What's your winter fishing program?

Evan B

Evan B

Bobber Downey Jr.
Staff member
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I find myself putting away my fall season supplies and looking to what's next. For a while I got in to doing the Rogue in Oct/Nov, but that 4hr trip down there is proving more difficult when life gets busy. But the fall steelhead there are some of the most willing to take a swung fly that I've ever experienced.

I have a few other Nov/Dec programs I may explore this year for the first time if I can make it happen, but otherwise, Nov/Dec and most of Jan tend to kind of be my off-season before pulling out the winter steelhead gear for Feb/Mar, hitting some North Coast Oregon coastal rivers and my local ditch (the Sandy).

Do you fish in the winter? What you tend to gravitate towards?
 
My winter fishing program for the past 50+ years has been winter steelhead fishing. So as fall transcends to winter, I put my summer steelhead fly box away and retrieve my container of winter steelhead fishing fly patterns and a wallet of sinking tip fly lines. I also switch from my size 11 summer wading boots to my size 12 winter wading boots so as to accommodate a second pair of heavy wool socks. Then I gravitate towards the rivers I fish during the winter: the Skagit and OP coastal rivers. Oh wait, they are all closed to fishing these days.

Ah, screw it. I just returned from 4 days of fishing, during which I got skunked on 3 days. I could go fishing in my usual haunts this winter, using flies sans hooks, and getting skunked all season and persuade myself that I'm just fine with that outcome. After all, I didn't retire so that I could sit at home on the couch all winter.
 
A few trips for chum in late October and November, then it’s ski season. I used to fish steelhead all winter when I lived somewhere that there were some steelhead, but Seattle area steelhead opportunities suck, and bad circulation in my hands makes it a painful experience anyway. It took me a long time to finally acknowledge that I am not a winter steelheader any more!
 
I'll keep flogging the salt for cutties and probably wind up taking a short break after a day of abusing the chums, then break out the two hander and get wet on the coast through March.
 
Bookend the winter with Yakima trips usually. Doing one at end of October/early November and then again usually in March. Don’t fish the winter runs like I use too. Too many cold, wet, and empty trips in recent past, not like it was 15 plus seasons ago. I’ll hit the Puget Sound a couple times during the winter, but mostly it’s a slow time for fishing. Some grass casting on nice winter days 😉
 
Used to be steelhead. Now, it's sit on the couch until I go crazy enough to convince myself I can afford a trip to someplace that actually has fishing opportunities. Not a great program, to be honest.
 
Float the Sandy or hike in and swing for steelhead. Or hit the coast for same. The real fun though is trips over the hill for trout and whities. And to see Randy get steelie bycatch. I am hoping to get over there at least once for steelhead though.

I also think about building new rods that I don’t need.
 
I bass fished today. Blue skies and no rain or clouds. 3 fish....it was a slow gorgeous day on the water.
I will be on the satsop if and when it opens.

Lake fishing til spring time.
 
It used to be steelhead. But I still breakout the Simms Bootfoot waders and fish whatever isn’t frozen (and open), be it lakes, moving water or sometimes the salt - even RF if I get desperate enough.

This year will be different as I will be wet wading in New Zealand all winter. It might just become my new winter fishery!
 
Paige said:
2 more months of Coho before I think about winter Steelhead!
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Wish my neighborhood coho lasted that long. I remember having some great days in the S rivers through November. The ones here seem to disappear mid/late October.
 
Evan B said:
Wish my neighborhood coho lasted that long. I remember having some great days in the S rivers through November. The ones here seem to disappear mid/late October.
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Man that sucks, you have a spot in my boat any time Evan, Jeff and are doing 4 days next weekend!
 
Paige said:
Man that sucks, you have a spot in my boat any time Evan, Jeff and are doing 4 days next weekend!
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Appreciate that! Life has been crazy busy lately so fishing close to home has bee all I can pull off. Hopefully that changes.
 
Theres a couple rivers slightly to the north of that should be strong till December, or so I thought?
 
Paige said:
Theres a couple rivers slightly to the north of that should be strong till December, or so I thought?
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I know those as well. Just haven't made it there. Hoping I can this winter if things work out right.
 
I will fish the rivers for trout any chance I can as long as the night time lows are around 20-25 degrees or better.
Multiple handicaps, but goes with my territory. As a back up I have a ski pass.
 
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