Nehalem Sea Run question...

[mattsavage]

How far up the Nehalem do sea runs go? I'm staying at a friends cabin up near the Lukarilla area, thought i'd give them a swing...
If i have to cruise downstream, thats fine.
Last time i drove through the area in early september, the river was dead slow and bathtub warm. Hopefully the cool damp weather the last couple weeks have improved it.

 

[RRSmith]

I haven't fished the Nehalem for SRC's but have a buddy that does. Right now he's chasing coho in tidewater but when he starts on SRC's later this month, he tends to focus down lower in the system, maybe a few miles above tidewater. They will move way up into the system and spawn in the smaller tributaries but that usually happens during the late fall/winter months. They utilize so many different life history strategies - you may encounter residents or fluvial fish further up in the watershed.

 

[IHFISH]

Apologies for the slight drift, but are there SRC opportunities in that general area around Thanksgiving or is that too late? I will be just a bit south of there with family at that time and was considering giving it a shot. I do see that that is right at the tail end of salmon time if I am reading the regulations correctly.

 

[mattsavage]

I failed to mention my time frame... This weekend, 6-9th i'll be there.

But it sounds like i may have to cruise down stream a bit to find anything.

 

[Divad]

"Spawning surveys during 1991 identified adult summer chinook in the mainstem Nehalem from River Mile 41 upstream to River Mile 88."

Also have heard of SRC caught 20+ miles up, so I would say you are well within range at Lukarilla.

Try to research if any spring creeks feed the system and/or temperature gradients for various parts of the river. SRC love cold water.

 

[RRSmith]

I failed to mention my time frame... This weekend, 6-9th i'll be there.

But it sounds like i may have to cruise down stream a bit to find anything.

If it were me, I would start just above tidewater and work my way up - especially if you're looking for sea runs. I would look for big, slow water holes and fish around structure. Good luck and let us know how you do!

 

[RRSmith]

Apologies for the slight drift, but are there SRC opportunities in that general area around Thanksgiving or is that too late? I will be just a bit south of there with family at that time and was considering giving it a shot. I do see that that is right at the tail end of salmon time if I am reading the regulations correctly.

If you find actively spawning salmon, fish below the redds with egg patterns. The cutthroat will be there.

 

[Stonedfish]

I don’t know anything about this fishery, but it looks like it is going to start getting wet starting Sunday while you are there.
Just something to consider for your fishing plans.
SF

10-Day Meteorological Forecasts Used In NWRFC Hydrologic Models

 

[Robert Engleheart]

Never fished the Nehalem but used to do well on the Nestucca well above Beaver in September.

 

[Little Fork]

Apologies for the slight drift, but are there SRC opportunities in that general area around Thanksgiving or is that too late? I will be just a bit south of there with family at that time and was considering giving it a shot. I do see that that is right at the tail end of salmon time if I am reading the regulations correctly.

It’s too late, unfortunately. The season on all trout ends on October 31.

 

[Little Fork]

How far up the Nehalem do sea runs go? I'm staying at a friends cabin up near the Lukarilla area, thought i'd give them a swing...
If i have to cruise downstream, thats fine.
Last time i drove through the area in early september, the river was dead slow and bathtub warm. Hopefully the cool damp weather the last couple weeks have improved it.
View attachment 84514

I can’t bring myself to talk about a specific river on the internet but, in general, the SRC fishing has been decent on N Oregon coastal streams recently.
I covered a ton of water on two streams over four days last week from reach of tide to about 16-18 miles upstream. The sweet spot for me was 6-10 miles above ROT on both rivers.
After the first day I only fished an orange Knudsen Spider.
I hope this is helpful and good luck.

 

[Pink Nighty]

I can’t bring myself to talk about a specific river on the internet but, in general, the SRC fishing has been decent on N Oregon coastal streams recently.
I covered a ton of water on two streams over four days last week from reach of tide to about 16-18 miles upstream. The sweet spot for me was 6-10 miles above ROT on both rivers.
After the first day I only fished an orange Knudsen Spider.
I hope this is helpful and good luck.

Love the non hot spotting ethos, but you might consider a different username!

 

[jact55]

Love the non hot spotting ethos, but you might consider a different username!

I was all confused.
Was wondering why he labeled his picture on a generic post.

But now I see lol

 

[Little Fork]

I was all confused.
Was wondering why he labeled his picture on a generic post.

But now I see lol

I think I understand now too. The photo is labeled Nehalem but that’s a username attribute not the river it came from.

 

[Styskal]

It's the Oregon coast, of course there are SRC, just like the OP. Explore and find out.

 

[DerekWhipple]

It's the Oregon coast, of course there are SRC, just like the OP. Explore and find out.

The real issue is finding access, otherwise they are pretty much everywhere.

 

[Chinookie]

So how did it go? I'm new to fly fishing and have been exploring that area as well.

 

[Chonay]

part of the fun is figuring it out for yourself. if you happen to discover your next amazing honey hole you wont want to have message board discussions to act as a bread crumb trail for other anglers.

 

[Wadin' Boot]

Biggest SRC I ever caught was on the Nehalem out on the sandflats in tidewater in a spot that was hot for 30 minutes each day right on a late tide drop. Lots of crabs moving at my feet. Not hotspotting that, all found on exploration on my own, plenty of other locations I didn't fish with similar likely setups on google maps to explore....

 

[mattsavage]

Biggest SRC I ever caught was on the Nehalem out on the sandflats in tidewater in a spot that was hot for 30 minutes each day right on a late tide drop. Lots of crabs moving at my feet. Not hotspotting that, all found on exploration on my own, plenty of other locations I didn't fish with similar likely setups on google maps to explore....

Would you wade in to an area like that or need a boat...? I would think the sand/sediment/mud would be pretty precarious to try to wade through.