I'm a newbie too, so I will share some of the things I am learning. I am using a bobber and a jig mostly, but swing flies as well. I went out on a coastal river yesterday morning, and had a couple of fish on, none landed (I am not so experienced at fighting large fish). I was fishing with an HS senior who has fished steelhead in the same river for eight years, and he landed a buck early in the morning. He suggests concentrating on the tailouts first thing in the morning, right after opening. He claims the active fish tend to hold in the tailouts in the early morning, then move up into the slots, seams, pools and deeper water later in the morning, and usually get less active later in the day. He usually carries a bobber and jig rod, and a spoon/spinner/plug rod and tries each at each spot, usually floating a jig first, then retrieving a lure. If you are an experienced bass fisherman, the plugs should fit your existing style, but get them into faster moving water.
Color of the jig is important. I fished the same river four times in the last two weeks, and all our hookups have come on the same basic color of the jig. The Clackamas likely has colors that works best, and find that colors will work... keep your eyes open. Second, consider using a different color for the head of your jig/worm combination.
Other folks will likely chime in and disagree with me, but thought I would throw some ideas into the discussion mix.