Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - Anglers will be given another open season for sturgeon retention in the Bonneville Pool above the dam, starting on Monday the 24th and going through March 9th. As of now anglers have only harvested 16% of the 1100 fish quota, so further openers are likely. If the weather improves and the water temperature bumps up a few degrees, anglers will burn their way towards the quota much quicker.

With a raging, dirty brown river, little is happening on the Willamette. However, boat anglers in the Portland harbor have been catching and releasing plenty of nice sturgeon despite the dirty water. Get out of the heavy flowing main current and soak sand shrimp, smelt or anchovies. Once the river cleans up in a week or so, spring salmon fishing will be underway at Meldrum Bar, Sellwood and the head of Multnomah Channel. Plug cut green label herring will get the most bites in the lower river, while spin n glos, with or without a prawn, sand shrimp or coon shrimp is favored up at Oregon City.

McKenzie River levels are dropping and the water has cleared this week although there is still lots of water. The prospects are fair for catch-and-release winter fly fishing for wild redsides. Keep an eye out for March Brown hatches.

Flows at the North Santiam remain big; certainly unsafe to boat and too swift to bank fish. The level and flow are forecast to moderate in the first week of March.

Still a bit high but on the drop, the Clackamas River is starting to kick out a few steelhead. March and April are the prime months for Clackamas winter steelhead. All the drifts from Rivermill Dam down to Riverside Park will produce over the next few days.

On the Sandy, steelhead were showing up in the catch over the weekend. The river from Dodge Park down to Dabney Park will provide the best opportunity, but fresh fish should be spread throughout the system. Look for prime conditions to last through most of the week.

Northwest – Offshore bottom fishing has been good when boats have been able to get out of northwest ports but this time of year those opportunities are uncommon due to rough ocean conditions. Check the latest reports prior to launching.

With the hatchery winter run winding down, expect fair fishing for wild steelhead on the Nehalem River depending on water conditions. The river remains a bit high for productive fishing.

Now that the Wilson has dropped and the water clarity has improved, wither steelheaders have been hooking a few on jigs, corkies and drifted egg clusters. The level will remain around five feet near Tillamook this week. Fishing was productive over the weekend for wild and broodstock fish.

The Nestucca was slow to recover following the last storm front. Conditions are improving with catches reported as slow to fair for a mix of broodstock and hatchery winters.

Steelheading has been spotty on the Alsea as fewer than 500 winter steelhead having entered the lower hatchery trap. This is somewhat below the 10-year average.

Trask levels are fishable now although catches have been fairly slow. There have been a few hookups at the Dam Hole.

Southwest – Catches have been mixed for sport and charter boats this week. Some are slaying good numbers of rockfish and lingcod while others have boated only a few.

Steelheaders on the Umpqua mainstem have been doing well again this week. The recent storm front brought good numbers of hatchery fish into the South Umpqua, improving results for steelheaders.

Coos Bay crabbing is poor and will remain that way until salinity levels return to normal and Dungeness return from ocean haunts.

The Siuslaw is forecast to be about 7.5 feet near Mapleton by Friday this week and the water color should be good. Fresh winters will have entered during the freshet and will be well-distributed. Try around the Whittaker Creek area or the stretch near Lake Creek.

There's still plenty of water in the lower Rogue although the clarity is decent and this stretch offers the best chance of a hook-up with a fresh winter steelhead for those pulling plugs or drifting egg clusters. Steelheaders on the middle Rogue stand a fair chance of success drifting lures or tossing spinners. Upper Rogue flows were around 4,000 cfs over the past weekend and will remain around 3,500 cfs this week. A few spawned-out summers are mixed with a few fresh winter steelhead.

As the Chetco dropped sufficiently to plunk late last week, it was evident that good numbers of winter steelhead entered with the freshet. While the Chetco is in the low and clear category as of Tuesday, it is still producing winters to 12-pounds and is forecast to rise and color up slightly overnight on Friday, which will only improve conditions.

Boat the Chetco with caution as several accidents have occurred over the past week and one boater was lost below Loeb State Park.

