State of the Winter Season?

chrome/22

chrome/22

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Seems a decent year on the north coast, seeing nice fish from those who choose to post.

c/22
 
I've heard lots of good things, I just haven't been able to get out there. Was actually planning to this week, but the flu derailed those plans. I really only ever make it out for one trip per winter now. Not the winter steelheader I once was.
 
Been out 4 times in the last 4 weekends and only had one solid skunking on SB Sunday. The other 3 times I at least had a solid hookup with an adult chromer. 2 out of 4 on landing them. This past Saturday I lost a good one, then hooked up again about 20 steps down the run and landed a nice buck around 22", then had another solid grab but was too quick on the hookset, all in the same run. Been hearing good reports from the other N Cal coastal fisheries too.
 
Umpqua today, my friend has landed 3 steelhead.

He sent me pics.
 
Think it was a solid year up to this point, guides were getting fish for their clients on the coast anyway
 
My timing has been perfectly off this winter. I can't seem to coincide my fishing effort with when a few fish are around.
 
Friend hit the jackpot a few weeks ago in Northern California, first day was heavy rain, rising river, one small fish to boat. Next day clearing up, callibaetis hatch came off, 6 adult fish on dries, one at 9#s.
 
Robert Engleheart said:
Friend hit the jackpot a few weeks ago in Northern California, first day was heavy rain, rising river, one small fish to boat. Next day clearing up, callibaetis hatch came off, 6 adult fish on dries, one at 9#s.
Click to expand...

That is a day to remember! I had a day like that in NorCal but not on dries. We hooked them all day long on the swing and between runs the plugs were both getting hit at the same time. That was nearly 20 years ago though…..seems like yesterday.
 
Seems like a solid steelhead run, hopefully good spring steelhead escapement, I didn't hamper their journey terribly, but did get to pull on a bunch of fish. More multi-fish days than solo's and skunks, by a good margin. Middle part of the run had some very high quality specimens. Angler traffic seemed pretty heavy. All the warm water had them supercharged and snappy. . .at least when I could find them. Almost a wrap, just about time to think about halibut,
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apparently the southern OR coastal rivers have been highly productive, recently saw my eye doctor who is a passionate steelheader, who has been driving from Bend to the coast every weekend for the past month to his fave river, experiencing multi fish days. No guides or boats, just boot packing the fly only water next to the road.
And then on Friday coming back from my local stopped at the shop to pick up some tippet, the manager at the counter was running a split screen with a live return graph (high numbers) and an underwater river cam of the same coastal river, during the few minutes we chatted one big bruiser swam by.
 
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