Willamette Valley/Metro- Anticipation for a good summer chinook season has anglers preparing spinners for Bonneville area salmon. Although salmon fishing is open upstream of Tongue Point, the majority of effort will take place in the gorge. With counts on the upswing, action should be good for fin-clipped salmon into mid-July. The first of two mainstem gillnet seasons begins tonight.
Summer steelhead fishing above I-5 is also now open and better numbers are entering the Columbia each week. Although boaters in the gorge will score better results in July, bank anglers downstream of the mouth of the Willamette should continue to find fish when the tides improve next week.
Shad anglers in the gorge are doing well and run numbers should now be peaking. Fresh shad continue to take oversize sturgeon in the gorge below Marker 82. Only a rare keeper is in the catch.
With water temps in the upper 50's, springers and summer steelhead have resumed crossing the Falls, having stopped when the water was high. The lower river should be fishable by the weekend with the best action likely to come from the lower Portland Harbor. Hardware will become most effective for salmon when water temperatures exceed 60 degrees.
With the McKenzie at 41 degrees and down to 5,000 cfs at Vida, trout fishing is good.
The water has dropped and cleared on the Clackamas but has still been higher than most like to fish it. A few fish are being landed on cured eggs.
The Sandy River has been very slow with most leaving empty-handed. Summer steelhead will make up the bulk of the catch when flows drop.
The Santiam system will be dropping throughout the week with the North producing hatchery steelhead. Warmer water temperatures should drastically improve catch rates.
Northwest - Catches have slowed dramatically on Tillamook Bay as peak season has passed. Hatchery fish will remain available but wild fish may soon make up a larger portion of the catch. Softer tides will focus effort in the lower bay for anglers using herring for bait.
Although district rivers performed well after the last rain freshet, river levels have dropped and fish are concentrating in deeper holes awaiting the next rain. They will become increasingly more challenging to pursue but early risers and stealthy tactics will take salmon and steelhead on the Trask, Wilson, Nestucca and Three Rivers. The Wilson and Three Rivers offer the best access to bank anglers but the Trask is a top bet for salmon anglers near the hatchery. The Hatchery Hole deadline is now in effect.
The offshore chinook season has not performed well and anglers wishing to recreate in the ocean will not enjoy the forecasted wind chop this weekend. Commercial troll catches out of Astoria indicate good numbers of chinook are in the area.
High flows and relatively cold water continue to keep sturgeon action from breaking loose in the lower Columbia. Astoria area anglers didn't quite average a keeper for every other boat over the weekend. The best action remains in the deep water where anchovies are faring best. Fresh ocean fish, recognized by whiter skin coloration and even an iridescent sheen on their sides, are making up a larger portion of the catch now. The best fishing remains upstream of the Astoria Bridge but a few fish are beginning to fall out of Hammond.
Southwest - Another round of all-depth halibut opens June 17, 18 and 19 off the central Oregon coast between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain with 40% of the quota remaining. Mild early morning incoming tides are forecast.
Ocean launches provided good bottom fishing out of Bandon and Charleston. The Coast Guard was particularly cautious about opening the bar out of Reedsport, keeping boats inside.
There has been some improvement in catches of ocean chinook but it's still slow with salmon deep.
Impact of the last storm has springer fishing at a standstill with water muddy on the Umpqua. Shad and smallmouth fishing is also poor. It may be a week or longer before it will be fishable.
On the Rogue, spring chinook fishing was off and on over the past week but shut down on Sunday, June 13th, when the water temperature topped 60 degrees. Fish upstream for best results but stay clear of the river above and below Gold Ray Dam which is closed for the dam removal project.
Eastern - The latest giant kokanee, taken over the past weekend at Wallowa Lake by Ron Campbell of Pendleton, is on track for the new world record at 9.67 pounds. The state record has now been broken 4 times this spring.
The Umatilla River is an option for spring chinook as flows subside after snowmelt. The Wallowa and Imnaha Rivers should also provide some opportunities in the coming weeks.
Kokanee fishing is fair at Odell with few filling the generous 25-fish limit here.
SW Washington - District anglers continue to leave area rivers disappointed. The Cowlitz remains the best spot to intercept a spring chinook with the Barrier Dam producing the best.
