COQUILLE RIVER BASIN: trout, striped bass, steelhead, smallmouth bass

Striped bass fishing in the lower Coquille has slowed substantially and very few anglers pursue this species this time of year due to high and muddy flows. An occasional fish might be caught using nightcrawler or 1/3 of an anchovy/herring bait on the bottom. Use of a sliding line through a three-way swivel or swivel stopper with drop lead is popular.

Smallmouth bass are essentially dormant in the winter throughout the Coquille River and main tributaries due to cooler water temps and lower metabolism. Spearfishing closed on October 31. Bait fishing for smallmouth remains open in tidewater locations and the Coquille River S.F. and where steelhead fishing is open. Fishing will be very slow, however, recent warm weather will bring a few fish into feeding mode. Either bait on the bottom or artificial grubs/worms worked very slowly are the best bet. Hardcore anglers may entice a small mouth bass to bite in the tidewater reaches upstream of Coquille, with bait on the bottom. There is no limit for smallmouth bass, which are destructive to salmon fry production.