[Paaka]

Anyone ever fished the Dean for steelhead in September?
Just looking for a bit of advice/info on the Dean river in September for steelhead. I have the possibility of giving the LOWER (below the falls) river a try in September and was wondering if anyone has done this in the past or heard good/bad/ugly things about this time frame for steelhead on the Dean. I know the primary run is July/Aug but does the Dean continue to get steelhead throughout September?
Thanks for all the comments/suggestions and feel free to PM me if you would rather communicate that way.
Thanks so much

 

[chrome/22]

I'd imagine a crap load of hot coho in the lower, don't know about the steelhats thou.


c/22

 

[sleestak240]

Most of the steelhead are above the falls/canyon at that point. I've been below the canyon in late August and the pickings were pretty slim for steelhead, so I would imagine a few weeks later in an average year the steelhead would be pretty scarce. There will be some decent Coho around most likely though. Honestly, you're probably better off looking a bit farther North in September for steelhead, unless you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit the Dean.

 

[Paaka]

Thanks for the replies.
Yea I have been told about the Coho fishing in Sept and how good it can be. Unfortunately I am kinda a steelhead junky and that would be the primary focus of the trip with Coho being secondary.

 

[Salmo_g]

I concur with Sleestak's assessment. The vast majority of the steelhead will be upstream of the canyon by Sept. Dean steelhead run entry timing is keyed to water temperature and river flow, which is what makes it a shorter season than on many other rivers. Just as there are some steelhead in June when the river opens - mainly for the Chinook salmon - there will likely be a few stragglers coming in at least during the first half of Sept. Coho fishing should be lights out in the lower section though.

 

[BDD]

I have always wanted to go in September but farther upstream for a float trip. The pressure must be way less in Sept. because nobody ever talks about it then. For the do-it-yourselfer, it has never intrigued to spend an entire week on the same bar/run, no matter how good the fishing is. My curiosity would get the best of me and I'd want to see more river. Spending a week on one run, well that just sounds crazy to me, almost to the point of insanity. But that is how it is done when not going with a guide. So I would have to bring a boat, drift, and camp along the way. The problem (so I'm told) is almost every good camping bar is taken during the prime July/August season. That is why the September idea came to mind. The fish must be there. I would guess the downside is the fish are not as "salty" (being farther upstream and later in the year) and you might have a higher chance of rain blowing the river out. Those are two conditions you deal with on the Skeena every year so I'm not sure what the difference is?

If you are confined/restricted to the lower river, then the guys who commented above are probably right, as far as the timing goes.

 

[jeff bandy]

I have always wanted to go in September but farther upstream for a float trip. The pressure must be way less in Sept. because nobody ever talks about it then. For the do-it-yourselfer, it has never intrigued to spend an entire week on the same bar/run, no matter how good the fishing is. My curiosity would get the best of me and I'd want to see more river. Spending a week on one run, well that just sounds crazy to me, almost to the point of insanity. But that is how it is done when not going with a guide. So I would have to bring a boat, drift, and camp along the way. The problem (so I'm told) is almost every good camping bar is taken during the prime July/August season. That is why the September idea came to mind. The fish must be there. I would guess the downside is the fish are not as "salty" (being farther upstream and later in the year) and you might have a higher chance of rain blowing the river out. Those are two conditions you deal with on the Skeena every year so I'm not sure what the difference is?

If you are confined/restricted to the lower river, then the guys who commented above are probably right, as far as the timing goes.

You might want to read this before you plan your trip.
http://www.oregonkayaking.net/rivers/dean/dean.html

 

[Paaka]

You might want to read this before you plan your trip.
http://www.oregonkayaking.net/rivers/dean/dean.html

Jeff-
Thanks for the info...really appreciate it. I would not be doing a kayak trip and after reading that and seeing the pics nor will I ever hahahah.
Thanks