The slush that covered the surface of Diamond Lake has now frozen with fresh snowfall atop. Ice fishing is slow to fair. ODFW will be conducting a "fishing on ice” workshop at Diamond Lake workshop on March 8th. The cost of the workshop is $52 per adult and $12 per child under age 18. Register at the ODFW website.

Eastern - Take the Deschutes off your fishing list for a while, it's just not worth the trip.

The low flows of the Crooked River are producing fair catches of mostly small trout. Blue-Winged Olives and midge patterns are most effective here.

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - The stormy weather has made fishing impossible on the Columbia River.

The only game in town, for days to come will be catch and release sturgeon fishing on the Willamette. Sturgeon can and will be caught despite the high, murky water. Try the usual Portland harbor sturgeon haunts like Swan Island and the Toyota hole with smelt, anchovies or squid. Next week will be a good time to think about Meldrum Bar springers.

Santiam and McKenzie flows will be too high for consideration by anglers through the weekend.

The Clackamas river is a roaring, brown torrent and it will be days before is approaches fishable. Eagle Creek might come into shape by Thursday or Friday.

Sandy River fishers will be waiting till the weekend for better fishing conditions. Expect the river to drop to a suitable level by late Saturday or Sunday. With any luck, there will be some steelhead around for the catching.

Northwest – Steelheaders may still face high, off-color water late this week as a result of the past storm. If so, plunking should take some fish but try drifting egg clusters as the water clears. Plugs and corkies will produce as conditions improve. February and March are prime months for steelheading.

Bay crabbing will suffer from low salinity levels. Often Netarts Bay will yield better results but it has been slow recently.

Trask levels crested on Monday this week and have been dropping since then. Prospects for steelheaders look fair for the coming weekend as numbers of hatchery fish should be improving.

Pressure on the Wilson River is expected to increase as it comes back into shape. It has been fishing best of the Tillamook County rivers so steelheaders are looking forward to further improvement following the freshet.

The Kilchis will drop and clear the earliest of all Tillamook area rivers although fishing was slow before the storm and it is unlikely for any but wild steelhead to be available at this time of year.

Nestucca steelheaders are being challenged by high, muddy water this week. Predictions are for dropping and clearing into the weekend, which means a mix of hatchery and wild winter steelhead. Catches so far this year have been fair but anglers are hoping for improving results.

Southwest – The ocean has been uncooperative with boaters recently although long-range forecast show some hope for friendly offshore conditions by the coming weekend. When boats have been able to get out, fishing for rockfish and ling cod has been good. Bottom fishing without depth restrictions will continue through March.

Catch-and-release fishing for wild steelhead was good on the mainstem Umpqua before it blew out in the second week in February. Hatchery fish were being landed in fair number on the South Umpqua. These fisheries will resume as water conditions improve but expect to find levels remaining a little high over the coming weekend.

Crabbing is poor in Coos Bay and will remain that way for a while due to fresh water washing into the bay from the recent storm.

Depending on water color, plunkers should have the edge on the lower Rogue this weekend. Levels will be higher than normal. Winter steelhead are available in the Grants Pass stretch but there will be plenty of water to deal with. Too early for decent results for winters, the upper Rogue will also experience high flows through the weekend.

When boats have been able to fish just outside Brookings Harbor, jigging has produced good catches of lings and rockfish. Steelheading was good on the Chetco prior to the latest deluge and those who know this river are anticipating worthwhile fishing as the water drops and clears later this week. Flows are expected to be down to 5,000 cfs by Friday, February 21, then moderate further through the weekend. It should be a good one for anglers.

Local steelheaders got in on some action with winters on the Elk River as it rapidly recovered from the freshet this week. Both the Elk and Sixes will rise and fall rapidly as conditions change.

Eastern - Temperatures warmed on the east side following heavy snows which resulted in heavy runoff and high, muddy water on the Deschutes River. As the weather clears, river conditions will improve allowing fly anglers to try for resident redsides although fair results are about the best that can be expected at this time of year.

Crooked River flows remain low and clear with Blue-Winged-Olive and midge patters producing fair but steady results.

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - There has been no effort on the Columbia although when temperatures warm, anglers will be motivated. When the snow and ice melt, Cowlitz smelt will be on tap on Saturdays from 6 a.m. until noon.