Summer steelhead numbers should start to build in the Cowlitz, Lewis and Kalama Rivers and increasing water temperatures should stimulate the bite. The Washougal is another good bet that not many anglers pay attention to.
The Wind River remains a good bet for anglers targeting salmon at the coffer dam. The Klickitat should also produce a few salmon. Summer steelhead numbers at Bonneville will determine when the effort is worthwhile on this system.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Oregon fishing report
Willamette Valley/Metro- Free Fishing Weekend is June 12th and 13th, during which time licenses and tags are not required for fishing, crabbing or clamming. Anglers may use a second rod where it's normally allowed in lakes and ponds. Take a non-fishing friend or better, a kid, fishing. Special events abound; for a list, visit http://tinyurl.com/26z9y9n.
Action for keeper sturgeon has slowed in the Columbia River Gorge but oversize seekers are still taking fair numbers of fish using fresh shad for bait. The shad run is beginning to peak with tens of thousands passing by Bonneville Dam daily.
Good steelhead action was witnessed at Jones Beach downstream of Longview on Monday. Migrating fish should reach Portland by the weekend or sooner. Heavy flows should concentrate fish near the shoreline where beach plunkers can harvest them using hot colored spin-n-glos for lures. Pink is a proven producer and use scent for the necessary edge.
Rain combined with snowmelt caused the Willamette to swell to winter levels, over the banks in some areas. It likely won't fish for several more days. There have been some decent chinook catches near the head of Multnomah Channel however as is often the case this time of year. Anglers typically switch to spinners to entice strikes in the warming water although temperatures remain lower than normal for this time of year.
The McKenzie will be fishable this week with the upper stretches producing early. Trout, steelhead and chinook are in the system but many of the salmon being hooked are native which require release.
North Santiam waters are stabilizing but high. With 15,000 summers over the Falls, there are hatchery steelhead in the river. The South was high and muddy at mid-week.
The Clackamas had good color mid week but was still high. There's supposed to be a good return this year and fishers should be able to tell if they are in by the weekend.
Try the Sandy for the weekend as it's a good prospect once it's back into shape. Steelhead may be the main focus but a few chinook should also be present.
Free Fishing Weekend means extensive trout planting state-wide. In the Willamette Valley, that includes Benson Lake, Estacada Lake, Faraday Lake, Hartman Pond, Harriet Lake, Henry Hagg Lake, Huddleston Pond, North Fork Reservoir, Sheridan Pond, Silver Creek Reservoir, Small Fry Lake, Timothy Meadows, West Salish Pond, South Fork Yamhill River, Alton Baker Canal, Big Cliff Reservoir, Blue River above the Reservoir, Blue River Reservoir, Breitenbush River, Carmen Reservoir, Detroit Reservoir, E. E. Wilson Pond, Fall Creek, Junction City Pond, Leaburg Lake, McKenzie River above Leaburg Lake, Roaring River Park Pond, Salmon Creek, North Fork Santiam River above Detroit Lake, Sunnyside Park Pond, and Walter Wirth Lake.
Northwest - Spring chinook fishing was nothing short of fantastic on lower Tillamook Bay early in the week. Limits or near limits of quality fish were taken by many anglers trolling herring along the jetty or in front of the Coast Guard Station in Garibaldi. The action isn't likely to persist as continued high water from local rivers will keep fish moving into the tributaries of upper Tillamook Bay.
Driftboaters working the Trask, Wilson and Nestucca are finding fair to good success and bank anglers working the Hatchery Hole on the Trask are catching fish daily. Quality drifting conditions should exist through the weekend with the lower stretches of these rivers producing the best results. The Trask receives the greatest hatchery plants and therefore the highest effort. Three Rivers is also an option for bank anglers. The Hatchery Hole on the Trask is slated to close on June 15th but further opportunities may exist if snagging and littering is not a problem.
Sturgeon anglers on the lower Columbia are struggling to find consistent success. Limits are rare but the fishing is showing signs of improvement as temperatures increase and tidal fluctuations grow. Don't expect great fishing this weekend but anglers fishing upstream of Tongue Point or in front of Astoria are faring the best.
