Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro- The torrential Columbia River has been challenging for anglers with the high flows leaving few spots to effectively fish. The water below Bonneville dam has proven difficult at best, with debris, murky water and heavy current. Summer chinook, sockeye and a few shad are still available for the taking here.




Over 30,000 springers and 20,000 summer steelhead have crossed at Willamette Falls. There are still a few lingering chinook to catch on the Willamette but effort has been light. The Portland harbor and Oregon City continue to kick out a handful daily but the Multnomah Channel remains the best option. Shad catches are winding down.



McKenzie water levels are fluctuating this week although summer steelhead and springers have been responding to sand shrimp and drifted corkies.



Many of those fish counted at the Falls are bound for the Santiam system. Counts at Foster Dam have remained steady for steelhead and good for spring chinook.



More steelhead than springers are available in the Clackamas. Most of the effort is from Carver to Rivermill Dam with the best opportunity for springers in the deep holes above Barton up to McIver Park.



Both spring chinook and summer steelhead are available on the Sandy River with most attention directed towards this season’s strong run of steelhead. Trolling the mouth remains a great option for salmon fishermen.



Northwest – Salmon fishing out of the mouth of the Columbia opened this week with good results coming from anglers targeting chinook north of the river mouth. Anglers trolling 30 to 40 foot of water near the lighthouse are taking consistent numbers of chinook from 7 to 20 pounds. Sharon Lemay of San Diego took her chinook and sturgeon limit out of Astoria on Tuesday; the sturgeon measured in at 51 inches. The chinook limit is just one but it can be hatchery or wild. Coho are a bit harder to come by but are likely farther offshore. Ocean crabbing is only fair.



A softening of the tide series should improve bottomfishing off of the south jetty for sea bass and lingcod. Long-term forecasts call for a friendly ocean for anglers to take advantage of a multitude of opportunities.



Sturgeon fishing in the lower river remains challenging but the fish that are coming from the estuary are of quality size. Keepers started responding better to anchovies this week with some of the better success rates coming from the deeper water along the green line.



Tillamook area anglers are awaiting the coho opener now that spring chinook have passed through the system. Coho fishing south of Manzanita opens on July 1st and will not last longer than the month of July. Wild coho are likely to be prevalent but must be released unharmed. Spring chinook anglers are now focused on the Trask, Wilson and Nestucca Rivers but low, clear water will make fishing challenging. The Hatchery Hole on the Trask closes at the end of this month.



Southwest – Ocean swells flattened and offshore breezes softened over the past weekend, creating excellent conditions for bottom fishers. Limits of rockfish and lingcod were the rule. Ocean crabbing has been good.



The highly-anticipated ocean coho season opens July 1st. Unless catches sack the 8,000-fish quota early, it will remain open all month. Only fin-clipped silvers may be kept.



Albacore have been reported offshore in the 30 to 40-mile range. They'll be moving closer to shore along with warmer currents.



Spring all-depth halibut anglers will get two more days as sufficient quota remains to allow fishing on Friday and Saturday, June 29th and 30th.



Spring chinook catches have stalled on the mainstem Umpqua with algae thick. A rise in water levels has slowed shad fishing as well. Try the lower North Umpqua where springer catches have been decent. The South Umpqua has yet to warm in order to boost smallmouth bass catches.



Coos Bay has been producing good catches of Dungeness to boaters, fair for dock crabbers.



As rainfall and water temperatures moderated in the lower Rogue over the past weekend, chinook success improved, providing good catches and a few limits. Catches on the middle river have been slow with best results coming from Hayes and Rainie falls. With flows out of Lost Creek Lake steady recently, catches of spring chinook have remained good on the upper Rogue.



Despite calm seas late last week, boats launching out of the Port of Brookings had a tough time finding willing ocean chinook. Rockfishing has been excellent, however.



Eastern – The salmonfly hatch is done for the year on the lower Deschutes. Stuffed on big bugs, trout are content but are starting to key in on caddis. Water levels spiked on Monday this week.



Nymphs are taking trout on the Crooked River which has dropped to summer level lows. Dries are effective in shaded areas.



