Umpqua River
The Umpqua River in southern Oregon is a beautiful river that begins below Diamond Lake, flows with its many forks more than 200 miles and empties into the Pacific at Winchester Bay. The combination of forks and mainstream make for a lot of fishing options near Roseburg all the way down to Scottsburg. The north fork is fished from Glide down to confluence, the south fork from Canyonville to the confluence and the main down to Scottsburg. So many forks mean for lots of floating options and a full day of fishing.
The Umpqua is frequently referred to as a diamond among gems in the Steelhead world. North, south and main confluence all see huge runs of native steelhead – with some hatchery in the mix. Most of the hatchery fish are headed up the south fork near Canyonville. The north sees a great number of mostly native fish.
Steelhead on the Umpqua
The Steelhead here are both natives and hatchery. Only hatchery may be retained; there is no native harvest. The fish average 6 to 12 pounds, with trophy opportunities. Steelhead on the river generally run through the winter, starting in December and going well through March. The most successful technique I've used for Steelhead on the Umpqua is side drifting.
My Impression
I've been fishing the Umpqua for more than 15 years. It’s one of my favorite places for Steelhead. Big fish are not uncommon and there are generally good, consistent runs.
Resources
More about the Umpqua River from Wikipedia.