Fishing Update for the North Santiam River

Fishing Update for the North Santiam River

North Santiam Watershed Council

Based on video monitoring (through mid-November) at Upper and Lower Bennett dams near Stayton, approximately 5,200 summer steelhead moved into the upper North Santiam this season. That’s about 20 percent of the nearly 25,000 summer steelhead that passed the Willamette Falls this.  year

  • Coho season on the North Santiam from Stayton up to Big Cliff Dam opened Nov. 1 and will run to Dec. 31. Bobber and jigs are the preferred method but spoons and egg clusters have also been effective.
  • And now small numbers of winter steelhead have begun moving up the Willamette.  Expect winter steelhead on the North Santiam coming weeks.

North Santiam River flow levels have receded to 3,980 cfs at Mehama on the North Santiam, much lower than they were a couple weeks ago.  River levels best for fishing are below 3,000 cfs at the Mehama gauge. With the rivers running as high as they are because of the recent storms, check for current conditions.

[box type=”alert”]The river between Shelburn and Green’s Bridge remains hazardous for boaters because of downed trees and multiple side channels. Better bets are the floats above Stayton but below Green’s Bridge.[/box]

 

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