Tillamook Area Steelhead Fishing Guide
Jan–April

Steelhead trout are prized for their strength, speed, and unpredictable fights. Known for blistering runs and aerial displays, these sea-run rainbow trout offer a thrilling challenge for anglers.

Typically weighing between 6 to 15 pounds, Steelhead are sleek, powerful, and elusive. Found in coastal Oregon rivers, they peak during winter and early spring, making them a favorite for cold-season fishing adventures.

Winter Steelhead on the Wilson, Trask & Kilchis Rivers

Depending on the water conditions, Jamison can use a drift boat, a sled, or raft.

Steelhead are the fish that serious anglers chase all winter. Sea-run rainbow trout that return to their natal rivers with the first heavy rains of the season – they fight harder than their weight suggests, and they don’t come easy. Jamison has been fishing the Wilson, Trask, and Kilchis rivers for steelhead his entire guiding career. He knows the water, knows the conditions, and knows how to read a river for fish that don’t exactly advertise their location.

The Rivers

Jamison fishes three rivers primarily for steelhead: the Wilson, the Trask, and the Kilchis that all flow into Tillamook Bay. He also heads down to the Nestucca River occasionally. Each river has its own character, its own holding water, and its own ideal conditions. Jamison picks the right water for the day based on flows, clarity, and where fish have been showing.

The Boats

All three boats are used for steelhead depending on conditions and where Jamison plans to fish:

• The sled: works the lower and mid sections of the rivers in higher flows.
• The drift boat: covers classic runs and riffles.
• The raft: accesses the upper river—sections above where drift boats can go.

The Experience

Winter steelhead fishing is not the same as trolling a bay for salmon. It requires attention and some skill such as keeping your line tight, casting into the right area, working a drift correctly. “It’s definitely a sportsman’s type of fishing,” Jamison says. “There’s a lot more to steelhead fishing than going out in the bay and trolling.”

He’s taken complete beginners and gotten them fish. But steelhead fishing rewards anglers who have a little experience. If this is your first time fishing at all, consider starting with a bottom fishing or coho trip first, then coming back for steelhead.

On the Upper River

The raft trips on the upper Trask and upper Wilson are among some of Jamison’s favorite days on the water. Up above the standard drift boat launches, dragging gear through the brush to non-traditional put-ins, the fishing feels genuinely remote. “Almost like there aren’t any people anywhere around,” he says. “Just you and the scenery and the river.” Those trips require able bodies and a sense of adventure—but the fishing is rarely crowded and the scenery is something else.

The Biggest Steelhead

The biggest steelhead Jamison has ever caught wasn’t on a guided trip. It was in his backyard in the Nehalem River behind his house on Highway 6. A wild fish, estimated close to 30 pounds based on photos and measurements. Being a wild fish, he had to release it, but he still has the memory and the pictures.

Tillamook Steelhead Fishing Gallery