Some nice rainbows have been taken on the Wallowa River despite high, roiled water.



SW Washington – As flows continue to drop on the district’s major tributaries, anglers are focusing their efforts on the mainstem Columbia, where steelhead plunkers continue to fare well for the summer variety. Chinook remain available but it’s mostly boaters taking chinook on plugs from the gorge to the mouth of the Cowlitz River. The weaker tide series may slow catches this week.



Summer steelhead are still available on the Washougal River but anglers must employ stealthy techniques on the dropping flows.



The Klickitat system is still an option for spring chinook and summer steelhead will soon be on their heels.

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro- Summer chinook season didn’t go off well for Columbia River Gorge anglers but those downriver continue to do well with anchor fishing producing the best results. The strong tide series this week should bolster catches as we enter peak migration in the coming 2 weeks. Most anglers are fishing with plugs but have them wrapped with sardine fillets.




Summer steelhead should also start showing in better numbers but their peak passage won’t happen for another few weeks. Beach plunkers have an especially fair chance at one of these fish when outgoing tides are strong enough to keep fish focused on the shallow shoreline. Sockeye continue to show in favorable numbers, mostly for beach plunkers.



A late surge of Willamette spring chinook has arrived for anglers willing to put some time in. On Saturday, many anglers reported seeing over twenty five fish caught at the head of the channel in just a few hours for just a handful of boats. Similar reports came from down in Multnomah Channel and up in the harbor. Willamette counts through mid-June show over 25,000 spring chinook and 17,500 summer steelhead are upstream of the falls. Daily numbers are strong in the mid-50degree water temperature range as flows moderate.



Fly fishing for redsides and native cutthroat on the McKenzie has been excellent and a good alternative during spikes in Willamette levels. Nymphs have been most effective.



The North Santiam is still a little high for best fishing results. Summer steelhead and spring chinook are being hooked on the South Santiam with water levels prime and stable.



Although water conditions are holding up about perfect on the Clackamas, pressure is very light most days. Spring salmon and summer steelhead are being caught by a few anglers.



The Sandy River continues to put out good numbers of summer steelhead and viable numbers of spring chinook. Here, the effort is light but anglers who show up are often rewarded with one or the other.



Northwest – Salmon anglers in Tillamook Bay are still holding on to the last portion of the spring fishery. Catches were good overall last week, with the lower bay and west channel producing the best on trolled herring. As the run in the estuary begins to wane, effort and catch will turn to the district’s rivers, including the tidewater sections of the Trask, Wilson and Nestucca Rivers. With little precipitation in the forecast, salmon will be slow to migrate upstream to their resting holes over the summer months. The Hatchery Hole on the Trask River will remain a top option but you won’t have the water to yourself.



Boaters will begin to change their focus to the ocean with Garibaldi, Nehalem, Pacific City and the Columbia the most used points of entry. Only the north of Falcon coho fishery opens up this week (June 23rd) making the Columbia the obvious choice for interested anglers. The other ports become viable coho target areas beginning July 1st. Chinook fishing out of the Columbia remains productive north of the river mouth.



Anglers targeting chinook and steelhead in the lower Columbia are coming up with good results. Sockeye are being caught with some regularity as well and with the current minus tide series, success rates should be good again this week. Small, brightly colored spin-n-glos will take all species but plugs are effective as catching chinook this time of year.



Sturgeon anglers fishing out of Astoria continue to find inconsistent action despite the fair numbers of fish present. Keepers are most common upstream of the Astoria/Megler Bridge with sand shrimp producing best in shallow water and anchovies in the deep.



Crabbing remains best in the ocean but Tillamook and Nehalem Bays are starting to improve as the summer saltwater intrusion makes its way higher into the estuaries.



Southwest – It was a late-day bite for all-depth halibut fishers out of central Oregon ports but most anglers took fish. Lingcod and rockfish results have been mixed but worthwhile overall.



If the offshore forecast remains accurate, this week will be excellent for offshore launches regardless of the quarry.



South coast beaches are producing good catches of pinkfin surf perch with many anglers taking 15-fish limits.



