Friday, May 07, 2010

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro- Fishery managers met on Tuesday for a Columbia River run size update. Unsure as to whether peak passage has happened or not, number crunchers are leaning towards a smaller than predicted run size. Select area fisheries such as Young's Bay near Astoria will reopen to commercial netters only and are likely laden with spring chinook.

Sturgeon anglers in the gorge are beginning to pick up a few legal sized sturgeon. The Marker 82 to Bonneville sanctuary went into effect on May 1st.

The Willamette is dropping and clearing and water temperatures are reaching ideal levels. With only a temporary slow-down in fishing success, anglers in the Oregon City area are faring best using eggs, shrimp and prawns for bait. Fish passage reflects the higher water temperature as about 13,000 springers had crossed the Falls as of April 26th. Trollers working the Portland Harbor and Multnomah Channel are still taking fish, even in the colored water. General observations point to a larger than predicted return.

The water level is high on the McKenzie but has started to drop. Water temperatures are in the upper 40's, trout fishing is fair to good and the occasional steelhead is being hooked.

Summer steelhead numbers are decent in the Clackamas and results have been good at times. A few winters remain as well. Spring chinook are present although only a handful have been caught.

Steelheading in the Sandy is slow to fair. Few spring chinook have been hooked.

Fishing on the North Santiam is slow. South Santiam steelheaders are taking a few summers.

Scheduled for trout planting are Henry Hagg Lake, Huddleston Pond, Sheridan Pond, St Louis Ponds, Dexter Reservoir, E. E. Wilson Pond and Junction City Pond.

A free youth fishing event will be held at Commonwealth Pond on Saturday, May 8th from 9:30 AM to 2 PM. Tackle and volunteer assistance will be available.


Northwest - River levels remained high for hopeful steelheaders on the north coast. Forecast models indicate ideal levels may be achievable by the weekend. A few summer steelhead should be available on the Wilson and Nestucca Rivers. Dark winter run fish may also account for some of the action.

Early spring chinook are also a possibility on the Trask, Wilson and Nestucca Rivers but most anglers will focus their efforts in Tillamook Bay where tides this weekend will be conducive to lower bay herring trollers.

The first all-depth halibut season opens one week from today. Ocean weather has not been friendly to boaters but that may change in the coming days. Bottomfishing, crabbing and halibut fishing should be productive when conditions allow.

Estuary crabbing on the north coast is fair at best.

Carter Lake, Cleawox Lake, Munsel Lake and Sutton Lake are scheduled to be planted with trout.

Southwest - Mild incoming tides and comparable ocean conditions will greet boaters launching for an ocean foray this weekend according to mid-week forecasts.

Crabbing is slow to fair in the ocean out of Winchester Bay when boats can get out. It is poor inside the bay, however.

While the Umpqua has suffered from high water recently, it is dropping and should fish by late this weekend or early next week. Smallmouth bass fishing should be starting here around Elkton if the water is warm enough. Summer steelhead are in the system but are slow to bite. Springers are being hooked around Scottsburg.

Boats of sufficient size launched out of Charleston over the past weekend to enjoy fair to good fishing for ling cod and rockfish.

High water, which shut sown fishing on the Rogue last week, has passed and with the level dropping, results are expected to be good over the coming weekend. The freshet will have good numbers of springers in the middle Rogue and improved catches on the upper river.

Icy patches remain on the surface of the water at Diamond Lake and it is unlikely to be ice-free until mid month. Trout fishing has been slow to fair.

Expo Pond, Reinhart Pond, Emigrant Reservoir, Medco Pond, Spaulding Pond, Burma Pond, Dutch Herman Pond, Bluebill Lake, Bradley Lake, Eel Lake, Middle and Lower Empire Lake, Millicoma Pond, Powers Pond, Saunders Lake, Sru Lake, North and South Tenmile Lake are scheduled for trout stocking.

Eastern - A few caddis and March Browns are hatching on the lower Deschutes but nymph fishing remains the ticket for redsides. The water is a little high but quite fishable.

Anglers are learning how to catch spring chinook in the John Day Pool. Bank anglers are faring well with boat anglers a close second.

The Umatilla River may provide some good salmon fishing this spring. It's a new fishery and has yet to reach its potential.

Many district lakes will remain cold and snowed in until warmer temperatures break roads and lakes free of ice. It may be late May before they reach a comfortable temperature.

Saturday, May 01, 2010

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - Bonneville salmon passage continues ahead but numbers need to continue to climb in order to realize additional opportunity. Peak passage has been in the first week of May in recent years. Fisheries upstream of Bonneville are beginning to produce good results.

