Nehalem Bay / River Salmon

[Deleted User]

Thanks for the nice comments Pete. I feel like that too, now that I can't get out and fish for awhile...can still feel connected to what's happening. - I hope someone that fishes that Nehalem Bay fishery more than I do will post you some info here. I will give you some generalizations about it for now. First, the fall chinook fishery there is earlier than for Tillamook Bay. Fall 'nooks are caught out by the jetties in July with the standard large plug-cut herring trolled near bottom with the 7' leader, 2' dropper rigup. The last half of incoming tide and on thru flood is best. Don't try to hang around too long on the bar into the outgoing tide; it gets real dangerous there at times. This rigup will also work on up thru the bay as more fish move up thru in late summer & early fall. In the wheeler area other methods will also work, like with mid/upper T-Bay. In addition to trolled herring (use a 5' by 15" leader/dropper ratio up in that area), troll 'nook spinners, large Kwikfish w/ sardine wrap; and then further up later on to upper tidewater you will get into fishing egg/shrimp combos with a bobber.- A lot more intricacies to come for the two bays by then. - Steve

[This message has been edited by RT (edited 05-01-2000).]

[Dennis Stewart S.M.G.S]

All good advice from R.T. Don't forget the first hour before sunrise,and low slack as prime time to catch salmon.Try the area in front of Paradise Cove,(the marked channel in between P.C. and the state park)for salmon in July, that area seems to be the most productive for that time of year.

[PeterMac]

Since I have finally purchased a fishing boat, I no longer have to wait for that first, unpredictable rain in September (mid October in '99) to bring fish upriver into the North Fork of the Nehalem.

I am very excited about the prospects of trolling near Wheeler and Nehalem, but know very little about this type of fishing. My questions include when they start arriving, what are the effective techniques, etc.

Thanks in advance. I really appreciate the experience/knowledge that the participants of this board share. Even though I am able to get down to that area only once every couple weeks, this page takes me there mentally for a while each day!

Thanks again,

Pete McCracken