A Siltcoos Lake moment

[Timber]

Since injuring my back painting the kitchen a couple of weeks ago, I have been thinking about how nice it would be to be sitting in my boat at Siltcoos rather than in a straight backed chair in front of the boob tube healing my bulged discs.

I have fished Siltcoos at least twice a year since 1970 and am planning to head down there in August if not before. Hopefully the perch fishing will be good or at least better than the last couple of years. There have been a lot of times times we knocked them dead and very few times when we didn't. We have always done well on trout with a few bass mixed in. Also, decent salmon luck since they opened it back up.

Is there anyone else out there that fishes Siltcoos? It is a unique lake that doesn't seem to get a lot of discussion on all of the forums. If so, how have you found the perch fishing to be over the last couple of years? Also, a good Siltcoos story is a good story.

Thanks.

 

[Raincatcher]

That smarts....

That smarts....

Since injuring my back painting the kitchen a couple of weeks ago, I have been thinking about how nice it would be to be sitting in my boat at Siltcoos rather than in a straight backed chair in front of the boob tube healing my bulged discs.

I have fished Siltcoos at least twice a year since 1970 and am planning to head down there in August if not before. Hopefully the perch fishing will be good or at least better than the last couple of years. There have been a lot of times times we knocked them dead and very few times when we didn't. We have always done well on trout with a few bass mixed in. Also, decent salmon luck since they opened it back up.

Is there anyone else out there that fishes Siltcoos? It is a unique lake that doesn't seem to get a lot of discussion on all of the forums. If so, how have you found the perch fishing to be over the last couple of years? Also, a good Siltcoos story is a good story.

Thanks.

Timber;
Ouch! Sorry to hear about your back. Must be a story there,too. I wish I could tell you a good story about Siltcoos Lake,but have never been there. Maybe one day...so may lakes,so little time. Hope you have more time to spend here checking the archives while you are laid up. Enjoy and be safe.
Barb

 

[trollin4trout]

I haven't been down there for about 3 years but it is a great place to fish for trout. They seem to stock some bigger fish- 12-15 inchers and there's so much aqautic life(food) in that lake that the trout grow very big and fat. We caught several in the 18-22" range over 3 or 4 trips.

The lake is so big and has so many varying fishy habitats in the different arms, that it would take a few days of fishing just to explore it all. The hard part might be trying to figure out what kind of fish to go after. You have many choices! Trout, bass, perch catfish, salmon. There's probably a few more I don't know about.

It's a great area to camp for a weekend as you can fish several other lakes within 20 minutes of there. We often would fish 2 or three lakes on Sat. and a couple different ones on Sunday before heading for home. Sometimes we would never leave Siltcoos- sometimes the fishing is phenomenal.

Jim

 

[mikeredding]

I have lived in Oregon all of my life and have never fished any of the coastal lakes. I am only an hour from Florence. Is that pathetic or what!? Maybe now that I have a boat I will be able to tap some of the resources. I hear they are very productive lakes.

 

[Timber]

Thank you Raincatcher, the back is slowly getting better. Since I am now a member of the old guys club, my rebound time after an injury is not as fast as it was when I was young and a lot more stupid. I start physical therapy on Wednesday and hopefully that will speed the recovery.

I am hearing that the regulating dam at Siltcoos is being worked on and the lake has dropped around three feet. I don't know how this might affect the fishing this year but I will probably give it a try anyway. Tahkenitch is to the south of Siltcoos and Woahink is to the north. In all the years I've spent in that territory, I have never fished either one of those lakes. Maybe this year. I have caught trout in some of the smaller dune lakes however.

Many mornings fishing at Siltcoos, we would bring back to the cabin a mixed bag of catfish, perch, trout, bass, and sometimes bluegill. Hopefully, those days are not a thing of the past.

