Steelhead Battle Video- Highlights from Feb/Mar 2012

Here is a little video we put together on some of the little highlights we caught with the video camera the last couple months while chasing Oregon steelhead. 

Check it out:  http://youtu.be/k6WR7aAL-kc

Come visit us on a great Oregon Steelhead river soon.  www.watertimeoutfitters.com 

The Tug is the Drug!

Rob

Oregon Winter Steelhead Fishing

Winter Steelhead fishing has been excellent in the month of February on the North Coast streams in Oregon that Water Time Outfitter guides have been working.  We have had excellent results on the Wilson, Trask, Kilches and North Fork Nehalem Rivers.  Both wild and hatchery fish have been present in excellent numbers. 

This year North Fork of the Nehalem is having a record year for hatchery steelhead.  So far they have collected over 3800 fish in the hatchery trap.   That is almost double an average year!

Here's a couple recent fish.  Come join us!  www.watertimeoutfitters.com

The TUG is the Drug!

Something A Little Different

Greetings all,

        Well with Super Bowl weekend Ally and I went to visit friends in Eastern Oregon.  Knowing that there are still some Steelhead in the rivers that way I just happened to slip in a couple rods.  I know that the weekend was a very busy one on the Coastal Streams and was pleasantly surprised to find several willing fish to the East without any other anglers!  This is a reminder to us all that sometimes thinking outside the box results in an uncrowded experience and great times for all.  The following are pictures from Saturdays outing with a couple of my great friends:

We ended the day hooking 10 fish and landing 8.  Many of these fish were wild and when there was not a good place to quickly land and release them we focused on getting them back home without risking a picture.

Gil Muhleman

Water Time Outfitters

541-419-7778

THE TUG IS THE DRUG

Oregon Winter Steelhead Lodge

See our website

The NF Nehalem is a gem among NW rivers. It flows out of the wild and rugged Oregon Coast range mountains into the main Nehalem river. The NF gets one of the strongest hatchery steelhead runs on the Oregon coast along with a good dose of big wild steelhead as well. Floating the river is an inspiring experience on it own. Over 26 waterfalls cascade into the NF canyon during our float. We float this section of river in rafts and start at the uppermost target for migrating steelhead - the hatchery.

The NF boast choppy riffles and many small pools ideal for the indicator strategy. Some sections swing a fly very well also. Each day fresh arriving steelhead ride the tides into the lower river. A mix of chrome bright fish to brightly colored fish may be found through the season.

Winter steelhead time is rain time in Oregon and having a nice warm place to dry out at the end of the day before a long drive home is a good part to any angler's fishing dream.  Warming the toes by the fire and enjoying a drink next to the fire really puts a great cap to a day on the water.  That is just what we are offering this year in January on the NF Nehalem river.  Water Time Outfitters has secured riverside lodging right on a key peice of water on the NF Nehalem river. 

Come join us for a winter steelhead fishing adventure and relax at comfortable convenient lodging at the end of the day.  Special packages for our traveling anglers available. Peak time on the NF is around the first week of January.  The run starts mid-December and runs through the first part of February. 

Guided float trips on the NF include:  Experienced guide and oarsman, flies, tippet, leaders as needed, rod/reel/lines as needed, shuttle back to your vehicle at the end of the day, hot lunch, soft drinks and waters.  $425 for 2 anglers.  (2 anglers per boat max.) 

Stay one night at our riverside lodge with guided fishing day-meals include: dinner, breakfast and lunch for only $550 for 2 anglers.  Space is very limited.  Only open dates for lodging are Jan 2,3,4,5,6,& 7th  50% deposit is required to reserve your spot.  Call now to save your date: 503-704-6449. 

Fall Season Pics- Water Time on the Deschutes

Save your spot for 2012 NOW!

www.WaterTimeOutfitters.com

                        Fall Chinook salmon ate the Vaccumn Cleaner fly presented on a floating line!

Winter in Summer- Steelhead and High Water

Winter water levels are still persisting on the Clackamas river here in June! It has been a high water year all season and so far our summer steelhead fishery is no exception.  High waters around the state and in the mid-west have created dismal conditions for many fisheries.  Fortunately the Clackamas water clarity has been fishable much more than many other drainages. 

This dandy chrome bright summer steelhead was hooked on a 8 weight Z- Axis switch rod with a 10' sink tip.  Our silent approach with the drift boat allowed Jeff to easily swing the fly into position for a rod wrenching take.  Line sizzled off his Nautalis reel as this fish kicked it into high gear throwing water spray everywhere. 

Water temp today was 53 degrees.  If you want to catch a steelhead on the swing in the Clackamas, this is perhaps one of the very best times to do it.

Good luck on the water!

Spring Time in Oregon

It's that time of year here in Oregon where there is so much to do.  Trout fishing opportunities are really starting to ramp up and steelhead fishing has some interesting things going on as well.  Living in Oregon sure has its perks and its this time of year that I am reminded how fortunate we are to live in such a great part of the world.

Trout fishing opportunities are vast this time of year.  One of the big ones that comes to mind is the Salmon fly hatch on the Deschutes river.  This is a world class river that has some truly great fly fishing opportunities.  Add to that equation a bug almost 3" long and you've got a great combo.  Salmon flies are like "Big Mac's" for trout.  As the hatch gains momentum expect rainbows to greedily gorge on these big bugs.  Add in the many opportunities of lakes and small streams around the state and you've got some good stuff going on.

One of my favorite fisheries for this time of year is the spring steelhead we get on the Willamette Valley streams.  Better known as summer steelhead these silvery rockets come into our rivers in the spring and stay in the river for nearly a year.  These fish are a Skamania strain fish of hatchery origin.  The Clackamas river has these fish returning every year around this time.  This years run are identified by a clipped adipose fin and a maxilary fin clipping.  Once hooked they are ballistic rockets and some fish are simply unlandable!

I hope you are getting out on the water and experiencing some of the fantastic opportunities we have here in Oregon.

Good fishin!

Rob