Sunday, June 08, 2008

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro- High flows and high fuel prices have curbed fishing effort in metro area fisheries. Oversized sturgeon success is improving with few anglers in pursuit. Fresh shad to use as sturgeon bait has been hard to come by. Adult returns are a fraction of previous years; an indicator that all ocean dependent species suffered from poor conditions when first entering the sea.

As the flow gradually drops at Willamette Falls, the water temperature is rising. Closure of the entire Willamette for spring chinook leaves steelhead and sturgeon as the only options. Sturgeon fishing has been slow but steelheading has been fair on the middle Willamette with water conditions and color good.

Fly fishers experienced slow but steady action on the McKenzie River over the past weekend. Mayflies are currently the hatch of interest here. Steelhead numbers are improving in the lower river.

Clackamas anglers are taking a few summer steelhead with water conditions high but color improving. Only 20 summers had entered the trap at the hatchery by the end of May.

The high waters of the Sandy are fishable and have produced a few springers.

Trout fishing has been worthwhile in the high waters of the North Santiam above Detroit.

Extensive trout planting for Free Fishing Weekend will include Benson Lake, Faraday Lake, Harriet Lake, Hartman Pond, Henry Hagg Lake, Huddelston Pond, North Fork Reservoir, Silver Creek Reservoir, Small Fry Lake, Timothy Meadows Reservoir, Alton Baker Canal, Blue River above Reservoir, Blue River Reservoir, Breitenbush River, Carmen Reservoir, Detroit Reservoir, E. E. Wilson Pond, Fall Creek, Foster Reservoir, Hills Creek, Junction City Pond, Leaburg Lake, McKenzie River above Leaburg Lake, Quartsville Creek, Roaring River Park Pond, Salmon Creek, Salt Creek, North Fork Santiam River above Detroit Reservoir, Sunnyside Park Pond, Trail Bridge Reservoir, Walling Pond, Walter Wirth Lake and the Middle Fork Willamette River above Hills Creek Reservoir.

Northwest – Tillamook Bay spring chinook anglers experienced great success in the lower bay late last week. Last Wednesday and Thursday, Rich and Doug Slusher from Larkspur, California took four springers in 2 days trolling herring with three of the fish over 20 pounds. This weekend, early morning minus tides will offer up the best opportunity in the upper bay with spinners or tidewater holes with bobber and bait.

Pro guide John Kirby reported a 27 pounder taken at the Oyster House this week on a trolled herring.

Lower Columbia River sturgeon fishing has been challenging with cold water keeping most fish off the bite. Fish seem to be present but baitfish have yet to enter the river so fish seem unresponsive to most offerings. Both Hammond and the Tongue Point fisheries are equally slow.

The North of Falcon ocean chinook opener is underway with friendly seas greeting anglers on June 1st and 2nd. Few fish were taken but they were in the 15 to 25 pound class. Spoons produce the bulk of the catch from Tillamook Head to Gearhart.

The all-depth halibut season north of Cape Falcon closed on June 1st with high success rates although most halibut retained were under 20 pounds.

The forecasted ocean swell coupled with a wind chop will make weekend ocean fishing for salmon, halibut or bottomfish less than appealing.

Pro guide Bill Kremers (541-754-6411) reports halibut scattered over the last all-depth opener out of Newport but that good catches were possible.

Big Creek Reservoir, Big Creek Reservoir, Cape Meares Lake, Cleawox Lake, Coffenbury Lake, Hebo Lake, Olalla Creek Reservoir, Thissel Pond and Town Lake are scheduled to be stocked with hatchery trout.

Southwest – All-depth halibut fishing was slow to fair out of Winchester Bay over the past weekend but with friendly seas, persistent anglers returned to port mid-day with limits. Boats fishing inside the 40-fathom line took some large lingcod. Shad have not yet entered the Umpqua in fishable numbers.

Beaches continue to deliver surfperch limits and as spawning approaches, red tails are beginning to enter bays and estuaries.

Decent minus tides will continue late mornings through the weekend, allowing clam diggers additional opportunities on beaches and in bays.

Sportfishing effort, even when conditions were perfect recently, has been very light in the Brookings area. High fuel prices are being blamed. A short hop just outside the harbor has been delivering limits of rockfish and lingcod. Chetco anglers are experiencing good fishing for cutthroat, particularly in tidewater where bait is allowed.

The ocean coho salmon season opens June 22nd for a bag limit of two finclipped fish per day. Release any chinook inadvertently landed.

Springer fishing has been slow to fair on the lower Rogue, best at the Hatchery Hole. Fishing has been very slow for chinook and steelhead on the upper Rogue.

Diamond Lake has continued to fish well for trout averaging 12 to 15 inches. As of June 1st, it is totally ice-free

Scheduled to be planted with trout are Upper and Lower Empire Lake, Eel Lake, North and South Tenmile Lake, Hyatt Reservoir, Section 5 of the Rogue River, Lost Creek Reservoir, Medco Pond, Lake Selmac, Expo Pond, Clearwater, Cooper Creek Reservoir, Galesville Reservoir, Hemlock Lake, Herbert's Pond, Lake in the Woods, Lemolo Reservoir, Loon Lake, Marie Lake and Plat I Reservoir.

Eastern – Anglers on the lower Deschutes are encountering high, roiled water, although the color is improving and trout are looking up at stoneflies now.

Many Central Oregon lakes are beginning to free of ice. Paulina and East Lakes put out some large brown trout last week and Paulina is beginning to improve for kokanee although the fish are smaller than usual. Five-year old A.J. Frazee holds the current season’s best rainbow trout from Twin Lakes, tipping the scales at 5 pounds, 10 ounces. Lake fishing in this region will begin to peak as the weather warms into late June.

Pro guide Rick Arnold (541-480-1570) reports Paulina and East lakes finally iced-out and both went off with some bigger browns. And that East Lake has produced dome very large brown trout.

Pro guide Steve Fleming (1-888-624-9424) reports a tough week, on the John Day in high water but that conditions should improve by the coming weekend.