Lance began his life as a guide in 2001 and over the years has personally hosted thousands of clients, both private and corporate. Steelhead run on the Wilson, Kilchis and Trask rivers from middle of December through mid-April. Winter steelhead are the big steelhead run on the Wilson, often producing more than 3,000 fish in fair to good seasons. Unlike salmon, Steelhead make multiple returns to the ocean during their lifetime, eventually spawning in the river system. 315. For all of the North Coast Steelhead and Salmon fisherman. We have trips for the most avid angler to the beginner. Its also best for drift-boating the lower sections in that range. For multi-day trips, or to come in the night before, many of my clients stay at the Garibaldi House. The Wilson River is a real workhorse among northern Oregon coastal fishing streams. For winter steelhead in particular (and sometimes the early weeks of summer steelhead season), the river is fishable a lower levels but often at its best for fishing when the river level gauge reads between 4 and 5.5 feet. All steelhead with an intact adipose fin must be released unharmed throughout the Wilson River watershed. Discussion. By the way, the Wilson also happens to be a very goodChinook salmon fishing river. Fish returning to that upper river release area pass through an area with excellent bank access because much of it is Tillamook State Forest open to the public. Do you have a larger group? This lowest section of the South Fork, from the mouth up to a marker at the deadline, consists mostly of pocket water but could be worth exploring, Bradley said. Summer steelhead fishing can be decent for a couple of months after the fish arrive and then tapers off when the water drops and warms in the second half of summer. Wilson River. This allows for large numbers of fish to be caught each year. Wilson River Oregon Nov. 22 - Steelhead or Sea-Run Cuttthroat? Just about any turn-out along Highway 6 is a short walk away from steelhead-holding water. Siuslaw River. the Wilson River varies greatly depending on the species of fish and time of the year. It was the first time Id been exposed to side drifting for winter steelhead, and with these two as my mentors, the learning curve was short. The strength of the winter steelhead fishery on the Wilson River lies in its huge native and hatchery steelhead runs. I think I saw a couple of them swim by my boat with Big Dave tattooed on their foreheads. Wilson River, South Fork. The Wilson River is close enough to Portland to attract plenty of anglers, but it has so much access along Highway 6 and a very good winter run of steelhead, along with a modest summer run, that help make up for the extra fishing pressure. Find out here. The Winter Steelhead Report 2020 is good so far here on the northwest Oregon coast. This is our longest run of fish in the river system. There were a few fish caught, including some very large fish! The area open to winter fishing keeps anglers below the prison camp farther up the road. Covering water like this certainly helps us find fish, but also allows my customers to see some pretty amazing scenery. Dont miss Northwest fishing news! Nestucca River. They are all good fish, but coastal steelhead are something else. This tributary of Tillamook Bay has a strong wild run of steelhead, and it gets the lions share of the bays hatchery steelhead as well. The South Fork is closed during the prime summer steelhead months. I pace the current speedwith the drift boat allowing for long drifts in potential holding water. Learn the methods that work best in Steelhead Fishing: Simple Techniques and Tips. Side drifting is a hands on approach to Steelhead fishing that has fishermen casting out. Winter Steelhead Fishing in the North Coast District. Bobber dogging simply adds a strike indicator/bobber/float to the equation. Open for hatchery steelhead Jan 1 Mar 31 and Aug 1-Dec 31. According to Fishing Oregon: An Angler's Guide to Oregon, the Wilson River is "one of the state's best steelhead and Chinook salmon fisheries". These fish, being only a few miles out of the saltwater, tend to pull like trucks offering a real difference to many of the fish caught on inland waterways. Siskeyville, near Milepost 8 on the highway (also known as the Wilson River Highway) is the highest of those lower-river release points. Like the Nestucca, Wilson River fishing guides commonly catch 8-12 pound steelhead with 15-20 pounders possible. Some days we will cover 14 miles of river. Expect flooding of low areas on Hwy 101 and Hwy 6 in and near Tillamook, along with flooding of numerous low areas on rural roads and property in the area. Home Wilson River Winter Steelhead Fishing with Guide, Lance Fisher. 