Fresh Lane County Fishing Reports

Come fish small costal rivers for these beautiful specimens.

This is one of our favorite times of the year to fish our nearshore lingcod fishery and today didn’t disappoint! We left the harbor shortly after sunrise with a brisk easterly breeze and bone chilling 37 degree temp. The breeze made it feel like mid 20s; fortunately the cabin was warm and spirits high. We passed a couple commercial crab boats in the channel on the way out and headed towards the fishing grounds. The first drift was a little faster than i like due to the breeze but we quickly hooked into a couple lingcod and rockfish. Hy the second drift the wind had backed off a bit and the temp was warming up as the sun rose in the sky. No swell whatsoever and shaping uo to be a beautiful day. Action was consistent on the ensuing drifts and everyone was having a good time talking story and reeling in fish. The crew work was outstanding with everyone working together and enjoying the day. We fijished the day with limits of lingcod and rockfish. We also released a bunch of legal sized lingcod once we had already reached our limit and were working on our finishing our rockfish bag. Such a special winter day with a flat ocean and excellent fishing with fun crew!

Steelhead fishing is beginning to really get good, take advantage of the good weather and catch some great fighting fish

Heading into the New Year, we have been filling up our seats! We have folks planning to fish while on their vacations and have been fishing with locals just the same. You can pre-book for any time of the year. We have the unique experience to fish in our backyard...quite literally. We get to launch from my personal dock on the lower Siletz River. This saves us alot of time and energy launching a boat and leaving our vehicles. What this also means, is more time to fish! This place is so uniquely amazing because it is on a Wildlife Refuge and the bay is made up of small islands and deep channels that wind around them. This offers the opportunity for catching Salmon and dungeness crab. These are all tidal waters and the ocean is not far away. Book a trip with us today and experience it for yourself! "The lower Siletz River is popular for anyone wanting to fish for salmon. The Siletz River, which runs alongside the refuge, has both a spring and fall run of Chinook salmon along with coho, steelhead and cutthroat trout. The refuge offers bank fishing from the Alder Island Nature Trail. This easy, half-mile walking trail winds along the Siletz River and Millport Slough. The parking lot and bank fishing opportunities are available from sunrise to sunset. Dogs are NOT allowed on the nature trail. The fall run of Chinook is the most popular with anglers, but a diversity of surfperch enter the bay in late spring. The fishing for surfperch ranges from fair to excellent through fall, depending on tides and weather conditions. Check the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Fishing Regulations for restrictions, harvest limits, and season dates." **hidden content**

We have been catching some beautiful fish over the last couple of weeks. The Chinook have moved further up the river but Coho are hitting. We have until about Nov 15 to catch Coho. This late in the season we are looking forward to catching fish while we can but also looking forward to adding crabbing trips to our list of guide adventures. Here's some ideas for preserving your catch: This canned salmon recipe is a very simple, and easy way to preserve salmon. Made with only 2 ingredients, salmon fillet, and salt, canning is a very efficient way to make the fish and its benefits last. Fish prepared this way can be used to make delicious sandwiches, fish cakes, taken as a power protein snack while hiking or camping, or added to pasta and salad. Or, you could just eat it right out of the can with a fork—I won’t judge! If you have a fisherman in your family and get lots of fish at once or maybe found some fish on sale that you want to take advantage of for future use, this is a great way to prepare it. Making your own canned salmon means that you are not taking up limited freezer space, since canned salmon can be stored at room temperature. Why You Should Can Your Own Salmon? Spending a little extra effort right now is absolutely worth it. You’ll be able to eat delicious, tender salmon anytime you crave it, without having to do any work at all. The fish is ready to eat when you are. Add it to salads, sandwiches, pasta, or eat it straight out of the jar, the choice is yours. Plus, canning your own fish means that you get to decide the quality of fish that goes inside the can. If wild-caught, sustainably caught, or organic is what you want, that is exactly what you can put in the jar for canning. Zero preservatives, zero chemicals added. Using a Pressure Cooker Is Very Important! To preserve fish or other low acid foods, they need to be prepared in a specific way to make them safe to eat. A canning pressure cooker is the only appliance that makes homemade canned salmon safe for consumption. The low acid, low oxygen environment of the can (jar) can easily become the perfect environment for the Clostridium botulinum bacteria (which can be found anywhere around us) to replicate and produce toxins that can be fatal to humans. To kill the bacteria and its toxins the foods need to be cooked to a specific high temperature and be kept at that temperature for a certain amount of time. The canning pressure cooker makes both of those possible, allowing us to safely can foods at home. A canning pressure cooker uses a special locking mechanism that helps to build high pressure inside the pot. This, in turn, increases the cooking temperature to high enough temperatures which kill all unwanted bacteria. For more information about canning low acid foods (meats, fish, etc.) check out this great canning information resource by the USDA and these general canning tips by the FDA. RECIPE: Ingredients: Super simple – salmon (preferably boneless, skinless) and salt, that’s it! I add a peppercorn and a little drizzle of oil, but those are optional. Instructions: Add the salmon pieces to half-pint jars. If you are using skin-on salmon, make sure to put the skin side towards the outside. Then, top with canning salt, 2 peppercorns per jar, and oil if using. Do not add water, the fish will release its own liquid. Next, wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp towel. Then, top with a lid and seal it finger-tight. Place the liner on the bottom of the pressure cooker, and add a few inches of water. Add the jars to the pressure canner and process for 110 minutes at 10 PSI, or according to your pressure cooker’s instructions. Turn off heat, and allow the pressure indicator to drop down naturally. Open the lid, remove the jars and allow to cool to room temp. Remove rings, wash the jars in warm soapy water, wipe dry and remove to storage (at room temp).

We fished anchored up with plugs and we also trolled had 7 bites got 1 good one to the boat. Approximately 20 pounds with sea lice meaning ut was a fresh fish.