The weather has kept fishermen off the Willamette leaving little to report. Catch and release sturgeon should continue to be good. If the beach is free of ice and snow, Meldrum Bar anglers will resume the vigil for late winter steelhead and the coveted early springer. One boat was spotted at Sellwood on Saturday, but a report came in that the two anglers came up dry.

McKenzie River levels, high at the beginning of February, dropped at the end of the first week but are headed back up with rain and snowmelt. The river is likely to be out of shape for a couple of weeks.

Water is rising on the Santiams to torrent levels and with no respite in sight through months' end.

Trying to launch a boat on the Clackamas or scurry down the bank to a favorite fishing hole is a dangerous prospect considering the snow and ice. The fish have been completely unmolested since Friday. The river is scheduled to rise substantially this week.

Once the Sandy River drops from the melt-off, winter steelhead should be present. Look to the upper river for the best fishable water late this week.

Northwest – This is traditionally the time of year that winter steelheaders look forward to. Bright fish historically enter and are in the rivers in substantial number to make fishing truly worthwhile. This year however, returning adults may not produce the results most are seeking. Anglers will have an idea as to how the late season will produce by the first week in March.

The Trask and Wilson River levels are rising to unfishable levels this week. With the next freshet forecast to hit February 18th, expect these rivers to be out of shape for a while.

Nestucca water levels and flows have increased dramatically this week with snowmelt and precipitation. Expect high, roiled water into the third week of February. Water started rising on the Siletz February 8th and has continued to do so since. Flows are predicted to start moderating around February 20th, but that's a long-term prediction for any Oregon river.

Extensive planting of hatchery trout will begin this week in the Northwest Zone which will include the stocking of larger and trophy trout at many locations. Check the ODFW website for details and locations.

Southwest – Bottom fishing has been good when boats have been able to get out but conditions this week will prevent offshore adventures.

Dates for All-Depth Halibut fishing have been announced with the season opening on May 8-10 and 22-24 then continuing June 5-7 and 19-21. Additional dates will be added if the quota doesn't fill.

Steelheading has been good on the Umpqua mainstem and hatchery fish catches had been improving on the South Umpqua. The system will be blown out by the coming weekend, however, but holds promise as the water drops and clears.

The influx of fresh water has a detrimental effect on crabbing but it has been so slow at Coos Bay that the difference is negligible.

Flows on the Rogue River started reflecting the effect of this week's storm mid-week and will remain out of shape for several days. Middle river steelheaders hoped the freshet would move winters into this stretch, and that probably occurred but it won't be fishable this week. Once the water drops and clears, there are likely to be targetable numbers of fresh steelhead in the upper Rogue.

Lingcod fishing is excellent out of Brookings Harbor whenever ocean conditions allow boats to get out. Rain forecasts last week had Chetco steelheaders rejoicing at the prospect of flows approaching the magic 4,000 cfs mark. The window of opportunity was brief, however, and will be shattered this week as flows are forecast to exceed 20,000 cfs by the weekend to come. There will be fish to catch, but only as the levels drop. Plunkers will score as this occurs followed by drift fishers as the water clears.

Elk and Sixes levels will rise and fall quickly due to their small sizes. Be there when conditions are good to score fresh winter steelhead. Bait fishing will be most effective.

Eastern – Steelheaders were reporting fair fishing on the Wallowa and Umatilla Rivers but with the cold snap, that has all changed. When the weather warms once again, action should pick up through the spring. The majority of fish taken recently have been of wild origin.

Wallowa Lake is largely frozen but the ice is too thin to safely fish. Rainbow trout will be available when it does freeze thoroughly but that may be a while from now.

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - The Bonneville pool is open for sturgeon retention through February 17th, No reports have come in as of yet, but the weather could get brutal through this weekend.

