S. Santiam 5/13

[Halfthrive]

Slow, cold, and the Corps can't decide what level they want the river. I hit two steelies at Wiley creek on my trout rod trying to get my four year old daughter into some pellet heads. First one popped but I managed to land the second. Nothing to brag about, unclipped hen, 6# at best but what a battle on my trout rod. Too bad you can't keep the unclipped fish until July, she had some good skein in her but she had to go back. Only one other fish caught that I herd of.

 

[USCGAUXHinkle]

that'd be fun on a trout rod. i didn't even know that there were steelies in Wiley Creek. where did you go to fish it?

 

[Mike123]

After today I think I am gonna fish for trout for a week or two and give up on the salmon and steelies... Like 10 or something boats this morning at the falls and one fish taken! Out of like 30 people fishing one fish was caught.. That's pathetic. I'm not buying the whole "it's early theory".. this time last year there were a lot more fish being caught and a lot more fish presence.

 

[USCGAUXHinkle]

lol... i guess i picked a bad season to concentrate on steelies....

 

[BlackBass]

Mike if the fish arent being caught this time of Year on the south its pathetic . On good years i have caught up to 5 fish in a day before May, all springers in cold hi offcolor water conditions. I can say that i know of 3 springers being caught the other day and NO boats around. What i found to be affective is to go up to Church Camp and bang springers on ten lb test fishing for "Summers" with chart and orange ahah . If you have 50 springers upriver from pleasant valley, 25 of them will be laying in two holes at church camp I banged limits on terrible years say 05 - 06 when the run was horrible. A good year on the South Santiam hasnt been around in 5 + years. I remember being able to work all day drink a half case of beer and land 5 springers in under an hour at the lebanon damn , those days are long gone my friend.

 

[USCGAUXHinkle]

uhm... where is this Church Camp place at? lol. i'd like a piece of that action.

 

[BlackBass]

Drive into sweethome on Highway 20. Turn left on the north end of town at pleasant valley road. Take the first right after the bridge, follow that road 4 miles up to a parking area just west of the church camp. Walk into the river a 1/4 mile and your there. This time of year there will be cars parked on the side of the road.

 

[michigan_transplant]

I feel ya. Last weekend i sat at Waterloo one day and the Deadline the next and saw two fish caught between the two days. Today after work i went to Waterloo after they recycled and fished it for two hours didn't catch anything and didn't see any of the other 10 banker and 4 boats catch anything either. Theyre getting to the pens cause theyre recycling them but theyre not biting much on the way.

 

[Mike123]

Get ready for some company at church camp. lol. I almost can't stand fishing this river any more.. too many idiots. Guys just casting straight onto your line then laughing about it... then you got toothless hilbillys trying to tell you how to fish. Bout to just throw in the towel and buy bass gear. lol. What's weird is the numbers are there over the falls but up here the numbers are just crap. Have a bad feeling about the smolt survival rate in this river.

 

[Mike123]

Yea soon as the water warmed at OC falls the counts went crazy!!
I'll just take a week off for trout fishing.

 

[the_intimidator03]

lol kodiak i was just thinkin this as the rains poured down and the thunder rolled, the salmon and steelies outta move right up with this rain fall so it should provide good fishing when the weather starts to dwindle.