Thursday, May 29, 2014

Oregon fishing update

Willamette Valley/Metro - Springer fishing is slow on the lower Willamette. Herring, whole or cut-plug with flashers or not is still getting hit as are prawn spinners. Water temperatures are climbing into the 60s so hardware will soon be an option. Chinook are scattered with a few coming between St. Johns Bridge and the head of Multnomah Channel. Oregon City has been slow but steady although another fishery is rapidly developing as shad are plentiful and willing. Small, shiny spoons and curly-tail jigs are taking these fish but a brass swivel with a Siwash hook attached is working just as well. Sturgeon are biting well in the harbor and smallmouth bass fishing has been good.

Hatches are prolific on the McKenzie making every day pleasant for fly anglers seeking redsides. The transition for a spring river to a summer stream is occurring now.

Spring chinook are moving into the Santiams with catches starting soon near the confluence and into the lower South Santiam River. Summer steelhead are increasing in number on the North Santiam as prospects improve. Steelhead have been taken on spinners at Mehama this week.

The Clackamas River has been giving up a few summer steelhead. Bank anglers at McIver Park will have the best chance of a hookup at first light with hardware getting hits. Spinners in brass, copper or black are taking fish as are small spoons and nightmare jigs. Spring chinook catches have been a rarity in low water conditions.

Spinners in sizes 3 and 4 have been taking Sandy steelhead this week. Most fish are running around the eight-pound mark although a few in the 10-pound range have been landed. Effort is very light with the water level low and dropping. Springers are around with some anglers getting lucky on rare occasion with larger spinners. Algae has been causing headaches here and there's a potential for turbidity from glacial runoff in hot weather this week. The Sandy Classic runs on Saturday, go to www.nwsteelheaders.org to register.

Northwest – Tillamook spring chinook anglers found fair success this past week on the weak tide series. Most effort centered around the lower bay and adjacent ocean. The morning bite produced best on the south side of the south jetty and the Ghost Hole produced surprising results on the incoming tide. Pat Vining and Aubrey Engles produced 3 springers in 1 hour trolling herring along the inside of the north jetty on Sunday. All fish came on trolled herring, late in the afternoon after everyone left. Anglers need to be aware that bait is hard to come by and for those that have it, expect to pay a premium price.

River anglers in the Trask, Wilson and Nestucca Rivers found challenging conditions. As flows drop and clear, fish will become more wary. It's forecast to be much the same for the coming week, making tidewater the most attractive option, particularly in the Trask.

Bottomfishing was good over the weekend with most charter trips reporting limits out of Garibaldi. Halibut fishing was hit or miss however but should remain consistent on the next opener in a few weeks.

Razor clams should be a good option along Clatsop Beaches this weekend. Dig close to the surf for bigger clams.

Southwest- While sport and charter boats reported a slower bite during the recent three day all-depth halibut opener, almost everyone took limits of fish. The next chance for deepwater flatties will be on June 5-7 and June 19-21 with additional dates tentatively scheduled in July if necessary. The summer all-depth fishery opens in August.

Surf perch fishing has been worthwhile for anglers casting from beaches and is expected to produce good catches throughout the summer months.

Winchester Bay crabbing remains too poor to be worth the effort although rockfishing has been worthwhile along the jetties and the perch fishery is picking up on the lower Umpqua. Spring chinook catches have been slow to spotty this week but smallmouth bass fishing is improving and shad are hitting tiny spoons and jigs at Yellow Creek and Sawyers Rapids.

Coos Bay crabbers are picking up a few keeper Dungeness with persistence. Fishing for rockfish and lingcod has been fair to good along the jetties.

With water on the lower Rogue low, clear and too warm to fish well, spring chinook catches have been slow. Springers continue to charge through the middle river, stopping only on rare occasion to take a swipe at bait or lure as they pass by. Upper Rogue anglers have continued to score spring chinook with some real brutes landed over the past weekend.

Salmon fishing out of the Port of Brookings has been nothing short of phenomenal for this time of year. Historically, the opener is not the best time for ocean chinook but catches since the season started have eclipsed those out of Newport many times over. Examination of stomach contents indicate salmon are gorging on krill. Catches of rockfish and lingcod have remained strong. Halibut fishers have taken 27% of the south coast quota.

