Umpqua!

[MaxStar]

Hey everyone I'm new to the forum and looking forward to it.

I live in the Bay Area in Califonia and am an avid trout fly fisherman. My buddy and I are heading to Elkton tomorrow to fish the Umpqua for four days. I have a few questions:

I purchased an 8wt. and set up a sinking shooting head. I'm wondering what's running in the river right now and how to fish it. I've never fished for chinook or steelhead before so ANY advice would be greatly appriciated. I'd love some information on technique, fly selection and what type of water to look for. Anything! Again, thanks for any and all advice. It's greatly appriciated!

 

[Raincatcher]

Short notice

Short notice

Hey everyone I'm new to the forum and looking forward to it.

I live in the Bay Area in Califonia and am an avid trout fly fisherman. My buddy and I are heading to Elkton tomorrow to fish the Umpqua for four days. I have a few questions:

I purchased an 8wt. and set up a sinking shooting head. I'm wondering what's running in the river right now and how to fish it. I've never fished for chinook or steelhead before so ANY advice would be greatly appriciated. I'd love some information on technique, fly selection and what type of water to look for. Anything! Again, thanks for any and all advice. It's greatly appriciated!

MaxStar;
Welcome to the best fishing forum you could hope to find! Wow,talk about short notice! :think: I hope you take your computer along on the trip. I don't have any good or even mediocre advice for you since I have zero experience on the Umpqua. But, I strongly advise you to check our archives for some very good advice. You can do a search to bring up the posts,just enter "Umpqua" and stand back. Come back and let us know how you and your buddy do. Oh, and make Troutski happy by posting pictures... Be safe.
Barb

 

[joesnuffy]

Egg patterns and nymphs wouldn't stear you wrong. I thing that there is Steelhead in there right now....but not positive.

 

[Troutski]

Welcome to OFF...

Welcome to OFF...

Welcome to the site, fly fishing the Umpqua...are you after Smallies? What a kick in the pants, you are in for some wonderful fishing on that river...Salmon,Steel,Trout,Smallies,Chad,Sturgeon and Strippers Oh my. Like Barb said...we love pictures:clap: Again; welcome to OFF

Chuck

 

[MontanaMoose]

Smallies in the Umpqua

Smallies in the Umpqua

Hello Troutski, I hope I'm not reading the regs
wrong but trout and smallies share the same
season, which is closed right now. Opens May
23rd this year if I'm reading everything right.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

 

[Backcastwards]

There are steelhead in the Umpqua right now. All of the ones I have been seeing have their adipose fin intact which means they must be released. I have also heard that there have been some spring chinook caught recently. Streamers are the ticket. Good luck.
Gary

 

[MaxStar]

Thanks everyone for your help. I know it was short notice but we had a blast. Off of I-5 we took 138E at Roseburg all the way to the Mott Bridge at Mile Marker 39. The country up there is absolutely gorgeous. We hiked downstream a couple of miles and fished long in the snow and rain (sorry, no pics. The camera would have gotten soaked) I hooked into one steelhead which took me for about a 30 second ride and got off. We were fishing dark blue and black streamers on an 8wt shooting head- seemed to run well in the fast, deep water. Either way it was still fun. FYI if you decide to fish the North Umpqua wade carefully! There are sheer underwater drop-offs which are hard to see. I went in up to my chest acidentally and thankfully not more. The water is cold!

Anyways, thanks again everyone!

 

[Backcastwards]

Couldn't agree more on the beauty of the North Umpqua, but come on. You hook into one on your first time there. I've been waiting and trying far too long for that fly to poke some steel here. Congrats.
Gary

 

[MaxStar]

Thanks Gary

 

[ArcticAmoeba]

The North Ump is a fantastic fishery. And given you know how to read holding water in a river with a bed like that. It becomes very productive, especially swingin flies... Last year we fished barbless "bugs" with a pretty famous bug basher. I was just drift fishing, and everyone was getting all hurt that I was the only one the first day to even get hit. Imagine that, those nerds finally decide to throw on a sink tip, and a split shot above the bugs...And they finally catch a fish! There is a lot of holding water, but not much of it is effectively covered with a classic bug rig. That is why the few local drift fishers slay fish in the midst of two-handers swinging 14 footer all over the river spookin fish! We caught a lot of fin clips, and took them out of the system, but the little fins... Gorgeous fish.

It is a slightly dangerous river, when wading through decent current at you ankles, you can drop off into 6 feet of water, and theres no way to overcome that kind of hydraulic pressures. Fun to fish, and fun to swing bugs in proper water. I will say this though. Out of all the rivers I have fished in that locale, this is one where if you don't get hit in the first dozen presentations, you simply won't most of the time. So cover tons of water out there for success. And don't forget your drift gear, or some drift rigging for the bug flinger at least. You will shoot yourself in the foot if you came to the "Where hole" and saw it packed thick, and flies wont swing in due to three current seams created by three giant boulders that sit at the head of a 12 foot deep section of narrow slots. Glad you had a good trip MaxStar. Don't tell me you were swinging a Sunrise, or GB Skunk for that fish now!:lol: Although I surely would not be surprised, both are strangely productive bugs down there.