0. Hey all - I went looking for some early run steelhead in the Wilson River yesterday afternoon, stripping streamers. For winter-runs, the Little North Fork and the lower one mile of the South Fork also are open during the winter steelhead season but produce relatively few harvestable fish compared to the main river. This is an important element to your day as all guides have different approaches. expect flooding to start in the Wilson River RV park east of Tillamook. This lower river is popular with drift boaters, with several launches and take-outs from Siskeyville to the head of tide at Sollie Smith on the Wilson Loop Road just outside Tillamook. My clients receive special pricing with the Garibaldi House, so be sure to mention that youre fishing with Lance Fisher Fishing to receive your discount. Renowned for huge runs of both native and hatchery steelhead, the Wilson provides anglers with ample opportunities to catch one of the most fierce fighting fish in Fishing was good on the Wilson in late February as the river came down off of high water. Nehalem River. Lol-Big Dave. The upper river gets only a fourth of winter hatchery releases and lower overall catches during that season, but its easy to find places to fish from the bank and there are simply fewer anglers throughout the year up here, resulting in less competition. Mouth to marked deadline near MP 1. The summer catch here hardly compares to the winter harvest or the bigger summer runs to the south in the Nestucca River, with roughly 400 to 600 summer-run keepers coming from the Wilson each season. The Wilson River has both a wild steelhead and a hatchery raised steelhead run. Watch the river levels and wait for the river to start dropping for the best chance to connect with an early fish. There has been lots of rain so we have only been able to get out a few [] I use a couple different methods of fishing that allows us to cover lots of water in search of holding fish. FearNoFish84@aol.com . Chinook Still Being Caught, Steelhead In The Wilson River North Coast Fishing Report Just when you thought it was safe to put away the fall Chinook gear, well, maybe dont get that excited, but theres still a few fall Chinook around on the north Oregon coast. Schmidty's Guide Service 503-939-8439. Winter fish also are released at Mills Bridge and Hughey Creek. including the Wilson and Trask, the Nehalem and Nenanicum basins. 3rd cast or so I hooked into a pretty good size fish. We have been finding fish every time we have been able to get on the water. With the phasing out of a hatchery program on the Kilchis River, the Wilson soon will be the only Tillamook Bay tributary with hatchery steelhead (not counting some strays). Many rivers have one or the other, but the Wilson has some of Whether its bobber and worms, soft bead egg imitations or small clusters of bait, Rob knows when to employ what technique under what water conditions. These fish are known to be large and aggressive, and are good fighters as well as excellent table fair. Wilson River Lodge along the Oregon coast offers guided fishing trips for Steelhead and Salmon. Yachats River. Other lower river bank fishing access spots include Donaldson Bar off Olsen Road (where a property owner charges a parking fee) and off Highway 6 at Windy Bend (Guard Rail Hole below the RV park) and the Ming Creek Public Access (including Blue Hole) near Milepost 7 farther upriver. The Garibaldi House is very accustomed to catering to fishermen. Wilson River Fishing a North Coast Gem Oregons north coast is home to a number of fine winter steelhead streams, but the Wilson just may be the best of the bunch. In late September and through at least October, when most anglers are turning their attention to fall salmon, steelheading can be worthwhile again in cooler water, especially in the upper reaches where the fish waited out the warm water conditions. The strength of the winter steelhead fishery on the Wilson River lies in its huge native and hatchery steelhead runs. There are also three major steelhead That emphasis results in the highest catches in the river from Siskeyville down to Tillamook, where drift boaters (including a number of fishing guides) account for a good portion of the catch. The river often has very good runs of fall Chinook salmon, winter steelhead and sea-run cutthroat trout, plus some other fishing options. Join us for an adventurous Tillamook fishing trip on the Trask River, Wilson River, Nehalem River or Tillamook Bay for Tillamook king salmon and steelhead. However, fishing pressure is relatively light and conditions pleasant too pleasant some days, because the river is also popular with swimmers, so fish early and late. Wilson River Winter Steelhead Winter steelhead are the big steelhead run on the Wilson, often producing more than 3,000 fish in fair to good seasons. Lance Fisher is a native Oregonian and has fished since he was able to hold a rod. Spring Chinook average about 20 pounds (9.1 kg), fall Chinook from 25 to 28 pounds (11 to 13 kg), and Steelhead Wilson River - - Willamette Oregon Zone - - For all of the Willamette basin Steelhead and Salmon fisherman. Find more fishing spots in Tillamook County, ODFW trout stocking scheduleODFW weekly recreation report and regulation updatesODFW annual fishing regulationsNational Weather Service forecasts. Many rivers have one or the other, but the Wilson has some of the largest of both. The river upstream of Jordan Creek is already closed to salmon angling by permanent rule. 12. Oregon Fishing Guide , Guided salmon and Steelhead fishing on the WIlson River, Trask River, Kilches, Sandy River, Nehalem, and Tillamook Bay, Schmidtysguideservice.com. Open for hatchery steelhead Jan 1 Mar 31 and Dec 1-31. 