[celticfan]

Well I have done the unthinkable in my families eyes. My 6 year wedding anniversary is this weekend and my wife and I are going camping. So I decide to try to get her to commit to go to the Siletz (which is at the beach). :dance:She is getting excited because we bought her a new rod and reel and she wants to try salmon fishing with me. This is a first, plus I am borrowing my dad's boat. I have operated a boat in lakes for about 18 years but never in the river. So here is my question to all you kind fisherman. Where do I go on the river? What do I use? What about the tides? Any help would be nice. Either way we are going for a few days and plan on learning, I figure it will be relaxing if nothing else. Thank you and God Bless.


PS: If we get lucky I will post pictures when we get back.

 

[Troutinator]

what has worked for me is....

launch at coyote rock... nice folks, good parking. find a nice little seam to anchor up on within a mile above or below and set out a kwik with a sardine wrap. I prefer to fish the last bit of incoming on into high slack. When it turns I backbounce a bit, go check the crab pots and then go sit on the porch of the rental place we use.

 

[fishbait]

I'm sure there are some Siletz guys that will chime in, but Troutinator nailed it.

Don't anchor in a drift that is being used by trollers and if in doubt, just be polite and ask. you will be supriced as ho helpful most people are when they know you are a rookie and you are being polite.

You do know how to wrap a kwikie?

Remember a good net.

I also would take a nice blanket and bottle of wine and look for a deserted stretch of the river to fish in.........:flowered:

Oh and tradition dictates that you introduce yourself and treat us to a fishing story prior to receiving the collective wisdome of IFish.

 

[drhall99]

Quick note on the Coyote Rock boat launch.... Make sure you let the boat off trailer SLOWLY or you will smack the dock with your motor.

 

[huntordie]

let us no how the fishing is i love that river i was just there last week with some friends and we went 3 for 3 steelhead i keeper no salmon

 

[KChookem]

Hi celticfan...

Siletz Tidewater, like most others, is more like a lake than a river. There are occasional deadheads, but generally it is pretty straight forward boating. Depth varies from 6-ft to the occasional 30-ft deep hole; typical or average depth is probably 12-14 feet, and sometimes the change is rather quick. The bottom has a lot of woody debris in many places, and a few rocky places, so if you are trolling with a lead dropper, you must pay attention or you will get hung up (backing up and gently pulling when you get to "past the hangup" often gets the lure free). An inexperienced angler may find a Jet Driver useful in place of a lead weight.

For tides, try http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/oregonsites.html , then look for Kernville, Siletz River (this is at Hwy 101).

You have three launches in the lower river: Siletz Moorage at Hwy 101 (easiest launch and parking, especially if you are essentially unloading and loading by yourself, but there is sand at low tides, and it gets wind chop when the wind comes up down there). Coyote Rock RV is a couple of miles up river, great owner and handyman, very nice facilities, but the launch has a couple of issues for the uninitiated, and the parking is not the most convenient (the owner will be happy to give you some suggestions about launching); Chinook Bend RV is another mile or two upriver, its launch is straight forward but like Coyote Rock, has a couple of issues

I suggest you start off by trolling and get a feel for the river, observing the paths trollers use, where people anchor up and how they do it, and where people get hung up so you can avoid that yourself. You can troll or motor many miles upriver, far more than you want to actually do - there is something like 20 miles of tidewater, but 5-6 miles will be plenty. Unlike some other tidewater areas, folks on the Siletz often move from one side to the other, mostly on purpose, occasionally because they are not paying attention. It is a scenic river, and you will think you are in the middle of no where, and then you will run into a cluster of homes. Lots of wildlife.

If it appeals to you, there is a local guide, Mark Hemrick, who knows the river and the history of the area. Very friendly guy who likes to talk and educate folks about the river and its history. He catches fish too, and will give you a ton of info. He may be in the phone book, or Coyote Rock will have his contact info.

Most Angling is trolling spinners or Herring (dropper weight will be 1-3 oz); anchoring with Sardine wrapped K-16 Kwikfish (3-4 oz); Bobber & Eggs/Sandshrimp; and the occasional other technique (not many are using bobbers yet.). I would not worry too much about having your leader, or dropper, or anything else "just right" - all sorts of combinations are used by all sorts of people, and many will catch fish (when they show up).

Lately a high percentage of boaters are anchoring up with Kwikfish, both on the incoming and the outgoing, a lot higher percentage than in previous years. While the Siletz is not yet crowded, there are a few places where you have to weave in and out of boats. There are also a few places where boats specifically form a "hogline", but for the most part, it seems many just anchor up any old place, which often makes it inconvenient for everyone else, whether anchoring or trolling. In some places it is advisable to have two anchors, one for the bow and one for the stern. In others, a sea anchor will keep you from swinging too much as long as there is sufficient current and not too much wind. When anchored, you have to watch for debris floating up on you, like branches, logs, stumps, and the occasional tree (the river has been pretty clean of late, but you still have to pay attention).

