Updated for the week of September 30th – October 6th, 2005
Oregon Fishing Update
Columbia River - Not exactly a great amount to report here. Catch and keep sturgeon fishing resumes on October 1st on the mainstem between Wauna and Bonneville Dam. The best results will likely be in the gorge and bank anglers have good history this time of year.
The Columbia remains open to fin-clipped coho and steelhead but closes to the retention of Chinook on 10/1. Another downgrade in run size is forthcoming.
Tuna seekers are having to travel further west and results very. Big schools were reported about 50 miles west of Tillamook Head on Wednesday- a tough ride in rough seas.
Crabbing in the lower river is picking up as scheduled. Limits can be had but you still may have to work for them. And speaking of shellfish, clamming on Clatsop Beaches is going to re-open on 10/1. There are some good tides ahead as well. Target the middle part of the week but you'll need to bring your camping lantern.
Mid Columbia/Deschutes River - Some steelhead are all the way up to Mecca Flats. Fly anglers on the upper river are doing best matching the ongoing caddis hatch.
The fishery at the mouth went from great to mediocre as can often be the case this time of year. Hopefully, the gillnets will cease fishing, stimulating more consistent results in this fishery.
North Coast - Tillamook continues to be the bright spot on much of the Oregon Coast. Consistent results came from the lower bay and ocean as weak tides allowed for favorable conditions for herring trollers. Seaweed is still an impediment and likely will be that way for a while longer. The precipitation that is forecasted for the weekend likely won't raise river levels enough to drift but may stimulate migration into the estuaries. Spinners will be the technique of choice for weekend anglers with a rough ocean in the forecast.
Tidewater anglers are having mixed results with more bad days than good. The Trask does have fish but better tides may bring in better numbers to the Nestucca, Salmon and Nehalem Rivers too.
Mid-Coast - Chinook fishing on the Siletz is a crapshoot with everything taking chinook every so often. Spinners, bobber 'n' eggs or soaking bait-wrapped Kwikfish have all been effective on occasion over the last week. Crabbing in Yaquina Bay has been good although only a few chinook have being landed. Chinook are being taken on the Alsea by anglers using trolled spinners as well as those fishing bobber 'n' eggs. Plug cut herring is taking some salmon out of the Siuslaw River.
South Coast - Umpqua steelheading is fair to good in places. Smallmouth fishing remains great. Winchester Bay is providing chinook action on the troll. Seals are a problem and at least one angler was the victim of an unprovoked, outright pinniped attack. Rogue River Chinook remain scattered with fishing is slow overall, best around Grants Pass. Steelheading is fair to good in the fly fishing only stretch.
Willamette Valley/Metro- Streams and rivers are low and clear. Most would benefit from s flushing rain. Not much is likely to change regardless of the weather on the North Santiam. Fish are scattered and action is spotty. Sandy River coho anglers are seeing fish occasionally clear to Cedar Greek but fishing is slow. Plug-pullers are taking a few at the mouth. There are good numbers of coho staging at the mouth of the Clackamas as well. Only a few are being caught. This one will break loose of the precipitation that's in the forecast amounts to anything.
Trout fishing- Twelve-inchers have been stocked this week at Alder Lake, Buck Lake, Dune Lake, Georgia Lake, North Georgia Lake, Perkins Lake and Siltcoos Lagoon. In the Willamette Valley, West Salish Pond, Detroit Reservoir and Foster Reservoir were planted. The last planting of 2005 for Henry Hagg Lake took place on Monday.
