n umpqua

[Ned Morris]

And stop in the Caddis Fly in Eugene and talk to the owner Chris Daughters. He will supply you with all the information on gear, flies, guide information you could ever hope for as he is considered one of the best in the entire Northwest.

my uncle owns umpqua's last resort on the n umpqua. looks like i might be headed up there in august for a family reunion. i would like to try and get in some fishing and was looking for some tips. what rods, lines ,flies and methods?

[shawn kempkes]

And stop in the Caddis Fly in Eugene and talk to the owner Chris Daughters. He will supply you with all the information on gear, flies, guide information you could ever hope for as he is considered one of the best in the entire Northwest.

eugene is about 60 miles in the wrong direction so dont waste your time going there.

[Rick J]

Bill,
Regarding your info on steelhead runs the steelhead counts over Bonnevile Dam was 244 percent above average with 50,711 hatchery fish and 22,497 wild fish. So this bodes well for another stellar year in this system and for our trip next fall on the Grand Ronde and side trip to the Clearwater!!

Regarding runs on the N Umpqua - the latest I have seen from Oregon F&W indicate runs are up from the last several years - this was through May

[Mike R]

Honestly, I would still fish the NUmp if there wasn't a fish within 100 miles. Has to be one of the greatest stretches of water on the planet. It's only gravy that steelhead swim through there.

You don't need a lot of info. Go up, maybe get a nice camping spot, pull out a flask of good scotch, and go find a rock to sit on. Kitchen or Mott has some good ones. Sit down, watch the water, swig, maybe get to see a fish roll. It's all you really need. Then fish if you want.

Mike

PS> Floating line and a GBS or muddler is ALL you really need.

[shawn kempkes]

Bill,
Regarding your info on steelhead runs the steelhead counts over Bonnevile Dam was 244 percent above average with 50,711 hatchery fish and 22,497 wild fish. So this bodes well for another stellar year in this system and for our trip next fall on the Grand Ronde and side trip to the Clearwater!!

Regarding runs on the N Umpqua - the latest I have seen from Oregon F&W indicate runs are up from the last several years - this was through May

Rick

I dont know where you get your nunbers but wild fish have been trending slighty ahead of hatchery fish so far which is a good sign. The difference in the numbers so far is because of winter fish over the dams. But the summer fish counts the wild fish have been out numbering hatchery fish. http://www.fpc.org/adultsalmon/AdultCumulativeTable.asp

[Rick J]

here is where I got info

come this Fall:

"Good fish return on Columbia, Snake rivers

By The Associated Press

Sunday, July 11, 2010 at 2:56 p.m.

NORTH BONNEVILLE, Wash. — The numbers of salmon and steelhead heading up the Columbia River are well above average, including a record run of sockeye, biologists say.

Officials at NOAA Fisheries tell the Tri-City Herald that the chinook run as of Tuesday was 326,176, or 140 percent above the 10-year average, while the sockeye run of 353,044 fish is a record. They credit favorable ocean conditions, improvement in habitat and hatchery practices, and work to improve fish passage at dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers.

The steelhead count at Bonneville Dam was 244 percent above the average, with 50,711 hatchery-raised and 22,497 wild steelhead. And biologists say returns of wild and hatchery salmon and steelhead appear promising for next year and beyond.

"The overall pattern looks good," said John Ferguson, director of the fish ecology division at NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. "Our ocean survey is just one indicator, and we caught a lot of (juvenile) fish. So overall we are looking for average to better than average returns in the future."

NOAA Fisheries and managers of other federal agencies involved in the recovery of the 12 species of wild salmon and steelhead that are listed under the Endangered Species Act in the Columbia River Basin say they are encouraged by this year's run, which follows two strong years.

Sockeye numbers have dwarfed expectations. The 10-year average at Bonneville, where counts have been made since 1938, is 87,675, and the previous record for a year was 237,748 in 1955.

"Huge. It's amazing," said Rock Peters, fish program manager for the Northwest Division of the Army Corps of Engineers.

Most of the run is headed to the upper Columbia River. Nearly all the Columbia River sockeye, which are not listed, come from Canada's Osoyoos Lake.

But biologists expect at least 1,400 listed Snake River sockeye to reach Lower Granite Dam, and the Idaho Fish and Game Department predicts at least 1,000 will return to spawn in Idaho's Stanley Basin, Ferguson said.

Idaho and federal agencies are raising and releasing 140,000 sockeye smolts annually. Even more are expected to be raised under a three-year federal plan to protect and restore endangered Columbia and Snake fish.

"They have gone from the brink of extinction. The captive brood stock program helped keep them from going extinct," Ferguson said. "So hopefully they are stabilizing and trending toward recovery in the Snake River."