Starting Saturday, the ocean opens up for fin-clipped chinook north of Cape Falcon to Leadbetter Point. Reports of commercially caught chinook were good on Monday, about 25 miles north of the mouth of the Columbia. Many of these fish are Columbia River bound summer chinook and they are averaging larger than 15 pounds.
Another minus tide series that started yesterday will improve into the weekend, making razor clam digging on the north coast productive. Diggers may want to call the shellfish hotline at 1-800-448-2474 to verify north coast beaches are still open to digging. Biotoxins have been detected along south coast beaches.
On the schedule to be planted with hatchery trout are Big Creek Reservoirs 1 and 2, Cape Mears Lake, Cleawox Lake, Coffenbury Lake, Hebo Lake, Olalla Creek Reservoir, Thissel Pond, and Town Lake
Southwest - Morning minus tides will make for good bay clamming this weekend, but beaches will be closed from Coos Bay south due to a naturally-occurring biotoxin.
Catch counts from the all-depth halibut opportunity June 3rd through 5th were not available but it's unlikely catches continued similar to those during the opening weekend as seas were rough. If quota remains, fishing will resume June 15 through 17th. Otherwise, the summer season starts August 6th.
Rock fishing has been good out of Charleston although lingcod catches have slowed. Surf perch fishing has been excellent when the ocean has laid down and these fish are running large. Joseph Yable took fist place in the derby at Bandon, winning a $120 prize with a three-pound pinkfin.
While the high, muddy waters of the lower Rogue were unfishable over the past weekend, upper river angling improved as chinook sought better water conditions. Clearing mid-week, it remains to be seen how the lower river will fish over Free Fishing Weekend but it should hold up well for another couple of weeks.
Boats launching out of Brookings are returning with fine catches of rockfish in addition to large lingcod to over 20 and occasionally over 30 pounds.
Howard Prairie Reservoir, Lost Creek Reservoir, Medco Pond, Lake Selmac, Expo Pond, Rogue above Lost Creek, Middle and Lower Empire Lake, Libby Pond, Millicoma Pond, Morth and South Tenmile Lake, Clearwater Forebay #2, Cooper Cr. Reservoir, Galesville Reservoir Hemlock Lake, Herbert's Pond, Lake in the Woods, Lemolo Reservoir Loon Lake, Marie Lake and Plat I Reservoir are scheduled to be planted with trout.
Eastern - White River spiked late last week and has continued to spew. Fishing is good on the upper Deschutes, the middle river fair with the lower river fishing by the weekend.
John Day boat launch at Wheeler opened this week. Following was a river crest at 19,000 cfs at McDonald Crossing on Sunday, it's gradually dropping.
Action for keeper sturgeon has slowed in the Columbia River Gorge but oversize seekers are still taking fair numbers of fish using fresh shad for bait. The shad run is beginning to peak with tens of thousands passing by Bonneville Dam daily.
Good steelhead action was witnessed at Jones Beach downstream of Longview on Monday. Migrating fish should reach Portland by the weekend or sooner. Heavy flows should concentrate fish near the shoreline where beach plunkers can harvest them using hot colored spin-n-glos for lures. Pink is a proven producer and use scent for the necessary edge.
Rain combined with snowmelt caused the Willamette to swell to winter levels, over the banks in some areas. It likely won't fish for several more days. There have been some decent chinook catches near the head of Multnomah Channel however as is often the case this time of year. Anglers typically switch to spinners to entice strikes in the warming water although temperatures remain lower than normal for this time of year.
The McKenzie will be fishable this week with the upper stretches producing early. Trout, steelhead and chinook are in the system but many of the salmon being hooked are native which require release.
North Santiam waters are stabilizing but high. With 15,000 summers over the Falls, there are hatchery steelhead in the river. The South was high and muddy at mid-week.
The Clackamas had good color mid week but was still high. There's supposed to be a good return this year and fishers should be able to tell if they are in by the weekend.
Try the Sandy for the weekend as it's a good prospect once it's back into shape. Steelhead may be the main focus but a few chinook should also be present.
