Trout in the Wilson?

[crazyhorse613]

I was just curious if there are trout in the wilson river? im from the beaverton area and looking for a great trout place and the wilson is a beautiful area. I know all about salmon and steelhead but is there any other good fishing there?

 

[waco]

Actually the Wilson is a good place to get some trout but is closed right now for it!!! wait until april!!

 

[crazyhorse613]

When trout is open, is there any specific type of bait you would recommend?

 

[troutdude]

If you're using spinning gear, I'd go w/ a night crawler and bobber. Let it drift WAY down stream, but reeling line out (in reverse) just so it keeps up with the flow and has a free drift. If you have spoons/wobblers, try a brass Little Cleo or Kastmaster, and vary the retrieve speed.

If you have any flies, Woolly Buggers can also be used w/ spinning gear...and are KILLER on trout.

 

[Modest_Man]

I caught several up to 16" on the Wilson this winter trying for steelhead. Mostly with a silver and red combo, size 4. I'd knock it down to size 1-2 maybe 3 if going for trout.

Still no steelhead for me on that river but what are ya gonna do.

Here's one of the larger. Quality photo.

 

[GungasUncle]

I fish the Wilson in the late spring through the fall for trout - lots of cutties in there. While bait is legal - I'd really advise against it when fishing for trout. You have to remember that in addition to the cutthroat - you're going to be catching salmon and steelhead smolt when going down to trout sized gear. Lures reduce the number of gut-hooks and increase the chances of the smolt by-catch surviving. It's a conservation thing.

In-line spinners and spoons are killer. I fish the 1/16th and 1/24th oz size Rooster Tails, along with similar sized Panther Martens and Blue Foxes.

When fly fishing - streamers and nymphs swung through deeper, slower stretches - or dry & dropper in shallower, rifflier sections unless there's a lot of surface action, then it's dry & dropper over any water. Standard attractor patterns and generic buggy flies work great for this. For broken, fast water, I like Humpies or Wulffs or Bivisible dry flies, sizes 10-14, with a nymph dropper a size or two smaller. Hard to beat a black or olive woolly bugger though. Dead drift it, or strip and twitch it. Buggers are like crack for trout.

 

[GungasUncle]

Couple of pix from a trout trip last summer...




And a bigger fish...







and a pic of the lures we were fishing...

 

[waco]

Nice arsenal there!!!! and nice fish guys!!!

 

[beaverfan]

Just to clarify the Wilson doesn't actually open for trout until May 28th.

 

[halibuthitman]

is that the same day you can start shooting them with a glock too?

 

[GungasUncle]

I think you can start shooting them with a glock on June 1st Before then, you've got to use a muzzle loader or a bow.

 

[halibuthitman]

I think you can start shooting them with a glock on June 1st Before then, you've got to use a muzzle loader or a bow.

well its good to see they have an early bow season so all the fellas with felonys can get some shooting in while pretending they actually WANT to use a bow-

 

[GungasUncle]

well its good to see they have an early bow season so all the fellas with felonys can get some shooting in while pretending they actually WANT to use a bow-

Gotta throw the dog a bone sometimes, right?

 

[crazyhorse613]

Hey thanks for all the info guys, truly helpful. I can't wait to get out there.

 

[troutdude]

Crack!

Crack!

Hard to beat a black or olive woolly bugger though. Dead drift it, or strip and twitch it. Buggers are like crack for trout.

LOL, and so VERY true! Buggers are as good as TNT anywhere for trout.

And, um, not to hijack...but are trout like crack to us OFF'ers? :naughty::naughty:

We now return you, to the original intent of this thread--and we hope our suggestions get you into tons o' fish.

 

[GungasUncle]

LOL, and so VERY true! Buggers are as good as TNT anywhere for trout.

And, um, not to hijack...but are trout like crack to us OFF'ers? :naughty::naughty:

We now return you, to the original intent of this thread--and we hope our suggestions get you into tons o' fish.

Yes to the bolded section

 

[ChezJfrey]

I caught several up to 16" on the Wilson this winter trying for steelhead. Mostly with a silver and red combo, size 4. I'd knock it down to size 1-2 maybe 3 if going for trout.

Still no steelhead for me on that river but what are ya gonna do.

You and me both man...I caught two trout yesterday on the Wilson aiming for steelhead. Still no go on the steel for me...

 

[halibuthitman]

You and me both man...I caught two trout yesterday on the Wilson aiming for steelhead. Still no go on the steel for me...

Here's a little insider tips for you chez and modest... if you want to catch a wilson river winter steelhead, and its been muddy and high for over a month, I suggest looking for those fish in the Trask.. becouse thats where they end up- And on nothing more than a personal opinion and not stating a "fact" here, but the wilson river and sandy river have to be the two most over hyped steelhead rivers In the world.

 

[shimano22]

I hooked a big buck there (wilson) friday and lost him after a good fight just as i was backing up to grab my net to land him. i just got a new wading net and i was all jazzed to use it for the first time, instead of just pulling him on the bank as i usually to to land them, i thought grab the net. as a looked behind me for it i lost my concentration on the steelie and lost tension and he was gone!

 

[GDBrown]

Back to trout....... I have had evenings where I have caught 25-30 fish during the evening hatch. Usually only takes 45 min or so before the bats come out then I quit. Fish just can't compete with the bats and stop biting. I have done this just about anytime during the spring or fall as there is usually a short summer break where there is just too little water that doesn't have people splashing around chasing the fish away.