24 hour challenge - Detroit Lake edition

OK, everybody's got until tomorrow night to tell me how not to make a total fool of myself on Detroit Lake this weekend. We head....south-southeast-ish ? friday morning. So packing tomorrow night.

I intend going prepared for trout off the bank, and also salmon/steelhead gear if I feel motivated enough to drive down as far as Mill City or thereabouts. I think it's a little early for springers and steelies on the Santiam, though. (I hope I did that fisherperson lingo like a veteran).

I plan on buying local nightcrawlers in Detroit (city?) and just still fishing under a bobber. But I have the 2-rod thingie, so I can also throw some lures out at the same time, maybe a spinner/rooster tail ? I have some plastic powerbait worms and grubs as a last resort.

My success is in your collective hands.

There should still be a few questionable winter steel in the santiams. If you want limits of small trout fish off the dam, i like the southernmost point of detroit lake where it's basically santiam river again better myself. Your tactics are sound. Powerbait & worms work. You might try trolling for kokes if you can get in a boat.

Skip Detroit and head to Big Cliff, just a few miles west. Walk down the bank on the rocks just as you take the turn at the entrance and be ready for some fatties. I've heard from the locals in Mill City that there are steelhead under the bridge in good numbers, still.

lower and upper Bennett dams are showing a few springers passing buy with a couple of steelies.

Raincatcher said:

Skip Detroit and head to Big Cliff, just a few miles west. Walk down the bank on the rocks just as you take the turn at the entrance and be ready for some fatties. I've heard from the locals in Mill City that there are steelhead under the bridge in good numbers, still.

Click to expand...

Does "fatties" refer to some kind of fish, or just the fisherpeople ? Important to know whether I should be bringing a particular lure, or donuts.

Hookset said:

lower and upper Bennett dams are showing a few springers passing buy with a couple of steelies.

Click to expand...

Not familiar. Where are these ?

pinstriper said:

Does "fatties" refer to some kind of fish, or just the fisherpeople ? Important to know whether I should be bringing a particular lure, or donuts.

Click to expand...

"Fatties" refers to nice, plump fish. My son has pulled some monsters out of there. :thumb:

Raincatcher said:

"Fatties" refers to nice, plump fish. My son has pulled some monsters out of there. :thumb:

Click to expand...

X 2. Try a torpedo bobber, about 4' of leader, and a Woolly Bugger tipped with just a tiny bit of worm on the hook. BAM!

There's a decent sporting goods shop, in Mill City, for bait or whatever else.

troutdude said:

X 2. Try a torpedo bobber, about 4' of leader, and a Woolly Bugger tipped with just a tiny bit of worm on the hook. BAM!

There's a decent sporting goods shop, in Mill City, for bait or whatever else.

Click to expand...

I don't know if I have any wooly buggers. I might, though. What do they look like ? I do have jigs with plastic Cthulhu thingies in different colors.

When you say "tiny bit of worm", would a plastic grub about 3/4" long meet that requirement, or do you mean nightcrawler vivisection ?

Raincatcher said:

"Fatties" refers to nice, plump fish. My son has pulled some monsters out of there. :thumb:

Click to expand...

RC.....regarding Big Cliff: was he catching trout or steelhead? I was curious if you knew whether he was throwing bait or hardware? I've fished those waters unsuccessfully. I always figured it was due to the turbulence from the dam even though it looked like it would be productive. Perhaps my OFFering or presentation was way OFF. You've piqued my interest by your post. Any help is good! Thanks


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

pinstriper said:

I don't know if I have any wooly buggers. I might, though. What do they look like ? I do have jigs with plastic Cthulhu thingies in different colors.

When you say "tiny bit of worm", would a plastic grub about 3/4" long meet that requirement, or do you mean nightcrawler vivisection ?

Click to expand...

Well; it may be too late but...

Look at playhooky's avatar. That is a Woolly Bugger. Yes, a bit of a nightcrawler.

pinstriper said:

Not familiar. Where are these ?

Click to expand...

These are dams on the Santiam river. You can see the fish counts on the ODFW website.

troutdude said:

Well; it may be too late but...

Look at playhooky's avatar. That is a Woolly Bugger. Yes, a bit of a nightcrawler.

Click to expand...

Wooly Buggers



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yesterday on the Willy I saw either a nook or a steely jump out of the water so my guess is that they are in there

Met a guy getting ice in Gates to cool his beautiful BIG springer caught at Big Cliff with roe. Wonderful color, dressed out over 15#. That was about a week ago. They are running in the North santiam. Pat

playhooky said:

RC.....regarding Big Cliff: was he catching trout or steelhead? I was curious if you knew whether he was throwing bait or hardware? I've fished those waters unsuccessfully. I always figured it was due to the turbulence from the dam even though it looked like it would be productive. Perhaps my OFFering or presentation was way OFF. You've piqued my interest by your post. Any help is good! Thanks


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

I wasn't with him at the time, but I'm fairly certain it was a fat steelhead and spinners he was using. The area I'm referring to is about 1/4 mile west of the actual dam.

Raincatcher said:

I wasn't with him at the time, but I'm fairly certain it was a fat steelhead and spinners he was using. The area I'm referring to is about 1/4 mile west of the actual dam.

Click to expand...

Gotcha! Thanks......have spinner......will travel. [emoji41]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Nothing from 9 to 1, then 5 rainbow in 30 minutes.

4 on carolina rig with white powerbait marshmallows, one on #4 blue for spinner.

Pics when I get home. Thanks all !

Eggscellent. Sounds like a good day, to me.

Hit the limit Saturday, plus one more this morning. All taped out between 10 and 13".



The bank was all the way down to the deep channel. Bad for water skiers. Good for fishing.