Hello to everyone, As i am a new fishingNW member.

I have only recently began fishing above Mcnary for steelhead this year begining in late Oct. Since then, I have made severalf trips and learned some important things, Namley THE OREGON SIDE IS CLOSED TO NIGHT FISHING STEELHEAD (thankyou starfish) Which if you pulled up to the Oregon dock at night you would have no clue by the number of activity. Also, that the fish here want to see your plugs trolled SLOW(0.0-.8). Anyway, my question I have for all you Mcnary vetrans is, Why am I have so much trouble hitting a consistant bite. Is it normal for them to go from red hot to nothing every other day? I mainly night fish pulling lighted brads, vortexes, or lazers and have failed to catch fish here YET 2 days in a row. ANY SUGGESTIONS or am I already fishing? Also, how late does this fishery usualy produce? Thankyou for any info, Best luck to all you northwest fisherman!

MaybeNextTime wrote:

Namley THE OREGON SIDE IS CLOSED TO NIGHT FISHING STEELHEAD (thankyou starfish) Which if you pulled up to the Oregon dock at night you would have no clue by the number of activity.

I believe that will change January 1.

MaybeNextTime wrote:

Also, that the fish here want to see your plugs trolled SLOW(0.0-.8).

Generally true. If it isnt working bump it up to 1.2 to 1.4

MaybeNextTime wrote:

Anyway, my question I have for all you Mcnary vetrans is, Why am I have so much trouble hitting a consistant bite. Is it normal for them to go from red hot to nothing every other day?

Perfectly normal but this year has been worse than others. No idea why.

MaybeNextTime wrote:

I mainly night fish pulling lighted brads, vortexes, or lazers and have failed to catch fish here YET 2 days in a row. ANY SUGGESTIONS or am I already fishing?

Try trolling in a zig zag pattern. They like the rising/diving fast/slow action. Try getting away from the other boats and move a little farther from shore where you might find an undisturbed fish. Put a piece of peeled prawn tail on the belly hook.

MaybeNextTime wrote:

Also, how late does this fishery usualy produce? Thankyou for any info, Best luck to all you northwest fisherman!

Well into February and maybe even March but I usually stop in January.

Welcome to fishingNW!

P_s is right on the money. It's just a little spottier of a year than normal. One possibility is that the unusually warm water this fall has made the bite a little unpredictable, but we'll find out soon whether that was the case because the water ought to be plenty cold now!

The night fishing on the OR side does indeed open January 1 this year for the first time. I'm tempted to try it but on the other hand, I usually do better in the daytime once it gets to be this time of year... partly because it gets so dang cold at night I'd just rather fish in the daytime.

Even in a normal year it's not unusual for McNary to go from red hot to slow to red hot again from one day to the next.

Thankyou for the great info and tips. I will definatley have to keep up my efforts and try some new trolling patterns and speeds when I'm not producing any bites. Are spinners productive at all this time of year durring the day or is it just best to stick with plugs?

has anyone fished ringold lately?

has anyone fished ringold lately?

I've heard pretty good Ringold reports lately but last time I tried it (Thanksgiving week) I got blanked which is pretty rare for Ringold.

In answer to the OP, I think either plugs or bobber/jig are your best bets... I like spinners in warmer water or in small water, but for big water winter fishing I've had most consistent luck with either plugs or bait.