January 2008
1/26/2008
Hey Scott,
Here I am with my Grandson Maveric and his first Umpqua Steelie he finished with 3 Grandma got 5 and they even let me get 1. Maveric has caught and released hundreds of Smallies but the first thing out of his mouth after feeling this fish was Wow! he's pulling really hard! May have lost another Bass fishing partner. The other photo is of Dan Thompson from Bend thought you might like to see his Steelhead of a Lifetime he got with me last week. All fish were caught on plugs, guess they still work.
Take Care,
To whom it
may concern
and there
seems to be
a few of
you, this
Trophy
Steelhead(
the kind
many of you
want to be
able to kill
again next
year!!!) was
released
without ever
being
touched by
human hands!
or without
having a net
around it! I
use and have
become
skilled at
landing fish
with a Boga
Grip and
have NEVER
had a fish
go belly up
using this
technique
this
particular
fish took
off like a
rocket after
being
released. He
is a Stud
and I hope
someone else
will take as
much care of
him as I
did.
Sincerely,
Todd
Harrington
Todd Harrington
1-541-459-2276
Hi Todd, with you as his grandpa, I'm not surprised to hear about him reeling in a beauty like that one. It's hard to beat the veracity of a steelhead, and you haven't lost a bass fishing buddy but probably gained a steelhead fishing buddy too! :). Dan's Steelhead almost looks to big to be a steelhead, I'll bet that one makes the record books. It would be a toss up for me to choose which one would have been the most fun to watch, your grandson landing his first steelhead or the guy landing the once in a life time steelhead. Thanks for the report and pictures. Stay safe till we hear from you again!
Scott
1/25/2008
Hello Scott: This is
my friend Ron. We
made it out to the
high spot Wednesday
morning. The bite
was red hot 5 times
down 4 ling. Two
other boats with me
limited out as well,
for a total of 16.
The drift was a
little hard, had to
back down some. All
four of ours were
about 15-20 IBS. One
of the other boats
had one about 30
IBS. A good day was
had by all. I'm
still enjoying your
web site. Catch you
later.
Rick Middleton
Hi Rick, been awhile since we heard from you. I hadn't given a thought to anyone being out there pulling up ling cod this time of year, but I guess when the getting is good you need to take advantage of the opportunities nature gives us. I glad everyone had a safe and productive trip. I thank you for taking time out to send a report and a picture our way and it's nice to hear you still stop by and give us a read from time to time. Take care of yourself and keep us posted if you get back out there again anytime soon.
Scott
1/22/2008
Here’s a report from my employee for the Sixes.
My employee Nick and his crew caught these 3 nice steelies on the Elk river fishing yarn balls, over the weekend. They hooked a couple others that didn’t get boated. These bigger 18 1/2 ‘ boats allow for 2 anglers up front and another angler on the rear pedestal seat…3 lines in the water side drifting means a few more bites.
Larry Mercer
Hi Larry, been awhile since we heard from you. What a great photo and a nice display of steelhead. There is allot of steelhead action being reported the past week, it does my heart good to see the site waking up from the winter doldrums. I don't mind plugging your drift boat's a little either, they are awesome. I have had an opportunity to see a couple of them up close this last year and you can sure see that a great deal of attention has gone into the construction of your boats. Your fishing reports are always a welcome site in my email. I know that you only build boats so that you have a good reason to be out on the water "testing" them out ;).
Scott
1/21/2008
Hi Scott
Brother Randy &
I fished the S.
Coquille today.
Caught one nice
hatchery buck
for the smoker,
plus a chromer
hen with all her
fins that we
released. A
third fish broke
me off on
something nasty;
never got a good
look at that
fish. All the
action today
came on eggs,
even though we
tried yarn balls
quite a bit. I
think it's time
for a little
more rain
(although I
always worry
when I have that
thought in
January!!!).
Tight
lines,
Rod Lathrop
Hi Rod, sounds like you are managing to get in some time on the river this winter. It's the ones that get away that keep us coming back. That is one of the things I have always loved about steelhead fishing, they really put our angling skills to the test. A steelhead has more than instincts on his/her side when it comes to shaking loose of the hook. Oregon water tables are running a little above normal through 2007 and will hopefully continue that way thru 2008, without a bunch of flooding. Looks like egg clusters might be working best, but we both know that is subject to change without notice. Every time we think we got it all figured out the fish change their minds and start chasing after something else. As always, thanks for your reports and support of Fish-Works.