Free Fishing Weekend means extensive trout planting state-wide. In the Willamette Valley, that includes Benson Lake, Estacada Lake, Faraday Lake, Hartman Pond, Harriet Lake, Henry Hagg Lake, Huddleston Pond, North Fork Reservoir, Sheridan Pond, Silver Creek Reservoir, Small Fry Lake, Timothy Meadows, West Salish Pond, South Fork Yamhill River, Alton Baker Canal, Big Cliff Reservoir, Blue River above the Reservoir, Blue River Reservoir, Breitenbush River, Carmen Reservoir, Detroit Reservoir, E. E. Wilson Pond, Fall Creek, Junction City Pond, Leaburg Lake, McKenzie River above Leaburg Lake, Roaring River Park Pond, Salmon Creek, North Fork Santiam River above Detroit Lake, Sunnyside Park Pond, and Walter Wirth Lake.
Northwest - Spring chinook fishing was nothing short of fantastic on lower Tillamook Bay early in the week. Limits or near limits of quality fish were taken by many anglers trolling herring along the jetty or in front of the Coast Guard Station in Garibaldi. The action isn't likely to persist as continued high water from local rivers will keep fish moving into the tributaries of upper Tillamook Bay.
Driftboaters working the Trask, Wilson and Nestucca are finding fair to good success and bank anglers working the Hatchery Hole on the Trask are catching fish daily. Quality drifting conditions should exist through the weekend with the lower stretches of these rivers producing the best results. The Trask receives the greatest hatchery plants and therefore the highest effort. Three Rivers is also an option for bank anglers. The Hatchery Hole on the Trask is slated to close on June 15th but further opportunities may exist if snagging and littering is not a problem.
Sturgeon anglers on the lower Columbia are struggling to find consistent success. Limits are rare but the fishing is showing signs of improvement as temperatures increase and tidal fluctuations grow. Don't expect great fishing this weekend but anglers fishing upstream of Tongue Point or in front of Astoria are faring the best.
Starting Saturday, the ocean opens up for fin-clipped chinook north of Cape Falcon to Leadbetter Point. Reports of commercially caught chinook were good on Monday, about 25 miles north of the mouth of the Columbia. Many of these fish are Columbia River bound summer chinook and they are averaging larger than 15 pounds.
Another minus tide series that started yesterday will improve into the weekend, making razor clam digging on the north coast productive. Diggers may want to call the shellfish hotline at 1-800-448-2474 to verify north coast beaches are still open to digging. Biotoxins have been detected along south coast beaches.
On the schedule to be planted with hatchery trout are Big Creek Reservoirs 1 and 2, Cape Mears Lake, Cleawox Lake, Coffenbury Lake, Hebo Lake, Olalla Creek Reservoir, Thissel Pond, and Town Lake
Southwest - Morning minus tides will make for good bay clamming this weekend, but beaches will be closed from Coos Bay south due to a naturally-occurring biotoxin.
Catch counts from the all-depth halibut opportunity June 3rd through 5th were not available but it's unlikely catches continued similar to those during the opening weekend as seas were rough. If quota remains, fishing will resume June 15 through 17th. Otherwise, the summer season starts August 6th.
Rock fishing has been good out of Charleston although lingcod catches have slowed. Surf perch fishing has been excellent when the ocean has laid down and these fish are running large. Joseph Yable took fist place in the derby at Bandon, winning a $120 prize with a three-pound pinkfin.
While the high, muddy waters of the lower Rogue were unfishable over the past weekend, upper river angling improved as chinook sought better water conditions. Clearing mid-week, it remains to be seen how the lower river will fish over Free Fishing Weekend but it should hold up well for another couple of weeks.
Boats launching out of Brookings are returning with fine catches of rockfish in addition to large lingcod to over 20 and occasionally over 30 pounds.
Howard Prairie Reservoir, Lost Creek Reservoir, Medco Pond, Lake Selmac, Expo Pond, Rogue above Lost Creek, Middle and Lower Empire Lake, Libby Pond, Millicoma Pond, Morth and South Tenmile Lake, Clearwater Forebay #2, Cooper Cr. Reservoir, Galesville Reservoir Hemlock Lake, Herbert's Pond, Lake in the Woods, Lemolo Reservoir Loon Lake, Marie Lake and Plat I Reservoir are scheduled to be planted with trout.
Eastern - White River spiked late last week and has continued to spew. Fishing is good on the upper Deschutes, the middle river fair with the lower river fishing by the weekend.
John Day boat launch at Wheeler opened this week. Following was a river crest at 19,000 cfs at McDonald Crossing on Sunday, it's gradually dropping.
