Northwest Fishing Reports

Gotta start it off sometime. Got this buck in mid October, haven't tried for winters yet this rain got me thinking of water drop equally bobber drops

Where's a good general area to target early winter steelhead? I have the whole week of Thanksgiving off and want to fish.

I was plunking eggs on the Puy just below the mouth of the carbon 3 days ago in perfectly clear water...still searching for the missing "B" run Cohos and I kept getting hits...thought it might be a dolly or something thieving my eggs..every time my gear drifted down and stopped I would get hit.....so I double wrapped my bait loop around my glob of eggs and casted, I had barely put the rod in the holder and the tip went crazy...
Finally I got a hook up, and as I got him in to my amazement was a beautiful picture perfect jack steely, technically listed in the regs as a trout because he was only 19 inches, but it was awesome to see the little guy! I didn't think to take a picture to share but I went home pretty proud to have landed a fish. My buddy said I should go buy a lottery ticket ..LOL
It has been totally dead since the river blew out and still no sign of chum or b run Coho either. What happened, are they late? or did the commercial guys scoop the whole late run? Usually by this time I am fighting big chum in between Coho until my arm can't take it. Where are the late Puyallup fish???

was that fish a hatchery or native? I got a hatchery 8-10lb summer run out of skok this year, definitely once in a lifetime thing if that.

thanksgiving time frame I would try the sky or bogy, that's basically kickoff for most streams for winter runs. not sure if the other Puget sound rivers will be worth hitting this year since that stupid lawsuit but cascade, Snoqualmie, stilly for the 3 salt fish.

Like Bonker said, Thanksgiving is typically the time to start targeting winters, the Bogachiel or the Sky should be producing by then.
Also I'd post a picture but the first winter run I've hooked(a week ago or so), I lost.... Like 95% of all steelhead I hook

Brat Bonker wrote:was that fish a hatchery or native? I got a hatchery 8-10lb summer run out of skok this year, definitely once in a lifetime thing if that.

It was a Native.... I think it was after the 06-07 fllood on the Puyallup that Voights creek hatchery stopped reproducing Steelhead, Haven't seen a clipped one in years! I have fought some really nice 10-15lb natives on the Puy in the past but now they are becoming more of a ghost story now, that is what was so cool about hitting this one so early... last year I couldn't touch one... 30-40 years ago the Puy had epic steely runs!

blake you do lose a lot it sounds like but its hard to beat my 18 in a row I lost last winter, that hurt. Yeah never got to experience the puke or any of the south sound steelheading, wish I would have experienced the north OP and north sound steelheading more before it came to an end as well.

I don't get a lot of time off from work but I still find time to go fishing. This is last weekends steelhead with hopefully more to show this season. The weekend of thanksgiving you will find me on the sky chasing chrome!!
Tight lines!!

BlakeP wrote:Like Bonker said, Thanksgiving is typically the time to start targeting winters, the Bogachiel or the Sky should be producing by then.
Also I'd post a picture but the first winter run I've hooked(a week ago or so), I lost.... Like 95% of all steelhead I hook

Steelhead are tricky and the best way to land one usually is letting drag lose enough for him to take line when it needs to, always keep a nice bend on your rod and pray he slides onto the bank.

Brat Bonker wrote:blake you do lose a lot it sounds like but its hard to beat my 18 in a row I lost last winter, that hurt..

Haha can't say I've ever done that. I've lost 6 in a row, but 18..That's insane I've lost 25 Coho in a row before though.

Riverhunter, typically when I lose Steelhead it's actually when I'm fishing for Coho. I usually fish pretty fast water, and tend to pull the coho up towards me as fast as I can when I hook one, so whenever I hook a steelhead doing this, it always pops the hook right out. I lose less fish during steelhead season when I'm actually targeting them.

got number 1 and 2 today, where is everyone else at, kind of quiet thread

I should have something to post up this Saturday, hopefully.
Nice fish by the way Hunter! Been wanting to get out, but can't make it till this weekend.

Nice pair bonker!

went out again today picked up a couple more, heres the biggest prob around 10lbs, needed to put my shades on, chrome was too blinding. also hooked one that took a run then my stuff went flying back to me, broke the jig hook completely off, never had that happen before on a home tied

Nice fish! That's huge for this early I'm jealous haha

thanks man! my buddy got a 14lb hen on Monday, now that was a toad. guy I went with today got one about the same size too, seems like the 2 and 3 salts are in

Wow haha sounds like some nice fish being pulled out! I'll be out Friday morning.

yeah very nice fish. funny because some of the rivers need rain and others don't, kind of sucks but forecast is calling for dry weather til Wednesday then some rain wed thru Saturday.

I liveby the green river. What area of the green holds steelie? Im thinkin bout goin out on sunday... first time going for steelies... herd jigs on a float work pretty good.what size and color should i try and what part of the green do you guys recomended? Thanks