16: flood waters threaten the Wilson River RV Park east of Tillamook along Hwy 6. Bobber dogging is the other method and it closely resembles side drifting. Tillamook County has a plethora of rivers to choose from (Kilchis, Trask, Nehalem) and one of the other steelhead rivers that I frequent is the Nestucca River. About 140,000 fin-clipped winter steelhead smolts are released in the Wilson every year. This river is a sleeper river for hatchery steelhead as it doesn't receive a planting but the Wilson and Kilchis fish are raised at the Gold Creek Hatchery including the broodstock steelhead. ODFW fish biologist Robert Bradley said the majority of smolts (75 percent) are planted at three locations in the lower river. In the hotter months, summer steelheading is best in the upper river, from the forest center up to the confluence of South Fork with Devils Fork (just above the bridge near Elk Creek Campground). Alsea River. Parking spots are plentiful along Oregon Highway 6, which follows close to the flow of the river. Its still slightly on the early side for winter steelhead on the Wilson, but with a good freshet predicted for this weekend I would expect a few fish to show up. An early segment of the run (an Alsea River strain long used in hatchery production) starts arriving after about Thanksgiving and are present in better numbers after the holidays. Like us on Facebook. Siletz River. Our clients say that we are one of the best Oregon fishing guides around for salmon and steelhead. The Wilson broodstock hatchery fish are available late December through mid-April. Its a unique program that is in place in several other Oregon rivers like the nearby Nestucca and Alsea Rivers. Many people ask me about the techniques I use on the river. That winter found me on Oregons Wilson River, fishing with good friends and living legends, Buzz Ramsey and Nick Amato. Theyre up early making breakfast and can send you away to your day on the water with a lunch fit for a king. These elusive and challenging fish can test an anglers patience and persistence, but the reward is hooking into a fish that is famous worldwide for its line-peeling runs and spectacular, acrobatic fight. The Wilson and Kilchis rivers host globally important runs of Chinook, chum, coho and steelhead. The annual summer steelhead smolt releases (at this writing) number about 30,000, all of which are released in the South Fork. I found a nice hole on my way back to my car and threw a couple lines. The river blew out again early this week and was well into flood stage as of Tuesday 1/12. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. There are many methods to target these very aggressive fish. Wilson River About our Company We are focused on bringing you entertaining fishing videos along with instructional videos to help you become a better steelhead, salmon and trout angler. Wilson River Fishing Guides. The Wilson River is without a doubt, one of the top winter steelhead rivers in the West. In higher water, try bank fishing the upper river and maybe switching to plunking, which is best at levels of 6 to 7 feet and doable anywhere from 4.5 to 8 feet. No problem! This river is fishable for north coast winter steelhead from December through April and offers a wild broodstock program. These fish with wild parents tend to return in high numbers in mid- and late winter, making their first good showing by mid-January, and along with earlier returning strains these fish stretch the Wilsons winter steelhead season into March or later. There is private property that runs along the river so make sure to check with a local shop or on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife before hitting an unfamiliar area. The river from the Tillamook Forest Center (which itself has some good water) upstream to the forks also is the best water to work for summer steelhead after about mid-July, when the lower river gets pretty warm. The Wilson River will start to see steelhead in the river in catch-able numbers by about the 20th of December depending on water levels. The Wilson River is also a popular winter Steelhead fishing spot with some of the largest runs in the state. WILSON RIVER: Chinook, steelhead. Feel free to contact me with more questions or to book your trip. Steelhead Fishing: Simple Techniques and Tips, better small steelhead streams in the region, ODFW weekly recreation report and regulation updates. Trask River. With the phasing out of a hatchery program on the Kilchis River, the Wilson soon will be the only Tillamook Bay