North Fork Nehalem

Thursday - January 28: I went out with Marcus (AKA one of the Neo-dudes) over to the N. Fork Nehalem with the specific goal of trying to learn how to fish for winter steelhead on the coastal rivers - preferably the smaller ones like the N. Fork. We went with a guide that calls his business "Small Stream Outfitters" [http://www.smallstreamoutfitters.com/], which I just happened to find while surfing the web. The starting point was a dirt road just past the bridge upstream and across the road from the hatchery. We parked at a locked gate about 1/4 mile up, but the road continues into private forest land that is open for walk-in fishing. We started fishing in the first run about 1/4 mile from the gate but there was nothing happening. At the next hole we spied a couple fish dancing back and forth across the current in the tailout but once again no takes. We kept moving upstream, fishing with a variety of flies ranging from an Ugly Bug - kind of a Wooly Bugger type thing - to small fluffy egg patterns. In all cases we were also using a small bead egg on a dropper about 15 inches below the first fly, a couple split shot the same distance above the first fly, and a big-ass indicator. The rig was kind of unruly to cast, a combination roll cast / single-handed spey technique was all you could use. Fortunately the river is small enough that you didn't need a lot of distance.


The first grab I got confused me, I expected to see the indicator take off rather than just stop, and since we had been snagging rocks and the bottom quite frequently I didn’t really drive the hook home until I notice there was some give to this particular rock, and it was moving upstream. Unfortunately, I missed that one so we kept moving upstream. The next grab came in some very fast pocket water where I was essentially high sticking the fly through some big boulders. This time I was pretty sure it was a fish, and when I struck I saw a flash of silver, but once again I missed him. Once again we moved to a new hole, and since we were now a couple miles upstream the river was pretty shallow, but with deep troughs here and there with big boulders for cover. Jesse (our guide) pointed out the best drift, including a big rock where fish often hold, and on the first cast as my indicator floated past – wham – fish on! Finally a steelhead on a fly rod. The battle was intense but relatively short. It was a pretty dark hatchery fish that measured just over 27 inches, probably about 6-7 lbs. We were fishing about ½ mile above a fish-ladder where fish moving upstream are normally trapped, with the wild ones released by the ODFW so they can continue upstream, and the hatchery fish removed to preserve the native stock (they take the hatchery fish to the food bank), so this fish had managed to jump over about a 4 foot falls – that’s what I call sex drive!



After lunch we started making our way back downstream, hitting some of the same holes we had fished on the way up. When we returned to the spot where I had my first grab in the morning, I drifted through the same boulders again and this time when the indicator stopped I slammed it home. The next thing I knew I had a silver bullet of angry native steelhead screaming around on the end of my line. Fortunately, I had my 8 wt, but even with that I couldn’t stop him from running downstream, so off I went running, ducking under trees and trying not to fall off the basalt shelf along the shore. Finally, after many runs and acrobatics, I managed to work him close enough that Jesse could grab him with his jumbo sized net. When the excitement was over I was drenched in sweat from the battle. I now understand the difference between wild and hatchery fish.


We fished a few more runs but that was it for the day. Unfortunately, Marcus didn’t get a fish, though he did have a few grabs. In addition to catching my first steelhead on a fly rod, I also accomplished my goal of learning the techniques. I can’t wait to get out again – the run of Native fish is just getting started.