Archived Reports: 2007, 2006, 2005

Date: December 23, 2007
Current Report

Today we went for a boat ride down the river with some out of town guests.  The river is climbing and a little off color.  We did not run into any fish as expected.  However, we ran into several mergansers that did not fair so well!!!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my readers!

Tim

Date: November 13, 2007
Current Report:

Well this is going to be a interesting one, as I am going to address a few issues as well as the fishing. We will start with the fishing as everyone knows the chinook are late again this year up and down the coast, I personally think it will turn out ok because I have been catching a lot of bucks which is the way the runs up here start. With that said I will tell you for myself the fishing has been unreal so far. I had nine days straight with boat limits in low water. The fish kept coming of a night as we had a series of evening high tides and the next day we would beat them up pretty good and the pressure got less and less. That will change with the water on the way as we speak. Last week we had the north coast salmon rendezvous, it is a two day, three night event to raise funds for our area fish enhancement and was a great success with a record amount of one hundred and twenty seven thousand dollars raised.This starts the issues I am not to happy with first off I won the thing as the first place guide. And wouldn't you know it a pile of other guides and private fishermen decided that this was the place to be. It didn't do them any good. (to bad) One in particular was telling his clients as I was parking my truck that he didn't know what the hell I was doing here not realizing that my client had been here already this week with me. You guessed it he was also in the rendezvous and hadn't been on the river once this year. Another thing that really pisses me off is the young want to be guides that are putting in and blowing down the river to see where I am at and then watching for two hours then trying to beat me the next day( yes you know who you are) The next is surrounding my boat and casting into the bite I have going, three ounce missiles landing on top of the fish doesn't help the bite in low water. Get a life and go find your own fish. I will finish the rant with saying this fishing report is a free tool for you to use I do not like the emails that I get throwing fits because I wont tell you which holes I am catching the fish in. I keep the reports behind because I don't think it would do me any good to have fifty of my closest cyberspace buddies that I have never met on the river the next day. I think it would take away from my clients experience. Good fishing Tim

Date: October 20, 2007
Current Report:

Well the rains have finally been consistent enough to raise the rivers and bring the fish in. Tidewater was very sporadic this year as well as most bays up and down the coast. As in the past years when this has happened the river has usually still been good fishing. We are going to get on the river about two weeks earlier than a normal starting this week and I expect to do well with decent numbers of fish. The chinook have been running big this year with a few caught in the 50lbs class already and lots of mid thirties to low forties. Tim

Date: November 30, 2007
Current Report:

With dismal runs of spring chinook coastwide and a sporadic run of summer steelhead coupled with low water  I am looking forward to the fall chinook season. Things are starting out a little slow this year up and down the coast but are starting to improve.  Tillamook bay is starting to produce some decent numbers of fish on days when the weeds are not to bad trolling herring in the memaloose area is kicking out some fish on trolled spinners. The nestucca bay has had some decent bites out at the jaws on herring and a sporadic bite on spinners farther inland as the smolts are to thick to fish bait effectively. We are hoping to get the rain that is being predicted to kick the river up which will help the river and tidewater both this weekend. I have been offline for a while as the computer crashed and I was out of town for a while. The reports will be back on regular again and I look forward to hearing from you. Tim  

Tim Barnett

Date: Tuesday 16, 2007
Current Report:

The high water cleared up real fast as when it started to drop we froze up solid over here. With temperatures in the low teens the water got real cold to and I thought it would slow the bite way down, boy was I wrong. Lee started thing off fast first thing in the morning with a miss then put one in the boat in short order and the action was fairly steady after that. We started out drift fishing and side drifted between the spots where we would anchor up and drift rags and eggs. By noon we were putting up some good numbers and then really got into a bunch of fish. He went one stretch with four casts for three fish and a miss and as soon as we left the spot he ripped another side drifting. The day was capped off with his first twenty pound native that was hooked in less than eighteen inches of water side drifting fish pills and eggs. I got out the next morning and fished in freezing rain with high expectations and had a slow day with Bill and Kelly a couple of local deputies we only had five bites and landed three fish. When this weather ever gets back to normal  the fishing is going to be outstanding. I would have took more pictures but with my frozen hands I was pushing the video button on the camera instead of the picture button. 

Tim Barnett

Date: Monday 1, 2007
Current Report:

The hatchery brats are starting to show up in good numbers as well as a handful of natives. I spent the weekend on the Nestucca with a group of two on Saturday and one on Sunday in all we hooked nineteen fish for the two days. We ended up bonking eight fish as the guide got a couple himself. Most of the fish were caught drift fishing rags with eggs and the others were caught side drifting eggs with fish pills. The color of the weekend seemed to be peach or rocket red rags with a few on chartreuse. The fish pill of choice was the orange clown {big surprise that was}. The year ended on a high note with Rich Hamilton landing a twenty two pound native buck.

Tim Barnett