Officials say sockeye and other salmon and steelhead have benefited from habitat improvements in tributaries where fish spawn, and improvements at dams that include installing removable spillway weirs. Good biological and physical conditions in the Pacific Ocean in the past few years also have been pivotal to increases in returning adults.

"There are a couple of good years of ocean conditions that are coming into play," Ferguson said.

Unexpectedly persistent rainfall throughout the Northwest in May and June delayed the melting of snow from a light winter snowpack and filled reservoirs, leading to increased spills over dams that benefited fish, officials said."

--- The above even made the local TV news 'down here' in Medford this morning.

fae

[joshfish]

what size leaders do you use when skating flies?

[shawn kempkes]

here is where I got info

come this Fall:

"Good fish return on Columbia, Snake rivers

By The Associated Press

Sunday, July 11, 2010 at 2:56 p.m.

NORTH BONNEVILLE, Wash. — The numbers of salmon and steelhead heading up the Columbia River are well above average, including a record run of sockeye, biologists say.

Officials at NOAA Fisheries tell the Tri-City Herald that the chinook run as of Tuesday was 326,176, or 140 percent above the 10-year average, while the sockeye run of 353,044 fish is a record. They credit favorable ocean conditions, improvement in habitat and hatchery practices, and work to improve fish passage at dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers.

The steelhead count at Bonneville Dam was 244 percent above the average, with 50,711 hatchery-raised and 22,497 wild steelhead. And biologists say returns of wild and hatchery salmon and steelhead appear promising for next year and beyond.

"The overall pattern looks good," said John Ferguson, director of the fish ecology division at NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. "Our ocean survey is just one indicator, and we caught a lot of (juvenile) fish. So overall we are looking for average to better than average returns in the future."

NOAA Fisheries and managers of other federal agencies involved in the recovery of the 12 species of wild salmon and steelhead that are listed under the Endangered Species Act in the Columbia River Basin say they are encouraged by this year's run, which follows two strong years.

Sockeye numbers have dwarfed expectations. The 10-year average at Bonneville, where counts have been made since 1938, is 87,675, and the previous record for a year was 237,748 in 1955.

"Huge. It's amazing," said Rock Peters, fish program manager for the Northwest Division of the Army Corps of Engineers.

Most of the run is headed to the upper Columbia River. Nearly all the Columbia River sockeye, which are not listed, come from Canada's Osoyoos Lake.

But biologists expect at least 1,400 listed Snake River sockeye to reach Lower Granite Dam, and the Idaho Fish and Game Department predicts at least 1,000 will return to spawn in Idaho's Stanley Basin, Ferguson said.

Idaho and federal agencies are raising and releasing 140,000 sockeye smolts annually. Even more are expected to be raised under a three-year federal plan to protect and restore endangered Columbia and Snake fish.

"They have gone from the brink of extinction. The captive brood stock program helped keep them from going extinct," Ferguson said. "So hopefully they are stabilizing and trending toward recovery in the Snake River."

Officials say sockeye and other salmon and steelhead have benefited from habitat improvements in tributaries where fish spawn, and improvements at dams that include installing removable spillway weirs. Good biological and physical conditions in the Pacific Ocean in the past few years also have been pivotal to increases in returning adults.

"There are a couple of good years of ocean conditions that are coming into play," Ferguson said.

Unexpectedly persistent rainfall throughout the Northwest in May and June delayed the melting of snow from a light winter snowpack and filled reservoirs, leading to increased spills over dams that benefited fish, officials said."

--- The above even made the local TV news 'down here' in Medford this morning.

fae

The good news is that the runs are more than double last years run so far this year and double the 10 year average. I plan on spending some time on the columbia tribs this year if the run is as big as it is trending.

[Rick J]

Shawn - they were pretty close to record runs last year so this is really awesome!!

Josh - regarding skating flies it pretty much depends on size of fly and fish but I generally like relatively heavy/stiff tippet which helps keep fly skating - Depending on pattern I will normally riffle hitch the fly - I will just have the hitch come off the bottom of the fly rather than the side so I can cast from either bank with the same hitch. So I probably normally use 10# and sometimes 8# maxima. Where I may encounter bigger fish I might go to 12# or even 15# (maybe in BC)

[oregonsteel]

First the N Umpqua has no eight on flies before October though you can use floating lines and sink tips - nice river for 2 handers ans switch rods but a standard 7-9 wt rod will work well - 9.5' or even 10' rods are nice for getting better mends.

Flies can range from traditional - green butt skunk is one of the best to marabou type patterns. Early and lat it can be great dry fly skating water. Sizes generally maybe on the large size - 2/0 to 4 though small patterns can also work

You really need cleats of some type for many of the runs and a wading staff it also a good idea. Make a point at stopping at Joe Howell's Blue Heron shop - just downstream from where the fly only water starts at Deadline.

One of my favorite rivers

Are you sure? I was told it was no weight period, including no sinking lines and no splitshot (as well as not weighted flies)