Saturday, September 30, 2006

Oregon fishing update


Oregon Fishing Update

Willamette Valley/Metro - The coho bite in the Meldrum Bar stretch has been hot or cold with hundreds of fish in the river now. Peak migration is just past its peak in this area but catchable numbers are still present.


Sturgeon retention on the Willamette and Columbia re-opens in October on Thursdays through Saturdays with the first opportunity October 5th. The Columbia River Gorge will offer the best opportunities- especially for bank anglers.


Scores of coho can be seen rolling on the Sandy which can be frustrating if they're off the bite. Good numbers of fish are moving through Cedar Creek although catches are spotty in crowded conditions. Pocket water fishing with small egg clusters will take some fish.


Lots of coho are showing in the Clackamas, particularly at the mouth, but few of these finicky fish are being hooked. Early morning spinner casters are likely to take the most fish. Some decent summer steelhead are still being taken upstream. Eagle Creek is extremely low.


The North Santiam is a little high but should remain stable at this level until the fall rains. Steelhead prospects are good.


Henry Hagg Lake, West Salish Pond and Detroit Reservoir are scheduled to be planted with trout.


Northwest – The ocean on the north coast has been extremely calm allowing anglers to target chinook in the seaweed free zone just outside of Tillamook Bay. Fishing was excellent on Saturday but has been spotty ever since. A 51½ pounder was weighed in at Garibaldi Marina over the weekend. High pressure should offer more calm seas over the weekend.


In Tillamook Bay, chinook catches have become more consistent but seaweed continues to be a problem. Catches have comprised of more 5 year-old fish than in years past. These larger fish have been going 30 to 40 pounds and have been oddly absent the last 2 years in this fishery.


Crabbing on Tillamook Bay is competitive so limits are hard to come by. Fresh bait will produce the best results. Netarts and Nestucca estuaries are producing more consistent results.


Nehalem Bay is relatively poor for this time of year. Seaweed is also a factor here.


The Nestucca and Salmon Rivers near Pacific City have plenty of chinook present but the bite has been sporadic. The combination of eggs and shrimp under a bobber in the tidewater sections are taking the majority of fish.


Crabbing out of Hammond on the lower Columbia is excellent. Salmon effort is non-existent.


Albacore tuna are still an option and good numbers were taken within 20 miles last weekend.


Incoming tide is bringing fresh fish and fall chinook action is starting to pick up on the Siletz.


Offshore tuna fishing has been fair to good this week out of Newport and Depoe Bay. Most boats are returning to port with albacore catches in the teens. Salmon are being hooked at the 30 to 65-foot depths with most chinook in the 20 pound range.


Chinook are being taken in the Yaquina River. Fishing is slow at the Alsea where increasing numbers of sea lions await the coming chinook. Crabbing is great out of Newport and Waldport.


Southwest – Pressure is on at Siuslaw tidewater where trolled spinners are effective in taking modest numbers of chinook.


Ocean chinook catches have slowed out of Winchester Bay. Crabbing is yielding limits. The mainstem and South Umpqua are still kicking out smallmouth bass by the score.


Crabbing is excellent in Coos bay while chinook fishing is fair but improving.
Trollers in the Rogue estuary have seen an improvement in hookups this week. The Grants Pass stretch remains slow. Summer steelhead continue to be taken on the upper river but they're getting fairly colorful.


All-depth halibut, closed September 17th off the central coast, remains open South of Humbug Mountain. Nearshore halibut fishing is closed coast-wide.
Chetco anglers are catching good numbers of Chinook, with some really large ones in the mix. Chinook stacking offshore should provide excellent fishing when the Chetco Terminal fishery opens October 1st through 12th.


Tuna runs 50 or so miles offshore out of Brookings are yielding only fair catches of tuna.


Eastern - The Deschutes is at its peak for steelhead now until the middle of October or so when flows will change with rainfall. Currently, the water is low and clear with fish well distributed in the lower river. Trout fishers may expect to see large Mayflies and October Caddis hatches. With cool nights moderating the water temperatures, fly rodders on the middle Deschutes are doing well with Blue-Winged Olive and Pale Morning Dun patterns. Nymphing remains effective all day. The October Ceddis hatch is just starting up on this stretch but will become the predominant pattern in the next couple of weeks.

