Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro- Inclement weather kept most anglers at home instead of pursuing Bonneville Pool sturgeon last week. With better weather in the forecast for the weekend and a possible warming trend on the way, the bite should stay consistent through the weekend. Sturgeon anglers downstream will be biding their time until the spring. Smelt numbers are expected to improve this year although no harvest will be allowed by the sport or commercial interests. A healthy run however could focus keeper sturgeon in the Portland to Longview stretch although fresh bait far out-fishes frozen. Anglers may be able to take advantage of higher concentrations of fish however. Winter steelhead passage, stalled in high water, will resume as the level drops. The 2012 sturgeon retention season on the lower Willamette and Multnomah Channel will consist of two Friday/Saturday periods, February 17th & 18th and February 24th & 25th. Although February is often the first month that a spring chinook is caught in the Willamette system, that won’t happen anytime soon as high, colored water will keep effort and catch to a minimum. The hot-spot in February is Sellwood Bridge, trolling herring on the bottom, just upstream of the bridge abutments. The McKenzie River is expected to be out of shape for several days. The Santiams will not be an option this week due to high water. Clackamas levels dropped earlier this week but have shot back up again. Level and flow are forecast to drop through the coming weekend but may still be off-color. Most anglers will be looking to late February/March for a stronger showing of broodstock fish. Sandy flows were moderating early this week but the water is likely to be roiled with a high freezing level forecast for the week to come. Steelhead were beginning to show in fair numbers prior to the high flow. Northwest – Steelheaders only had a brief window of opportunity late in the weekend, on smaller streams such as the Necanicum and North Fork Nehalem. Action was fair with a few fresh fish still in the catch. After flows subside, the remaining early run will be spawning in tributaries with plenty of kelts in the catch, especially for those using bait. The Highway 30 streams, Necanicum, North Fork Nehalem and Three Rivers may be the only options over the weekend. The dam Hole on the Trask may produce some limited catches for bank anglers. It will likely be after the weekend before the larger systems come back into shape. The Wilson and Nestucca will be the main targets of serious steelheaders, with broodstock fish available for the rest of the winter season. March is peak month for that return. Fair tides for sturgeon anglers through the weekend but it’s questionable as to whether winds will cooperate with anglers. Windy conditions create too much rocking, not allowing anglers to detect the sensitive bites that often occur using sand shrimp for bait. Crabbing remains poor and offshore excursions won’t be an option for a while. Southwest – As weather conditions moderate, offshore conditions are forecast to improve for the coming weekend. If predictions hold accurate, boats should be able to make bottom fishing trips. Crabbing in bays and estuaries will remain poor through the weekend to come. As rainfall moderates and salinity levels improve, Dungeness catches will pick up as well. The Umpqua system is forecast to be out of shape for the weekend to come with the next round of storms pushing up water levels. As precipitation moderates and water conditions improve, steelheading in the upper mainstem and South Umpqua will become worthwhile. The Coos and Coquille Rivers will be productive for winter steelhead once water levels drop and clear. Winter steelhead, which seem to have vaporized from the lower Rogue, have been drawn upstream to Grants Pass where they will entertain anglers as the river recovers, perhaps as early as the coming weekend. On the other hand, the summer steelhead fishery on the upper Rogue is history with tributaries beckoning these fish to spawn. Dropping but still muddy on Monday this week, the Elk River blew out again as heavy rain returned to the south coast on Tuesday. With a dry day forecast on Friday and only light showers to follow, both the Elk and Sixes will produce winter steelhead as conditions improve. Eastern – The Crooked River should provide some fly fishing opportunities this week as it is fairly low and very clear. Midges are hatching so take smaller offerings for whitefish and rainbows. Trollers working The Dalles and John Day Pools may still find a few steelhead if the weather calms down but fish will be close to the spawning stage and most will be wild, requiring release. SW Washington – Accumulated snow, mixed with the current warm front, will likely cause flooding conditions on most district streams. Not that it matters much, as these systems transition from early returning fish to later returning broodstock steelhead. Wild fish should also make an appearance but no one system is expected to get a great run. If smelt enter the Cowlitz system, anglers may have a viable target fishery for sturgeon in the lower Cowlitz as that is where the smelt are surely destined for.

