SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2018 | 5B
Whales
from 1B
its annual Whale Watching
Spoken Here program.
The program places trained
volunteers at 24 whale-watch-
ing sites along the coast during
“watch” weeks.
Volunteers who complete
the one-day training can select
a whale-watching site, where
they will be stationed to assist
visitors in spotting gray whales
and maintain a count of
whales spotted.
Fishing
from 1B
Fall Chinook fishing on the
Siuslaw river/bay has been
slow. Warm and dry weather
this week will continue to
stack fish in the estuary wait-
ing for the next big rain event..
Best techniques include troll-
ing herring/spinners and bob-
ber fishing with bait.
All wild coho must be
released for the 2018 fall salm-
on season.
In addition to the winter
whale migration in December,
grey whales will make a return
trip in the spring, March 24
through 31, 2019.
Volunteers can register for
the training online at www.
whalespoken. wordpress.com,
as well as select a watch site.
The training is required for
new volunteers, and returning
volunteers are encouraged to
repeat the course every few
years to learn the latest gray
whale research results.
The first of three training
sessions is set for Saturday,
Dec. 1, in Newport, at the
Hatfield Marine Science
Center.
Training will be delivered by
Dr. Bruce Mate, an expert on
whales and director of the
Oregon State University
Marine Mammal Institute.
Additional volunteer train-
ing is scheduled for Saturday,
Jan. 26, 2019, in Charleston at
the Oregon Institute of Marine
Biology, and also Saturday,
March 2, 2019, at the Clatsop
Community College in
Astoria.
For whale seekers simply
wanting an up-close and per-
sonal view, Dockside Charters
in Depoe Bay will offer daily
whale watching excursions
starting in mid-December.
Just south of Lincoln City,
Depoe Bay is considered the
“Whale Watching Capital of
the Oregon Coast” and is also
home to the Oregon State
Parks Whale Watching Center.
“We offer 90-minute whale
watching excursions for the
winter,” says Loren Goddard,
one of the owners of Dockside
Charters. “Typically our excur-
sions are an hour long, but
because the whales are moving
fast to Mexico, we have to
accommodate for that. We rec-
ommend that visitors make
reservations early because the
winter excursions are very
popular.”
Goddard says what makes
the trips so popular is that
“Visitors are curious about
whales on the coast. And the
whales are just as curious
about us as we are of them,”
Goddard explains. “The best
part is when they come right
up to the boat. Seeing these
mammals up-close is a very
special experience.”
Gray whales can grow up to
45 feet in length (13.7 meters)
— longer than a city bus —
and weigh more than 45 tons
(41,000 kg).
To learn more about the
winter and spring
whale-watching seasons, con-
tact the Depoe Bay Whale
Watching Center at 800-551-
6949.
Lake Creek, a tributary of
the Siuslaw River, is closed for
the 2018 fall salmon season.
Sea-run cutthroat will begin
entering the lower river later
this month and into the fall.
These fish are very aggressive,
respond well to flies and lures,
and can be up to 20-inches
long.
Trout fishing is open in
streams and rivers.
ALSEA RIVER: Cutthroat
trout, fall Chinook
A few fall Chinook are
being caught everyday but
overall the fishing has been
slow. Warm and dry weather
this week is holding fish in the
estuary waiting for a signifi-
cant rise in the river levels.
Fresh fish will continue to
enter the estuary on each tide
and “stage” throughout the
estuary waiting for a bigger
rain event. Best techniques
include trolling herring/spin-
ners and bobber fishing with
bait.
All wild coho must be
released during the 2018 fall
salmon season.
Sea-run cutthroat will con-
tinue to enter the estuary and
lower river throughout the
month and into the fall. These
fish are very aggressive,
respond well to flies and lures,
and can be up to 20-inches
long.
SALMON RIVER: Cutthroat
trout, fall Chinook
Fall Chinook fishing on the
Salmon River has been slow
this year. Fish are being caught
every day but it has been slow
overall. Fish will continue to
stack up in the tidewater wait-
ing for the next big rain event.
Best techniques include troll-
ing herring/spinners, bobber
fishing with bait, and casting
spinners from the bank.
All wild coho must be
released during the 2018 fall
salmon season.
Sea-run cutthroat are also
available in the Salmon River.
