Okay, I'm goin'...

[The Blue Frog Guy]

First trip out tomorrow...I've never fished for steelhead/salmon before. I'm going somewhere along the mckenzie (not sure where exactly) but, I was wondering if some one could clue me in as to what to expect.

What time should I get there?

Is there parking available at the county parks heading towards the Leaburg dam? Is there a fee?

Whats a good early morning tactic....does it change throughout the day?

I'm skipping on the corky and yarn thing just because there's a lot of options to it and I've never even seen them before. I've got a couple spoons, bobbers, jigs, and shrimp...What should I try first?

Thanks guys!

 

[neverbackdown7]

In the morning eggs or shrimp under a bobber or tip the jig with shrimp. It depends if you want to be there first but I've seen people there at 3-4 am, as for parking and fees I know theres a fee at hendricks but thats it. Someone else could probably provide more info.

 

[The Blue Frog Guy]

Thanks...Alright, I've had my breakfast and I'm gearin' up. I'm gonna try out the upper deerhorn area for a while and see how I get the hang of things. If nothing happens for me by mid-day, I'll definitely head up to where I read will be a crowd and see if I can't watch and learn or get some tips for next time...which may be tomorrow ; ) Im starting out with a bobber and jig tipped with shrimp (following the steelheadstalkers.com tutorial hahaha), wish me luck!

 

[waco]

Good luck TBFG! Keep us posted!

 

[cowboysfan]

if you fish as well as your attitude is you will be slayin them in no time, good luck!

 

[bran_man]

I'll be out there as well around 11. Hope to see you out there the crowds have not been too bad out there lately. Probably because its been pretty slow action out there lately

 

[The Blue Frog Guy]

Well, I fished the hell out of it...but no bites! First off, the place I wanted to fish turned out to have an EWEB gate and sign that said no trespassing (where deerhorn ends at gate) anyways, drove around found a hole and gave it a couple hours...I finally said screw it and went to the dam. There was only 15 people or so and a handful of boats but I made my way in and fished hard. Nobody else had much luck either, I heard about 3 fish being caught and that was it. I spent the rest of the day there completely dedicated to the cause, but no luck.

One great thing though, I learned a ton, and somebody came and talked it up for a while and showed me all the different rigs and how/when to use them...So overall, it was a good learning experience, and I feel had there been more fish biting I would've had a good chance at one...Even though I'm tired as hell, I'm already thinking about the next trip.

 

[dtikey]

Well, I fished the hell out of it...but no bites! First off, the place I wanted to fish turned out to have an EWEB gate and sign that said no trespassing (where deerhorn ends at gate) anyways, drove around found a hole and gave it a couple hours...I finally said screw it and went to the dam. There was only 15 people or so and a handful of boats but I made my way in and fished hard. Nobody else had much luck either, I heard about 3 fish being caught and that was it. I spent the rest of the day there completely dedicated to the cause, but no luck.

One great thing though, I learned a ton, and somebody came and talked it up for a while and showed me all the different rigs and how/when to use them...So overall, it was a good learning experience, and I feel had there been more fish biting I would've had a good chance at one...Even though I'm tired as hell, I'm already thinking about the next trip.

Thats awsome always nice to have a good first expierence and get lots of info wont be long and you will be right into them

 

[alm21]

One great thing though, I learned a ton, and somebody came and talked it up for a while and showed me all the different rigs and how/when to use them...So overall, it was a good learning experience, and...

90% of the people you meet on the river will go out of their way to help someone new. Every trip is an opportunity for a learning experience with or without fish. It's a fun and rewarding journey. Just don't give up when it gets tough and discouraging... because it will.

 

[ChezJfrey]

90% of the people you meet on the river will go out of their way to help someone new. Every trip is an opportunity for a learning experience with or without fish. It's a fun and rewarding journey. Just don't give up when it gets tough and discouraging... because it will.

This is what I've noticed too.

Bummer you didn't get any action, but frankly, it's usually to be expected in the beginning; I know this from experience. I'm very glad you connected with some good people that showed you some ropes and I'm sure if you keep at it, you'll start getting in on the action. Keep at it!

 

[The Blue Frog Guy]

Yea, I can't say what I expect in the future for this type of fishing. But I feel like, if you fish side by side with a couple dozen people for nearly 8 hrs in what's referred to as a good spot and don't see anybody catch a thing, it's kind of hard to gauge how I was personally doing. I was hoping to at least see others catch so I can see what I may or may not have been doing right/wrong, but that wasn't the case. So for now, I blame the fish!....but I'll get em.

 

[nativefish]

u might be a little late on targeting summers, meaning there arent as many fish around as there were a couple weeks ago. keep practicing and by the time fish salmon start to show up in the rivers at the coast you will be killing some fish and having salmon for dinner for a week straight lol

 

[The Blue Frog Guy]

Thats exactly what I was hearing...looking forward to the coastal salmon bite!