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro- Sturgeon anglers below Bonneville Dam are still struggling to find keepers although boaters working the Portland to Longview stretch are getting into some undersize fish. Bonneville Pool anglers posted good catches again this week but success rates should drop as temperatures do. The quota for this reservoir will certainly get eaten up quick however. Willamette River sturgeon anglers finally got word about their 2012 season. Washington and Oregon came up with an agreed allotment guideline between 1,768 and 2,022 fish. This equates to a modeled 4-day fishery which will take place on February 17th & 18th as well as February 24th and 25th. Effort will be high and it’s likely the catch will be too. Winter steelhead passage will be negatively affected by high water this week as will plunkers at Meldrum Bar as their fishing area goes underwater. McKenzie water levels are expected to be too high for fishing for a week or so. The Santiams will blow out with the storm this week and will be slow to recover. Steelheading has been spotty on the Clackamas with the water dropping well below optimum for best results. Expect the river to be high and muddy by the coming weekend. Fishing has been slow to fair on the Sandy over the past week. Levels are up now but water clarity will be determined as much by the freezing level as precipitation. Northwest – Driftboaters will still taking fair to good numbers of fish late last week on the Wilson River. Although the flows were low, stealthy side-drifters and plug pullers each scored fair results on Friday. Some of the catch was made up of the earlier returning Alsea stock steelhead, which were less than ideal for table fare. The cold snap dramatically dropped water temperatures, slowing the bite north coast wide. River levels remained fishable until mid-week, when the big storm is predicted to take rivers to unfishable levels for several days. Most early season steelhead opportunities will slow, with only darker and near-spawn steelhead available. The exception will be the Wilson and Nestucca systems which should receive broodstock hatchery fish well into April this year. Three Rivers, the North Fork Nehalem and Necanicum Rivers as well as the Highway 30 streams near Astoria will likely produce more spent fish than fresh ones. Wild fish should be available to a lesser degree however. Despite good tides, cold, wet weather kept sturgeon anglers from attempting an outing on Tillamook Bay this week. These fish won’t go anywhere as the food source for these fish remains good through the winter months. Crabbing effort and success were low this week with not much improvement in the near future. Southwest – Ocean bottom fishing has been consistently good for rockfish and good at times for lingcod. Offshore fishing will not be an option this coming weekend with seas predicted to top 15 feet. Steelheading has been good on most rivers despite low, clear water conditions. Storms this week will put most rivers out of shape for the coming weekend. Winchester Bay has been producing good catches of Dungeness but crabbing will suffer from the freshet this week. Sturgeon fishing has picked up in the lower Umpqua downstream of the Highway 101 Bridge but it's challenging to find one small enough to keep as most are oversized fish which must be released. While winter steelhead were nosing into the mainstem and catches have been fair, once the river recovers from rainfall this week, it will be good fishing. Crabbing has been excellent in Coos Bay over the past week but fresh water from storms this week will chase Dungeness back into the ocean and results will suffer as salinity levels drop. Steelheading on the Coquille was good following the last freshet, then slowed as the river dropped and cleared. Precipitation this week will bring fresh fish in for steelheaders to reap as conditions improve in a week or so. Skinny water hasn't deterred steelheaders on the lower Rogue where catches have been fair gut steady although fish have been running on the small side. The high water this week will silence low water complaints for a while. If river forecasts remain accurate, on Thursday, January 19th, the Chetco River will be approaching an angler-unfriendly 40,000 cfs at Brookings. This prediction could be off by a lot but the result will be the same; it's not going to fish in the coming weekend. Low and green at this writing on January 17th, the Elk River will blow out mid-week with heavy precipitation but, along with the Sixes, will recover rapidly and will produce winter steelhead. Eastern – The east side is not predicted to receive heavy rain but temperatures will be cold, sometimes remaining below freezing throughout the day in the week to come. Prepare accordingly. The Dalles Pool put out some keeper steelhead, especially for boaters over the weekend. Action will likely taper in this reservoir as well as the John Day Pool as temperatures drop.

