Bay Area steelhead.  No, I’m not talking about San Francisco.  Coos Bay/North Bend - the other Bay Area, is steelhead heaven.  Come to think of it, the entire South Coast of Oregon is as good as it gets for salmon and steelhead.  Pound for pound Bay Area steelhead will not compete with their Olympic Peninsula cousins but if you are looking for lots of fish in the 8-12 pound range --head south.   

Some of you have asked me why I drive 8 hour to fish Bay Area steelies when they can be found in the Wilson, Sandy, and Clackamas.  My response.  First, Coos Bay is only 4 hours from Portland.  Second, in 7 of the last 8 trips I’ve taken to the Coos I’ve caught one or more fish a day with my personal best last February when I landed 7.  As good as that day was, I watched my fishing partners Jim Martin and Randy Smith land 18 between them on a January day in 2002. Finally, my steelhead catch rate around here is miserable.   

Since this site is dedicated to the truth I have attached a few photos from this year’s January Bay Area trip.  In two days of fishing Jim, Randy, and I landed 10.  We hooked another 5 or 6.  Most of the fish on this trip (as with the previous ones) fell victim to pink/white or cerise jigs.

Best of luck this spring!  Garth

Pictures Below