Alsea River Fishing

AlseaiAlsea River Fishing

The Alsea River is a small Oregon River winding through a valley that most Oregon Residents have ever driven through even though close to a half a million residents live within 75 miles of its waters.  The river winds its way through lush forests and assorted farm lands.  It can be described as a hidden paradise.

The river does have some resident trout that some will fish for but most fishermen come to the Alsea to fish for the Chinook Salmon Coho Salmon and Winter Steelhead that come into its waters from the Pacific ocean to spawn.

Alsea Chinook Salmon

The Alsea River has a Fall run of Chinook Salmon that come in from the Pacific Ocean.  With the mouth of the river located in Waldport Oregon the Fall Chinook Salmon will enter the tide waters and then meander upstream as water conditions permit.

The Alsea for the most part is a very shallow river but does have limited trolling opportunities in its tidewater.  Because of how shallow the water is the best way to fish the Alsea is with a Drift Boat.  There are some smaller rapids on the river but for the most part the river is pretty calm.

We find the Chinook Salmon in the deeper pools on the Alsea river.   Plugs and bait seem to work the best and we fish with both depending on the conditions of the day.

Chinook Salmon are known for heading to the bottom of the pool when hooked and then play a game of tug of war with the fisherman.  Sometimes the fisherman wins and they get them to the boat without the fish throwing the hook,  other times the fish wins and they unbutton themselves to fight yet another day.

Chinook Salmon are absolutely delicious and can be prepared in many ways, baking, grilling, frying or even smoking.   Their meat is very oily which keeps them moist and delicious when cooked.

Alsea Coho Salmon

Also running in the Fall,  Coho Salmon are known for taking the fight to the air when hooked and can be found in the river at the same time as Chinook Salmon.  If you hook a fish and it goes deep then it is probably a Chinook,  if it jumps out of the water then it  is more than likely a Coho.

Coho Salmon run a bit smaller than Chinook but they are a very feisty fish that will be trying to throw the hook all the way to the boat.  These fish are generally chrome bright and run 6-10 lbs.

Like Chinook,  Coho Salmon are delicious any way you prepare them.  They are not as oily as Chinook so using some type of fat replacement like butter, olive oil, etc when cooking will give you the best result.

Alsea Steelhead

 If you enjoy trout fishing then you will have a blast fishing for Steelhead.   They look just like a big Rainbow Trout because that is what they are.  It is just that this strain of Rainbow Trout migrates into the Pacific Ocean for a few years to fatten up and then return to Spawn.

Some Steelhead are 15+ lbs but most are in the 6-10lb range.  They are long and sleek and when they hit your presentation there is no question that you have a fight on your hands.

When it comes to heart,  pound for pound Steelhead are some of the most aggressive fish that swim the waters or Oregon.  Known for their acrobatics these fish seem to spend as much time above the water as below it.   They are notorious for throwing the hook and you may only land a single fish out of 4-5 that you hook.

Although considered a trout,  Steelhead are also a red meated fish and have a taste  that is like a cross between a Salmon and a Trout.   Like Salmon they are delicious and will quickly become a favorite of those lucky enough to land one.