Coastal winter SH ideas

Hey All,
I was looking for some suggestions for some coastal rivers to fish. I moved to Bend a while back, and I focus mainly on the D and occasionally the Sandy. Both my dad and I fly fish, but he is big on C & R and loves coastal rivers that don't have Hatcheries or Hatchery planted. He spends some time fishing some CA coastal rivers like this, and after our last trip chasing coastal CA chrome he challenged me to look into finding similar fisheries in OR.
Anyways he wants to plan a trip next year, I figure that gives me some time to do some more research and go check out some fisheries. I have done a bit of searching, and have a few ideas. I know know body likes to give up their favorite river or favorite spot, and I am not asking for you to spill your secretes, after all figuring it out on your own is half the fun! However I'd love some suggestions with something along the lines of hike in access and camp. PM's with ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Rmacneil656 said:

he is big on C & R and loves coastal rivers that don't have Hatcheries or Hatchery planted.

Click to expand...

My first thought was Salmonberry River (hiking access). Maybe Kilchis River (road access).

Trask

JonT's right, Trask (road access) has no hatchery steelhead releases though it gets strays while Kilchis has hatchery releases.

The Trask has a lot of Hatchery Steelhead in it.... For the North Coast, if you want wilds, go to the main stem Nehalem!

Although not really coastal...Fly only area on North Umpqua River.

Thanks All, I have plenty of research to start doing! And a impromptu trip or two to make :thumb:.
Another one I was looking into was Ten Mile, anyone have any experience there?

Ten Mile is fishing right now. Hatchery Fish.

Aton said:

Ten Mile is fishing right now. Hatchery Fish.

Click to expand...

Think he means Ten Mile Creek that's south of Yachats, currently managed for wild fish, rather than Ten Mile Creek that drains Ten Mile Lake near Coos Bay which has hatchery fish and some unclipped?

Anyway, no experience other than I enjoyed visiting both locations as a child in the '70s.

Ya stear clear of the city if Tillimook if you want to avoid hatcherys.

SmallStreams said:

Think he means Ten Mile Creek that's south of Yachats, currently managed for wild fish, rather than Ten Mile Creek that drains Ten Mile Lake near Coos Bay which has hatchery fish and some unclipped?

Anyway, no experience other than I enjoyed visiting both locations as a child in the '70s.

Click to expand...

Yes the one south of Yachats was the one I was looking into. Does anyone know what the regs are for fishing a managed wild fish system like this? I gather C & R, figure barbless. But does anyone know if you need a special permit ( similar to the Colombia basin card)?

SteelmonKiller20 said:

The Trask has a lot of Hatchery Steelhead in it.... For the North Coast, if you want wilds, go to the main stem Nehalem!

Click to expand...

Yup. While there's not much camping down low, do your fishing below the mouth of the Salmonberry, which has the biggest steelies in Oregon. The Salmonberry itself is pretty difficult to fish -- mostly really steep banks, at least in the portions I fished years ago.

Fair warning, I have family that owns property on Ten Mile Creek and there is very little access do to private property except at the upper and lower most sections of the creek. Not trying to discourage you but I figured you might want to know. You could always walk the streambed up or down but be careful as some of the landowners can be a bit defensive.

Rmacneil656 said:

Yes the one south of Yachats was the one I was looking into. Does anyone know what the regs are for fishing a managed wild fish system like this? I gather C & R, figure barbless. But does anyone know if you need a special permit ( similar to the Colombia basin card)?

Click to expand...

The regs are your friend here and you should learn how to read them... Northwest Zone, Salmon and Steelhead "Closed in all waters unless noted by species under Special Regulations", so you flip pages (or scroll down) hoping to see Tenmile Creek listed in Northwest Zone... yippee, it is listed and says
• Open for adipose fin-clipped steelhead Jan. 1-March 31 and Nov. 1-Dec. 31.
• Closed April 1-Oct. 31.

Special permits? None other than your combined angling tag (hmm, if you're not retaining salmon-steelhead-sturgeon, is it needed? Yes, it is specified under General Regulations, Liceses, Tags, Permits, Endorsements, and Validations, item 5). Columbia River basin endorsement is a new thing that Oregon has not done before, at least in my lifetime.

Current regulations are always available at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fishing/. Pick up a paper copy at any sporting goods store and stash it in the glovebox.

SmallStreams said:

The regs are your friend here and you should learn how to read them... Northwest Zone, Salmon and Steelhead "Closed in all waters unless noted by species under Special Regulations", so you flip pages (or scroll down) hoping to see Tenmile Creek listed in Northwest Zone... yippee, it is listed and says
• Open for adipose fin-clipped steelhead Jan. 1-March 31 and Nov. 1-Dec. 31.
• Closed April 1-Oct. 31.

Special permits? None other than your combined angling tag (hmm, if you're not retaining salmon-steelhead-sturgeon, is it needed? Yes, it is specified under General Regulations, Liceses, Tags, Permits, Endorsements, and Validations, item 5). Columbia River basin endorsement is a new thing that Oregon has not done before, at least in my lifetime.

Current regulations are always available at http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fishing/. Pick up a paper copy at any sporting goods store and stash it in the glovebox.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I tried to read the regs, but I get really confused in their terminology sometimes.

Sounds oddly familiar to a private message I got on a bigger forum the other day One way is to ask, another is to explore. All the streams mentioned here are good streams but there are better ones out there. You'll be hard pressed to get their names easily, but they are in the regs which helps narrow down the choices. If you get to know any stream intimately, even some with hatcheries, you can always pick up natives. Some hatchery streams have VERY healthy native runs with big fish. Others don't. Good luck on your quest. You'll find that in the end only you can really answer your question....all we are doing is listing off small streams that are already listed by ODFW. The big thing is really getting to know and understand a stretch of water on any river with a decent run. This includes run timing, conditions, holding spots, tidal influence, temperature, sunlight, and more.

Lamiglas said:

Sounds oddly familiar to a private message I got on a bigger forum the other day One way is to ask, another is to explore. All the streams mentioned here are good streams but there are better ones out there. You'll be hard pressed to get their names easily, but they are in the regs which helps narrow down the choices. If you get to know any stream intimately, even some with hatcheries, you can always pick up natives. Some hatchery streams have VERY healthy native runs with big fish. Others don't. Good luck on your quest. You'll find that in the end only you can really answer your question....all we are doing is listing off small streams that are already listed by ODFW. The big thing is really getting to know and understand a stretch of water on any river with a decent run. This includes run timing, conditions, holding spots, tidal influence, temperature, sunlight, and more.

Click to expand...

I understand the fundamentals of Winter Steelheading and Coastal Winter Steelheading. Can't catch them if they aren't there!. I have done a few years of Coastal Winter Steelheading in CA and there are two systems I really like. Another reason my dad (and myself) like systems without Hatcheries is that it Keeps the crowds down and you find higher percentages of others interested in maintaining the environment. I'm sure I'll find a winter system that I really like, but from Bend I really want to know a bit more about where to go, as I'm sure I'll keep an eye on the optimal time once I key in on a location. I know a lot should be really good now through March 31st depending on optimal water conditions, but I may not make it out again at this season since I started a new job.