Oregon Fishing Report

Willamette Valley/Metro- Although there is some effort for sturgeon in the Portland to Longview stretch, catch is slow and will likely remain that way. Success rates may change when pilot runs of smelt come in the mainstem; that should be any week now. Bonneville Pool anglers are catching fair numbers of sturgeon, including keepers in this reach. Eighteen legals and over 200 shakers were reported for 25 boats over the weekend. This can be a peak fishing period for anglers working this reservoir right now. Water flow at Willamette Falls has moderated with the clarity improving and the temperature dropping into the low 40s. Winter steelhead are on the move with the YTD count about 1,000. No word yet on the sturgeon retention season for 2012 but it’s likely to be short and occur during the month of February. McKenzie levels continue to benefit from rain late last month. It will be in good shape and gradually dropping for the weekend. Be aware that in the 2012 regulations, bait is prohibited for steelhead or salmon until April 28th. North Santiam flows remain above the seasonal norm but are forecast to drop and clear over the next week or so. Steelhead won’t be moving until the water warms somewhat. As the waters of the Clackamas River clear. the best chance for a winter steelhead hookup will become first and last light. Overall, results have been slow. Drift fishing is accounting for some winter steelhead catches on the Sandy this week with corkies and yarn effective recently. Expect to see some changes in the river from the recent high water. Broodstock fish should show with more regularity later this month. Northwest – Steelheaders fared better than expected on many north coast streams this week. Following the big rain, most systems have been without precipitation for several days and are getting low and clearing. The larger systems such as the Wilson and Nestucca are producing fair to good catches with great catches reported on Tuesday. Levels are getting low enough for plug pullers to take advantage of concentrated numbers but side-drifters are still getting fair numbers too. Broodstock fish are clearly present on the Wilson while the Nestucca is rumored to be giving up mostly wild fish for catch and release purposes. Smaller streams like the Necanicum and North Fork Nehalem remain viable options for bank anglers but boaters will have a more challenging time as flows continue to drop. The North Fork Nehalem hatchery is still reporting high pressure but good catches, especially from the disabled fishing platform. Early mornings will be a key time for anglers to take advantage of eager biters. Three Rivers near Cloverdale will also produce good catches for at least the next week although hatchery workers are already spawning adult steelhead. With no rain in sight, the mainstem Nehalem should come into shape by the weekend. Although still weeks away from peak season, there should be fishable numbers of steelhead available in all reaches. Big, bright lures and baits are encouraged. Sturgeon fishing should be an option for Tillamook anglers beginning Saturday with the west channel likely to produce the best results. The ocean may lay down for offshore anglers this weekend with crab and bottomfish a fair option. Don’t have high expectations for crab however, the commercial catch appears to be down so far this season. Southwest – Commercial charters were able to get out over the past weekend to experience excellent fishing for rockfish although lingcod catches were only fair. Ocean crabbing has been slow to fair. Winchester Bay crabbing is once again productive following the freshet in late December. Crabbing has rebounded at Coos Bay with the salinity level returning to normal. Both boat and dock crabbers are catching good-quality Dungeness. Steelheading on the Coos River has been fair but is slowing. Coquille River winter steelhead catches were great following the freshet but the action is cooling as the water drops and clears. Winter steelheading has been good on the lower Rogue as the water levels gradually drop. Results on the middle Rogue for winter steelhead have been slow to fair but results will improve in the weeks to come. Upper Rogue steelheading is fair but winding down as summer steelhead spawning season approaches. Water is dropping and clearing on the Elk River which will lead to marginal conditions by the weekend to come. No rain is forecast until the third week in January. Eastern – Redside fishing has been fair to good on the lower Deschutes, particularly as hatches appear in the afternoons. Steelheading is winding down as summers enter tributaries to spawn. Crescent Lake has continued to produce fair catches of large lake trout to trollers using downriggers. Bull trout catches have been good at Lake Billy Chinook with the best action mid-day and afternoons.