Scott
1/20/2008
My husband, Rick Wright, and I took a trip down the South Umpqua and Sunday January 20...was the first time I had river fished from a boat. I did so good...caught an 8# hen but had to toss it back...and just as we had given up tossed my line in one more time and first cast hooked this 17# PIG!!! had so much fun can't wait to get back out there and do it again...FISH ON!!!!
KIMBERLY HOPPER AKA (:KYMMI:)
Hey there Kimberly, that is a beautiful fish, that may just be the biggest steelhead reported in 2008 here at Fish-Works. Your husband needs to take you fishing more often :). The Steelhead seem to like your line. Congratulations on your success. Also thanks for sharing your catch with all of us. It looks like we are off to a great start for 2008.
Scott
1/20/2008
My Sunday Service took place on the Siuslaw River. Great day! I hooked four but only got one in the boat. It sure was a blast fighting those fish, they were hogs!
Jack Smith
Hi Jack, we are going to have to pry some more details out of you one of these days :). The water looks like it has shaped up very nicely the past couple of days. The steelhead takes a backseat to no fish, they put up more of a fight than most and have a whole host of tricks up their sleeves to shake loose of the hook. Your doing something right. Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
Scott
1/20/2008
Hi Scott,
Turned 50 today and celebrated by taking my wife Amy steelhead fishing on the S. Umpqua. Nothing happening until it warmed up around noon. Ended up with this nice 12 pound native hen that I returned, and a 10 pound hatchery hen that came home with us. We fished eggs and yarn balls; caught both fish on yarn balls. Yarn balls had a little bit of sand shrimp gel on them. Going to try the Coquille River tomorrow; hope to give you another good report.
Take Care,
Rod and Amy
Lathrop
Happy Birthday Rod, should get your AARP card in the mail here pretty soon ;). I turn 51 in a couple of weeks. I hate birthdays but I'm sure I would hate not having another birthday even more. That is one heck of a birthday present old mother nature gave you, I think that may be the nicest looking ones I have seen posted so far this year. As always, it was great to hear from you and we do appreciate you sharing your fishing trip with us and sharing your birthday with us. I think I speak for all our readers when I/we wish you many more.
Scott
1/19/2008
This is Chuck Burly from Bend, Oregon, with a nice wild steelhead from the North Umpqua River. We got 3 more also on Jan 16th. The water is in really good shape now and all the guides I work with are doing well. Seems like there are a ton of fish in the river. We will be at the Eugene Sports Show on February 1,2,3, so drop by and see us.
GARY'S GUIDE'
SERVICE
Hello Gary, thanks for shooting a report our way. I figured you would be out there somewhere chasing the steelhead on the North Umpqua. I'm glad to hear the river is loading up and that folks are having some good success catching them. The weather this next week looks like it's going to shape up pretty nicely as well. Might be a good time to break out the fishing gear. That is a beautiful Steelhead that Chuck landed there, still allot of shine. Maybe we will see you at the Sports Show.
Scott
1/16/2008
Scott,
I am so anxious
to get the big
ocean boat
finished that I
am spending
every free
minute I can on
it…but decided
to take a day
off and fished
the Sixes on the
16th
of January with
Chris Mesa and
his brand new
18-6 Riverwolf
along with Nick
Woodson.
Fishing was not
red hot but we
managed to hook
4 steelhead and
landed 2
including this
dandy Nick
caught. All
were hooked on
yarn balls. I
think the Umpqua
is very fishable
as well now but
the cold water
may affect the
bite a bit.
Looks to be a
good year for
steelies so far…
Larry Mercer
Hi Larry, looks like you have healed up good and are are hard at it again. A guy needs to work hard and play hard too. It sounds like you had enough rod action to make it an interesting and productive trip down the river. I'm anxious to see your big ocean boat get done too, I got you down for a tuna trip ;), the earlier photos of it that you sent me were pretty impressive. Better be careful or folks are going to want you to start building ocean cruisers for them too, then you won't have time to go fishing. Thanks a bunch for sending me your report, things started out pretty slow this year, but seem to be steadily picking up. I sure hope this is indicative of the rest of 2008. Oh yeah nice boat in the background, who do you suppose built that one? hehehe!
Scott
1/16/2008
Hi Scott,
First fish of 08 and
had to put her back
nice hen about 12
pounds caught on the
coquille 1/17/08.