With algae becoming an aggravation on the mainstem Umpqua, chinook catches have stalled although side-drifters have been taking a few summer steelhead. Springer fishing has been fair to good on the lower North Umpqua. Smallmouth bass fishing is gradually improving on the South Umpqua as water warms.



Bandon all-depth halibut anglers were only able to fish one day last week (Friday) due to rough ocean conditions. Fish were caught despite a strong drift offshore. Fall fish will be available in the bay starting in July. The ODFW is predicting a record fall run.



The spring chinook fishery is winding down and slowed to a crawl on the lower Rogue late last week as water temperatures rose, shutting off the bite. Catches on the middle river are slow while the upper Rogue is producing springers and will continue to do so for many weeks to come. Try salmonfly and stonefly imitations on the river above Lost Creek Reservoir.



Boats launching at first light out of the Port Of Brookings have been scoring chinook averaging 15 pounds or better within one to three miles of the shoreline. Sea-run cutthroat fishing is good in tidewater.



Diamond Lake has been fishing very well despite trout apparently stuffed with insects. Bait, hardware and flies are all taking limits.





Eastern – While there are a few salmonflies and stoneflies in evidence around Warm Springs, the big bug event is about done on the Deschutes. The next round of interest is caddis, but these are just starting. It’s a time of transition on the river. The upper Deschutes if fishing well with caddis imitations and nymphs.



Although the Crooked River is in good shape for fishing, ODFW electroshock survey work has stalled fishing. Sampling will continue through Friday, June 22nd. Once the officials are off the river, it will fish well.



SW Washington – After a poor showing back to many district rivers, SW Washington anglers are now focused primarily on the mainstem Columbia where summer salmon and steelhead should be peaking over the next few weeks. The stronger the tides, the more productive the fishing for bank anglers.



Steelhead and sockeye are hitting hot colored spin-n-glo’s tipped with small shrimp. Salmon anglers are anchor fishing with plugs in 12 to 20 feet of water and the fish average 18 to 30 pounds.



The Wind River and Drano Lake fisheries are about over for the year but a few spring chinook are still being taken in the lower reach of the Klickitat River. Steelhead numbers should be improving as well.

