Sunday, March 01, 2009

Oregon fishing update

Oregon Fisheries Update:

Willamette Valley/Metro- Anglers are beginning to pick up an occasional keeper sturgeon near the mouth of the Willamette River but fresh smelt is a key bait if anglers want to get results. The Bonneville Pool is putting out a few keepers as well to both bank and boat anglers.

Incidental commercial catches of spring chinook are on the increase on the lower Columbia River while in pursuit of sturgeon. The average size of the salmon is shrinking to around 20 pounds possibly indicating the presence of the typically smaller upper Columbia bound stock.

Not much in the way of sport caught salmon this week reports Pro guide Brandon McGavran (360-607-1327). Better times are ahead!

Water temperatures of the lower Willamette are rising which should have a positive effect on fishing. Sturgeon fishing is fair to good when the fish can be found. Spring chinook fishing remains slow as is often the case after a brief flurry of activity witnessed a few weeks ago.


Pro guide Bill Kremers (541-754-6411) slow fishing for sturgeon around St. Johns but that it's the best of choices in the lower Willamette.

Fly anglers did very well for trout over the past weekend on the lower McKenzie.

Rain has improved the water temperature along with the winter steelhead bite on the Clackamas River. Bobber and jigs seems to be most effective here but rising river levels will likely shift effort to sidedrifting bait.

Steelheading has picked up and the Sandy as well with winters showing a preference for spinners. Fish will become much more distributed after the high water recedes. Varying techniques will take holding fish with bait a likely preference. Plunkers may do well in the lower river when flows stabilize.

The North Santiam is a good bet for solitude. There are very few anglers trying for very few steelhead in the river.

Scheduled for trout stocking this week are Henry Hagg Lake, St Louis Ponds, Alton Baker Canal, Cottage Grove Pond, Cottage Grove Reservoir, E. E. Wilson Pond, Junction City Pond, Walling Pond and Walter Wirth Lake.

Northwest - The first week of March is typically a good one for winter steelhead on the north coast. With the most significant precipitation in weeks, rivers have swelled and when the recede, steelhead fishing will be excellent.

Smaller streams like the Kilchis and North Fork Nehalem will produce early results in the higher flows but few quality hatchery fish will be present in these systems. Anglers wishing to take home a keeper will focus their efforts on the Wilson and Nestucca Rivers. Fish will be well distributed for both bank and boat anglers by the weekend.

Other rivers like the Trask will get good returns of wild fish this week with slightly lighter effort. Bait will be the key to success in the higher flows and anglers should use brighter colors to find fish in the turbid waters.

The Nehalem River will be a poor choice for at least a week.

Sturgeon fishing on Tillamook Bay showed slight improvement later in last weeks tide series but will likely slow this week. Most anglers will focus their efforts on steelhead in these ideal conditions.

A series of fronts will keep the ocean unfishable through the weekend and even surf fishing will be dangerous for a while.

Alder Lake, Big Creek Reservoir 1 & 2, Buck Lake, Carter Lake, Cleawox Lake, Dune Lake, Elbow Lake, Georgia Lake, Lost Lake (Lane County), Munsel Lake, North Georgia Lake, Olalla Creek Reservoir, Perkins Lake, Siltcoos Lagoon and Thissel Pond are scheduled to be planted with trout.

Southwest - Rock and jetty fishing has been worthwhile on the south coast, yielding various species of rockfish, greenling and improving catches of ling cod.

Much of the southwest is getting rain, heavy at times, pushing some rivers out of shape. With no break in the long-range weather forecast, it may be a while before all but the smallest rivers are fishable.

Water levels have improved on the South Fork Coquille over the past week and steelhead catches picked up. The Coos system remains low and clear, however. Crabbing has been worthwhile out of Charleston as well as Bandon. When the seas have flattened, bottom fishers have done well out of Charleston.

While the lower Rogue received some fresh winter steelhead, the bite is slow due to low, cold and clear water. The river level rose over four feet at Agness this week with a passing storm. It fished well above Foster Bar before the rain and is expected to be good when the river starts to drop.

Sixes River steelheaders saw some action over the last week as the water level rose and achieved excellent color.

Chetco flows spiked to about 17,000 cfs overnight on February 23rd. Good catches of herring were being brought into the Port of Brooking prior to the deluge.

Cooper Creek Reservoir will be planted with trout late this week. Trout stocking will take place in most southwest locations in March.

Eastern - Redside trout fishing is fair on the lower Deschutes using caddis pupa and Blue-Winged Olive emergers.

Lake Billy Chinook has continued to provide fair to good fishing for nice-sized kokanee on the troll.

Pro guide Steve Fleming (888-624-9424) reports that steelhead have migrated far up the and that the low, clear water is too cold for smallmouth to start biting.