The Wilson RiverDated 10/24/10Chinook present in the lower river and many fish should arrive with the currenet rain developing in the NW area. There should also be a few winter steelies beginning to appear on the increasing rain in the area. Good patterns to fish are the Berrys Dirty Bunny, Hoh Bo Flies , Intruders and Pick Yer Pockets. Not to mention the Popsicles, Show Girls and Egg Patterns. Plan on fishing the heads of runs and behind structure to do best. The best time to visit this river is when the level has fallen below 6.0 feet to a lower level between 5.5 and 4.0 feet. The key factor here is falling water which is green not muddy. Dated 8/30/10 Summer steelies in upper river. Cutthroat in lower river and tidal areas. Fish early and late during the day to maximize your time. River is extremely low. Pontoon boats recommended for navigation. Dated 7/26/10 The searun cutts are present in the lower river and can be had using a variety of dark flies such as Dk Caddis and Beetles or BH Stones and BH Prince. Be cautious as these fish are spooky in the shallows. Best to fish early and late and use light tippets. Dated 5/9/10 Winter run steelies are declining but the summers are just entering the river in good numbers. Lower river levels will make angling hard. 4/26/10 The Wilson River is currently at 4.2 feet and producing good numbers of steelhead in the lower river using fly rods. There are some spring salmon present. Please consult your game regs for details on the regulations governing this river. Some of the better patterns for this river are the Green Butt Skunk, Skykomish Sunrise, Freight Trains, Coal Cars, Purple Perils, Lady Carolines, Muddler Minnows BH Stones, BH Prince Nymphs and Spade Patterns for the lower clearer water. Black Heron Fly Fishing is a supplier of quality pontoon boats from Bucks Bags and Water Skeeter. Please call us for further details at: Black Heron Fly Fishing 1060 14th Ave Longview, Washington 98632 360-575-3970 office Dated 3/20/10 The Wilson has seen some very good winter steelie action lately with most action taking place in the lower river. Many fly anglers have been reported in this area lately taking advantage of the nice weather and river levels. Dated 12/27/09 The winter steelies are present in the Wilson river but mostly in the lower areas of river due the cold temps. The next few days should bring fresh fish in from the lower river and they should become more aggressive to to temps. The current level for this river is 4.81 feet which is perfect for drifting and fishing. Clarity is good also. Good patterns for this river would include bunny leeches, Guide intruders, Hoh Bo speys, Pick Yer Pocket, BH Buggers, Marabou Tube Flies and Steves String Leech. Fish slowly as the water temp makes the steelies very lethargic. Chinook are still present but very old and should be turned loose. Dated 12/9/09 River is very low at 4.2 feet but driftable in boat. Water is extremely cold at 36 degrees and fish has been slow while temps are very low. Steelhead are present but reports are also lacking to temps. Last reports had Chinook salmon still present in river along with winter steelies. Good patterns for this river would include bunny leeches, Guide intruders, Hoh Bo speys, Pick Yer Pocket, BH Buggers, Marabou Tube Flies and Steves String Leech. Fish slowly as the water temp makes the steelies very lethargic. Dated 11/12/09 The Wilson river has good numbers of Fall Chinook present in the lower river level is at 5.5 ft which is perfect and driving the chinook into the system. There are also chum salmon which frequent this system and can be a great source of sport. Fly rodders should concentrate on using large patterns such as Intruders, Bunny Leeches and Marabou String leeches to get chinook and chum salmon to bite. Dated 10/17/09 The Wilson river has good numbers of Chinook salmon in the tidal area from the increased amounts of rain. Just the beginning with the peak time most likely occurring in early November to Mid November The Wilson should come alive as more rain occurrs on the coast and the fish begin to move up stream. Dated 10/10/09 The Wilson river is prime for fall chinook. The prime ingredient will be water in the form of rain in the next few days . Be looking for the river to raise with the fall rains and lots of fish to enter the river and surrounding area. Fall Chinook are present in the ocean and Tillamook bay. Be prepared for the coming rains as the fishery will only last a few weeks at best. Thesurrounding rivers such as the Kilchis and Trask will also recieve large numbers of fish as the rains appear in the next few days. Dated 9/10/09 The Wilson river is a prime summer steelie river in the upper sections with a fly rod. Plan on this river producing summers till the Chinook show in late