Oregon fishing

Willamette Valley/Metro- Summer chinook season opens up on June 16th from Tongue Point to the OR/WA border. Only fin-clipped chinook adults greater than 24” in length may be retained. Chinook salmon counts should again begin to ramp up with the peak passage happening by the first week of July. Sturgeon fishing in the Marker 82 stretch remains challenging for oversize sturgeon anglers but there are some oversize and keeper sized fish available downstream of Troutdale. Spring chinook and summer steelhead totals are higher at Willamette Falls than at this time last year with fish passage steady. Shad remain in the spotlight with spring chinook receiving less attention. Shad numbers remain strong, with nearly all the effort being spent at Oregon City, while a few anglers try in the Multnomah channel. Chinook are still available from the mouth to Willamette falls, but salmon pressure is light. Despite fluctuating water conditions on the McKenzie River, it has been fishing well for fly anglers. Steelheading has continued to improve as are the numbers of summers available. The Santiams have been dropping this week and are predicted to continue that trend through the coming weekend. Summer steelhead numbers are good in both the North and South Santiam and spring chinook density is building. Counts are improving over Bennett and Foster dams. The Clackamas continues to be less than exciting for spring chinook anglers, but summer steelhead continue to bend rods for fishermen targeting them. Sandy River anglers continue to have good success with summer steelhead and decent fishing for spring chinook. The summers seem to be here in better numbers than previous years, while chinook are worth the effort but their numbers have yet to be impressive. Northwest – Spring salmon anglers in Tillamook County continue to have options although this will be the last good week for action in the district. Action in the lower estuary was good again this week with anglers taking fair numbers of springers in along the jetty and in the spring bubble fishery just off of the mouth of Tillamook Bay. Chinook must be fin-clipped until you get out of the control zone (check ODF&W web site) through July 31st. Action is likely to taper however with in-river options picking up through the rest of the month. Nestucca River and bay anglers also saw more activity through the weekend although the news effectively spread as it was crowded over the free fishing weekend. Action will focus on the mainstem Nestucca and Three Rivers should be a strong option through June as well. Anti-snagging regulations are in effect on this system as well so be sure to check updates on the ODF&W web site. Sturgeon anglers were easily frustrated as action on the lower Columbia was frequently sporadic over the weekend. Fishing was consistently poor but should pick up as water temperatures warm and flow subside. The grade of keepers is impressive however as fish over the 50 inch mark are available. Summer steelhead and chinook should become more available this week as tides this weekend become more favorable for bank and boat anglers. Fish should be running the banks in the faster flows, becoming more susceptible to spin-n-glos tipped with coon shrimp through all of next week. Sockeye are available as well but anglers need to be reminded that sockeye, no matter how small, must be tagged as adult salmon on your punch-card. These fish are high quality and are expected to return in high numbers this season. Target them by using smaller sized spin-n-glos in flame colors. Anglers may have good opportunity for bottomfish along the south jetty out of Astoria this weekend as the ocean forecast looks favorable for offshore effort. A selective chinook salmon fishery is underway as well with fish being caught on trolled spoons and bait. This fishery targets Columbia River bound summer chinook and will last through June 22nd or when 8,000 chinook are harvested. Beach clamming for razor clams should get good again staring Sunday through the middle of next week. Southwest – Boats out of central Oregon ports over the past weekend took limits of rockfish and near limits of lingcod. Chinook fishing remains slow but is due to start producing. With 48% of the 120,821-pound spring all-depth halibut quota remaining, the fishery will open again on June 14, 15 and 16 with good results anticipated. With algae becoming problematic on the mainstem Umpqua, spring chinook catches have slowed. Smallmouth bass fishing has started up on the South Umpqua but has been slow in the cool water. Although tuna fishing has yet to start up, ocean chinook catches have been good out of Charleston. Coos Bay is providing fair to good crabbing and excellent clamming on minus tides. Bottom fishing out of Gold Beach has been hot or cold but when it's hot, it's great, yielding quick limits of rockfish and lingcod for all. Offshore chinook fishing has been worthwhile about five miles out. A combination of hatchery and wild spring chinook are being taken as catches pick up on the lower Rogue but remain slow in the middle river. It doesn't matter as of the 1st of June; finclipped or not, they're all fair game below the old dam site. Only hatchery chinook may be kept on the upper river and catches have remained steady. With a strong ocean chinook season forecast this year, ODFW fish counters at the Port of Brookings note a trending improvement in catches as the season progresses. Ocean anglers trolling anchovies with hoochies are doing best. Beaches are producing very good catches of surf perch. Eastern – Following an extended high water period, the Wallowa dropped into good condition over the last weekend. No reports although a five-pound kokanee was landed at Wallowa Lake. The Imnaha is in good shape and is open for chinook although no catch reports have been forthcoming. When the water of the Snake River warms, smallmouth bass move upstream into the Grande Ronde to spawn. Fishing here can be very good when this occurs. SW Washington – Effort and catch for steelhead and spring chinook is greatest on the Cowlitz River but overall, return rates seem below expectations. Summer steelhead counts should be ramping up soon. The Lewis and Kalama Rivers remain poor options with the Kalama remaining closed for chinook retention. Effort and catches are starting to slow on the Wind River and Drano Lake.