Eastern – Although Salmonflies should be showing in greater number on the Deschutes, that was not the case over the past weekend with few hatches of any kind on some stretches. Despite the dearth of insects, Golden Stone patterns fooled several large redsides below Maupin.

Crooked River flows continue to moderate very slightly with the flow 240 cfs early this week. It has been reliably productive for trout.

Lemolo Lake produced limits of fat trout over the Memorial Day weekend.

Kokanee fishing was fair for trollers at Green Peter over the past weekend although the wind was problematic at times.

Odell has been producing good numbers of good-sized kokanee this week on the troll.

Wickiup has been poor to slow with the water temperatures too high to fish well.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Oregon fishing report for May 23

Willamette Valley/Metro - The reopening of the Columbia didn't prove overly productive in the high flows but some anglers produced fair catches of hatchery salmon from Westport near Wauna to the I-5 area. As numbers taper, so will catches but shad season is just getting underway. Steelhead numbers are climbing too.

Fish passage has picked up again at Willamette Falls with nearly 2,300 counted on Thursday, May 15th and almost 2,000 on the 16th. It's a positive sign when springers are on the move. Trollers are still using herring in Multnomah Channel with modest results. The stretch from Sellwood to the harbor has been slow for herring and prawn trollers. Hardware is an option as the water temperature climbs into the 60s. Backtrolling eggs or an egg and sand shrimp combo has been taking a few in Oregon City. Once a hookup occurs, allow the springer to take it and the trolling motor to set the hook. Trash fish and sea lions continue to be a problem here. Shad fishing has started at Oregon City and has been worthwhile at times.

McKenzie flows have been a bit unstable over the past week, varying between 4,100 and 5,000 cfs at Vida. Prospects will improve as it stabilizes. Summer steelhead are being caught as well as a few dandy spring chinook which have been responding to baits of scented roe. As summer steelhead numbers increase on the North Santiam, so have catches. Fish have been landed recently on drifted prawns, plugs and scented versions of the ubiquitous pink plastic worm.

Clackamas anglers have been scoring spring chinook on the lower river and upstream as more salmon enter the system. On a recent launch from Feldheimers, fly anglers scored a couple by drifting brightly-colored streamers. Most springers are hooked on bobber and eggs or spinners. Sea Lions have become a problem here as well, even above Carver.

With spring chinook numbers good on the Columbia, it follows that populations will also increase on the Sandy River where catches have improved recently. Catches also picked up for summer steelhead over the past week with spoons or spinners doing the job for many anglers. Others have connected with summers by drifting corkies with a bit of yarn or on bobber and jig. Algae has started to clog lines early this year.

While many lakes and some river and streams in Oregon already are open to fishing, the May 24 kickoff opens dozens of additional rivers, streams and even some lakes in central and northeast Oregon west to the Cascade mountain range and the Oregon coast.

The ODFW will host a free fishing event on Saturday, May 24 at Sheridan Pond. There is no charge to participate in the event and everything a person needs to be successful will be provided – rods, reels, lures, bait and instruction from experienced anglers. People who have their own gear are welcome to bring it along. Plenty of fish will be stocked for this event.

Northwest – Last weekend produced nothing but frustration for upper Tillamook Bay anglers as moss has once again inundated the area. No doubt the nutrient rich waters of the Tillamook River is the problem child, severely compromising a once-productive spring chinook fishery. Fortunately, the ocean remained an option for some of the weekend but wasn't overly productive either.

The Trask River is once again a highlight of the area with both the upper reaches below the hatchery and tidewater producing good results. Success should taper however as tides wane and flow drop. By the weekend, the lower bay and adjacent ocean waters should be the best bet on the weaker tide series. The Wilson and Nestucca also have fish present.

Bottomfishing remains good out of Garibaldi and the upcoming halibut opener should produce fair catches as well. The ocean will be the best bet for crabbing.

Southwest- At the first all-depth halibut opener, sport boats did well and most charter boats out of central ports limited for clients. The next opportunity will be May 22nd through 24th.

Surf perch fishing has remained good on the beaches of the south coast. Best results are on incoming tide through slack.

