Hello friends its almost Christmas here on the Oregon Coast and the winter is upon us. Rain, wind , and a big swell become the new normal for us here in Charleston. I am a native Oregonian though and come prepared with Gore-Tex and wool socks. One thing I have definitely noticed as I have gotten older is that the cost of my raingear has sure went up. Staying dry and warm is a lot more important to me than it has ever been . This year I ordered Pro Dry Raingear from Simms, and as a Pro Staff for the company I have got to say it was one of the best purchases I have made this season. Retailing at over 1000$ for the top and bottom it is the most expensive gear I have ever purchased. It is however the lightest, thickest, and most comfortable well fitting gear I have ever owned. Bone dry in coastal downpours for hours. You’ll see me wearing it this season on all my drift boat steelhead trips, and ocean charters with the new boat. We have been getting out a little this winter for lingcod and rockfish and experienced great catches like Id expect for this time of the year. Rockfish are congregating to spawn and so are the big lingcod making it even easier to target them on the reef. Just a few weeks ago I got to reel in a world record Canary Rockfish. I was fishing a deep reef, 300 plus feet deep, with the electric reels and squid baits when I hooked up with her. Man did it pull hard I thought it was a lingcod until I got a look at it on the surface. Like looking a a trophy deer or elk there was no ground shrinkage on this fish. I knew it was a likely record breaker as soon as it was aboard. I had caught alot of canary rockfish but this one was the biggest at 11.85 lbs. beating the world record by almost 2 lbs. Now the process of getting it certified is something else. SO many hoops to just through. We weighted it on certified scales at Chucks Seafood and shot video of it all if you’d like to see it. Easy to just go to my Facebook page and see it in the recent videos if you missed it. I once caught a largemouth bas that was as big as this fish in a pond near Lebanon Oregon when I was a kid. It would have been the next Oregon State record for bass but we didn’t get it certified and actually ate the fish. It wasn’t until years later I met a pro bass fisherman and told him the story that I found out that the fish was a trophy record breaker. I have to laugh about it all or I would cry. LOL. I know what your thinking its just a fish story but I am Sharky! Ill tell you if shit is going to happen good or bad it seems to happen to me. I have always been both blessed and cursed when it comes to this in my life. For example I came upon 7 resting marlin just 20 miles of Charleston this summer and couldn’t hook one of them! It was an amazing experience though and I bet you see me with one next season! I hear of lots of steelhead being caught in all the local hatchery holes this season which is a big change over last year. The regular bank maggots are plugging up the holes on the West Fork and East Fork of the Millicoma and as the season goes on its only going to get worse. The word is getting out that the fish are biting. So go early and get a rock. Try and be friendly and keep a positive attitude but be ready to run to get your piece of real estate. Otherwise call me up and we can get you out in the boat with a nice seat and platform to cast from for the day as we drift the river. I love fishing all of the river from the Umpqua to the Elk.  Last season the fish never showed up in any number and I think it was the worst steelhead season I have ever experienced. This year sounds a lot different and I am really looking to getting the drift boat back out and having some double digit days again like we used to. I cant wait to use the LURED beads that Randy Bales is shipping me. These beads he has are UV covered and the steelhead seem to really go for them. They are a hard bead so fishing them is a bit different than say the new/old soft beads. Lots of information on the LURED BEADS website. Both work great for steelhead. I always say that there’s more than one way to skin a cat. You just have to figure out what works best for you and then master the technique. Confidence in your presentation is key. These steelhead are not hard to catch just hard to find some days and getting the lure in front of them is key. One last thing remember what they say about months that end in R. They are crab months and its time to get your crab on. I am running trips in the bay this season which is a new one for me and its affordable at 100$ a person so lets go! So get out and enjoy the rain this winter and catch a fish or two. Until then Ill see you on the water.