Although not as popular as the
larger rivers in the area, the
Salmon River still provides
opportunity to catch these
scrappy trout up to 20-inches
in length.
Trout fishing is open in
streams and rivers.
SILETZ RIVER: Steelhead,
cutthroat trout, fall Chinook
Fall Chinook fishing on the
Siletz river/bay has been slow
but anglers are catching a few
fish every day. Fish are now
scattered throughout the entire
estuary and will continue to
stage waiting for the next big
rain event. Best techniques
include trolling herring/spin-
ners lower in the estuary, while
bobber fishing with bait and
casting spinners from the bank
generally works better higher
in the estuary.
All wild coho must be
released during the 2018 fall
salmon season.
Summer steelhead are in the
river. Fishing has picked up as
water temperatures have start-
ed to cool down and we’ve had
a few small rains. Most of the
fish are located in the upper
river especially in the gorge
area. Early mornings or late
evenings are not as critical
with the cooler temperatures
and overcast weather so fish-
ing can be good throughout
the day. Casting spinners,
drifting bait or using a bobber
and jig can be effective.
Steelhead fishing is open in
the gorge area year round but
salmon fishing/retention is
closed upstream of the Illahee
boat ramp located in the town
of Siletz during the fall salm-
on seasons.
The 3.5-mile bridge (aka
Steel Bridge) in the Siletz
gorge is open to motorized
vehicles, but is only open to
public vehicles on the week-
end. Anglers can walk/bike in
the road during the weekdays.
If anglers do walk in they can
park at the one-mile gate and
start from there.
WILSON RIVER: Steelhead,
trout, fall Chinook
Very few Chinook have
moved up into the Wilson
River as of yet, and with the
current low flows it will take a
significant rain event to move
fish into the river in any real
numbers. Bobber fishing bait,
back bouncing, back-trolling
divers and bait, and large plugs
are all good river techniques
for fall Chinook.
Hatchery summer steelhead
are available throughout the
system and there are some fish
getting caught. Fall can actual-
ly be a great time to target
summer steelhead, because
these fish will get more active
as water temperatures drop
with the cooler nights and
occasional rain freshens the
river.
Concentrate on deep pools
and riffles with some chop and
cover to them. Drift fishing
small presentations, spinners,
and flies are good choices to
target these fish.
Sea-run cutthroat are pres-
ent in good numbers on the
North Coast this year, and
anglers will find them
throughout the basin.
YAQUINA RIVER:
Cutthroat trout, fall Chinook
Fall Chinook fishing on the
Yaquina river/bay has been
slow but anglers are catching a
few each day. Fishing will con-
tinue to improve as more fish
continue to move into the
estuary waiting for the fall
rains. Best techniques include
trolling herring/spinners and
bobber fishing with bait.
All wild coho must be
released during the 2018 fall
salmon season.
Sea-run cutthroat will con-
tinue to enter the lower river
later this month and into the
fall. These fish are very aggres-
sive, respond well to flies and
lures, and can be up to
20-inches long.
TENMILE LAKES: Trout,
coho salmon, warmwater spe-
cies, largemouth bass
Trout fishing on Tenmile
Lakes has slowed down with
the best fishing is in the early
morn-ings. Anglers should
focus on fishing in deeper
water.
The wild coho fishery in
Tenmile Lakes is open through
Dec. 31. Salmon anglers may
harvest 1 wild coho per day
with up to 5 wild coho for the
year in aggregate with Siltcoos
and Tahkenitch lakes. The
water level in Tenmile Lakes is
very low so it will take a few
good rains to bring the coho
into the lake.
Fishing for largemouth bass
has been good. Bass are hitting
plastics and jigs fished in
deeper water.
Yellow perch fishing is very
good this fall with lots of fish
in the 9- to 12-inch range.
Yellow perch have transitioned
away from the weedlines into
the deeper mudflats in the
lake. Anglers are using small
jigs or a worm on a hook
fished near the bottom.
UMPQUA RIVER, SOUTH:
CLOSED
The annual closure of the
South Umpqua and Cow
Creek began Sept. 16 and con-
tinues through Nov. 30.
Tributaries to the South and
Cow Creek also closed Sept. 15
until the opener in May.