Jack Smith
Hi Jack, I appreciate the report and the picture :). You are a man of few words. Nice looking fish, glad you put her back to seed for future runs. I got a couple of secondhand reports of more steelhead being landed but try to keep the reports first hand here as much as possible. This isn't to say that I don't appreciate the efforts of others sending in second person reports but I have to be careful what I post, it would only take one rotten apple to spoil the barrel. Everything I'm hearing so far, second hand or not indicates a nice 2008 fishing season is shaping up.
Scott
1/4/2008
Went for a drive
with the family on
January 2nd and I
took my fishing
rod along for the
trip. I fished a
little on the
Siuslaw and then we
went to Lake Creek
where I landed and
successfully
released this nice
native buck. He
hammered a pink yarn
ball on a drift rig.
Hi Scott, something told me I would be hearing from you again soon :). Beautiful fish you caught there. The weather has been pretty wet over here but a true Oregonian isn't going to be discouraged from fishing by a little rain. Hope you and the family all had a great time over and thanks for keeping all of us here at Fish-Works in mind and sending us your picture and report. A lot of people are missing out on some great fishing action if they have never chased these guys during the winter months over here.
Scott
1/4/2008
Caught this nice hen
on the South Fk.
Coquille early this
morning. Caught and
released another
native hen as well.
Fishing seemed to be
great, but the water
rose very quickly
and changed from a
great looking green,
to the normal brown
that we've been
seeing, which sent
us home a bit early.
Take care,
Steve
What nice looking fish Steve, I think you are right about the waters, we have some pretty rough weather coming our way the next few days that is going to stir things up a bit but should improve things immensely once it settles back down and the water clears back up. Water sheds should be full this year ;). Thanks for the report, we sure appreciate your taking the time out to take a picture and share it with us. It looks like 2008 might pan out to be a much better year than 2007 if we base it on these early reports.
Scott
1/2/2008
Hi Scott,
Thought I'd start the year off with my traditional New Years day report. the Coos system is dropping into real good shape right now with good visibility and reports of many fish being taken. I was fishing a pink corkie with eggs and coaxed this hatchery buck out of hiding on the 3rd cast, took me over half an hour to land from the bank in a stretch of fast water. he measured 34" X 19.5" for an approximate weight of 16.7 pounds. the smaller buck was 1 of 4 I caught yesterday, 2 hatchery and 2 natives that were released unharmed.
Tight Lines To All
Robert
Hey there Robert, you get the first report of 2008 award, one full can of appreciation :). That is a very nice Steely there, they sure put up a heck of a war. I have always said the Steelhead is the fightingnest fish on the planet. A salmon will give you a good run or two but the Steelhead is full of tricks and will fight you till the very end. Glad to hear you are out there pounding the waters and keeping them honest. Always happy to see your reports show up, they have become a bit of a tradition here at Fish-Works and I know other readers appreciate them too.
Scott
January 2007
1/29/2207
Hi Scott, hope I am doing this right. This is my son Wid Jensen Jr. with one of 3 Siuslaw steelhead we caught 1/28. He was using corkies and yarn. It has been a good year so far with several 3-4 fish days. The water is getting a little low and we may switch to the Umpqua for awhile. great site.
Wid
Hello Wid, you did great with sending the pictures, thanks for your report and photo. It's always nice to hear fresh information from the Siuslaw River. It looks like the Steelhead fishing has been pretty good all over this year. We have had a reprieve from the rain for few days and it has been absolutely beautiful over here on the coast for fishing. I hope it last for awhile.
1/27/2007
Hi Scott
Another beautiful day on the Umpqua! I fished today with Sunny Washburn, a friend from work – she is a very good steelheader, and caught our first two metalheads (both hatchery fish). I caught this 16# buck in the afternoon. We caught one fish using a bobber and eggs, the other two side drifting eggs and puff balls.
Take care,
Rod Lathrop
Hi there Rod, boy that river sure looks inviting with all the blue sky and sunshine. I was buried indoors all day working on websites, I'm jealous :). Nice job, those Steelhead are beautiful, nice and shiny. If this doesn't get folks motivated to get out there and chase some fish, I don't know what will. Thanks for the report and the pictures.
1/27/2007
Hi Scott,
I fished the main Umpqua with Rick Eveland and his friend Darrell on Thursday. Robert Montgomery and his clients fished the same section as well. Both boats managed 4 hook-ups and 3 landed. Not a great day but decent. We used eggs all day while Robert stuck with yarn balls. Water was a great color but a bit high and still pretty cold. Sun never showed up all day.
