Siltcoos Lake fishing reports

[rogerdodger]

we did not fish but took a look at the river near high tide at the picnic area below the dam- there were several coho jumping and rolling there, got a good look at several big Jacks right at 20" or so, launching themselves fully out of the water, and one roll from a larger fish. previous years we have seen Jacks lead the way, seem to be lots of them early in the Siltcoos run, so possible these are among the first coho heading up the river.

then we stopped at Tyee campground/day use area (above the dam, just west of 101) and watched the river for 15minutes or so- not a single jump or roll or splash...cheers, roger

 

[billfisher]

Thanks for the update! Got my 2 river coho so waiting impatiently for the lakes, ha ha Weather is looking good for it though.

 

[SmallStreams]

previous years we have seen Jacks lead the way

That seems to be true for the smaller coastal streams up here in the north. Small hens and jacks lead, though I think they can be overtaken by the bigger fish if the current is strong.

 

[rogerdodger]

I took Pepper to Siltcoos Saturday afternoon in the PA12 and again did not see any coho in the lake (no jumps or rolls or big fish on the sonar), I spin/trolled the shoreline from the outlet river down to Booth Island, put 4 nice SRC, a big dark ugly rainbow, and 2 perch in the kayak. cheers, roger

 

[rogerdodger]

same observation Sunday- no coho in the lake but I put 4 fish in the kill bag (1 SRC, a 15" fat Rainbow, 2 big perch).

I took are pedal down the river to the 101 bridge and met two nice ladies coming up in kayaks that had crossed the dam. The commented on seeing lots of fish stacked up below the dam; they did not see any fish jump or roll above the dam, confirming my observations over the weekend.

the coho are coming! cheers, roger

 

[JeannaJigs]

Those dang fish are so stupid lol, the majority of them will not utilize the fish ladder until there's a stronger current being put out. They fully have the ability to enter the lake lol. Earliest I've caught a ho in there was october 8th about 4 years ago. After this weeks rain they should be moving.

 

[rogerdodger]

Yep, it is all about the rain triggering them to use the ladder. Last year we had a bunch of rain the last week of Sept. and coho were in the lake opening day, I got one Oct.1 in about 30minutes of casting spinners and headed home.

 

[JeannaJigs]

I might give it a shot from the bank this weekend if the rivers aren't agreeable, my brother's home for the week and I really want to get him into fish, but he doesn't really know what he's doing and bank fishing is kind of, well, a cluster lol. He can troll, but drift fishing and bobber fishing, it's painful to witness. I haven't lost too much hardware there so it's kinda safe.

 

[SmallStreams]

He can troll, but drift fishing and bobber fishing, it's painful to witness. I haven't lost too much hardware there so it's kinda safe.

LOL, I have a friend like that. Took me about two years to get him into shape. Now he's a natural at finding fish & casting, though it's still painful watching him prance while cleaning a trout.

 

[rogerdodger]

Monday night we got >0.5" of rain here so we decided Tuesday during a dry spell to see if any coho had found the fish ladder...it started to rain again just after we launched, Rachelle and I got totally soaked (even with our bimini top up) but we cast and trolled spinners for >2 hours along the west shore but still zero sign of any coho- no rolls, jumps, or big marks on the sonar...2 big perch did come home for lunch and enjoyed a nice soak in some chowder ...cheers, roger

 

[billfisher]

Well, after reading this I had to go make me some Perch Chowder! mmmm!! Thanks!

 

[hubt84]

My in-laws live on the lake and we have been fishing the lake for years. I read of people catching there 2 river fish a year but not sure were there fishing? It doesn't say anything in the regs about 2 fish from the river then your last 3 in the lake. I have always preferred banking it. I'm a big winter steal guy. Can anyone fill me in? We have been out 3 times this year mostly trolled around Ada nothing yet...

 

[rogerdodger]

My in-laws live on the lake and we have been fishing the lake for years. I read of people catching there 2 river fish a year but not sure were there fishing? It doesn't say anything in the regs about 2 fish from the river then your last 3 in the lake. I have always preferred banking it. I'm a big winter steal guy. Can anyone fill me in? We have been out 3 times this year mostly trolled around Ada nothing yet...

sure thing, welcome to OFF hubt84, Siltcoos and Tahkenitch are covered under permanent regulations, page 34 of the 2014 booklet, coho open Oct.1 and you can keep 1 per day, 5 total for the whole year from all the bodies of water open for wild coho.

the coastal wild coho regs for all other locations come out mid-June: http://dfw.state.or.us/resources/fishing/docs/2014_coho_fisheries.pdf

this is where you are limited to 2 from a big group of rivers, including the Siuslaw. these coho count towards your 5 total for the whole year.

so for example, someone could tag 2 from the Siuslaw and then tag 3 more in Siltcoos and would be done for the year. or get all 5 from Siltcoos, but not the other way around, can't get more than 2 from the Siuslaw.

and it is always 1 adult and 1 jack per day at every location.

hope that helps..roger

 

[hubt84]

Perfect, thanks!

 

[rogerdodger]

headed to Siltcoos Thursday afternoon and tossed spinners for an hour or so along the west shoreline, no sign of coho, no change in the water level.

 

[CoastieFlo]

Yeah what we got just got absorbed because it was so dry, gonna take a good 4-5 inches to get things going.

 

[getsdwyz]

anyone know how much water needs to be in the lake before they open up the dam ?

 

[rogerdodger]

anyone know how much water needs to be in the lake before they open up the dam ?

it is one of the great mysteries in the world...my understanding is the dam is to maintain lake water level within a range for the homeowners with docks and homes around the lake. not too high, not too low....they adjust the spillway to change lake level. lower it a foot, a huge amount of water flows out over the next 12 hours or so, surging down the river and through the beach.

best I have found is to make note of the water level at the launch, in the past, I have seen it drop before a big storm or after water level has increased as a result of a storm. right now the water level is not low and it has not changed since Oct1. what happens next is anyone's guess....roger

 

[getsdwyz]

I know at west lake there is a water level stick on the dock and i have been told 8'0 ft is the magic number and last Sunday it was 7'7. i have been there every weekend this month waiting for them to show up and i will be back down tonight. we did catch a 18 inch SRC last weekend

 

[rogerdodger]

I know at west lake there is a water level stick on the dock and i have been told 8'0 ft is the magic number and last Sunday it was 7'7. i have been there every weekend this month waiting for them to show up and i will be back down tonight. we did catch a 18 inch SRC last weekend

that is an excellent SRC from the lake, most of ours this year have been 10" to 14"...