Author: The Troutist

Posted: 12/18/2012

Well it’s crunch time, only a few shopping days left. Here are a few suggestions for some stocking stuffers and maybe a few other items you just might want to put under the tree. This is a must have for those of you that want to learn new waters. River maps from Wilderness Adventure Press. These maps have all the information you will need from launch points, the roads that lead into them, hatch ch...

Author: Pete Heley

Posted: 12/3/2012

High muddy water slowed crabbing at Winchester Bay last weekend and the few crabbers still trying worked hard for their catch. The key was to crab as far downriver as possible which was Half Moon Bay for boat crabbers and either the Coast Guard Pier or Dock 9 for dockbound crabbers. Crabbing is hold up very well at Charleston as the water is still quite salty. Although rough conditions in the o...

Author: Dave Graybill

Posted: 12/3/2012

We’ve had a lot of wet but actually pretty mild weather in the region. Anglers that like to chase steelhead have had good conditions for it. The announcement of the closure of the steelhead seasons on several of our rivers here in Central Washington wasn’t as severe as anticipated. I will provide the details of the closures and share my experiences on the water in this column. There is still a...

Author: Dave Graybill

Posted: 12/3/2012

My fishing buddy Rollie Schmitten and I took advantage of one of the “dry” days we’ve had over here to try for steelhead on the upper Columbia. We originally had planned to travel to Ephrata and fly fish at Rocky Ford Creek, but the high winds forecast for the area prompted a change in plans. We really wanted to get as many steelhead trips in as possible, anticipating a season close at the end o...

Author: The Troutist

Posted: 12/3/2012

Well it’s that time of year where my time is very limited and everyday is booked full of special projects, setting up next year’s events like seminars, public speaking appearances, different assignments for magazines, selling my photos, book signings, and other special projects that are in the works. I have things that are booked clear into November of next year and I am still trying to close out ...

Author: Pete Heley

Posted: 11/18/2012

Crabbing at Winchester Bay remains good. It seems that female and undersized crabs are becoming an ever-bigger nuisance, but crabbers willing to put in their time are getting limits of legal crabs. Of course, boat crabbers have it easier than the dockbound crabbers and last week, it seems that the crabs even moved upriver somewhat, as some good catches were made more than a half-mile upriver from ...

Author: Dave Graybill

Posted: 11/18/2012

We are definitely coming into the winter season now. Temperatures have dropped and snow is at lower elevations. Some folks would call me crazy, but to me this is a good thing. Colder weather means lower water in our rivers and lower water temperatures means better fishing for steelhead! I did get out again this week, and did have success, but I know it could be better if the water was a bi...

Author: The Troutist

Posted: 11/18/2012

It is not often that after giving a seminar that you feel that you were appreciated and that you made a difference. The Expo at JBLM on Saturday the 10th of November did all of that and much more for everyone of the speakers that participated in this event. This was the first such event held at JBLM and the coordinator Paul Claxton did an excellent job in putting this together. To say that we were...

Author: Pete Heley

Posted: 11/5/2012

Poor weather has greatly reduced fishing pressure on salmon. The Alsea closed to the taking of wild coho last week and by the time you read this, the Siuslaw River will most likely be closed as well. Tough ocean and bar conditions have limited fishing success for anglers wanting to fish the bar area of the Umpqua. However, it seems every day some anglers come in to where I work with big grins on t...

Author: The Troutist

Posted: 11/5/2012

Rain, rain, and more rain. It wasn’t too long ago when everyone was praying for rain, not just because of the fire danger that threatened all of us but also so the salmon would start up the river. Now like everyone else I have had enough. I am ready for at least a few nice days in a row so that I might be able to enjoy some river fishing. I have been working seven days a week, finally got a day...

Author: The Troutist

Posted: 11/5/2012

Well the rain is finally here the rivers are getting some much needed H2O and hopefully the salmon will start moving in. My only hope is they just won’t shoot right on up in a matter of a couple of days and have that be the end to what could be a great salmon season. On the flip side the lakes are starting to cool down and I can’t turn my back on our Westside lakes that always put out some trophy ...

Author: Dave Graybill

Posted: 11/5/2012

I turned in the Jetcraft to Bob Feil Boats and Motors, and am waiting for the new Kingfisher to get rigged up for the Seattle Boat Show. I waited until the rain stopped and then got in a couple of days of steelhead fishing at the end of last week. Lucky me I have some great friends that found room in their boats to get me out on the water. My fishing buddy Rollie Schmitten uses Barb’s Boa...