Fishing Lessons

Fishing Lessons ... fishing in Oregon

When I moved to Oregon from Oklahoma I had no idea of how to fish in rivers. I had fished in lakes and ponds for warmwater species and most of those techniques are not for our Northwest rivers. After trial and error and many instructional books I became better at angling. In 1969 I caught my first river salmon on a spinner but that was a fluke. My first trout from a river (Mckenzie) came in 1973. I have to tell you that I am very fond of eating trout (more than salmon) so for the first couple of years after I learned to catch trout - I ate lots of them. Catch and release for trout came naturally for me after three years but by then I was starting to learn how to catch salmon and steelhead.

I have now been fishing in the Northwest over 30 years and I am still learning new techniques. That's one of the great lures of fishing ... you never know it all. And one of the reasons for this fact is that rivers always change. The fish haven't changed except in numbers and the introduction of different species in our state.

I remember wanting to hire a guide to teach me about fishing in our rivers in 1975 and when he said he charged $50.00 a person I couldn't believe it would cost so much. So I learned from trial and error and once in a while a knowledgeable angler would take me under his wings. There is nothing wrong with trial and error...it just takes longer without a teacher.

It seems there are two types of people who hire guides ... a person who wants a day away from the stresses of life and just wants to catch some fish or a person who already fishes but wants to increase this knowledge base. I welcome both types of people to fish with me and if you are the type that wants to increase your knowledge base ... I give lessons and information. If you hire me as a guide and I show you a hole in a river where trout or salmon hold, I hope you beat me to that spot the next morning! You are paying me for my knowledge and after you buy it ... it belongs to you. I hope you get out and fish as much as you are able. Life is short.

I would like to give you one lesson you might find useful in your next trip to the river. When I fished in the lakes of Oklahoma we would use lures or bait. We also use bait or lures (flies are lures) on our Northwest rivers. My first trips to the Mckenzie would find me throwing a Rooster Tail (a spinner) in the current and pulling it toward me. My thought was that the spinner blades pulling against the current gave it more action and therefore ought to better attract the fish. How wrong I was!

Here is the reason: Fish in a river are always facing upstream. They wait in the current to have this current bring their food to them. An object coming from below them is unnatural. I would think it might even frighten them. It is very rare that you will catch a trout with the lure or bait moving upstream. Anadromous fish (salmon and steelhead) can sometimes be fooled in this manner but these fish do not live in the river ... they are just moving through. Even so most salmon and steelhead are also caught with the bait or lure moving toward them from upriver. When you are on a river the next time cast the lure out above where you think the fish are holding and let the bait or lure drift down to it. If you are using a spinner a slight sharp pull on the lure will get the blades spinning. Some spinners will spin without a pull. One big drawback about casting slightly upriver and moving the bait or lure though the water is that you will snag the river bottom. And the beginner will snag the bottom often. You cannot become a good angler without practice.

One exception to the "drifting down toward the fish" is wading out in the river current and letting the lure hang in front of the fish ... just holding it in the current. If you're using bait you will have to have enough weight to hold it on the bottom. If you are using a spinner or spoon you must have enough current to hold the lure off the bottom. A wet fly or nymph also works in this manner. There are other methods I can teach you but try these first.

Let me know what your interests are when you get in contact with me.

Yours truly, Tom Waters

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