Red-hot catches of sturgeon near Rooster Rock prompted an abrupt closure from April 29 through July 31 between the upper and lower ends of Sand Island and corresponding markers on the Oregon shoreline.

Spring chinook are starting to pass in earnest at Willamette Falls. This should stimulate upriver fisheries in the very near future. Meanwhile, action at Oregon City remains excellent for backbouncers and backtrollers working shrimp and egg combinations or prawns reports pro guide Joe Salvey (503-349-1411). Hogliners are doing well between the West Linn Bridge and I-205 as well. As temperatures warm, hardware will become more effective.

Pro guide Bill Kremers (541 754 6411) reports that springer fishing around the Portland Harbor area on the Willamette has not been red hot compared to the Oregon City area but fishing pressure is only moderate.

The Town Run on the upper river is producing steelhead and counts indicate a good season ahead.

A few steelhead were taken on opening day on the McKenzie. Weekend trout fishing was fair. Look for McKenzie Green Caddis hatching now.

South Santiam summer steelhead numbers continue to improve, recycling efforts picking up and pressure is building with both boat and bank participation increasing.

Jesse Zalonis (503-392-5808) reports the Santiam has some nice summer steelhead in it. With the counts over Willamette Falls improving.

Fishing has been slow on the Clackamas for steelhead with many spawned out and only a few springers showing near the mouth.

Fair to good catches of mostly native steelhead are being caught (and released) on the Sandy River. Springers have yet to arrive in any fishable numbers.

Henry Hagg Lake, Huddleston Pond, Silver Creek Reservoir, Timothy Meadows and Waverly Lake are scheduled to be planted with hatchery trout.

Northwest - Spring chinook are starting to show in the Tillamook district. Quality fish have been taken in the Trask River and the upper Tillamook Bay. Although the action begins to peak later in May, if the run is sizable, anglers could experience good catches in the coming weeks. Sturgeon are hard to come by but a few are present.

A recent rise in river levels could send fresh steelhead and salmon into north coast systems. Although past peak season, late winter steelhead and a few summer fish may fall to the few boaters working the Nestucca, Trask and Wilson Rivers reports pro guide Jesse Zalonis (503-392-5808).

The bulk of the catch will likely be spent winter steelhead but fresh fish should be present in the faster flow and likely to fall to small drifted baits or plugs backtrolled through shallow runs. Early spring chinook should be present in the deeper runs and will likely fall to plugs or backbounced eggs.

Bay crabbers are picking up a few keepers in Tillamook and Netarts bay. Most serious crabbers are awaiting more calm ocean conditions as better success is likely. Long term ocean forecasts are not looking promising however.

May 1st marks the north of Falcon halibut opener for the all-depth fishery. The 3-day per week season runs from Thursdays through Saturdays until the quota is met or July 17th. South of Cape Falcon, the nearshore fishery (inside of 40 fathoms) also opens on May 1st. The limit is 1 fish per day, 6 per year.

Good razor clam tides are now underway. Clatsop Beaches should produce the best digs.

Scheduled for trout stocking are Coffenbury Lake, Lost Lake (Clatsop County), Sunset Lake and Vernonia Lake.

Southwest - Morning tides greater than minus one foot through Saturday will mean late day launches for boaters. Clamming will be good in estuaries, however.

The ocean salmon season from Cape Falcon to the California border was finalized for May 29th through September 6th for chinook with hatchery coho retention allowed from June 25th through the closure or a quota of 26,000 fin-clipped fish, whichever comes first.

Shad fishing will heat up on the Umpqua in May and will continue through June. Spring chinook remain a good option here.

Rogue River levels will be on the increase through the weekend which will slow down spring chinook fishing. This is the second time in less than a week that the freshets have slowed the action, just when it's getting really good. As it starts to drop and more importantly, the water temperature improves, good results will resume.

Fishing was poor to slow at Diamond Lake for the opener with soft ice evident on the lake's surface in many locations. A little warm weather will have Diamond fishing at its true potential.

Incoming tides have been good to beach anglers for surf perch averaging two pounds when ocean conditions have allowed the activity.

Floras Lake and Powers Pond are scheduled to be stocked with trout.

Eastern - The Mecca opener on the Deschutes over the past weekend (Pelton to the Northern reservation boundary) had anglers trying at Maupin with mixed results although the middle river fished quite well.

Cold water is resulting in slow fishing at Odell.

Lake Billy Chinook offered fair fishing in frigid conditions for the opener.