October when the rains appear. Light leaders and small flies are standard here. Cutthroat trout are beginning to show in small numbers. Dated 8/23/09 The Wilson River is still very low but has seen a increase in the number of summer steelies being caught making this a good bet at the moment. The Sea Run Cutthroats are a also increasing in number and will continue through the fall. If your planning to float this river be prepared for shallow water and to use pontoon boats. Good flies to try would include the Elk Hair Caddis, Pheasnt Tail Nymph, Soft Hackles and Prince Nymphs. Other patterns to consider are the Reverse Spider, Wooly Bugger, Spruce Fly and Purple Joe. Black Heron Fly Fishing is a supplier of quality pontoon boats from Bucks Bags and Water Skeeter. Please call us for further details at: Black Heron Fly Fishing 1060 14th Ave Longview, Washington 98632 360-575-3970 office Dated 8/9/09 The Wilson river is fair for summer steelies and good for searun cutthroat trout. The river is low and clear due to summer heat. The best time to fish are early and late in the day. Fishing area with shade and depth in the river will produce fish in these types of situations. Good flies to try would include the Elk Hair Caddis, Pheasnt Tail Nymph, Soft Hackles and Prince Nymphs. Other patterns to consider are the Reverse Spider, Wooly Bugger, Spruce Fly and Purple Joe. Pontoons are a good thing on this river as boating with a hard shell may be difficult. Dated 6/22/09 FREE SPEY FISHING CONCLAVE SPONSORED BY BLACK HERON FLY FISHING 1060 14TH AVE LONGVIEW, WASHINGTON 98632 360-575-3970 OFFICE AUGUST 1ST , 2009 ON THE COWLITZ RIVER FROM 10:00AM TILL 5:00PM Please see home page for map of spey clave location. The Wilson has seen some summer run return but water levels are low. The peak of the run has not occurred. Dated 6/11/09 The Wilson river is running at 3.75 feet and is clear. This river will begin seeing more and more summer steelies as the summer progresses. Some of the better patterns for this river are the Green Butt Skunk, Skykomish Sunrise, Freight Trains, Coal Cars, Purple Perils, Lady Carolines, Muddler Minnows BH Stones, BH Prince Nymphs and Spade Patterns for the lower clearer water. The summer has arrived and this is definitely a floating fly line river now with fish being more concentrated. The best approaches for this river are to fish down and accross with a long leader or use a strike indicator and nymph pattern. If you have a pontoon boat or drift boat this will allow better access. Dated 5/23/09 The Wilson river has been running alittle high recently but has fallen to 4.5 feet which is perfect for fly fishing for steelhead. The water is contnuing to fall and this will only cause the fish to congregate providing a better target for the fly angler. Single and double handed rods make good choices for this river since there is a variety of water contained in its makeup. Some good fly choices for this river would be General Parctitioners, small Intruders, Hoh Bo flies, Green Butt Skunks, Skykomish Sunrise, Purple Peril, Muddler Minnow in Black and Purple, Steelhead Mojos, BH Stone Fly Nymphs, Glo Bugs, Egg Sucking Leeches, Small String Leeches and Large Prince Nymph style patterns. Ten- fifteen foot sinking tip fly lines and sinking leaders will put you in front of your favorite steelies for maximum effect. Dated 5/13/09 The Wilson river has been doing well for summer steelies and should continue till the water falls to low levels. Current water level is 5.5 feet and falling . Dated 4/11/09 FREE SPEY FISHING CONCLAVE SPONSORED BY BLACK HERON FLY FISHING 1060 14TH AVE LONGVIEW, WASHINGTON 98632 360-575-3970 OFFICE AUGUST 1ST , 2009 ON THE COWLITZ RIVER FROM 10:00AM TILL 5:00PM DETAILS WILL FOLLOW ON LOCATION AS WEB SITE IS UPDATED. Dated 4/11/09 The Wilson river is seeing small slowing for the winter run steelies due to lower pressure from anglers. Now is a good time to get a large native Wilson Steelie on a fly rod. The summer run will beginning showing in larger numbers soon as spring rains increase. Black Heron Fly Fishing is supplier of quality pontoon boats from Bucks Bags and Water Skeeter. Please contact us for further details at: Black Heron Fly Fishing 1060 14th Ave Longview, Washington 989632 260-575-3970 office 3/25/09 The Wilson river has seen moderate success with fly anglers scoring a few hits and catches here as the water level has been good for the fly fishing. Current level is 5.2 on 3/25/09 as measured by the USGS. This is a very good river level and should push more fish into the river with the currnet rains. Black Heron Fly Fishing is supplier of quality pontoon boats from Bucks Bags and Water Skeeter. Please contact us for further details at: Black Heron Fly Fishing 1060 14th Ave Longview, Washington 989632 