 

[Drew9870]

Timber

I go down to Siltcoos atleast once a year, and it has always been my favorite place to fish. Me and my family go to an annual perch tournament at Nightengales fish camp located right where Maple Creek flows in. Also, Yes the Coho do still make the runs, and they are legal to fish for I believe in October

 

[brysageek]

Kokanee In Siltcoos

Kokanee In Siltcoos

I have heard of some of the locals speaking of kokanee with in Siltcoos and Eel Lake I must admit that I have a challenge coming if so Timber have you ever heard or caught kokanee within here.... perhaps I should research a bit more but From what I have been told and read a Kokanee is just landlocked salmon but it still is not a coho..... is this fact or I have been misinformed?

 

[Drew9870]

Also, a good Siltcoos story is a good story.

You know what, I forgot to mention.

I was once dinkin around while my gramps was bass fishin around the shoreline closer to Maple Creek, I wasn't having any luck so I just started trolling a slide sinker rig with a half a worm (about 4 or 6 pound test line, and not much of it) in about 10-12 feet of water, pretty soon (5 mins) I hook into something that seems like a Sturgeon because it was as if I hooked a very slow moving train, but as soon as my gramps got the outboard fired up to go on a chase, it unspooled me.

I will never forget this, and I will never stop wondering what it was, I even brought it up a few days ago to my gramps, and he says it could have been a giant Striped Bass, because they are in there, but very very few.

 

[Drew9870]

Timber;
I wish I could tell you a good story about Siltcoos Lake,but have never been there. Maybe one day...so may lakes,so little time.

Barb,

You really should try to make it to Siltcoos, mainly if you have a boat, but it is a good trout/bass/perch fishery if you locate them. My Grandpa makes jigs mainly for this lake (and they win perch tournaments there) called a Boogie Bug, and they even catch trout and bass.

Munsel Lake would be a must if you ever go fish a coastal lake, beautiful healthy Trout, millions of perch (if you locate them), big bass, and big bluegill. Just don't remove the Bull Trout from the water (think of it as an oversized sturgeon).

 

[Outdrsmn]

I have heard of some of the locals speaking of kokanee with in Siltcoos and Eel Lake I must admit that I have a challenge coming if so Timber have you ever heard or caught kokanee within here.... perhaps I should research a bit more but From what I have been told and read a Kokanee is just landlocked salmon but it still is not a coho..... is this fact or I have been misinformed?

I believe its a landlocked sockeye.

 

[Timber]

I have never heard of kokanee being caught in Siltcoos. Just rainbows and cutthroat. The sea run cutthroats used to be a lot of fun and had some good size to them. I do know that there are sturgeon in the lake and many years ago, my wife's uncle hooked one while perch fishing. It never came up but dragged his little boat for a ways in Keichle Arm.

My back injury is healed but am now facing possible surgery for an unrelated matter at the end of August. I juggled my trip to the lake and Westlake Resort from the last of August to the second weekend in August. I hear the perch fishing is terrible again but I will give it a try anyway. Fish or no fish, it will be fun.

 

[Timber]

Just got back yesterday from a short three day fishing trip to Siltcoos and Westlake Resort. Being an eternal optimist about that lake, I figured maybe this would be the year the yellow perch in the lake would start to rebound. Well, I was wrong. The lake just doesn't look right to me as the typical greenish looking algae for this time of year was more of a brownish color. Also, the lake seemed warmer than usual. According to my fish finder, the plentiful schools of perch have disappeared and I didn't see any bass surfacing along the shoreline. I've been fishing Siltcoos since 1970 and long for the good old days. They may be gone.

Aside from all this gloom, I mostly trolled for trout. Between Rocky Point and the "stump" there were plenty of good sized rainbows rolling and jumping. I caught trout trolling an old Doc Shelton spinner with a short leader (8") and nightcrawler. I tried flatfish as well but only caught fish on the spinner. The trout were nice and fat ranging from 11 inches to 15 inches. Apparently, some of the trout caught there has been affected by parasites (worms in the flesh), but I didn't see any on the fish I kept. I had a good time anyway as it is always fun to go to that lake.

 

[Coastaldweller]

If you get a chance take Canary road around the back side of Siltcoos lake and check out the community of Ada. Inside the little store there are pictures of Sturgeon that came out of the lake. Though they say that there arent many left, you may have hooked one of those beasts.