Spring chinook catches picked up a little on the Umpqua over the past week. With the water dropping, clearing and warming, shad have started hitting again at Yellow Creek and Sawyer's Rapids.

Boats launching out of Charleston are returning with fine catches of assorted bottomfish although chinook fishing has been slow as salmon remain scattered. Rockfish are being taken from the jetties inside the bay. Clamming was excellent in Coos Bay during the last series of minus tides but crabbing is still poor to slow.

Lingcod fishing has been excellent out of Gold Beach with anglers culling limits of large, healthy fish. Most are finishing up the day with rockfish limits as well. Waters of the lower Rogue are once again low and clear, a situation all too common this season, which has most anglers ranking the run as just fair. Guide boats have been getting one or two fish a day with most fish responding to anchovy/spinner combos. Catches are slow on the middle Rogue as anglers are fishing over springers anxious to reach the upper river as they have been doing in good number recently. The spring chinook bite has been pretty good on the upper Rogue but most of these early fish are wild, requiring release. Backbounced roe has been most effective.

As ocean salmon fishing opened out of Brookings on May 10th, offshore trollers found chinook ranging from the mid-teens to the high 20-pound-range ready to take on anglers' offerings. Catches started out slow on opening day but improved daily. Halibut is another option but the south coast quota of just over 3,700 pounds is expected to fill quickly. As of early this week, 79% of the quota was still available.

Diamond Lake trout fishing has been fair to good with some anglers taking eight-fish limits. Be prepared to deal with midges (gnats) at this time of year. They're out by the thousands.

Eastern – Despite the salmonflies hatching early and in abundance on the lower Deschutes, catches early this week were slow to fair. Springers are being taken at Sherars Falls.

Wallowa Lake has been fishing well with trout feeding heavily on black ants. The Wallowa River will be open for trout season on May 24th and is expected to fish well barring a high water event prior to that date.

If casting jigs to jumpers is unproductive at Green Peter, look for deep schools and troll through them to take kokanee.

Kokanee fishing has been fair to good at Wickiup recently for trollers using spinner and hoochie combinations.

Normally the domain of jig fishers at this time of year, both jig fishing and trolling have been producing kokanee at Odell.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Oreogn fishing update

Willamette Valley/Metro - Fishery managers met Wednesday by phone, extending the Columbia River mainstem select (fin-clipped only) spring chinook fishery. Starting May 15th, anglers will be able to retain 2 salmonids per day, of which only 1 may be a chinook. Furthermore, anglers may fish on the mainstem Columbia all the way to the Bonneville Dam deadline.

Springer migration has slowed over Willamette Falls but not before pushing the total to near 8,000. There are also about 2,200 summer steelhead upstream. Water temperature was in the mid-50s on Tuesday this week with visibility fair. Spinners are picking up a few in Multnomah Channel while whole herring with or without a flasher is taking some chinook out of Willamette Park. Diver and bait is preferred in Oregon City where sea lions are getting as many as anglers. Bank fishers have been taking a few springers with Spin 'n' Glos rigged with tuna balls a popular option. Turbid water early this week slowed catch rates however.

Recent high water on the Santiams has moderated with levels dropping nicely and water clarity very good for fishing. Concentrate efforts in the lower river as cold water is preventing springers and summer steelhead from moving upstream. Results have been fair.

Clackamas water levels are forecast to be dropping through the coming week. While there are still some winter steelhead available above Barton, fresh summers are scattered throughout the system. Fishing for spring chinook will move to the forefront in late May and into June as more fish enter the system. Doug Briggs of Gresham took a nice springer on Monday, near Barton, on a wee wart fished in about 10 feet of water.

Water conditions are excellent on the Sandy. Spring chinook and summer steelhead are entering the system and a fair number are being hooked. The most productive stretch is from Oxbow Park down to Lewis and Clark. For those interested in spey fishing, there will be a Spey Clave on May 16, 17 and 18 at Oxbow Park.

Northwest – Catches of spring chinook are becoming more consistent in the Tillamook area. Although the lower estuary produced the best results last weekend, the upper bay has been productive as well, for those trolling herring. Mid-May marks the start of the peak for this fishery. With another minus tide on tap for the weekend, effort will likely, and justifiably, switch to the upper bay where herring and spinner trollers should find success.

