Bank Fishing for Salmon and Steelhead

Siletz Bay Chinook fishing

It is an exciting fishing experience at the mouth of the Siletz River, targeting Chinook and coho salmon. Back-trolling cut plug herring with 2-4 oz. Weight droppers is a widespread technique here, especially as these salmon are often actively feeding, making the bite fast and intense.

The mouth of the Siletz River, near Siletz Bay on the Oregon coast, is an excellent spot for this type of fishing. Both Chinook and coho salmon enter the river on their way to spawn upstream. Timing is key, and this method works well in the early fall during peak migration.

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Erick caught this fish from the bank near where the Sitetz River meets the ocean.

Bank Fishing

There are minimal places to bank fish in Siletz Bay. But one is where the river runs into the Bay. Since all the fish must come through this narrow channel, it is an excellent spot to bank fish.

Steelhead fishing in the Siletz River allows anglers to fish for steelhead year-round. The Siletz has summer and winter steelhead native runs and summer and winter steelhead hatchery programs. Anglers are reminded that only hatchery fish can be retained.

Winter steelhead begins arriving in late November and peaks in January-March. The Siletz Basin’s winter steelhead hatchery program utilizes wild broodstock and can provide excellent fishing throughout the season. This program has a target release of 50,000 steelhead smolts each spring from the Palmer Creek acclimation facility across from Moonshine Park.

Driftboat fishing can be very productive during peak season, but many river sections can be busy during favorable flow conditions. Popular techniques from a drift boat include side drifting, pulling plugs, or drifting a bobber and jig.

The Siletz River also has a native summer steelhead run, the only one on the Oregon Coast Range.

Cutthroat trout return to Siletz Bay from the middle of July through August. Early in the run, fish from the Cannery Hole seaward to the Siletz Spit during the incoming tide trolling Doc Shelton spinners rigged with night crawlers. After the first week of August, fish the entire length of the upper reach of tidewater trolling Doc Shelton spinners provided with night crawlers. Fish from shore in the estuary’s upper tidal reach casting spinners or fishing on the bottom of the deeper holes with night crawlers or crawfish tails.

Redtail surfperch, pile perch, walleye surfperch, silver surfperch, and striped seaperch enter the bay in late spring. The fishing ranges from fair to excellent through fall, depending on the tides and the weather conditions. The best fishing occurs during June and July in the lower bay along the main channel, paralleling the sand spit upstream to the pilings at the Cannery Hole. Fish in the upper basin areas adjacent to eelgrass beds and along the track that drains Millport Slough up to the Siletz Bay Natural Wildlife Refuge entrance.

White sturgeon enter Siletz Bay in small numbers sporadically throughout the year. The catch rate for keeper-size fish averages less than 15 per year, with a high count of 52 fish. The best fishing occurs in the lower tidal reach of the river channel above the Highway 101 Bridge from December through March. The best time to fish for sturgeon is two hours before low tide. Mud and sand shrimp are the most productive bait. The sturgeon fishery is a small one that only interests local anglers.

Chinook Salmon go past the Siletz Rental Location; they stay in the “holes” until the water level rises. Then, they can go upstream and find a new “hole” to wait for the subsequent rise in water level until they finally get to their breeding home.

The lower Siletz River is famous for anyone wanting to fish for salmon. It runs alongside the Silietz Federal Refuge and has a spring and fall run of Chinook salmon, 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. Parking and bank fishing are available from sunrise to sunset. Dogs are NOT allowed on the nature trail.

Where to go in a boat to catch fish?

Not far away, there are three (3) salmon “holes” along the Siletz Federal Refuge in the Sileta River.