Saturday, June 05, 2010
Oregon fishing report
Willamette Valley/Metro- Dam counts at Bonneville have experienced an unexpected jump in chinook counts. These are likely a mix of late spring chinook and early summer run fish. This bodes well for the summer chinook fishery set to start around mid-month.
Sturgeon anglers working the gorge are still catching fair numbers of keepers and oversize fish using fresh shad, either whole or in strips to entice strikes. Keeper success will likely fade from this fishery however as mature fish migrate towards more fertile grounds in the lower Columbia River.
Shad counts are improving but have clearly not peaked yet. Early indications point to a less than average return. Sockeye salmon are beginning to pass at Bonneville as well but incidentally caught sockeye, most often encountered in the steelhead bank fishery, must be released.
Spring chinook passage has picked up again at Willamette Falls. Over 43,000 springers and 13,000 summer steelhead have crossed. Lower Willamette trollers have continued to take chinook. Willamette passage coupled with Willamette kept catch has already surpassed the preseason prediction for returning adults. It's a much better return than originally predicted. Shad fishing is fair to good.
Steelheading is fair to good below Leaburg Dam on the McKenzie while trout fishing is good river-wide.
A few springers have been taken on the North Santiam while steelhead are being caught on the South Santiam on spinners and jigs.
Backtrollers are taking a combination of springers and steelhead on the Sandy from Oxbow to Dabney but steelhead remains the main focus for most avid anglers.
The Clackamas is producing a few springers and is expected to improve this month. Steelheading has been slow to fair although summer fish are beginning to show in better numbers.
Northwest - A good tide series rewarded upper Tillamook Bay salmon fishers with steady catches throughout the week. Effort was higher given the better returns but it still hasn't been a wide open bite by any means. A softer upcoming tide series will favor lower bay anglers but a forecasted significant rise in river levels may send opportunistic adults upriver in a hurry and out of reach of bay trollers.
North Coast rivers are scheduled to crest on the weekend and may not fish until early next week. The Trask will be the go-to river but the Wilson, Nestucca and Three Rivers will also receive a good shot of adults and should be well distributed throughout the systems. Bank anglers fishing at the hatchery on the Trask will certainly benefit from the healthy returns but are in jeopardy of losing the quality public access due to a high incidence of littering and poor angling practices.
A calm ocean last week allowed anglers to target salmon in the Tillamook Bay bubble with some success. Nearshore bottomfishers and halibut anglers fared well however and more success is likely when seas calm again. Crabbing for keeper males remains fair at best however with the best success by far, coming from the ocean.
Fair numbers of sea-run cutthroat trout are showing in the estuary and lower stretches of north coast streams. A consumptive fishery is now underway on many coastal streams and local area lakes will be stocked next week with catchable rainbows in preparation for Free Fishing Weekend June 12th and 13th. A complete list of Free Fishing events can be found on the ODF&W website.
Sturgeon fishing near Astoria picked up downstream of the Astoria Bridge late last week with sporadic catches coming from the green buoy line on the Oregon side. Anchovies are the best bait in the deeper water while anglers working shallower water find better results using sand shrimp for bait.
Southwest - Soft tides but marginal ocean conditions are predicted for the coming weekend.
Boats launching out of Winchester Bay caught very few ocean chinook as predicted. Caches will improve a few weeks into the season. Springers continue to be caught on the upper mainstem and North Umpqua. Shad fishing has been slow this week.
Lower Rogue spring chinook anglers are experiencing off-and-on action. Better results are coming to plug pullers on the middle river with wrapped Kwikfish. With over 7,000 springers counted at Gold Ray Dam, upper river anglers have seen some decent action although only hatchery salmon may be kept above the dam until July 1st.
Sea run cutthroat are being caught in fair to good number on the Chetco. Only artificial lures and flies may be used above tidewater. Out of Brookings, rockfish catches are excellent while ling cod and crab catches have been fair.
A free kids fishing derby will take place on June 12th from 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Diamond Lake.
The Rogue above Lost Creek and Fish Lake are scheduled to be planted with trout.
Eastern - Fly anglers made some memories over the past weekend on the Deschutes with the early stonefly and salmon fly hatches in full swing. Nymphing is effective in the morning with dries drawing redside grabs all afternoon. Fishing is best when the weather is warm.