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro- Do you have your 2012 fishing licenses and tags yet? Be sure to acquire them before your first fishing trip of the year, it can be a costly oversight. Reports of salmon taken by sea-lions near Astoria are speculative but quite possible. Spring chinook have been taken in January in both the mainstem Columbia and Willamette Rivers and with a good run forecast this year, it could happen again. Sea-lions may also be present for smelt, which are likely to enter this time of year as well but remain closed to sport and commercial harvest. The lower Willamette River level crested on New Year’s Eve and has been gradually dropping since although it remains off-color. Steelhead aren't moving over the Falls in high water but plunkers at Meldrum will be getting busy this week. Sturgeon fishing should improve once levels taper off again but it remains open to catch and release opportunity only until further notice. McKenzie levels spiked near the end of 2011 but have been dropping since. It remains a little high for best results. The Santiam system is forecast to remain high through the coming week. Water levels on the Clackamas are quite fishable this week and the river is clearing. Fresh winter steelhead entered with rainfall over the past weekend. Eagle Creek has been slow but showed signs of improvement recently. For the limited numbers of hatchery steelhead still returning, this week should provide some fair opportunity. Sandy levels are still high and off color this week. Clarity will improve as the freezing level drops. Fresh winter steelhead are in the system. Northwest – Steelheaders are coming into their best opportunity in weeks but early indicators aren’t what some would have expected. Smaller systems like the Necanicum and North Fork Nehalem were in prime shape late in the weekend. The Necanicum produced best on Sunday but there is a large obstruction that will likely cause boaters to drag driftboats across gravel. This situation will get more challenging as water levels drop. The North Fork Nehalem produced good catches amongst the high angler effort early in the week but will taper as flows drop. The Wilson fished poorly on Tuesday but remained a bit high for optimum results. The Trask and Nestucca posted similar results early in the week and with another rain likely to rise river levels on Thursday, high water will persist into the weekend. Although some steelhead should certainly be present on these systems, the better action is likely to take place later in early spring. A good mixture of broodstock and wild steelhead will enter in better numbers by mid-February. Early run hatchery fish may already be making their way into smaller tributaries to spawn in the next few weeks. Sturgeon anglers focused on Tillamook Bay are yielding results. Good tides for sturgeon take place now through the weekend with the best action likely just prior to low slack. The west channel of Tillamook will likely produce the most consistent results but other narrow channels in the middle of the estuary will also hold feeding keepers. Crabbing in Tillamook Bay is slow but some anglers are getting fair numbers in Netarts Bay. The mouths of these coastal estuaries are extremely dangerous this time of year so check motor reliability and safety equipment before heading out. Lives are lost nearly every year. Southwest – Offshore boats are taking good numbers of lingcod when ocean conditions have allowed them to get out. Rockfish catches have been fair to good. Last week's storm caused a predictable slowing of Dungeness success in bays and estuaries but results will improve this week as salinity levels rise. Winter steelhead will be available in the South Umpqua as it drops and clears from the weekend freshet. Steelheaders on the Coos and South Fork Coquille Rivers are expected to do well this week as water conditions improve with dry weather. Plunkers took winter steelhead on the lower Rogue following the storm over the past weekend. Bait and lures will be effective this week as the river settles down. Winter steelhead will be into middle Rogue stretches with the freshet moving fish upriver. Bait is legal river-wide as of January 1. Still a little high early this week, the Chetco should be in excellent shape this coming weekend. Plunkers have been doing well for hatchery winter steelhead but conventional techniques will become effective as water conditions improve. Waters of the Elk were high and muddy on New Year’s Day but dry weather this week will provide good conditions as the river produces winter steelhead. Eastern – Metolius fly anglers have been making fair catches using nymphs although Blue-Winged Olives are hatching afternoons. The occasional bull trout has been taken. Winter fly fishing has been decent for whitefish on the Crooked River. John Day anglers are still taking steelhead although the bulk of the catch are wild and must be released unharmed.