260-575-3970 office DATED 3/11/09 The Wilson river has seen a good increase in the number of winter steelies being caught due to warmer temps and lower water conditions. This trend should continue for the next few weeks. Plan on fishing the main bodies of the runs and tail outs for best success. Fish are spread throughout the system and should provide excellent opportunity for fly anglers. Water level was 4.4 feet as of 3/11/09. The Kilchis river has a good run of native run steelies present at this time and should provide excellent opportunity for the fly angler. These fish are spread throughout the system from the park to the mouth of river. Plan on using a drift boat for access but be wary about blockages on this river. Dated 2/9/09 The Wilson river is producing good numbers of winter steelies with a good mix of native and hatchery fish being caught. Fish are being found throught the system. The best areas for boaters are in the lower river. The water level is low and clear so adjust your tactics accordingly using smaller darker patterns with lighter leaders. Dated 1/24/09  Elliot Jenkins with a 42" native winter steelie caught using a single hand fly rod on the north Oregon coast. Caught and released. Needless to say the prosoect of getting a 42 inch steelie is remote. These fish are out there and are a pleasure to see a picture of. Congratulations to Elliot Jenkins on his catch. Photo submitted by Gary Sandstrom. The Wilson river has fish in the system and is producing good numbers of fish after the flooding. This would be an excellent spot to check. 12/21/08 The winter steelheading on the Wilson river should be very good as the temperture begins to rise. The current river level is 4.4 feet and the temperture of water is running at 39 degrees. This provides fishing conditions that require smaller flies and lighter leaders to help with the take of the fly. The river has seen a increase in rain fall in the last 24 hours totallinig 1 inch approximately. The recent cool temps have also reduced the number of anglers along the river providing the hardiest anglers more access to the prime waters with a fly rod. There are good reports from anglers venturing out this week that they were able to hook steelhead on a fair basis using sinking tip fly lines. Black Heron Fly Fishing is supplier of quality pontoon boats from Bucks Bags and Water Skeeter. Please contact us for further details at: Black Heron Fly Fishing 1060 14th Ave Longview, Washington 989632 260-575-3970 office Dated 12/13/08 The Wilson River has received another 3/4" of rain in the last few days and snow is in the forecast for the coastal range. The currnet river level on the Wilson river is 4.5 feet which places the Wilson on the must hit list for winter steelheading. The cooler than normal temps will hopefully drive a few of the anglers into the shopping malls freeing up space for the dedicated fly anglers. Plan on taking some warm clothes with you this weekend because 9 degrees is forecast for the Portland area on Monday morning according to the weather channel.. Black Heron Fly Fishing is supplier of quality pontoon boats from Bucks Bags and Water Skeeter. Please contact us for further details at: Black Heron Fly Fishing 1060 14th Ave Longview, Washington 989632 260-575-3970 office 12/8/08 The Wilson river is running perfect for fishing steelies at 4.8 feet and has recieved about 3/4 inch of rain in the last 24 hours. This should push even more fish into this system. There is a storm front on the approach and thus now is a good time to be on the river. The storm will bring more water and thus even more fish to this area. Please checkout the weather site located on the front page of this website for further details. Plan on fishing patterns like Bead Head Lifters, General Practitioners, Polar Shrimp, Black and Orange String leeches, Comets, Bead Head Wooly Buggers, Hoh Bo Spey flies, Green Lanterns, Pink Panthers and others. Plan on using sinking tip fly lines and and slow presentations due to water temps being lower. 12/4/08 The Wilson river has seen a increase in the number of winter steelies entering the river. This is mostly due to the rain from 2 weeks ago. The fish are there and waiting for a fly to be presented. The water levels have fallen in a lower than normal level so the fish should be congregated in specific areas waiting for rain to make there migration upstream easier. This stream has alot of private land surrounding it thus access is harder. Use of a Pontoon Boat or Drift Boat makes access much easier. The current river level is 4.6 feet and is perfect for fly fishing and still provides you enough water to drift through the river easily. Black Heron Fly Fishing is supplier of quality pontoon boats from Bucks Bags and Water Skeeter. Please contact us for further