We ran over to the Siuslaw and Lake Creek yesterday to check for salmon moving out of the tidewater and up into the free-flowing stretches. The river was on the drop after our first real rain of the season. We did encounter a few fish moving into the upper stretches, but most were dark and really not that numerous. If the second good freshet of the season follows the first within a short time period (one week or less) on the Siuslaw system, the fishing can become fast and furious. Unfortunately, current forecasts are not calling for any huge downpours soon. If a long dry spell occurs before the next freshet, we typically see more dark fish or mature spawners again in the next batch. For folks still fishing for trout on the McKenzie, giant October Caddis resembling salmonflies are now abundant. These large insects are like a 22 oz. New York Strip to hungry Redsides fattening up for the on-coming winter. A large orange stimulator can often fool these feisty natives this time of year.