Has anyone fished the Suislaw lately?

[fishkiller]

The only take down I had involved a stick...I got excited about a stick....So sad lol. Tomorrow though, it's on.

Good luck!! Lots of knuckleheads on Lake Crk. The water was in better shape though.

 

[nw5785]

wheres lake creek?

 

[fishkiller]

wheres lake creek?

Off hwy 36. Lake Crk flows into the Siuslaw.

 

[Mike123]

I've never ever used yarn balls...I think it's 'cause that's what my dad always used and I was like pfff, I can do better. lol. I don't know why really. How do you rig a yarn ball? and are there different sizes? (stupid questions, but eh)

I tie them kinda like a yarn egg fly on a vise, only i make them fluffier and different colors.
But you can also use magic thread to make them, and just put them in your bait loop.
Honestly I think its quicker to tie them in a vise and I can make them look better. Thats me though. Check YouTube.

anyways sorry for the hijack!

On with the Siuslaw reports!

 

[fishkiller]

I tie them kinda like a yarn egg fly on a vise, only i make them fluffier and different colors.
But you can also use magic thread to make them, and just put them in your bait loop.
Honestly I think its quicker to tie them in a vise and I can make them look better. Thats me though. Check YouTube.

anyways sorry for the hijack!

On with the Siuslaw reports!

That's a good idea. I actually bought some pre tied ones from 2 bros. Pink is still my favorite color.

 

[Chedster]

This is how I do mine quick and easy
YouTube - Make a steelhead fishing yarnball

 

[nw5785]

hey that guys awesome he taught me how too do it

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

We just went on a trip with Curtis from River Secrets Guide Service on Thursday fishing the North Umpqua!! He is a great guide and knows his river and steelhead!! We didn't use any yarnballs but we did use a rig that he made up that was very effective!!

 

[JeannaJigs]

I tie them kinda like a yarn egg fly on a vise, only i make them fluffier and different colors.
But you can also use magic thread to make them, and just put them in your bait loop.
Honestly I think its quicker to tie them in a vise and I can make them look better. Thats me though. Check YouTube.

anyways sorry for the hijack!

On with the Siuslaw reports!

I'm going to try these yarn ball thingers this week, Today sucked...a lot...but I'm taking thursday and friday off from work, for the sole purpose of spending some quality time with the river.

I froze to death this morning, stuck it out for 4 hours lost a lot of gear, I just felt "off" I couldn't cast for crap and it just wasn't my day.....then got sick, nauseated, puking..yeah GREAT times...decided that the snow wasn't going to stop, and i couldn't feel my hands or my face, in conjuction with puking...high tailed it home.

The guy next to me first thing this morning retained a real nice BRIGHT fish...at about 7:30 AM...and from then on, it appeared to be completely dead...that or...I was just too focused on trying to not puke that I wasn't paying attention to any other fish caught.

The latter is likely how it went.

Hopefully thursday and friday will make up for today.

 

[JeannaJigs]

We just went on a trip with Curtis from River Secrets Guide Service on Thursday fishing the North Umpqua!! He is a great guide and knows his river and steelhead!! We didn't use any yarnballs but we did use a rig that he made up that was very effective!!

Guide would be great if I had the funds Except the last time I went with a guide...or well the only time for that matter...it generally sucked...so eh? I'll stick to sucking by myself me thinks. Least then when I don't catch something, I'm not out $300 ya know?

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

I hear ya, just thought I would post for those who might want to get into some big fish. The North Umpqua Winter Steelhead average 12-13lbs and they get a lot over 20lbs every year. The siusilaw is a zoo all week long, its amazing how many people fish during the week!!

 

[nw5785]

Went up to the siuslaw today conditions seemed good, had a few bites one accuattly grabbed my offering bout 5 feet from the shore but wasn't able to bring it in. place was packed even with the snow falling! but ill prob be out every weekend ha i love it

I would love to go out with guide so i can learn some things.. i am always willing to learn

 

[JeannaJigs]

I hear ya, just thought I would post for those who might want to get into some big fish. The North Umpqua Winter Steelhead average 12-13lbs and they get a lot over 20lbs every year. The siusilaw is a zoo all week long, its amazing how many people fish during the week!!

The Umpqua for sure has some big fish, friend of mine lives in Elkton, and I used to get down there from time to time, but it's been a few years since I've fished it. I will be one of those weekday fisher folk for the first time in 3 years I used to have days off during the week, and was over there all the time because i was taking night classes and working a whole 15 hours a week, so i lived on that river...now not so much, and it sucks, I miss it Hopefully it won't be a zoo thursday or friday

 

[JeannaJigs]

Went up to the siuslaw today conditions seemed good, had a few bites one accuattly grabbed my offering bout 5 feet from the shore but wasn't able to bring it in. place was packed even with the snow falling! but ill prob be out never weekend ha i love it

I would love to go out with guide so i can learn some things.. i am always willing to learn

YES it was packed. I was there at daybreak and it was snowing, and there were a gazillion people already, I swear they sleep in their trucks the night before. I figured out how to fish the opposite bank Super good access...except that I was not with it today and couldn't even cast where I needed to, lost gear to trees...something I haven't done in forever, got frustrated and then started puking, and called it a day about the noon o'clock hour after investigating lake creek and some spots further down below wildcat. I saw one fish caught, and heard of several others. The fish I saw caught was BRIGHT. Beautimus fish. I will be out thursday, friday, saturday, and sunday, if gas funds allow