Oregon fishing information
Oregon fishing guides

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Oregon Fishing Update

Oregon Fishing Update

Willamette Valley/Metro - Portland area activity has come to an abrupt halt with the closing of the Columbia last week. Dam passage remains stable for Chinook but not the bump most were hoping for to enable sportanglers back into the river. Upriver fisheries closed well before peak opportunities existed.


Steelhead numbers are also starting to slow at Bonneville but The Dalles Dam is still reflecting good numbers where Deschutes River trollers are taking fish at the mouth in good numbers. The Columbia remains open to fin-clipped steelhead and coho.


Early catch and release statistics for Columbia River gorge sturgeon anglers indicate good numbers of keepers available for the October opener. This fishery will re-open on October 1st but anglers have to wait until the first Thursday to fish. Bank anglers will excel here.


Coho have started to move up the Willamette with recent rain showers lowering the temperature, increasing the flow and pushing counts into double digits for a total of 130 at the Falls as of September 14th.


Precipitation is putting salmon on the move but the bite remains sporadic. Good numbers of coho are in the Clackamas but the mouth has produced best with spinners or bobber and eggs catching most of the fish.


Sandy River anglers are taking a few coho in the lower river with fish entering after the rain. It's still low but the water has cleared. Upriver, only steelheaders are having any luck.


Steelheading on the North Santiam has improved with many of the fish being caught in the 10-pound class. The river level and flow has come up again.


Mt. Hood Pond, North Fork Reservoir, Small Fry Lake and Foster Reservoir are scheduled to be planted with trout.


Northwest – Effort is non-existent in the Buoy 10 fishery. Those that targeted coho did poorly over the weekend.


Tillamook anglers scored great results just prior to the weekend but fishing has slowed since. A few fish are being taken from the ocean to the upper bay. Tillamook and Trask River tidewater anglers are also picking up some nice Chinook. For the first time in 3 years, a noticeable component of the run is comprised of the larger 5-year old fish. Several fish over 30 pounds and some over 40 have been taken. Seaweed is still a problem for trollers. Coho are present in better numbers in the bay but are reluctant to bite.


The Nestucca and Salmon Rivers should be coming into their prime this week. Good incoming tides should stimulate action beginning this weekend.


Chinook fishing is still slow on the Siletz with trolled, plug-cut herring most effective over the weekend. About one in four boats are hooking up.


The Nehalem is producing sporadic results at best but seaweed is not as much an issue here as it is in Tillamook.


The Alsea has good numbers of fish but they are not responding well to bobber and bait. Trollers at the mouth are taking some fish on herring and spinners. Returns are expected to be large this year.


Crabbing is great in many north coast estuaries. There is still a mix of soft and hard shelled crabs but condition should improve as we move into the fall months.


Southwest – Fisheries managers have closed the all-depth Pacific halibut sport fishery off the Oregon central coast from Humbug Mountain to Cape Falcon after anglers met their quota. Anglers may continue to fish for Pacific halibut south of Humbug Mountain, but the nearshore waters inside 40 fathoms on the central coast are closed as of Thursday, Sept. 21.
Siuslaw Chinook anglers are pulling out a few in this spotty fishery.


Chinook are entering tidewater at the Coos and Coquille rivers and catch rates are improving.
Winchester Bay continues to dominate for offshore Chinook catches. A few coho have been taken in Umpqua tidewater. Smallmouth bass fishing remains worthwhile in the mainstem and South Umpqua.


On hot days last week, all the trollers in the Rogue estuary were hooking fish. Coho averaging 13 pounds are entering now and hatchery fish may be kept up to Hog Creek. Catches of Chinook and jacks were very good over the weekend at Gold Beach. The lower water levels have provided conditions for improved steelhead catches for fly-rodders in the upper river.


While a few Chinook have been taken in the Chetco estuary, this fishery will start to shine in October and November. Anglers have started bobber fishing for jacks here.


Good numbers of large rockfish are being reported from anglers launching out of Brookings.
Scheduled stocking of catchable-sized trout has wrapped up for the year.


Eastern - The best steelheading on the Deschutes remains below Shearers Falls. A mix of dries are taking fish on the middle Deschutes in the evenings but nymphs will take trout all day. The upper Deschutes will close for the season on October 1st.