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro- Spring chinook counts have topped 20,000 at Willamette Falls while over 12,000 summer steelhead have crossed. Interest in spring chinook has waned in the lower Willamette but persistent anglers are still catching their share at Oregon City. As the shad run continues, anglers are stocking freezers with these big bait fish that help them to catch halibut, sturgeon and crab. Expect the shad to be plentiful through the end of the month. Both spring chinook and summer steelhead are available in the Clackamas in good numbers but the springers are playing hard to get. Anglers focusing their attention on steelhead in the riffles and tailouts are having better days than the salmon fishermen. The Sandy River has been keeping anglers busy this season with surprising consistency. The lower river continues to kick out chinook while steelhead are present in all the usual hang-outs from Dabney park upriver. Expect chinook fishing to shift to the middle and upper river soon. While the water level of the McKenzie had been dropping over the past week, it spiked on June 4th and has been rising since that date. It will fish well for trout, steelhead and springers as the flow moderates. Although spring chinook numbers remain low, summer steelhead counts have been ramping up at Foster Dam. South Santiam levels are high but forecast to be dropping into the middle of June. No license, tag or permit is required to fish, crab or clam anywhere in Oregon during Free Fishing Weekend June 9th and 10th. Northwest – Tillamook area spring chinook fishing remains challenging. Anglers had high expectations based on the previous year’s success and although quality fish are available, success rates aren’t as good as most were expecting. The 9th annual Bounty on the Bay event, held on Saturday, yielded just 7 fish compared to 18 last year. The largest fish, a 21-pounder, was landed by Tim Leatherman, founder of Leatherman Tool group. Ironically, he was awarded a Leatherman Tool which he promptly donated back to event volunteer Richard Knutsen. Calm seas on Sunday and Monday produced fair chinook catches just outside of the Tillamook Bay entrance. Bottomfishers had a harder time catching sea bass at Three Arch Rocks over the weekend but lingcod responded well at the tide change. Area rivers, particularly the Trask River, do have fish available although area streams remain low and clear, compromising success rates. The Wilson and Nestucca systems also have fish available and a predicted rain freshet over the weekend could bolster catch rates. The Hatchery Hole remains open through the month of June but new regulations are now in effect that deter snaggers from illegal activities. Check the ODF&W web site for more detailed information. There were reports of fair fishing at the mouth of Nestucca Bay but fish are likely to move upriver on the current tide series. The ocean remains most productive for quality crabbing but Lee Richey and fellow angler Charles reported taking 35 keeper crab for 2 days effort near Crab Harbor in Tillamook Bay. Bay clam digging has been excellent and razor clam digging along Clatsop area beaches was productive early this week also. Sturgeon fishing is picking up on the lower Columbia although anglers should still expect to work for your catches. Sand shrimp remains a top bait for anglers fishing above Tongue Point and will likely remain that way until water levels come down. Anchovies will likely begin producing in the near future. Southwest – The last all-depth halibut opener yielded limits for some while others blanked. While the status of the quota won't be available until June 8th, it's very likely the fishery will open again on June 14-16. Bottom fishing has been excellent out of central Oregon ports and ocean crabbing has been good. Limits of large pink-fin surf perch are being taken from south coast beaches, particularly near river and bay mouths. Crabbing is fair in Winchester Bay while sturgeon fishing has been slow. Spring chinook fishing has been fair to good on the mainstem Umpqua near Elkton. Rising earlier this week, the water level will be dropping in the coming weekend. Gold Beach charters are limiting out on lingcod and rockfish. With salmon catches improving, combo trips are becoming a regular event. The lower Rogue has been slow to fair over the past weekend but picked up this week for chinook. Wild fish may be kept here as of June 1st. Water conditions are decent but catches are slow on the middle river while the upper Rogue has been reliable for springers. Boats launching out of Brookings have seen the chinook bite picking up daily. Some of the salmon are short of the 24-inch minimum length but are getting larger with plenty of feed in the ocean. Anchovies trolled at 30- to 120-foot depths are getting bit. Sea-run cutthroat fishing is good in tidewater on the Chetco. Eastern – Dries and nymphs were taking redsides on the Deschutes over the past weekend as the bite was on although the salmonfly hatch is about done. An emergency closure for spring chinook anglers takes place after today’s effort. Chinook numbers back to the Deschutes are much lower than anticipated. With the water temperature in the mid-60s, the John Day River has been fishing very well for smallmouth bass. Green Peter has been producing limits of kokanee on various lure combinations and at depths from 30 to 60 feet. Bait has been effective for kokanee at Wallowa Lake although fishing has been slow. SW Washington – The Cowlitz is the best spring chinook option for the district and catches of steelhead are ramping up as well. The Kalama River remains closed to the harvest of spring chinook but remains open to summer steelhead fishing. Catches of salmon and steelhead on the Lewis remains fair with peak season upon us. Backbounced eggs is working best for salmon while backtrolled plugs is working well for steelhead. Bank anglers have the best access to fish on the Wind River and Little White Salmon. Bag limits are generous now but check regulations for more important details.