Friday, July 02, 2010

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - Summer chinook continue to spite anglers on the Columbia below Bonneville Dam. Dam counts remain favorable but fish seem unresponsive. Many anglers have gone to plugs in a fishery that traditionally produces well for those using spinners. Higher than normal flows and cooler water are likely the reason for the slow action. This should be peak week for passage at Bonneville but river conditions may postpone the peak for several more days.

Shad fishing has slowed in the gorge and with it, sturgeon catches are declining too. Oversize fishing should continue to decline as fish congregate closer to the dam for feeding and spawning opportunities.

Bank anglers fishing off beaches downstream of Portland produced only fair results despite the good tide series. Steelhead will be the main quarry and sockeye catches have slowed. Beach plunkers have ideal conditions for productive steelheading and should produce better in the month of July.

Daily counts over Willamette Falls have been strong but the water temperature has jumped from the upper 50s to the upper 60s so it remains to be seen what effect that has on fish movement. Shad catches have been good around Oregon City.

With Golden Stones hatching on the upper McKenzie, this is the best bet for larger trout on this river.

Steelhead numbers are very good in the North Santiam although hookups have been spotty. Steelhead and chinook are being caught on the crowded South Santiam.

Try the Sandy River around Cedar Creek where a few steelhead have been hooked. Chinook fishing remains spotty but anglers can find fish concentrated in deep holes and willing to bite egg and shrimp combinations drifted under a bobber. Early morning and dusk is the best time to produce.

Level and flow at the Clackamas is excellent for steelheading. It's summertime, so try at first light for best results. Chinook numbers are good in the system but lockjaw has set in. If you cover enough water, fish will fall to egg clusters. The highest concentrations of fish are in the McIver Park area.

Northwest - Effort and catch for the ocean coho opener south of Cape Falcon was greatest out of the port of Garibaldi. Coho made up the bulk of the catch with ODF&W reporting .63 kept fish per angler on average. Catch rates will fluctuate throughout the season but Astoria, Garibaldi, Depoe Bay and Newport will be the most productive ports for coho this year. Hatchery coho from this fishery are most likely destined for Columbia River facilities.

Spring chinook fishing in the Tillamook district is all but a memory except for bank anglers working the Trask, Wilson, Nestucca and Three Rivers. Adults are wary under the low water conditions but stealthy anglers can take fish at first light. ODF&W has extended the spring chinook season on Three Rivers through July 11th due to a large run returning.

Sturgeon anglers working the lower Columbia continue to struggle for success. Although fishing picked up slightly last Friday, weekend catches floundered. The season remains open 7 days per week through July 11th when fishery managers will once again look at additional opportunity based on retained catch. Catches should improve when water temperatures rise.

Few anglers took advantage of the offshore chinook fishery near the mouth of the Columbia River. Gordon Lintner from the Salem area reported good action near the CR Buoy trolling with downriggers at depths of 70 to 90 feet. Gordon reported chinook nearing the mid-20 pound mark. Unfortunately, this fishery closed yesterday for clipped chinook but anglers may retain fin-clipped coho or any chinook beginning today. The daily bag limit is 2 salmon per day, of which 1 may be a chinook.

Crabbing remains poor both in north coast estuaries and nearshore in the ocean. Keeper action has improved from previous weeks however. July can be a productive month offshore but crabs often are molting this time of year.

Southwest - According to commercial fishers, albacore are 70 to 80 miles offshore but some boats reported good success as far north as Newport. Success for tuna should dramatically increase in the coming weeks.

Mild tides with incoming in the early mornings combined with mild ocean conditions are forecast for the weekend. Bottomfishing, salmon and halibut fishing are all options with crabbing fair for those willing to go a bit deeper.

Ocean coho is open for a quota of 26,000 hatchery fish. Unlike chinook, coho will be within 20 feet of the surface.

All depth halibut anglers will get once more shot at these fish in the spring fishery on July 1st and 2nd with any remaining quota being added to the summer season starting August 5th.

Sturgeon fishing has finally picked up in Winchester Bay where crabbing has been fair to good. Shad catches are very good at Yellow Creek on the Umpqua.

The shad run has yet to get underway on the Coos and Coquille rivers.

As the run winds down, spring chinook fishing remains fair on the lower Rogue. With the summer steelhead count topping 1,000 at Gold Rat Dam, prospects on the upper river are good.

Diamond Lake has predictably been producing good catches of rainbow trout for anglers using Powerbait. The action is likely to continue through July given the late spring the district has observed.

Limits of ling cod and rockfish are being taken nearshore by boats launching out of the Port of Brookings.

The Klickitat River is another early season option but will produce better results later in the summer, depending on snow melt from higher elevations on the watershed.

Eastern - Fishing for redsides is fair to good on the lower Deschutes.

The Kokanee Power Fishing Derby is July 17th at Green Peter. Call 541-973-4831 to register for additional information.