Sunday, February 17, 2008

Oregon fishing report

Oregon Fisheries Update:

Willamette Valley/Metro- Sturgeon fishing improved over the last Thursday through Sunday retention period. While some anglers caught only shakers, others took several keeper-sized fish. Smelt and sand shrimp were top baits. Fishery managers this week will determine the fate of the Willamette spring chinook fishery. It is likely to be a 7-day per week fishery despite a poor run forecast for returning hatchery fish.

Steelhead were taken on the lower Clackamas over the weekend. Drift boaters should be aware of a downed tree below the boat ramp at Barton Park.

Fishing has been slow to fair on the Sandy River. Bank fishers have taken a few at Oxbow Park. Cedar Creek is in good shape but fishing poorly.

The McKenzie is fishable this week and while there hasn't been much dry fly action yet, nymphing has been effective.

On the trout planting schedule this week are E. E. Wilson, Mt Hood College Pond, West Salish Pond and Alton Baker Canal.

Henry Hagg Lake will open on March 1st.

Northwest – Most coastal rivers were too high for productive fishing last week. Smaller streams were in ideal shape at mid-week with the Nehalem, Necanicum and Kilchis in prime shape on Tuesday. The North Fork Nehalem hatchery reported a significant slow-down in hatchery returns although some keepers will be coming back into early March.

The reprieve in precipitation, coupled with a warming trend will have very positive impacts for steelheaders this weekend. Larger rivers like the Wilson, Trask and Nestucca should be fishing very well into the weekend with motivated broodstock and wild fish available on all systems. The Wilson and Nestucca however offer the best chances for hatchery keepers with bait producing the best in higher flows and jigs or plugs producing best in lower, clearer water.

It will be a good weekend to collect broodstock steelhead on the Wilson and Nestucca Rivers. Collection is critical to sustain the program so please sign up by calling the ODF&W office at (503) 842-2741.

Fair sturgeon tides over the weekend will give anglers some decent opportunities in the early afternoon. Unfortunately, crabbing is poor making the effort a single strategy. A high swell will likely keep boats from targeting bottomfish on the ocean over the weekend.

Clam diggers may want to take advantage of good tides targeting bay clams on Tillamook and razor clams along Clatsop Beaches. Call the shellfish hotline at 1-800-448-2474 for updated information.

Crabbing out of Newport and Waldport has been poor, but prospects may turn around with dry weather. Steelheading has been slow to fair up on the North Fork Alsea.

Siuslaw steelheaders took fish over the past weekend. The best bet for this weekend will be the drift from Whittaker to Wildcat or Wildcat to Linslaw. Some quality broodstock steelhead are showing up at the fish trap on Whittaker Creek.

Pro guide Jeff Jackson (541-268-6944) reports the Siuslaw at Whittaker is dropping and clearing and should be in good shape this weekend.

Alder Lake, Buck Lake, Carter Lake, Cleawox Lake, Dune Lake, Elbow Lake, Georgia Lake, Lost Lake (Lane County), Munsel Lake, North Georgia Lake, Perkins Lake, Siltcoos Lagoon and Thissel Pond are scheduled to be stocked with trout this week.

Southwest – A break in precipitation this week will have most of the south coast river fishing well. Rain last week brought good numbers of fresh steelhead into coastal tributaries but catches this week will be a combination of hatchery, wild and spawned-out fish returning to the ocean.

Surf perch fishing has been decent off southwest coastal beaches.

Umpqua anglers had a good weekend with about half the steelhead landed of hatchery origin. The South Umpqua has been a top producer.

Coquille steelheaders had a good weekend, particularly on the South, with catches yielding about 30% native fish with the remainder destined for the barbecue.

The Millicoma River continued to put out good numbers of steelhead over the past weekend, providing several anglers with bag limits.

Elk River steelheaders are taking fish this week but with no rain in the forecast, it is likely to be low by the coming weekend.

The lower Rogue came into shape late last week and has been delivering steelhead since then. Plug pullers have had the advantage recently.

The Chetco has been fairly stable at roughly 3,400 cfs at Brookings for several days. There are good numbers of steelhead in this river and the fishing has reflected it.

Dave Pitts, Field Editor for Salmon Trout and Steelhead reports from the Chetco River that drift boaters are finally seeing lower flows to connect on steelhead.

Lake Selmac is scheduled to receive hatchery trout this week.

Eastern – Trout fishing is fair but improving on the Deschutes near Maupin. Water levels and clarity are good but with hatches sparse, nymphing has been most effective.

