention what boat I was in, but my friend down there owns 3 now... takes his boats pretty seriously).

Roger, Doc, and Steelmon great responses!

DrTheopolis, we're in one of the small wheeler marina rental boats. There will be four people in the boat, one is older, one about 40, and two kids, if that helps lol. Thanks!

So you won't be at the jaws then.

I'll keep an eye out, if I make it down.

Went out for a couple of hours at high slack today.

1/1, 12# hatchery coho.