Can someone help a newbbie?

[larry]

Hello ifishers.....First would like to compliment everyone for maintaining such a cool site! Also appreciate the values displayed here............now that I seem to have smoozed abit I'll broach my subject. Can anyone help this bank fisherman get a hook-up somewhere on either the sandy or the clackamas? I've been fishing every weekend for about a month and a half and have only caught one with too many fins on the sandy(three weeks ago)and hooked one on the lower river that found a nic in my line for me [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]. Anyways any suggestions would really be appreciated. I read everything here regularly. In fact its more entertaining then the chats I used to frequent before i started fishing again. Thanks to anyone who will respond. The bend is your friend!!!

[SandyRiverFisher]

Hey Newbie,

While I am heistitant to give away my own spots, I will say that on the Sandy upper river is far better than the lower, in my opinion. I caught eight steelhead last saturday, and all I will say about the location is that I was further upriver than most people are fishing. All I have been doing is dragging the tailouts with standard issue pink pearl corkie and yarn, maybe a shrimp tail here or there. The secret isn't so much in a particular bait, or color of lure. What you want is to know where the fish lay in the river. Learn to read water and you will catch fish. At the spot I like I see many people come and go every morning, and most get skunked. There is about a 10 foot section of the tailout where you will get hit, and if you dont nail that spot exactly with your drift then the only fish your going to catch are the occasional suicide fish. Probably the one thing that the average steelhead fisherman doesn;t have enouph of is patience. People tend to hit a drift, give it a half hour or so, and then take off. Trouble with this is that this time of year the fish are moving through in a fairly steady stream. If the fish arent in the spot when you start fishing, just wait. They will show up. Be patient, make casts methodically into water that you know will hold fish, and once again BE PATIENT! Many people dont prescribe to this idea, but all I can say is that the eight fish I caught last Saturday came in one hour of fishing after five hours of standing on the same rock using the same gear and not even getting a bump. Believe me, patience pays off, BIGTIME!

[larry]

Thank you Fisher...that sounds very encouraging so I'll certainly give that method and information space in my attempt tomorrow. I too have been fishing high..maybe not as high as yourself but a ways up. I have also been using pearl pink and yarn as well as a few other colors and sizes. Tomorrow I intend to use lighter leaders and smaller corkies too. I will definately consider the area of water you mention and I am one of the patient types. Best of catches to you..again thank you for the response. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[SandySteel]

Hi Larry
I just want to clue you into a great way to network with similar minded anlgers as yourself, learn to fish new and interesting places, and also get the opportunity to give back to our rivers and fisheries. It's by checking out the Northwest Steelheaders.
The Sandy river chapter (http://www.sandysteelheaders.org) is a very involved and friendly chapter. We frequently have workshops for new anglers as well as fishing trips with each other (we have one tomorrow morning) where new and old members get to get out fishing with each other. We also do river clean ups (The next one is May 19) twice yearly, and are involved in habitat restoration and fishing related political issues.
If you would like more information stop by our web site, come to our meeting, give me a call or just email me. It's a great way to get involved and get to know a great group of anglers.

Eric

[SandySteel]

Hi Larry
I just want to clue you into a great way to network with similar minded anlgers as yourself, learn to fish new and interesting places, and also get the opportunity to give back to our rivers and fisheries. It's by checking out the Northwest Steelheaders.
The Sandy river chapter (http://www.sandysteelheaders.org) is a very involved and friendly chapter. We frequently have workshops for new anglers as well as fishing trips with each other (we have one tomorrow morning) where new and old members get to get out fishing with each other. We also do river clean ups (The next one is May 19) twice yearly, and are involved in habitat restoration and fishing related political issues.
If you would like more information stop by our web site, come to our meeting, give me a call or just email me. It's a great way to get involved and get to know a great group of anglers.

Eric

[Jennie@ifish]

I want to thank you guys who edge in here to help people.
I read it and had no idea how to help, so I just waited and bravo! Now I learned some things too!
The steelheaders is an EXCELLENT place to learn about things too! Great web site!
Thanks!
Jen

[FishinMission]

Great advice Sandy....Sticking it out in a good spot works for boaters too. It cracks me up to watch boaters race to their favorite spots...often passing by prime water. One of my fav spots is the stretch right below the Carver bridge on the Clack. I used to just sit there in my driftboat and watch everybody pound the water there for an hour or so...then move on. Many times we would launch at Carver with the driftboat...and not even float the river. We'd just stay there and fish that spot all day with excellent results. And we didn't even have to worry about a shuttle. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[larry]

Once again thank you for the responses.I will sure give teh idea of joining N.W.S. some thought. Though as I dont drive I'm not realy sure if I could be of much service as to helping do any work on our streams..of course if I were able to carpool with someone then thats not a problem. Wel yesterday the patience thing paid off! The fellow I went with was impatient enough that he wanted to leave at 930 am and I told him that i came to fish and would ride Trimet from Troutdale home. I had already hooked one on the second cast but due to my inexperience using light leader lost him the second he was on. I went back to 10 pound test and fished quite awhile till I decided to go back to 6 pound.I was using a worm and a large corkie as i had ran out of sandshrimp-tails and small corkies and lo'n'behold I got nailed!! I was freespooling down the tailout so my line didnt break this time but the fish got into 6the heavy current and quite aways down stream before i could slow it down. When I did he/she jumped twice and boy was it a pretty sight however now it came to stay where i was or follow fish........I had taken my shirts off to catch some sun and let me tell ya that water is COLD!!! I followed it to a place where it had gotten my line under a rock which was further out than was wiling to venture half naked or not. Anyways believe it or not I went back and forth with it for about ten minutes till I decided to reel down to the rock and try to free my line. Got it loose and still had the fish but after a few minutes back and forth discoverd it had gotten me under another rock while I disengaged the first one. This time it was too far for me too go. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] Tryed giving it some slack...tryed pulling it up to the rock.......broke it off....water sure was cold going back!!! Would have given anythingto have had a picture of the looks several boaters had given me there in the river.......Thanks again for the advice!!! May the Bend Never end!!!

[Artwo]

Larry,
All I can say is..........ye haaaaa.

[chuck 'n' duck]

Larry, you are hardcore wading w/o waders in that cold ass water. It is too bad you lost that fish, but at least you have found a spot that produces. I'm sure it won't be long before you get into another one and get it to the bank.

Good Luck,

CnD