Hello fellow addicts

Say a guy from Michigan wanted to take a trip west and do some drifting for a few days. How do your seasons run out there, here in the great lakes we have typical fall Salmon and late winter Steelies. Does it vary out there in your direction?

Mike

Welcome to the forum! We have winter steelhead that start around December and run through March and sometimes April for the natives. Then springer fishing from around mid April until early July depending on the river. Then summer steelhead that start in June and run until November. Some rivers peak around July for summer steelhead but then others get their peak around September-October. Fall Chinook start in August and go until December as well as coho salmon. On some rivers in Oregon you can hook steelhead or salmon year round. My favorite is the winter steelhead starting in December. I hope this helps!

Thanks for the info, I kind of assumed it was year round for the most part. I myself like the winter Steelie run here as well. What part of the state would you suggest for me to lay my head for a couple hours when I cant stand any longer?

That really depends on when you come out.

Well, I would more than likely like to hit the Winter Steelies, so I assume some time in December.

Here is a pic of my morning fun here in the great lakes with the summer Skamania run, they are a riot.

That's awesome!! Good job. If you want to fish were we live and there are some very good winter steelhead rivers less than an hour away, then come in late January or early to mid February. Any there is also a small fun river in southern Oregon that is prime in mid to the end of March that is a blast!

Are you guys around Eugene?

Yep thats right!

Beautiful Steely, I did not know there were any summer runs out there. I would recomend the main stem of Umpqua if you are coming out in December. December is a little early for the small coastal rivers we like to fish. They seem to get the bulk of there fish from mid January to mid February, and fish well into March. The Umpqua is probably your best shot at a legit 20 lb winter, but it is primarily a drift boat kind of river, as bank access is minimal and difficult at best.

Thanks for all the info guys, I will start planting seeds with the wife!!!!

The maniacs usually come in around the 4th holiday and they aren't around for very long. I guess they were hot and heavy last night. It was pretty slow today but I managed to land a couple in a few hour period.

Well, the company I work for opened a plant in Lebanon about 1.5 years ago. I am trying my best to back door my way into a "Engineering Support" trip to the facility to provide some support!!! I would of course do my best to wrap this around a weekend. Is there some decent fishing close to Lebanon?

There is some pretty good fishing within an hour of Lebanon. The Santiam river is close to there, the Siletz, and the Alsea. All of those rivers get winter run steelhead.

you could try your luck at hitting the olympic penninsula here in washington! the hoh river in my opinion is the greatest steelhead/salmon river you could possibly encounter. not to mention the sol duc, the quinault, and the bogacheil. winter natives (feb-april) are the biggest on the west coast, typically in the 25 plus lb range. i made around 10 trips there this past winter and i personally saw 6 natives pushing the 25 pound mark!!! my biggest was about 20 lbs even i guess. we have a killer hatchery run in dec and jan. summer is smaller, but nothing to turn a blind eye to either. and while your there, you can stay in the lovely town of "forks... home of twilight"!!! you'll never see so many fisherman, loggers, and bubble gum chewing teeny boppers all in one place ever again!!!