Hello there Larry, thanks for the report. Not a bad day on the Umpqua all and all. Allot of folks spend a whole day out there sometimes and go home empty handed. This year it seems folks have been a little luckier than that. Not a whole bunch of reports sent in through January, but the ones we did receive were pretty positive for the most part. Thanks for keeping all of us here at Fish-Works in mind, you're reports are always appreciated.
1/24/2007
Hello Rod, playing hooky to go fishing? sounds like a great idea. When the fishing has been as good as it has been lately it's hard not to get out there and chase them around the river. Don't forget to charge up the batteries before you're next trip, we always appreciate you're photos, but you're reports are always welcome, photo or no photo. Did Amy go with, or did you leave her at work while you went out to play? :).
1/23/2007
Hi Scott
Amy & I fished the Umpqua
on Sunday. Beautiful day, and there were a lot
of fish. We hit this buck side drifting
eggs/puff balls.
Tight lines,
Rod Lathrop
Hi there Rod & Amy, you are right about the weather, it was almost warm enough for t-shirts yesterday, I'm enjoying every minute of it while it last. That is a beautiful fish you are holding on to there. I sure hope this Steelhead run is indicative of the rest of the 2007 season. If it is, we are all in for some great fishing this year. We all appreciate you're remembering us here at Fish-Works.
1/22/2007
Hello there Doug, thanks for the great photos and report. If a guy or gal isn't afraid of a little cold weather chances are they might land one or two of these beauties. It is music to my ears to hear the early reports for 2007, it looks like it might be shaping up to be a really good season, verses last year where everything was pretty spotty early on and stayed that way with one run after another.
1/20/2007
Hello Robert, it's always good to hear from you. From the Steelhead reports we have gotten this month, it should encourage some our readers to put their rain gear and give it a go. I hope they all gave you a good battle, there is nothing that fights quite as hard as a Steelhead.
1/19/2007
Hi Robert, nice fish! the water looks great. the Millicoma River, is one of Oregon's best kept secrets. I think this is the first report we have had in along time from that system. For any of you readers who haven't gotten in on the winter Steelhead fishing here on the Oregon coast, you are really missing something, these fish take a backseat to no one when it come to fishing action, they will certainly put you're fishing to the test. Great job and an appreciated report for all our readers.
1/17/2007
Hi there Doug, the colder water might slow some fish down, but I don't think Steelhead are bothered by cold weather or water. You guys are holding up proof of that. I grew up fishing the Walla Walla River for Steelhead in the winter time and we always did pretty good then too. I think it's us fishermen who like the sunshine and warmer weather :). Take care and thanks for sending us the report.
1/13/2007
Hi there Robert, that is a really nice looking hen you're holding up there, good colors. Did she make it to the grill for half time? :). I hope you're games turned out at good as you're fishing. I'm still rooting for the Seahawks, who knows, maybe they will pull it off.
1/11/2007
Hi Scott - here is a quick look at a few of the fish
we caught on the "coke" today, but by far, the pic
of the day has to be of Mr. Cobb. Check out the snow
build up on his hat.
Fish On..........Mike
Hi there Mike, looks like everyone was dressed
for the occassion. We don't get snow on the coast
very often, even that doesn't seem to slow the
dedicated fishermen away from action. Thanks for
sending us you're report, as you can see, December
and January reports are always a little sparse.
Great photos to add to our photo gallery.
1/3/2007
Hi Scott
Rick Eveland and I fished with Robert Montgomery
Sunday Dec. 31 on the South Fork of the Coquille
and managed 4 hookups and 3 hatchery steelhead.
Water color was a bit dirtier than I like but
fishable. Fishing will only get better after
this current storm. The Fall Chinook was a bust
for sure this year but steelhead are a bit
different creatures especially in the ocean so
perhaps this will be a decent year…from other
reports I have heard it looks like it’s going to
be an ok season.
Larry Mercer
Hello Larry,
I hope you folks had a nice holiday season, it looks like you got some
well deserved fishing time in.
So far things seem to be shaping up a little
better in 2007, I guess it will be a wait and
see proposition. It seems like we get a dud
season about every 10 years and I think 2006
qualified as having filled that slot. We have
gotten allot of rain on the coast the past few
days, all the rivers are a running a little fast
and high right now, so if you're pulling fish
out of the river now just wait till the waters
clear a little.
1/1/2007
Hello Robert, who would of guessed the first report of 2007 would be from you? it's great to have dedicated fishermen like you out there fishing and contributing to the site. The weather has been pretty good lately, a person could get in some good fishing time right now. Thanks for keeping all of us in mind.