The Dalles Pool is still producing good catches of steelhead for boat anglers. This fishery should produce even better as temperatures warm this week.

Pro guide Steve Fleming (1-888-624-9424) reports that while the John Day River was frozen up in lots of places last week with the warmer days and nights it is breaking up much faster than anticipated.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Oregon fishing updates

Willamette Valley/Metro- For most anglers, this is a good week to troll the isles of the Portland Sportsman Exposition. Promises of a good spring chinook season have most anglers saving their sick days for April.

Sturgeon anglers are encouraged with the increasing water temperature at Willamette Falls, a trend which may improve the sturgeon bite. The fish have been timid biters in the frigid waters, as to be nearly undetectable, especially if it's windy. The lower Willamette is now a few degrees warmer than the Columbia. Sand shrimp and smelt took keepers over the past weekend.

Water temperatures remain too cold to draw smelt upstream. Until the river temperature rises above 40 degrees, smelt will be reluctant to migrate. Cold water temperatures are also keeping sturgeon and salmon from being active in the mainstem Columbia. No salmon or smelt were landed in last weeks commercial openers but gill-netters landed 61 keeper sturgeon.

Snow at the headwaters of the North Santiam will begin melting this week and while part of the snowmelt will contribute to the re-filling of Detroit Reservoir, it will also have the river running high and cold. Fishing has been fair.

Clackamas steelheaders have had a tough week with fish present but scattered and hookups rare in the cold water. Water clarity is usually better above Deep Creek. Eagle Creek has been running a little high with bites few and far between.

Pro guide Kent Anderson (503-550-6303) reports that after fishing several days and taking only a few fish, that the steelhead are scattered and not in a biting mood due to the cold water.

Sandy water conditions have been in and out with the most reliable conditions higher in the system. For all metro rivers, the bite should improve with the predicted warming trend this weekend. River flows are also likely to fluctuate creating challenging conditions on a rising river.

Trout planting will resume next week.

Northwest – The Wilson River was in fine shape early in the week and produced good catches of steelhead on Monday. There are still a few chinook showing in the catches, they must be released unharmed. Navigational hazards still exist on many coastal streams; don’t take any stretch of river for granted.

The upper reaches of the Trask and Nestucca also gave up fish late last week with large baits producing the bulk of the fish. More wild fish are beginning to show in the catches but hatchery broodstock fish will continue to be available in the Nestucca and Wilson Rivers.

Melting snow will likely put the larger coastal river systems out of shape for weekend anglers. Smaller streams like the Necanicum, Kilchis and North Fork Nehalem will be the best bets over the weekend. A mix of spent hatchery fish and fresh wild ones will make up the bulk of the catch.

Effort has dropped on the Siletz River but catches remained fair. Side-drifting continues to produce the best results but a predicted increase in water levels should cool the fishing over the weekend.

While steelheading on the Alsea was very slow earlier this week, participation remained active with anglers lining the banks.

Rough ocean conditions will keep ocean goers in port this week although rockfish will be ripe for the picking when seas subside. Coastal crabbing remains poor.

Southwest – Rivers on the south coast have had periods of brief recovery, but round after round of rain storms have steelheaders seeking smaller streams which drop and clear more quickly.

The Coos and Coquille have been fishing well when in shape but have been running high and muddy this week.

While the Millicoma is also high with marginal visibility, it has periodically allowed anglers the chance for a few fresh winter steelhead.

Elk and Sixes rivers have been blown out for the much of the time over the past few days.

The water level of the lower Rogue was dropping earlier this week but is due to take another hit before the weekend as another storm front moves through.

Chetco flows have been up and down over the past week, reaching flows of 10,000 cfs a couple of times. It was approachable by plunkers on Tuesday this week while at 4,900 cfs, six feet on the gauge at Brookings and dropping. Cold water requires extra patience, although steelhead were taken on Tuesday this week with the better water conditions higher on the system.

Eastern – Fishing for steelhead is slow in the lower Deschutes with cold water causing the fish to be lethargic and most of the summers present are well past their pull date. Redside angling is poor.

Trollers in The Dalles Pool continue to post good catches of steelhead despite cold weather conditions. These are likely a mix of residual summer steelhead and may continue to provide a fishery in the coming weeks.

Pro guide Steve Fleming (1-888-624-9424) reports that as of February 4th the John Day River is frozen shut but once the river temperatures rise, larger bass may become more active but well distributed throughout the river.