Generally anglers are very friendly and helpful, and you get a mix of experienced anglers to a few who are basically oblivious to everything around them. Most are more than willing to answer a question, particularly to those who say, "I'm new here - what do you recommend?"

Have a great time. If you find the Siletz is not to your liking, Yaquina Bay is not too far away, and is also a nice place to explore (but you have to watch out for submerged sand).

 

[Drachir]

KChookem,

Great post w/ a lot of good info!!!:cheers::cheers:

 

[Kiddfisher]

...

Coyote Rock RV is a couple of miles up river, great owner and handyman, very nice facilities, but the launch has a couple of issues for the uninitiated, and the parking is not the most convenient (the owner will be happy to give you some suggestions about launching);

2nd that! We saw boats launching there for the first time last weekend, and it provided a bit of difficulty for a few. It's steep, and the pavement is broken away on the driver's side near the bottom. There is little distance between the launch site and the boats that may be moored on the inside of the dock. Saw a few boats actually take on water over the transom when launching. HOWEVER, we were launching a small Willie driftboat, and when we made the reservations, Ed (owner) offered to launch our boat. The people at Coyote Rock just took great care of us! When we pulled in w/the truck/camper and pulling the boat, Jay followed us to our site, we dropped the boat at our site, and he took it over and launched it for us (and he pulled it out for us on Sunday, too). Saved us a lot of time because we didn't have to drop the camper to launch or pull out the boat for the entire weekend. We were in the water with dropped lines within 1 hour of arriving at Coyote Rock. Sweeeeeeeeeeet! We couldn't be happier with our stay at Coyote Rock, and the service they provided. They even have WIFI, and we wish we would have had some fish pics to catch that weekend ... maybe next time! ray:

We're taking this weekend off, but we'll be back at Coyote Rock the following weekend, and a five-day weekend at the end of the month, too.

Good luck to you this weekend!

 

[Sublime]

Also, just makin sure you have your boater's card. Wouldn't want anything to happen. I'm sure you probably already have that covered, but just one of those little reminders. Good luck out there and slay a nice fatty nook! :grin:

 

[Fish Jihad]

Its still pretty slow out there, but there are fish being had. All the folks at the moorages are great! They are really friendly at coyote as well as at siletz moorage, chinook bend, and sunset landing. Go on a sunday and hit up the killer buffet breakfast at chinook bend if the bite is off. For someone new...check the boats with the little blue sticker on the back and do what they do.

 

[celticfan]

Thanks for all the great advise. I am sure if you are out there you will see me because I will be the one with these messages printed off and reading while launching, trolling, anchoring, fishing, etc. As I read your replies I feel like this is a great place to get honest advise. I hope all goes well and that my wife can catch her first salmon, but if not any time fishing on the river is a good time, beats work. :smile:

 

[Bennett]

What's the latest on the Siletz? Any fish moved in yet? Sounds like there has been a little moisture and the river temp should be falling with the cooler days and nights. Anybody hitting them yet? I'm stuck at work on the eastern side of the state and trying to come up with an excuse to make the run over there.

 

[Kiddfisher]

Thanks for all the great advise. I am sure if you are out there you will see me because I will be the one with these messages printed off and reading while launching, trolling, anchoring, fishing, etc. As I read your replies I feel like this is a great place to get honest advise. I hope all goes well and that my wife can catch her first salmon, but if not any time fishing on the river is a good time, beats work. :smile:

How did your weekend anniversary trip go, Celticfan?

I've been watching the boards (and Coyote Rock's fish pics page) and haven't seen much for last weekend's results. We're heading over this weekend; hoping a bit of rain and cooler temps might shake things up a bit.

 

[Ripdline]

Welcome to Ifish!!

Congrats on your anniversary! I wish my wife would go fishing on our anniversary's. :cheers:

 

[fishing junkie]

Fishing has picked up the last couple days on the lower river. That cooler weather made a difference, for us at least. Gotta love those cool mornings! It sure feels like fall!

 

[Bennett]

Thats good to hear. The temps should start to fall and hopefully we'll get a little more moisture. I heard about two fish getting caught on Tuesday morning early. Any other good reports?

 

[celticfan]

I would say that the Siletz river is a beautiful place to fish in. The catching wasn't so good. We only heard of 5 fish caught in 4 days (lots of boats). My wife wants to go back to catch one, we are making plans now, but the tent thing was a little much. It sure gets cold this time of year at night. But during the day the sun was out and comfortable. The best thing about going over there was no work and we met some very nice folks. Thanks for all the info.