11 is probably a little young for wading the coastal systems, but if you have a small boat the estuary is a great option for beginners and youngsters. Sea runs are already distributed throughout freshwater, any of the Tillamook tribs or the Nehalem will have fish around.
Just in case nobody else gets to this, I wanted to be sure you got some feedback! Both rivers have good bank access but the Nehalem has more and is easier to explore because it’s on a far less busy road. Anywhere between Nehalem Falls and Henry Rierson Spruce Run campground should be productive...
That time of year most of your hike-in lake options are still going to be blocked by snow or frozen over. You could try backpacking along the upper McKenzie, but the water will be high and cold.
Keep in mind that general trout season doesn’t open until May 22 on most streams, so your options...
Sorry, you didn’t specify you were looking for stocked fish. Most of our local trout are wild and the ODFW stocking season near Portland is over. Portland-area waterbodies that contain stocked fish are typically fished out within a couple weeks of the latest plant. You can find some holdover...
The Sandy is not open. If the words “open all year for trout” do not appear in the exceptions section under a specific waterbody, it is closed until May 22. Full stop.
You cannot harvest trout during the offseason, not anywhere in the state. Trout fishing is NOT currently open on the Sandy River - not for catch and release, not for harvest.
Harvesting trout from populations close to Portland is almost always illegal, and absolutely always unethical. We do...
I would guess most everyone who has fished for sea runs in Oregon knows and uses this pattern. It’s the second most popular sea run pattern after the reverse spider. Works great if the fish are actively feeding in the top six inches of the water column, but not the ideal fly if you need to get a...
It's such a great little stream, I'm glad you're having a good time out there! Season length sort of depends on how cold the outdoor temps get and when. As you've probably noticed, the Oak Grove Fork is COLD in that section, so when the daytime temps start to drop the fish will slow down quite a...
I guide the oak grove fork between Timothy and Harriet through a shop called Northwest Fly Fishing outfitters. We are the only outfitter currently permitted to guide anywhere in the Mount Hood National Forest and can help show you the ropes. We even offer half stream/half lake days now through...
Could be. They could also just be full time resident fish. All our coastal rivers are packed with cutts, many of which never make the journey downstream.
Sea runs will primarily be in the estuaries from now until the first significant rains of fall. I like to launch a small raft with an incoming tide and float upstream, then follow it back out. Fishing the estuaries on foot is very difficult.
Once we’ve had a few good rains in autumn, fish will...