Pro guide Rick Arnold (541-480-1570) is also influenced by the cold eastside temperatures as he writes that the weather has been the big factor this winter but that a few diehards are fishing for bulls at LBC and the biggest he had heard about was an 8 LB. fish.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Oregon fishing report

Oregon Fisheries Update:

Columbia River Spring Chinook Allocation Meeting
February 8, 2008 - 8:00 AM
http://www.theguidesforecast.com/2008allocationmeeting.pdf

Willamette Valley/Metro- The chilly water of the lower Willamette has sturgeon biting even more timid this week. While there are plenty of shakers around, only a few keepers have been taken by anglers willing to move around to find the fish, then offering a variety of baits. Plunkers at Meldrum Bar have had a very slow week for steelhead.

A few native winters are being caught on the Santiam system but there just isn’t a lot of fresh steelhead in the system. While the flow is at seasonal average, the water temperature is in the high 30s, making it difficult to get the available winters to bite. Numbers should build into March.

Clackamas anglers are finding steelhead scattered throughout the system. Fishing has been fair.

Steelhead were taken through the recent cold snap on the Sandy but keep an eye on river conditions now that the freezing level is on the rise.

While the McKenzie was in great shape over the past weekend, fishing was poor with water temps in the 30s. Rain is likely to blow it out this week.

E. E. Wilson, Sheridan Pond and Junction City Pond are scheduled to be stocked with trout this week. Walling Pond and Walter Wirth Lake will receive legal and larger-sized rainbows.

Northwest – Low flows kept most anglers from being motivated over the weekend. Clear, cold water and inclement weather made for challenging conditions and the bulk of the early run winter steelhead are spawning.

Some quality broodstock steelhead were taken in the Wilson and Nestucca Rivers but these prized fish will be present in higher numbers later in February and into March. The upper reaches of these systems, particularly the Wilson are still holding biting steelhead. Low water conditions allow for alternative techniques and bobber and jig fishing is likely to produce well under these conditions. Wild fish numbers will also build into March with most coastal systems likely to see good returns.

The Trask River yielded some fish early in the week and a rare winter chinook can still be found. These late-run fish must be released as the salmon season won’t open until April 1st in this district.

Area rivers are forecast to rise for most of the week but could remain fishable. Anglers are likely to find mostly spawned out hatchery fish on the Necanicum, North Fork Nehalem, Wilson, Kilchis and Nestucca Rivers. Cold weather will keep success rates low and coast range passes treacherous. Use caution when traveling.

Only a few sturgeon anglers braved the weekend weather but a few keepers were taken in the upper end of the south channel of Tillamook Bay. Keepers ranged from 42 to 48 inches and fell to sand shrimp late in the incoming tide.

On the Nestucca, pro guide Jesse Zalonis (503-392-5808) reports that the bite has slowed with cold temperatures.

Crabbing remains slow but Netarts Bay is still producing a few keepers and is likely holds the most promise on the coast.

Siletz water levels are predicted to rise about two feet this week, hitting the seven foot level by the coming weekend. Steelheading has been fair when the water conditions have been favorable but a far cry from good success rates earlier in the season.

Pro guide Bill Kremers (541-754-6411) reports that he fished the Alsea in harsh weather Thursday this week without landing any steelhead.

Crabbing in Alsea Bay has not been productive over the past week.

Southwest – Offshore boaters caught limits of nice ling cod last week when the ocean laid down, but rough seas and high winds will prevent bar crossings this week.

Rain and snow hit the south coast hard this week. Pro guide Jeff Jackson (541-268-6944) predicts it'll take a stretch of dry weather for it to fish again.

Plugs took steelhead over the weekend on the Umpqua. Both he North and South Umpqua have been productive this season.

Action slowed for steelhead plunkers on the lower Rogue recently but drift boaters have done well from Foster to Quosatana. Side drifting has been most effective.

Chetco steelheaders are looking forward to rain this week as the river was running very low into the past weekend. Fishing has been outstanding overall this season and effort has been running high as well.

Eastern – The John Day River is choked with ice jams and is unsafe for boating. Cold temperatures may keep the river locked up for several more weeks but a warming trend should set off a steelhead bite and a few smallmouth bass.

The same holds true for the Grande Ronde and Imnaha Rivers where staging steelhead remain untouched until the region experiences a warming trend.

Walleye anglers await the same weather change in the mainstem Columbia above the John Day Dam.

Cooper Creek Reservoir is scheduled to be planted with hatchery trout.