Winter Steelhead
During the months of December through April, Winter Steelhead make their way into our river
systems to spawn.  Unlike their Salmon bretheren, Steelhead actually will return to the ocean
after spawning.  Steelhead will return to their rivers once, twice, sometimes even three times to
spawn!  The more times they have gone back to the ocean, the bigger they get!  Pacific Northwest
 rivers return hundreds of thousands of Steelhead annually.  Giving the angler excellent
opportunities to connect with Oregon's most rewarding angling prize...the Winter Steelhead...
Winter Steelhead are a very beautiful fish that are
amazing to photograph and even better to eat!
This BIG wild hen fell for a white cheater
with roe, Side Drifting from our Clackamax
      On a guided Steelhead
trip with J&B Guide Service
you can expect to learn all
the latest techniques as well
as a few secret methods
used to connect you with
one of these magnificent
fish.  Side Drifting with cured
roe, sand shrimp or yarn is
one of my favorite methods
to catch Steelhead.  It allows
the anglers to cover lots of
water in a short amount of
time.  Letting us "search
out" the moving schools of
fresh fish.  If you are new to
Side Drifting (or often called
"Boon-Dogging")  not to
worry, it is a simple
technique that can be
mastered quickly.  Other methods include; bobber & Jig, back
trolling bait or plugs, drift fishing or casting spinners.  All work
great but  in certain conditions some work better than others.
     We fish a small selection of Northwest Oregon's top
Steelheading Rivers.  Starting in December I will start fishing the
Necanicum River and the Kilchis River.  Both rivers seem to start
earlier than the others we fish, having steelhead in catchable
numbers by Thanksgiving some years.  As winter goes on I will
turn most my focus on the Tillamook Bay Tributaries.  The Wilson
and Trask Rivers.  The Wilson is probably one of the top five
steelhead rivers in Oregon.  Catching double digit numbers of
Steelhead is common when timed right on these rivers.  As March
rolls around I will continue to fish in the Tillamook area but I will
also start fishing the Sandy River out of Portland more and more.  
The Sandy River is going through some major changes in the last
year.  Marmot Dam has been removed and hundreds of
thousands of tons of sediment and sand is washing down river
from where the dam was.  This is causing a lot of the holes and
slots to fill in, making for some interesting fishing conditions.