Teetering on the edge

[Fummus]

You would think that going to High School in Glide and with the North Umpqua so readily available, I'd have gotten into steelhead fishing a long time ago. But, salmon and steelhead from the river were just never high enough on my dads priority list to warrant any time pursuing them. Even working for the better part of a decade with ODFW as a fish bio and being literately @$$ deep in steelhead, Coho, and Chinook while working the traps, didn't give me the bug. Now don't get me wrong, thought they were cool as heck, loved working with them and the environments they inhabit, and really admire the tenacity and wildness of steelhead especially. When handling a feisty Coho or Chinook, you can often times get them to calm down by rolling them over on the backs. Steelhead? Not so much. This winter however, for the first time I'm seriously considering robbing Peter to pay Paul for a steelhead stick suitable for bank fishing. The fact that the South Umpqua seems to suddenly be heavily populated with drift boats and hopeful souls fishing from the bank, and even the middle fork of the Coquille along hwy. 42 seemed to have vehicles parked in every available wide spot today, has only added to my temptation to say goodbye to reason and throw myself headlong into the abyss. Sometimes "insanity is a lot like gravity, all it takes is a little push".

 

[DOKF]

Good luck!

 

[jamisonace]

Both the middle fork Coquille and South Umpqua were in prime shape the last couple days. I grew up in Roseburg and my dad taught high school in Glide. I got plenty of time in fishing with my friends but never really got the bug until college. I think back to the amount of fish we were catching back in the 80's and can't figure how I didn't get interested until I was much older. I remember one day, 7 of us limited on coho in 45 minutes. The Umpqua is still amazing sometimes but I'm afraid the good old days are gone forever. My suggestion...spend time on the rivers you mentioned when the crowds are there. Make note of the holes that are producing and the technique. Don't be afraid to talk to people. Most fishermen are social if given the chance.