details at: Black Heron Fly Fishing 1060 14th Ave Longview, Washington 989632 260-575-3970 office 11/20/08 The river is running at a perfect level and should provide some excellent fishing this weekend with a water level at just over 5.5 feet There are chinook salmon still present here and the winter steelies are on the move in this river after the rains last week. Plan on making this a great place to check out the fishing. Check your river levels out before heading out on www.blackheronflyfishing.com Black Heron Fly Fishing is supplier of quality pontoon boats from Bucks Bags and Water Skeeter. Please contact us for further details at: Black Heron Fly Fishing 1060 14th Ave Longview, Washington 989632 260-575-3970 office 11/06/08 The Wilson river should be in full swing at this time with the current rains depositing much needed flows for the chinook and chum to find there ways up stream. The stream flows on the Wilson are absolutely perfect for the Chinook and Chum salmon and there move up stream having moved from 3.0 ft to 4.8 ft in the last few days. This is a highly under rated river for fly anglers but offers a very dynamic fishery using fly rods due to the fish being highly aggressive and holding in tight areas due to the size of the river. Plan on using larger rods such as 10 weights and spey rods due to the size of the fish in the Wilson. The best patterns for the Wilson are the weighted Egg Sucking Leech, Comets in Orange and Black, Bunny Leeches, Large Glo Bugs, Brite Roes, Orange and Black Spade, Red and Black Spade, Intruders, Pick Yer Pocket and Hoh Bo spey patterns. Plan on fishing deep and slow for these fish using deep water express lines or Teeny sinking lines like the T Series fly Lines in T200, 300, and 400. The tidal area around Tillamook should be rocking with many large chinook and chum in the Wilson river estuary, Dourthey slough and lower Trask as well until mid November. The first winter steelies should probably also occurr in the Wilson and Trask around the middle part of November to the last part of November. This will defintely be a rain related entrance as with most fishing on the coast of Oregon is. 10/12/08 The first fall chinook should arrive on the next rain in this river and continue through the middle of November. Plan on seeing large fish in the 35-45 pound range later in November with 20-35 pound common in October. There are also those rare 50-60 pounders caught here every year mostly by gear guys using boats or bobber fishing in the lower river. Many fish will hang in the tidal areas waiting for the river to rise above the 5.0 level before migrating upstream. The Kilchis river will contain a run that usually occurs at the same time and will be equally large. If you have a boat it would be a good idea to visit both rivers on the same day hitting hot spots only. 10/3/08 This should be the weekend we see the Chinook enter the Trask in force with the storms approaching bringing in rain. The fish should move into the tidal areas and begin to congregate then move up stream in short order depending on rain amounts deposited in the next few days. There are a few coho in the lower tidal areas and there have been good reports on these fish but they are sporadic. Within the next 7-10 days expect the chinook and chum to enter the Kilchis and Wilson rivers in there tidal areas. After the next few rains they will migrate upstream and start spreading out. 9/25/08The first fall chinook and coho are entering Tillamook Bay and getting ready to enter the Trask River. The Coho have entered this river and have a few fish in the hatchery. When the Trask peaks the first week of October or last week in September begin looking for the Wilson to start also within about 7 -14 days. The Wilson traditionally has the larger Fall Chinook and can be fished from tidewater upstream.The next good rain should push large numbers of coho and chinook into the Trask and Wilson rivers. The best steelie fishing has been in the upper river. The searun cutts are also present but found more in the lower river and tide water. The fish and game dept say the river is doing fair for steelies and good for sea run cutts. The water level is still low but this is par for this time of year. Plan on fishing early in the morning or late in the day.The Wilson river is running low but should be accessable by using Pontoon boats. Please consult regulations for all closures and regulation pertaining to this river. The sea run cutthroats are probably your best bet on this river and should be active in the mornings and evenings. Plan on using small flies and light leaders these fish get pounded all summer long and are very alert. Thanks for visiting
Black Heron Fly Fishing 1060 14th Ave. Longview, Washington 98632 360-575-3970 www.blackheronflyfishing.com |