Fly Fishing Winter Steelhead
Fly fishing for winter steelhead on the north Oregon coast is as good as anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. The Wilson, Trask, Nestucca, and Nehalem Rivers have good runs of both hatchery and wild steelhead, and are perfectly suited to fly fishing and spey casting. Anglers that are used to traditional steelhead fly fishing rivers may be intimidated by Oregon coastal rivers. With the proper spey rods and fly fishing equipment, winter steelhead flies, and knowledge of the rivers and their fish, fly fishing for winter steelhead on the Oregon coast isn't such a daunting task.
"I grew up fly fishing for winter steelhead on the Oregon Coast, and take pride in sharing the bounty of this area with my clients."
Winter Steelhead Fly Fishing Video
Winter Steelhead Season
Oregon's winter steelhead fly fishing season begins after Thanksgiving. Fresh fall rains raise the rivers, inviting the first push of steelhead. Winter steelhead usually show up in numbers between mid December and mid January. By late January there are good numbers of wild steelhead in Oregon's coastal rivers, providing the best winter steelhead fly fishing. Mid January through April is prime winter steelhead season on the Oregon coast, with opportunities extending into May some years. Read more about Winter Steelhead Season.
Spey Rods & Equipment
Fly fishing for winter steelhead on the Oregon coast is possible with single handed fly rods, and every year anglers prove this. However, the use of two handed spey rods makes fly fishing the coastal rivers more enjoyable, and opens up more water to fish. Spey rods in the 12 to 13’ 6” range are most useful on the Oregon coast. Skagit lines in the 540 to 600 grain window are essential. The flies and sink tips we use dictate the rods and lines we cast. Sink tips in the 9 to 12 foot range are most effective, with T-14 and T-11 being the tips of choice. Monofilament leaders and tippet in the 12 – 15 lb range are required to have a chance at landing a wild winter steelhead. Read more about Spey Rods & Equipment for Winter Steelhead.
Winter Steelhead Flies
Winter steelhead are fresh from the ocean, very aggressive and in a spawning mind state. They will attack a variety of offerings if presented right. The flies we use vary from river to river, and under different conditions. While traditional steelhead flies tied on standard fly hooks have been taking winter steelhead for decades, it is difficult to ignore the effectiveness of a large profile fly that has a trailing stinger hook. For winter steelhead on the Oregon coast we use intruder, leech, sculpin, and even some traditional style flies. It is important to have a variety of unweighted and weighted flies for fishing different runs, and under different conditions. Read more about Flies for Winter Steelhead.
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PO Box 42, Maupin, OR 97037 / 541.978.0152 / Email / 
