Lower Wilson water levels + spinner two-cents

[bubs]

First of all, wanted to say this is my first post on this site after a long time of just reading. Now that I've got a few years of Oregon fishing in, I was hoping to start contributing and maybe sharing some of what I've learned through trial & error (mostly error). There are definitely some steep learning curves in the NW-zone fishing for the unfortunate bank-bound angler like me, and maybe I can help some other noob figure something out and have more fun...

That said my question is does anybody have any success fishing the lower Wilson when the level is rising or holding steady due to rain? I know the best scenario is a falling river level in the days after a big rise, but I'm wondering if it gets all muddy and full of debris during just a small rise (like today, it's inching up very slowly). I know there's gotta be some fish moving through but it'd be a waste of time if it's blown out.

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Since I don't want to ask questions on here without giving something in return, I figured I'd throw some tips or other info out there every time I ask a question. So on a slightly related note, I've had some success the past couple years in the lower section of some of the NW-zone rivers tossing spinners (usually size 5+ gets more hits for me...colors = pink, red, yellowish green, pink, pink, pink...). I attach a 1/2 to 3/4 oz trolling sinker on main line with about a 2 ft leader (I'm scared of going under 30# for leader when a chinook and all its teeth might be involved). Try as I might to target chinook with this, coho and SRC are usually more interested. Since it's pretty hard to find good bank options in tidewater/lower river sections, I've found this opens up my options a bit (can cast farther into lanes, vary retrieve, avoid hangup on the bottom) and it's more fun and less messy than bobber/bait.

 

[jamisonace]

I appreciate you giving up some advice instead of only asking.....refreshing.

Here's my $.02 but I'm not familiar with the Wilson enough to know so this info is general.

A river slowly rising a few inches a day won't get brown. Salmon will bite on a rising river, steelhead not so much. Holding steady is great if the water isn't too dirty

If the water is high, fish up high. If it's low, go low.

Good luck, now go catch some salmon on the wilson and post a report.

 

[bubs]

Thanks for the response jamisonace. I guess with the potential for some early winter steelhead moving up the Wilson now, fishing up high might be productive if it's brown down low...if I make it out there tomorrow morning I'll post a report

 

[halibuthitman]

it depends, if there has been steady rainfall off and on like every 4 days or so, wait for the drop. BUT if you have a situation like 2-3 weeks of almost no rain, and you have a river really dialed go, these are the days you find that sweet travel lane and camp on it, don't move around. This is good for the first few hours of a hard storm, when the river hits its full blown out stage the fish will park and you need to go to a new approach. I love being on the water when the sky opens and just starts dumping, the fish get exited and start to move around, but that window will close.. you have to know the water or its really a waste of time. my 3 biggest number days were on days during the rise, I fished the situk one day when the river rose 2 feet...we hooked 32 steelhead, the next day we got 2. These are also great days to get up near a hatchery deadline and pound some muddy water, pretty productive-

 

[jamisonace]

^^^ advice level: expert.

 

[sapo]

I actually went to the Wilson yesterday...the fishing was horrible. It started pouring rain about 5 or 6 AM and continued to pour rain the entire day. The river probably rose 6 or 8 inches in a few hours. It might take another day or two without rain for the Wilson to get back into ideal fishing conditions. The Wilson actually usually doesn't get very muddy unless you have a couple days of heavy rain in a row, it just gets high with debris flowing down it. Makes it impossible to see the fish, and there is just too much water to fish. If you go, good luck, but I would wait until maybe Saturday if the Wilson doesn't get much more rain before then. And no, I've never had much luck on the Wilson when it's rising or holding at high levels with rain. I've had a few hookups, but nothing special.

 

[jamisonace]

Like I said above, I don't know the Wilson so forgive the ignorance of this question.

Do you sight fish salmon there? I've always had better luck catching fish I don't see rather than fish I do see.

I predominantly fish from a drift boat though so my techniques lend themselves to more water.....kwikfish, bait divers, back bouncing.

I actually went to the Wilson yesterday...the fishing was horrible. It started pouring rain about 5 or 6 AM and continued to pour rain the entire day. The river probably rose 6 or 8 inches in a few hours. It might take another day or two without rain for the Wilson to get back into ideal fishing conditions. The Wilson actually usually doesn't get very muddy unless you have a couple days of heavy rain in a row, it just gets high with debris flowing down it. Makes it impossible to see the fish, and there is just too much water to fish. If you go, good luck, but I would wait until maybe Saturday if the Wilson doesn't get much more rain before then. And no, I've never had much luck on the Wilson when it's rising or holding at high levels with rain. I've had a few hookups, but nothing special.

 

[ChezJfrey]

Like I said above, I don't know the Wilson so forgive the ignorance of this question.

Do you sight fish salmon there? I've always had better luck catching fish I don't see rather than fish I do see.

I predominantly fish from a drift boat though so my techniques lend themselves to more water.....kwikfish, bait divers, back bouncing.