Crane Prairie has been fishing well with an apparent resurgence in the trout population.
Sturgeon anglers working the gorge are still catching fair numbers of keepers and oversize fish using fresh shad, either whole or in strips to entice strikes. Keeper success will likely fade from this fishery however as mature fish migrate towards more fertile grounds in the lower Columbia River.
Shad counts are improving but have clearly not peaked yet. Early indications point to a less than average return. Sockeye salmon are beginning to pass at Bonneville as well but incidentally caught sockeye, most often encountered in the steelhead bank fishery, must be released.
Spring chinook passage has picked up again at Willamette Falls. Over 43,000 springers and 13,000 summer steelhead have crossed. Lower Willamette trollers have continued to take chinook. Willamette passage coupled with Willamette kept catch has already surpassed the preseason prediction for returning adults. It's a much better return than originally predicted. Shad fishing is fair to good.
Steelheading is fair to good below Leaburg Dam on the McKenzie while trout fishing is good river-wide.
A few springers have been taken on the North Santiam while steelhead are being caught on the South Santiam on spinners and jigs.
Backtrollers are taking a combination of springers and steelhead on the Sandy from Oxbow to Dabney but steelhead remains the main focus for most avid anglers.
The Clackamas is producing a few springers and is expected to improve this month. Steelheading has been slow to fair although summer fish are beginning to show in better numbers.
Northwest - A good tide series rewarded upper Tillamook Bay salmon fishers with steady catches throughout the week. Effort was higher given the better returns but it still hasn't been a wide open bite by any means. A softer upcoming tide series will favor lower bay anglers but a forecasted significant rise in river levels may send opportunistic adults upriver in a hurry and out of reach of bay trollers.
North Coast rivers are scheduled to crest on the weekend and may not fish until early next week. The Trask will be the go-to river but the Wilson, Nestucca and Three Rivers will also receive a good shot of adults and should be well distributed throughout the systems. Bank anglers fishing at the hatchery on the Trask will certainly benefit from the healthy returns but are in jeopardy of losing the quality public access due to a high incidence of littering and poor angling practices.
A calm ocean last week allowed anglers to target salmon in the Tillamook Bay bubble with some success. Nearshore bottomfishers and halibut anglers fared well however and more success is likely when seas calm again. Crabbing for keeper males remains fair at best however with the best success by far, coming from the ocean.
Fair numbers of sea-run cutthroat trout are showing in the estuary and lower stretches of north coast streams. A consumptive fishery is now underway on many coastal streams and local area lakes will be stocked next week with catchable rainbows in preparation for Free Fishing Weekend June 12th and 13th. A complete list of Free Fishing events can be found on the ODF&W website.
Sturgeon fishing near Astoria picked up downstream of the Astoria Bridge late last week with sporadic catches coming from the green buoy line on the Oregon side. Anchovies are the best bait in the deeper water while anglers working shallower water find better results using sand shrimp for bait.
Southwest - Soft tides but marginal ocean conditions are predicted for the coming weekend.
Boats launching out of Winchester Bay caught very few ocean chinook as predicted. Caches will improve a few weeks into the season. Springers continue to be caught on the upper mainstem and North Umpqua. Shad fishing has been slow this week.
Lower Rogue spring chinook anglers are experiencing off-and-on action. Better results are coming to plug pullers on the middle river with wrapped Kwikfish. With over 7,000 springers counted at Gold Ray Dam, upper river anglers have seen some decent action although only hatchery salmon may be kept above the dam until July 1st.
Sea run cutthroat are being caught in fair to good number on the Chetco. Only artificial lures and flies may be used above tidewater. Out of Brookings, rockfish catches are excellent while ling cod and crab catches have been fair.
A free kids fishing derby will take place on June 12th from 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Diamond Lake.
The Rogue above Lost Creek and Fish Lake are scheduled to be planted with trout.
Eastern - Fly anglers made some memories over the past weekend on the Deschutes with the early stonefly and salmon fly hatches in full swing. Nymphing is effective in the morning with dries drawing redside grabs all afternoon. Fishing is best when the weather is warm.
Crane Prairie has been fishing well with an apparent resurgence in the trout population.
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