 

[yellowjacket]

YES it was packed. I was there at daybreak and it was snowing, and there were a gazillion people already, I swear they sleep in their trucks the night before. I figured out how to fish the opposite bank Super good access...except that I was not with it today and couldn't even cast where I needed to, lost gear to trees...something I haven't done in forever, got frustrated and then started puking, and called it a day about the noon o'clock hour after investigating lake creek and some spots further down below wildcat. I saw one fish caught, and heard of several others. The fish I saw caught was BRIGHT. Beautimus fish. I will be out thursday, friday, saturday, and sunday, if gas funds allow

Went over on Sun. pm got there about 2. Thought that the snow might drive out some of the population. Had just quit blizzard like conditions when I arrived. Still a good # of boats & bankies but was able to set up at the 1 mi. mark. Mostly a gear guy or night crawler tosser. Murky green water visability maybe 14-16". Threw a cleo for awhile felt 1 short strike. Went to a ko wobbler for a bit & watched 4 boaters anchor & drift corkies or float - jigs none were catching. 1 boat said saw 1 caught earlier in the day. Said Fri was the hot day, friend of his caught 7 on eggs. He'd been to lake creek in a.m. & only got a couple cutts - clear water. He moved on backtrolling bank to bank. I went to a larger wobbler to stay a bit deeper but there is this one invisible submerged branch that started snagging me up every cast. Another boat anchored in the same spot as the other 4 had. Was trying to free up my spoon & the backtroller hooked up about 100yds down. Got my gear back on a stick with a spinner, 2 corkies & a slinky in a birds nest ball of line wrapped around the spoon. The boat had 2 men & 2 boys 10-12 yrs I'd guess & they hooked up on a corkie -pink. Got the fish in the boat & one of the boys got handed the billy & was hitting everything but the fish. After 4-5 whacks to the hull he finally ko'd the steelie. Tried not to let them see me laughing :lol:. So I decided to get in some practice drifting & got the other rod out got it rigged up a roe sac. Kinda thought all the banging around between the fish flopping , the oars banging & the hull clubbing would probably put the kibosh on the area for a while. About then they were ready to fish again & the second cast they had another on. :clap: Not skilled at drifting - yet - & thought I had one soft take that felt more like a cutt. 1/2 second of taps then nada. Was about 3:30 when the action was on. They moved on after about 15 min, said they had hooked up 7 pulled in a wild & released it. Said most were fin clips. The first by me was a tagged fish they got. I lost my rig to the bottom & went to an orange corkie but no hits that my yet to be honed drifting skills could detect. Packed it up about 5:30 & took the bike off the rack to take a look around a bit. Some spots that can be bank fished were not quite fishable due to the water level, about a foot too high. But then another boat about 30 yds up from where I was set up pulled in a clipped hen on a frog corkie . Need to cross the bridge over whitaker creek in the campground & do some bank fishing on the woods side opposite where I was. Seems all the boats concentrated on that 1/2 of the water & were catching. Long casts for drift, hard to get a good feel throwing all the way across river . Is a bit of a walk from the campground area but has shown me that fish hit when in the area. Maybe next weekend.

 

[JeannaJigs]

Yeah I was fishing the opposite side that is accessible through the whittaker creek BLM campground, pretty good water...I plan on hitting it up Thursday morning. I was having a serious off day though Sunday, forgot how to cast and lost jigs in trees. I am not very experienced in drifting, so when i gave that a try...it was icing on the cake of frustration losing gear left and right lol. I need to practice drifting, I don't do it enough. A lot of guys I talked to were drifting bait and corkies and were doing well...so maybe that will be the ticket this weekend. It's been dropping all week

 

[fourgotten]

The only take down I had involved a stick...I got excited about a stick....So sad lol. Tomorrow though, it's on.

If it makes you feel any better, I had a hookup last summer in a REALLY fast, deep section on the McKenzie... on one of my trout rods... the shortest one, of course...

I fought that rock for 10 minutes...

 

[JeannaJigs]

if it makes you feel any better, i had a hookup last summer in a really fast, deep section on the mckenzie... On one of my trout rods... The shortest one, of course...

I fought that rock for 10 minutes...

lol.

 

[yellowjacket]

Fish on Thurs?

Fish on Thurs?

Yeah I was fishing the opposite side that is accessible through the whittaker creek BLM campground, pretty good water...I plan on hitting it up Thursday morning. I was having a serious off day though Sunday, forgot how to cast and lost jigs in trees. I am not very experienced in drifting, so when i gave that a try...it was icing on the cake of frustration losing gear left and right lol. I need to practice drifting, I don't do it enough. A lot of guys I talked to were drifting bait and corkies and were doing well...so maybe that will be the ticket this weekend. It's been dropping all week

Didja get out on Thurs AM? If so land any fish? etc
Thanks,
YJ

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

What a circus over there, I can't believe anyone hooks a fish with a million fisherman six inches apart. I did not hear of many fish hooked yesterday but I only stayed around whittaker or a short time!