tributary with hatchery steelhead (not counting some strays). At the last update, ODFW was considering ending summer steelhead releases here. Both techniques are fun, interactive and in the end, my clients really enjoy the hands on aspect of thefishing we do. Today I watched ODFW plant 10,000 hatchery winter steelhead into the Wilson River. Tributaries and river sections not listed. The 106 wild steelhead that the volunteer anglers collect will produce 100,000 steelhead smolts that will be planted in the Wilson River next year. The entire main fork of the river, from the mouth to the mouth of the South Fork high in the system, is open for fin-clipped steelhead all year. When it comes to fishing for winter steelhead, the Wilson River is one of the top fisheries in the state of Oregon. WILSON RIVER: Winter steelhead fishing was slow to fair the end of last week, Friday and Monday saw some nice fish caught, while the weekend itself was a little slow. The fishery goes hard all the way into April with double digit steelhead days common. The Wilson has a larger second winter run from a wild broodstock hatchery program, using unclipped wild fish to propagate a new generation of fin-marked hatchery fish available for harvest. The lower river is bordered by a lot of private property, but popular bank access points include Mills Bridge (behind the former Guide Shop and upstream to above the bridge), where theres a long stretch of publicly owned bank as well as easy boat access. About: - The Wilson is one of the more popular steelhead rivers on the North coast, mostly due to a large hatchery steelhead release and the wild broodstock program. The river dumps into Tillamook Bay close to the Wilson and a lot of these fish return to the hatchery where they were raised on the Trask. WILSON RIVER: steelhead Winter steelhead fishing was slow to fair last weekend, despite excellent conditions and heavy effort. Of those, 40,000 are the earlier returning strain and the remainder (100,000) are from the broodstock run. Mouth to North Fork Yachats River. Steelhead have been called the ultimate game fish. Calling the Wilson his home river, Rob thrives on the opportunity to unlock the jaws of the wily winter steelhead and details his strategies in this webinar. Angling for steelhead is unaffected by this change and remains open under permanent regulations. This beautiful country highway links Tillamook to the Portland metropolitan area. The Wilson River is without a doubt, one of the top winter steelhead rivers in the West. Boating the upper river is hazardous, at best. Bradley said some of the returning adults tend to stray to nearby rivers and maybe even to the Nestucca River, where they were originally hatched. River Levels. Copyright 2020 Lance Fisher Fishing - Portland Oregon Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. Another option: Move to one of thebetter small steelhead streams in the region, which often fish best when bigger rivers are high (but these little streams are not as good in dry spells). The remainder (25 percent) of winter smolts are stocked well upriver in the South Fork. What this means for fishermen, is the opportunity to take fish home for the grill, but also receive the catch and release benefits of the thousands of native steelhead that return at the same time. I fished with pro guide Rob Gerlitz (503-812-4950) Closed. Both were patient, concise and very directive in their approach. Fully Guided Fishing Trip Beginning at $225 a day per person Wilson River steelhead run from 5-20 pounds with an 8-12 pound fish being about normal. Oregon steelhead guides are seeing good numbers of fish for January. I work with several other guides to accommodate such a trip. Because of the close proximity of Tillamook to so many different rivers, we will often time fish two rivers in the same day. The Wilson is still in decent shape, but is dropping and may be getting a little on the low and clear side by the weekend. Hope these little fellows have a safe journey and we'll see them in a few years. For more on that fishery, visit my Nestucca River steelhead fishing page. Summer-run fish generally make a modest showing by May or June and will be well-distributed, including in lower section of the river. Both forests provide camping, biking, fishing, hunting and hiking grounds for thousands of Oregonians, and they also provide over 400,000 people with clean drinking water. The technique does allow us to stay in likely holding water a little better as rivers drop and the technique also does a better job of avoiding snags. Are the rivers on the way up or down? The Wilson River is hard to beat for the best winter steelhead stream fishing. Extended low water conditions have led to concentrations of fall Chinook in the lower Wilson River. The South Fork itself is openjust in its lower mile for the months of December through March, so anglers can target the portion of winter steelhead returning to the stream near where they were acclimated as smolts.