Willamette Valley/Metro- Smelt often make an early show on the Columbia this time of year but are absent so far. In recent years, Columbia sturgeon have been exiting the mainstem for better sources of winter food in other Oregon estuaries.
Willamette level and flow is coming down this week. Unfortunately, so is the water temperature; it was 40 degrees on New Years Eve. Sturgeon are biting lightly in the cold water and keeper-sized fish have been rare.
The water has dropped and cleared a little on the North Santiam, but it remains too high to fish well. Numbers of native steelhead are still low but will improve as we move into the New Year.
Clackamas steelheaders have picked up a few fresh winter steelhead above Riverside Park on the Clackamas. Eagle Creek has been producing a few.
Fishing was fair over the past week on the Sandy despite less than ideal water clarity. The prospects here will improve in January and February as additional broodstock steelhead enter.
Metro steelheaders are finding better action when the air temperatures begin to meet water temperatures. Action has been more consistent after 9:30 in the morning. Boat traffic will likely soften after the holiday break.
Storms moving in later this week will keep the McKenzie out of shape.
Northwest – On the north coast, smaller streams are too low for productive fishing and larger rivers remain plagued with colored water and downed trees. The Wilson cleared enough to produce some quality steelhead but effort remains low.
The Trask River remains blocked by a log jam at the railroad bridge. The dam hole produced only a few fish over the Christmas holiday.
Coastal rivers close to the retention of chinook on January 1st. Bright chinook are often caught incidentally well into January.
Forecasted rains will put larger rivers off-color again but the Necanicum, North Fork of the Wilson and the Highway 30 streams may produce a final push of bright, early season steelhead. Early returning fish will begin spawn by mid-month.
Three Rivers near Hebo is producing light catches near the deadline but the mainstem Nestucca will continue to run brown.
Sturgeon are present in Tillamook Bay and good sturgeon tides begin today. By Sunday, low slack will once again occur after dark making navigation on the bay hazardous. Sand shrimp fished in the deeper slots in the middle and west channel should produce the best results. Crabbing remains poor.
Ocean surf will remain too high for safe and productive razor clam digging.
With recent rainfall and more on the way, crabbing is not worthwhile in Yaquina Bay.
Well over 400 winter steelhead have been counted at the Alsea Hatchery facility. The river will be on the rise into the weekend.
Southwest – Mild tides this weekend will change to minus tides next week although the ebb will occur after dark.
Precipitation will have southwest rivers on the rise for the next several days. The fronts are expected to pass with the promise of dry weather in forecast next week.
The Siuslaw and Lake Creek are fishing well when conditions allow. With no significant rain, Lake Creek will be fishing well by the 1st, and the Siuslaw sometime after.
The Umpqua River has remained high and muddy over the past week although drift boaters in the Roseburg area have caught steelhead over the weekend.
Surf perch fishing has been pretty good off southern Oregon beaches, but the forecasts this week for high wind and waves will probably prevent safe ocean casting.
While the Elk and Sixes have provided only fair fishing periodically, weekend anglers managed to take a few chinook. The Elk River had great color and was at 5.5 feet on New Years Eve.
The Chetco which has been dropping and clearing since December 30th, is predicted to be on the rise again later this week. Steelhead have been moving into the river in good numbers over the past week with anglers picking up 10 to 14 pounders when river and weather conditions have allowed. A 20-pound native steelhead was taken on December 27th.
Eastern – Anglers found snow on the banks of the Deschutes over the weekend. Fishing was fair for a mix of whitefish and redsides. Steelhead are in the river, though they are getting colored.
Cold temperatures in the eastern part of the state are keeping steelheaders inside. Flow ice and freezing rod guides will keep most from venturing out until temperatures rise in late winter.
