Has anyone made it out the last week to either the walla walla, touchet, or tucannon for steelhead? I have been out of town and have not been able to get out I am wondering how the fish are holding up and if anyone is having success.

dev88t,

The latest creel report doesn't look the greatest. It doesn't really mean much, but..... It looks like they are doing better on the Snake River.


(The will launch adobe or another PDF viewer)

wdfw.wa.gov/fish/creel...-12-04.pdf

I was out on the WW today--had a follow on the very first cast of the day and a failed hook-up later, but that was to be all the action for the day. Spoke to a couple other guys who had not seen anything either. I would have thought the water level to be about right for drift or bait fishing--but perhaps the heavy fog and cold water had a little to do with the fishing?? It was a little high for my taste for spinners, but I expect it should shape up over the next week or so. The color looked pretty good (up in the vicinity of the city of Walla Walla and on to the border--it was pretty off-color below the Touchet), but many of the nicer spots were just too fast to get good action from the spinner--that's if the fish could even hold in the faster water in the first place. Look for the fish to be holding in quieter spots and pockets or behind obstacles. That's where the two today were sitting--in contrast to low water days when the fish are holding in the more classic holes. Look for them to be in transition over the next several days, and then back to the holes if the water continues to fall to well below historical means.

I'm out of town next week, but thanks for the invite, dev88t--good luck to you. I'll be chasing winter chrome on the south Oregon coast!

E-mann