South Santiam

[Rpgjr]

I recently moved close to the S. Santiam and was looking for some advice on where some good public access points are to target steelhead?

 

[Casting Call]

First welcome aboard! Tell us where you are located on the S.S. How old are you and what is your I.Q. so we will know how to respond to your answers and request Tony 10%er

 

[Admin]

I used to fish at Waterloo county park.

 

[troutdude]

Better check the ODFW 2022 regulations, to be sure it's open. I'm not sure that it's currently open, for any fishing.

There's Wiley Creek, near the dam, if you like "combat fishing" (shoulder to shoulder--and you need to know what you're doing, so you don't piss anyone OFF) (NOT my style of fishing fo' sho'). On the other side of the stream there's a "church hole" I think it's called. But when I fished for summer run steel...I liked fishing around the McDowell Creek bridge.

 

[Fishonshawn84]

The south is open year round for hatchery steelhead. Salmon season is open now but closes end of August . There aren't any salmon up there yet. Trout opens May 22nd and closes Oct 31st. As for spots. All around the hatchery is popular and its not the combat fishing it used to be at all. Because there's no fish showing back up. Waterloo is super popular below the falls for salmon but the anti snagging rules apply so bobber only. There is not a lot of public bank access on the south so best bests are around the hatchery area or parks/boat ramps. There's a few pull off spots you can check out off some roads but you gota find those and make sure your not trespassing. Fish are just kinda starting to trickle in over willamette falls and it takes a couple weeks for them to get up river. They still aren't coming over in any significant numbers though anyways. Best fishing on the south is usually in june-august. IF, and I do mean IF the fish even show up. Which they haven't really done since 2014...

 

[troutdude]

Agree with a lot of that @Fishonshawn84. With one minor exception...the Springer bite has always started on May 15th.

Glad to learn there's no combat fishing anymore. But the bummer is the reason why.