We wrapped up our 2021 Tillamook winter steelhead fishing trips a little earlier than normal. This was mostly due to water conditions and the short window of the overlapping Lower Columbia River spring Chinook season.

We had another fun and exciting winter steelhead season! I learned so much this season compared to any other. As usual water conditions were different on every trip so being able to adapt was key to our success. To sum up the season I would say early on it was a little below average, the middle was good and later was average. Overall, I think it was a slightly above-average winter steelhead season with some really good days in the mix. Probably one of my better seasons. Also, there was a significant increase in the quantity of larger fish which made for some exciting battles!

I’m betting that next year’s run will be very good based on the latest ocean conditions forecasting/modeling. It’s never too early to reserve a spot for next season!

We are officially at the halfway point of guided fishing trips for the winter steelhead season. The last couple of weeks have been very good fishing. Especially compared to early on when it was mainly hit and miss. I figure that the fishing will stay good through the end of the season. Typically late February and March is peak time.

What stands out to me the most so far this season has been how large the average fish size is. I have never in my career seen this many big fish hooked in one season.

Another thing that has been kind of interesting is the number of different offerings I have been using to get fish to bite. Being versatile is key and I think we have literally thrown every kind of bait and lure imaginable to get the fish to bite this year compared to other years. It’s definitely paid off!

2020 was certainly a tough year for everyone and a year most of us might like to forget. As we reflect back on the year, our business faced many challenges from the fishing closures that happened in early spring that canceled one of the best winter steelhead seasons we had in a long time to fishing through the wildfire smoke in early September.

Although we faced some challenges the fishing industry in general thrived. Fishing was a safe and fun outdoor activity that everyone could participate in. We fished guests from all over the U.S and made many new friends! With all the challenges along with the huge amount of people fishing and limited stock of fishing supplies at outdoor retailers, I can honestly say this was by far my most successful year of fishing (and catching). Fortunately, all our salmon and steelhead returns ended up being a lot higher than what was expected.

We would like to thank every one of you that supported our family business this year. Personally, fishing was great therapy for me. Being out on the water with so many awesome people definitely made the year so much better!