I'm with you on a few points. Though I've caught a decent number of sighted fish, I catch the majority of my steelhead by finding likely holds that I CAN'T see any fish, but are good looking spots for one to hold. If I were to walk around hunting for sighted fish before I bothered attempting anything, I would catch far fewer fish because I don't often see that many; I need to find the spots I don't see any, but are very likely candidates for a holding spot because those large fish like and seek cover.

I've also caught very few steelhead on a rising river, and when I do, it's usually at the beginning of the rise, within a few inches of the level it was previously...probably within that 'window' halibuthitman refers. On the Wilson, if it is rising only ever so slightly/slowly, or has been holding steady with on/off rain, but the level is near 6 ft. on the gauge or less, I would fish.

To bubs about spinners...yeah, coho and steelhead are virtually identical in their propensity to hit them. All of the coho I've hooked were bycatch while fishing for steelhead and almost all of them hit spinners. In winter, I like size 5 is good for cold water (40s in Fahrenheit, and/or colored water), I like size 4 when in the 50s and slightly clearer.

I can't give advice about Chinook and spinners as I don't target them, but there are apparently some people that do OK with that method at times, but my gut tells me it is probably not the most effective means for that species. Though I have caught a few on spoons...a bright springer in April this year on the Clack and a big wild buck just the other day on the Wilson.

 

[sapo]

Jamisonace, I do primarily sight fish the Wilson and about half of the time I actually catch fish I can see. I like fishing that way, as long as you are stealthy and don't spook the fish. For the Wilson, I find it harder to catch fish when the river is 5.5' or above, and I know people who don't fish it if it's over 5'. You can catch fish on the Wilson at 6-6.5', but much easier and makes for a better experience when the river is lower.

 

[ChezJfrey]

...I know people who don't fish it if it's over 5'.

That is awesome! Now if we can only get them to spread the word...would really free up space when I want to go. LOL

 

[OnTheDrop]

That is awesome! Now if we can only get them to spread the word...would really free up space when I want to go. LOL

I don't start fishing it until it gets to 5. Lol. For winter Steelhead I like 5.4-6.1.

 

[bubs]

Wow, interesting discussion...thanks for all the input.

l'd say there are many who follow the same belief system as SteelmonKiller (about every turnout from the RV park up to the footbridge had a car in this morning....). So I didn't stop to try for steelhead on my way back from fishing tidewater for about 3 hours. Split time between bobber/eggs and spinners, with no luck. Saw 7 or 8 boats hitting the likely spots, but no action that I know of. Pretty dead. Did see what I think was a steelhead (something silver, 20-25" long) jump near me, I think it was being chased by the seal I saw 30 seconds earlier...a good sign?

Maybe going for salmon will be worth one more shot in a few days, before the focus shifts to steelhead.

 

[halibuthitman]

there are a lot of so called rules and best hights.. but the hard truth of winter steelheading is you need to learn to fish shatty water and poor conditions, and you need to spen time on the river on bad days to learn this-

 

[ChezJfrey]

there are a lot of so called rules and best hights.. but the hard truth of winter steelheading is you need to learn to fish shatty water and poor conditions, and you need to spen time on the river on bad days to learn this-

I would agree. Took me a few years, but I finally caught a fish when the Clack was at 15+ feet this year. Also a buddy and I both hooked up once apiece out towards the coast on a day that it poured and the area rivers shot up over 3 feet that day. Don't have success most times, but used to ALWAYS get skunked in those kinds of conditions and now I've got a couple successes, so I keep trying.

 

[OnTheDrop]

there are a lot of so called rules and best hights.. but the hard truth of winter steelheading is you need to learn to fish shatty water and poor conditions, and you need to spen time on the river on bad days to learn this-

Das Truth.

 

[jkyser01]

Love the info. Been watching forum for a while now and started fishing the Wilson/Trask a couple years back. Live close and thought it was criminal not to fish fish it. Took me a year or so but got my first steelie on the Wilson in April and been somewhat successful with the salmon there also. Got a couple chinooks with a spinner with eggs on it a few weeks back. Not the most traditional setup but hey, it was working! I was spotting them in the water but never seem to land the ones I see. Usually spent more time with just a spinner though. #5. Working on my drifting technics but have better luck with a blue fox. Can't wait to go after the winters. Lookin forword to more great info and hopefully will be able to add to it soon.

 

[bubs]

Spinner with eggs...nice! Sounds like something I would try. Gotta wonder if that means they hit pretty much anything when they're stacked in the river like bricks (I can testify that they definitely were a couple weeks ago...), or if that's just a weird but good, viable approach. Speaks to the classic 'timing' vs. 'method' debate....

Thanks again for all the input!

 

[ChezJfrey]

... started fishing the Wilson/Trask a couple years back. Live close and thought it was criminal not to fish fish it.

You would be correct, LOL. I see that is your first post, good to meet you 'new guy'.