With the final hatchery stockings on a pair of small streams ending in 2013 as part of the Coastal Multi Species Plan and a bridge being out in the Siletz gorge, the Alsea River has received a lot more fishing pressure than usual this season. Factor that in with a stretch of bank access historically known as the "tree farm" becoming restricted to a private fishing club with hefty dues a couple years ago, and it makes more sense to see why the North Fork is still crowded as hell in spite of very poor returns. The South Fork flows into the mainstem on that property as well, contributing a lot of runoff and silt, staining the water in the lower river. When the water is high, what's left are some private stretches of land, a few scattered access points, Clemens Park, and Hatchery Rd.
Clemens Park is a well kept and cared for area with nice trails and lots of bank access. A portion of the tail end of the park trails are now Weyerhauser permit access only as well. If you decide to sleep in, chances are you'll be targeting water that's already seen quite a few different anglers and presentations during the course of the day. With bead fishing being the predominant go-to method of most anglers, fish get wise to the one-trick-pony, and it can create a real challenge to give them something they haven't seen before.
As a general rule, when the water is high, fish higher in the river. However, given the current state of the public access, sometimes you just have to have to get in where you fit in. With high flows, it helps to slow down your presentation. This could mean using more weight as usual, or fishing right at your feet and staying out of the main channel. When you're fishing the seams, a bobber dogging yarnie/bead presentation will grab a fish's attention that might ignore a single bead. Where shallow water near the banks slows down, you'll find a lot of fish taking those routes, sometimes swimming at your ankles while you're standing in the river. If you can help it, stay out of the water. Any grassline or edges that soften the flow will be good holding points for fish to rest and move upstream. Jigs and plastic worms suspended in eddies will often draw a bite when more subtle/common presentations are ignored. Adding a bead trailer to a jig or worm also has a similar "attractor" quality to it as the yarnie/bead combo. Any combo with a loud presentation that grabs their attention followed by a subtle trailer that draws the bite will bring results.
Low water is a different story all together. Start dialing down with the hooks, then everything else above it. Subtle colors and small presentations draw bites from fish that have largely ignored the louder, larger presentations. Towards the end of the season, the typical forage egg is that of another steelhead, rather than a larger salmon egg, so matching that size is also key. Blood-dot patterns, mottled beads, and 50/50 patterns produce better later in the season.
As the season continues to progress, you'll notice few and fewer anglers on the river as the meat-seekers have filled their freezers and other anglers have shifted towards early spring chinook fisheries. This time of year, there are still late returning hatchery fish, and wild fish around. While you might have to sort through them to find a keeper, it can be a lot of fun, and that's what it's all about.
As the season continues to progress, you'll notice few and fewer anglers on the river as the meat-seekers have filled their freezers and other anglers have shifted towards early spring chinook fisheries. This time of year, there are still late returning hatchery fish, and wild fish around. While you might have to sort through them to find a keeper, it can be a lot of fun, and that's what it's all about.
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