After spending a day fishing the blue ribbon trout streams of Central Oregon, I tasked myself to think of a comparable watershed around Yamhill County. In short, I couldn't. We have wonderful fishing around our area, but little opportunity to strike a trout on a fly. With that said, we must fish what we can, thus I wanted to highlight the closest option to Newberg, the Nestucca River.
Steelhead Fishing the Nestucca River 2019
The Tucca' flows for nearly 57 miles, starting in the Trask Mountain range north of Yamhill, and flowing to Pacific City and the Nestucca Bay. This beautiful river enjoys wonderful runs of Winter Steelhead, Fall Chinook, and seasonal Sea-Run Cutthroat Trout. Thankfully, the Nestucca has ample bank access for the public, and well-kept boat slides for a day's drift.
While fishing for salmon and steelhead is most often done with hardware, and a spinning rod, the SRC (sea-run cutthroat) provides a fun day of angling on the fly rod. Of course, don't completely exclude the potential to fight a larger fish on the fly, as that can be a true joy.
When targeting SRC on Tucca' there are a few spots and techniques that I have used to experience productive days on the water. First, my favorite bank spots are as follows:
Elk Creek Campground (and the half-mile below)
Three Rivers Boat Launch (about 200 yards below)
Bridge on HWY 101 (Just outside of Hebo)
With these public spots often receiving heavy foot traffic, it is important to walk a bit, both above and below these locations, particularly when flying. My favorite fly to use when fishing these spots is a Tutti Frutti Clouser Minnow. This fly mimics a small fish with a rainbow pattern, is a bit weighted, and is a favorite of these aggressive, long-bodied trout.
Truly, any type of leach, or streamer works well and allows one to swing the fly across the width of the river. In addition to streamers, the Nestucca can also be a decent dry fly fishery, specifically in the Summers when the water level drops. My favorite dry is a small, size 16-20 Elk Hair Caddis.
I am no fishing expert, but I hope these tips help you snag a few trout on the fly. And don't forget, I can sell houses too.