A couple rumors have surfaced of early season spring Chinook being taken from the Columbia and at the head of Multnomah Channel. One by a beach plunker and the other by a boat trolling red label herring out of Fred's Marina. Nothing has been confirmed yet but the source of the "rumor" seems pretty reliable and after all, it is time for the madness to begin. Although frigid temperatures are slated for the next several days, catch and release sturgeon fishing on the Willamette River will be much easier than the "keeper" fishing on the Columbia above Bonneville dam. The fishing has been good with plenty of action to go around. Expect best fishing in the deep holes below the Broadway Bridge. Although, smelt, sand shrimp, roll mop herring and worms (yes worms !) will all get bit, frozen anchovies have been the favorite bait. A few late steelhead have been picked up at Meldrum Bar by both back-trollers and bank plunkers. It's time to add some bait to your presentation as an early springer could be biting the next time a bell rings.

North Santiam flows are high enough to warn boaters to be extra cautious. There are a few natives around with numbers picking up mid-month. If this year's run is decent, catch-and-release action will me best in March and April.

The McKenzie River has been dropping over the past week, but the next round of rainfall due in the coming weekend will be sending water levels in the wrong direction for best results.

The water is clearing up on the Clackamas River but the level is still good and on a very slow drop. The occasional report comes in of one or two steelhead being hooked but nobody is lighting it on fire. We are quickly approaching prime time for Clack winter steelhead, but they have yet to make a strong enough appearance that would indicate many are coming at all. Regardless, we have decent water conditions and there are a few fish to be had. Put your effort in above Riverside Park for the best opportunity.

For all purposes, Sandy River winter steelhead are M.I.A. The water is again approaching lower levels and the fish have been far and few between. Fishermen who put in their time are scoring every now and then between Dodge and Dabney Park.

Northwest – Crabbing on the Columbia River below Astoria has average at best. Sport crabbers are really having to work their pots to get a mess of keepers compared to previous seasons when the pickings were easy. Plan your trips during the smallest incoming tides.

Like the valley, the North coast streams have been less than stellar. The Necanicum has been merely a creek much of the season. Small pods of steelhead have been making their way upstream, but many have already spawned and are heading back to the sea. A small wild run shows up in Feb and March.

The big Nehalem is finally coming into shape from last week's rain. By Thursday it should be in fishable shape above the falls. The water is low and on the North Fork Nehalem. Like the Necanicum that gets an early hatchery run of winter steelhead, most fish are down-runners this late in the game. The NF gets a small but nice run of late natives through March.

The Wilson gives up a fish or two every now and then with most being taken in the lower ten miles below Kansas Creek. Let's hope the wild broodstock and the wild counterpart show up in better numbers in the next couple of weeks.

A few wild steelhead have been caught and released on the Trask, but pressure is very light this early in the season. Better times should be ahead as the wild fish show up in better numbers in Feb and march.

Nothing new on the Nestucca either. Small groups of fresh steelhead enter the river on most tides, but the fish appear to be sparsely scattered throughout the system. With the water dropping as it is, better conditions are offered in the river below Fourth Bridge.

Southwest – When boats have been able to get out for bottom fish, rockfish limits have been common and many took ling cod.

Crabbing has been poor to slow in Winchester Bay. Umpqua steelhead are hooking good numbers of Native steelhead with North Umpqua results somewhat slower. There are enough hatchery winters in the South Umpqua to make fishing there worthwhile. It should be good following rain forecast for coming week.

Coos Bay has continued to be a disappointment to crabbers. It's the right time of year and little fresh water le flowing into the estuary. The Dungeness just aren't there.

Fly fishers are doing as well as anyone in the low water of the Rogue River near Agness. A mix of adult and half-pounder steelhead are hitting flies as well as small spoons and spinners although results have only been fair. The rainfall anglers have been hoping for should start Saturday, February 9, and continue for several days thereafter. Steelheading has picked up a little in the Grants Pass stretch with boaters doing better than bank anglers. A few scrawny summers are being caught on the upper Rogue with winter fish few and far between.

Rockfish and ling cod catches were good earlier this week when the ocean cooperated and boats were able to fish just outside Brookings Harbor. Winter steelhead fishing has been decent in the Chetco River for those drifting cured eggs in deeper runs despite low water conditions. A 20-pound native was caught and released over the past weekend.

Eastern - It's over for a while on the lower Deschutes. The time has come to seek fishes elsewhere.

Steelheaders on the Grande Ronde River are taking a few while clearing ice from the guides on their rods.

The Crooked River remains very low but trout fishing is worthwhile when midges are hatching.