WINCHESTER BAY:
Bottomfish, perch
Fishing in the Triangle and
South jetty has been success-
ful. Chinook and coho are
being caught from the shore at
Half Moon Bay and Osprey
Point.
COOS RIVER BASIN:
Rockfish, trout, salmon
Streams and rivers are open
to trout fishing through Oct.
31. Trout fishing in streams
and rivers is slow to due to low
water conditions. Trout anglers
can now use bait in all streams
that are open to trout fishing.
The daily limit for trout in
streams is 2 fish per day and
they must be 8-inches or lon-
ger.
Salmon fishing continues to
be slow and most anglers
stopped salmon fishing for the
year in Coos Bay. There is no
retention of wild coho in Coos
Bay this season.
Recreational fishing for bot-
tomfish is open in the ocean
along with bays and estuaries.
The daily bag limit for marine
fish is back to 5 plus 2 lingcod.
The retention of cabezon is no
longer allowed for the rest of
the year. Fishing for rockfish
and greenling continue to be
good inside Coos Bay near the
north jetty and other sub-
merged rock structures.
PACIFIC OCEAN and
BEACHES: Bottomfish, salm-
on, halibut, surfperch
Bottomfish anglers may now
fish at all depths for the
remainder of the year. The
daily bag limit for marine fish
is 5 plus 2 lingcod. The reten-
tion of cabezon is now closed
for the remainder of the year.
Bottomfish anglers have
returned to port with
near-limits of rockfish when
wind and waves have allowed
boats to get out. Lingcod fish-
ing has been scratchy out of
most ports but usually
improves during the fall and
winter.
The bottomfish fishery is
open at all depths with a gen-
eral marine fish bag limit of 5
fish. The longleader gear fish-
ery outside of the 40-fathom
regulatory line is open all year.
Catches often consist of a nice
grade of yellowtail, widow and
canary rockfishes.
The Stonewall Bank
Yelloweye Rockfish
Conservation Area (approxi-
mately 15 miles west of
Newport) is closed to all bot-
tomfish (groundfish) fishing,
including longleader gear trips.
Anglers may also choose to
fish the offshore longleader
fishery outside of the 40-fath-
om regulatory line which is
open year-round. The long-
leader fishery has a daily bag
limit of 10 fish made of yel-
lowtail, widow, canary, red-
stripe, greenstripe, silvergray,
and bocaccio rockfish. No
other groundfish are allowed
and offshore longleader fish-
ing trips cannot be combined
with traditional bottomfish,
flatfish or halibut trips.
The Elk River Fall Chinook
State Waters Terminal Season
is Nov. 1-30.
From Humbug Mountain
to the OR/CA border, salmon
fishing is closed for the sea-
son.
SHORE and ESTUARY
FISHING:
Public piers provide oppor-
tunities to catch surfperch
and baitfish and to drop crab
pots (but check first for crab
health safety closures).
Surfperch are available
year-round, with the best fish-
ing occurring when swells are
small.
ESTATE SALE
11/16-17, 9AM–3PM
Sat. only 11/17
9am-3pm
269 Ivy Street
Trailers, tools, furniture,
household, fi shing, air tools.
Moving Sale
Saturday Only 11/17
9am-3pm
822 1st Street,
near Old Town
Good Prices. Rain or Shine.
87849 Sandrift
(take Rhododendron Drive
to Oceana).
Liquidating contents of large
home, garage and RV barn.
Drexel furniture. Sectional
w/queen sleeper, swivel
recliners, dining sets,
dressers, housewares,
xmas decor. Large
collection of Fiestaware.
Walk-in closet full of larger
ladies clothing sizes m-5Xm
and size 9&11 shoes. Men’s
XL clothing, size 11-12
shoes. Weber BBQ, crab
pots, duck hunting supplies,
futon, offi ce supplies,
hunting supplies, fi shing,
camping, tandem bike,
outdoor games and much
more. This is a good one!
All sales fi nal. Cash & credit
cards accepted.
Local delivery available.
Absolutely no backpacks,
shopping bags,
or pets allowed.
View photos at
CindyWobbeEstates.com
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In 2019 we will be celebrating the 80th anniversary of our business in
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have always felt, for the friendship, trust and loyalty of those who live in this
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