Steelhead Showdown & Elk Scouting: Road Hunter Ep. 41

We went steelhead fishing this summer at exactly the wrong time of year, got skunked, and still walked out of the tackle shop with half of it in a bag. Episode 41 of the Road Hunter Podcast covers that trip, a regulation sign that made no sense, and an elk scouting run up toward Astoria and the Wilson unit that ended with a truck mechanic saga, a lost arrow, and a run-in with a very large bullsnake.

Watch the full episode below, or keep reading for the rundown.

We Tried Steelhead Fishing in the Wrong Month

Last episode was with John. Since then, archery season started, we took up steelhead fishing, and we started planning a salmon trip. This episode is the recap of that steelhead attempt, and it did not go the way we hoped.

We went in July and August. Turns out that’s technically steelhead season, but it’s not a good time to actually catch one, something we only learned after the fact. One fish showed itself, maybe a steelhead, maybe just a big trout, Eli’s not totally sure. Our one real shot at it went like this: Brad spotted it holding in a crack in the rock from above, handed Eli the fly rod, and Eli’s approach spooked it before the nymph ever hit the water. That was the whole opportunity.

We fished a pool we’d worked from a different angle before, this time from upriver instead of down. A lot of the water was too shallow for a fish to actually run into and hold, so most of it wasn’t worth the time we gave it.

What We Bought Chasing One Fish

Getting skunked didn’t stop Eli from loading up on gear. Here’s the haul, Eli researched most of it the night before using Google’s AI, which he will absolutely tell you he’s won arguments with:

• Salmon flashers, both the short-bus style and the triangular spinny kind
• Steelhead-labeled bobbers
• Panther Martin spinners in black, purple, pink and white, and gold
• Plastic worms in black with red tips and blue with pink tips
• Nymphs, picked with help from an AI chat that got corrected more than once
• Two rods re-strung with P-Line Teflon-coated braid and about a 3-foot leader

If you actually want to catch a steelhead instead of just outfitting for one, we put together a full beginner’s guide to Oregon steelhead fishing, timing, technique, and all the things we didn’t know going in.

The Regulation Sign That Made No Sense

Somewhere on that same river, we ran into signage that said no angling allowed above the painted rock and the falls. Sounds specific until you’re standing in a logging area with multiple painted rocks and a series of waterfalls, and zero idea which one the rule is actually talking about. No coordinates, no mile marker, nothing.

We’re not against the rule. We just want to follow it, and that’s hard to do when the marker system assumes there’s only one painted rock in an area covered in them. A coordinate or an actual mile marker on the road would solve this in about five minutes. Always check ODFW’s current fishing regulations before you go, but know that even doing your homework doesn’t always save you from a sign that doesn’t make sense on the ground.

We Don’t Archery Elk Hunt, But Jacob Does

To be clear up front: neither of us archery hunts elk. Our friend Jacob does, and his season is already underway. We’re planning to have him on a future episode to talk through how it went, so if you’re looking for someone actually bow hunting elk this fall, that conversation is coming, just not from us directly.

Elk Scouting Near Astoria and the Wilson Unit

What we did instead was scout. The plan was a 2am wake-up and a run north, all the way up toward Seaside, then the area next to Astoria, then over into the Wilson unit. Neither of us had hunted that specific ground before, so none of this is us giving away a honey hole.

The trip started sideways. Eli’s truck had electrical gremlins left over from a mechanic’s repair, throttle response would cut out entirely at highway speed on I-5, forcing him to drop it into neutral, kill it, and restart it while still rolling. We switched to Brad’s truck for the rest of the trip. Same mechanic eventually made it right, but it took a few months of follow-up to get there.

On the ground, we ran into other hunters working the same country who hadn’t patterned anything either. We saw cow elk, no bulls, nothing consistent enough yet to build a plan around. That’s scouting some years, you put in the miles and come away with a general sense of where the animals are living rather than a specific spot to sit opening morning. If you haven’t built out your own scouting process yet, our e-scouting guide is the place to start before you ever burn the gas to drive up there.

Ryan’s Lost Arrow and the Bullsnake That Nearly Got Brad

Separate from the elk trip, Brad and Ryan went back to try to recover an arrow from a bull Ryan shot and never recovered last season. The hit looked survivable, plenty of blood but nothing that added up to a fatal shot, so there was a real chance the arrow was still sitting in a spot neither of them had checked.

Getting there meant a steep, ugly bushwhack down to a creek. Ryan took the direct route and paid for it the whole way down. Brad tried to route around what looked like a smarter path, and nearly stepped directly on a large bullsnake tucked into what barely qualified as a game trail. Some people call them bullsnakes, others say gopher snake, either way they are harmless, non-venomous, and common throughout Oregon, none of which mattered in the moment. Brad ended up working across a downed log to put distance between himself and the snake before continuing down. They never found the arrow.

What’s Next

Up next: a trip to Cummings Creek Retreat to shoot, sight in a rifle, and get some seat time on an excavator. After that, we’re running eastern Oregon and Cascade scouting trips over the next couple of months, looking at ground we don’t normally hunt.

FAQ

Is summer a good time to fish for steelhead in Oregon?

Technically it’s within season on rivers with a summer run, but July and August aren’t the best timing. We found that out firsthand, fished it anyway, and got skunked.

Do Brad and Eli archery hunt elk?

No. Their friend Jacob does, and he’s the one actually archery hunting elk this season. They plan to have him on a future episode to cover it.

Where did the elk scouting trip happen?

North toward Seaside, the area next to Astoria, and the Wilson unit. Neither of them had scouted that specific ground before.

What did they see while elk scouting?

Cow elk only, no bulls, and nothing consistent enough yet to build a hunting plan around.

Are bullsnakes dangerous in Oregon?

No. Some people call them bullsnakes, others say gopher snake, and they’re non-venomous and common throughout Oregon. They’re harmless, though startling one at close range in the field doesn’t feel that way in the moment.

Did they recover the lost bull or the arrow from last season?

No. They went back to search for the arrow from a bull Ryan shot and never recovered the previous season, but the search came up empty.

Get Out There

Wrong month, no fish, no bulls, no arrow, and a snake that nearly ended Brad’s day early. That’s most seasons, honestly, and it’s still worth doing. We’ll see you in the next one.