Willamette Valley/Metro - Chinook counts over Bonneville Dam have sunk to 5,000 to 7,000 per day. Although these numbers indicate a steep decline, it's still strong for this late in the run. Considering the amount of rain we have had and the timing, now is the time for the backtrollers below the dam to have their best action. Once this week's unstable weather subsides, good fishing should resume.
The Willamette River has bumped up a couple notches and the visibility is deteriorating. This gets coho excited but puts them on the move as well. Expect fishing at the mouth of the Clackamas to be "off' until after the weekend when the river cleans back up.
The McKenzie River blew out on Monday this week but is predicted to recover by the coming weekend.
A few coho have been caught recently on the Santiam near Jefferson. It has been estimated that about one-quarter of the coho which pass over Willamette Falls are destined for the Santiam system.
The Clackamas River jumped up to over 17 feet and is now on a slow drop. Expect fishing for silvers to resume when the river clears and gets within reach of the 13 ft. mark.
Like the Clack, the Sandy River is also high and dirty. If predictions are spot on, it should drop back into fish-able shape by Sunday or Monday. By then, expect fishing for silvers and chinook to continue through October.
Northwest – The Tillamook and Nehalem systems remain the focal points for most sportanglers on the north coast. Recent turbulent weather kept anglers from fishing over the weekend however Kelly Murray of Hillsboro took her 2-chinook limit in one pass on a stormy Tillamook Bay on Saturday, trolling a herring at Bay City near the top of the tide. The recent rains have swollen the district's rivers and fishing on the Trask, Necanicum and both the North and South Forks of the Nehalem should be excellent prior to the weekend. The Nestucca and Salmon Rivers should also produce great action. Check each rivers regulations as there are large areas closed to harvest. This early season opportunity is often a rare one as the districts rivers frequently aren't floatable until next month.
Once the rivers and estuaries clear, action should pick up again although it's likely that estuary staging chinook and coho will all pass into the river systems. Following this freshet, the Nehalem is likely to drop off but Tillamook Bay will remain a stalwart producer well into November and early December. Hopefully, the freshet will clear the estuaries of troublesome, free-floating eel grass and seaweed that historically fouls anglers gear while pursuing chinook.
The influx of fresh water will likely further slow estuary crabbing. It could however stimulate sturgeon activity in Tillamook and Nehalem estuaries when large populations of sturgeon tend to make a mass exodus from the Columbia River, destined for other coastal estuaries in search of winter forage. These coastal estuaries remain the last open areas for sturgeon retention until the end of the year, when the large scale closure is likely to last for a long time.
Stronger tides will slow lower Columbia crabbing but there may be fair at best action for late season coho in the Astoria area. Of greater interest may be the evening minus tides starting on Saturday, where razor clam diggers may find good digging conditions after a long summer closure north of Tillamook Head at Seaside. You'll need a lantern and a watchful eye on the surf behind you. Use extreme caution when digging at night.
Southwest- Offshore conditions disallowed boating adventures over the past weekend and into the early part of this week but seas are predicted to calm considerably as the weekend approaches.
There has been a quiet conversation about running for tuna on Friday, October 4th but aside from that, albacore fishing is all but over for the year.
As of October 1, there is no longer a 30-fathom restriction on bottom fishing. Catches are expected to be excellent and cabezon retention which was scheduled to close at the end of September has been extended, possibly through the rest of the year.
Ocean coho closed the last day of September with the quota unfulfilled. Chinook will remain open offshore through October.
Coho seem to be dominating catches at Winchester Bay with bank-bound anglers hooking up on spinners while trollers using herring are taking fish below Gardiner.
Despite off-color water in Coos Bay, many bobber and bait fishers landed chinook from the dock on Monday this week. There are good numbers of salmon entering the bay.
While offshore trips haven't been an option over the past week out of Gold Beach, the Rogue Bay has periodically produced a mix of adult chinook, coho and mixed-specie jacks. Anglers on the lower river are still awaiting the big push of Indian Creek chinook. With chinook closed above the Hog Creek Boat Ramp as of October, targeting steelhead is the only option on the Grants Pass stretch. Fishing should remain worthwhile on the upper Rogue despite low water temperatures. Look for steelhead holding below spawning chinook where egg imitations should be effective and low light conditions most productive. Water level and flows should be normal by the weekend.
The highly-anticipated Chetco Ocean Terminal Area Fishery opened October 1st with the ocean too rough to fish. As conditions moderate this week, action should follow. This opportunity, during which the largest chinook of the season are typically landed, will continue through October 13th.
The Elk and Sixes Rivers were high and muddy on Monday this week but had started to drop and clear with that trend expected to continue through the week.
Eastern – The Deschutes was marginally affected by recent rainfall with the level and flow returning to normal. The majority of steelhead hookups over the past week have been wild fish. Counts of chinook and steelhead remained good at Sherars Falls through the last day of September.
Steelheading has yet to get started on the Grand Ronde and Imnaha Rivers with summers slow to make their way up the Columbia this year. Numbers are showing at Bonneville Dam but remain low at Lower Granite.