Trask River anglers also report fair success for spring chinook from the tidewater reaches to the hatchery. High flows kept salmon moving but with flows subsiding, fish will begin to hold in deeper water and become more wary in the clearing rivers. The Wilson and Nestucca Rivers are also options but receive fewer plants than the Trask. Summer steelhead should also start showing with more regularity in the coming weeks.

Lower Columbia beaches open for hatchery steelhead, and now with the recent joint-state action, hatchery spring chinook on May 15th. The timing couldn't be better with a minus tide and high flows keeping fish close to shore where bank anglers have good access.

Soft tides and friendly seas early in the week produced good catches of lingcod and sea bass off of the south jetty near Astoria. Strong tides this weekend will quell success near the river mouth but clamming along Clatsop Beaches will likely be good. Diggers have been reporting good success for larger clams with younger broods not faring quite as well.

Southwest - Some charters launching out of Newport reported limiting the boat on the first all-depth halibut opener of 2014 with some fish over 50 inches in length. The next opportunity will be on May 22-24 with additional dates set in June for a quota of 22,274 pounds.

Bottomfishing slowed out of central Oregon ports early this week but still allowed anglers to take fair catches of rockfish and lingcod.

Ocean salmon fishing opened from Humbug Mountain to the California border on the 10th of May allowing boats launching from Port Orford, Gold Beach and Brookings to troll for chinook as anglers to the north have been doing since March 15. Early results indicate a slow start, but this was expected. Catches will improve into June.

Surf perch fishing is producing decent numbers of south coast beaches with this fishery expected to shine for many weeks to come.

Boats launching out of Reedsport scored chinook over the past weekend as schools moved closer to shore, putting them within reach of sport boats. Spring chinook catches have been spotty on the Umpqua mainstem but shad are in with catches improving. Try fishing Sawyers Rapids or Yellow Creek with bright, sunny days often most productive.

Boats launching out of Charleston have been making good catches of bottomfish although ocean chinook fishing has been slow with salmon scattered. Clamming has been excellent in Coos Bay although crabbing remains slow.

The offshore launch window out of Gold Beach was closed more frequently than it was open over the past week due to rough conditions. When boats have been able to get out, fishing has been rewarding with which limits of lingcod and a colorful variety of rockfish. Spring chinook catches are spotty on the lower Rogue with rods bending whenever a pod of salmon moves through. Boat anglers are faring better than those fishing from the bank. Springers passing through the middle river seem more interested in migrating than biting. Results on the upper Rogue have been quite good for chinook, particularly for this early in the year. Winter steelhead are available but well past their prime. Steelheaders may no longer keep wild fish.

Eastern – Salmon Flies and Stone Flies are making an appearance on the lower Deschutes in one of the earliest showings in memory. Redsides are responding now. There's no predicting how long the big bugs will endure.

Lemolo Lake has been producing fine catches of brown trout.

Wickiup was very slow for kokanee over the past weekend. Neither trollers nor jigs fishers had any advantage.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will be holding a free youth fishing event at Pine Nursery Pond in NE Bend near Ponderosa Elementary School on Saturday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Soapbox - See Oregonian article on Timberline Ski area's salting of the headwaters of the Salmon River (Wild and Scenic salmon and steelhead stream). http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/05/saltng_of_mt_hood_glacier_is_b.html

Friends of Mt Hood website on the salting: http://www.friendsofmounthood.org/

Pass this on to your networks- Put a stop to the abuse of our scenic treasures/resources by the Kohnstamm family-operated ski area.
Send a message to the Supervisor of the Mt. Hood National Forest via Internet: http://www.fs.usda.gov/contactus/mthood/about-forest/contactus

Thursday, May 08, 2014

Oregon fishing report 5/9

Willamette Valley/Metro - Fishery managers met by phone on Tuesday, granting sport anglers an additional 2 days (Friday and Saturday, May 9th and 10th) for spring chinook on the mainstem Columbia, downstream of Rooster Rock State Park. Bank anglers have access all the way to Bonneville Dam and action should be great for both parties. Additional opportunity is likely in mid-May.

Willamette flows have continued to moderate as the water has cleared. Water temperatures are rising to the upper 50's at the Falls. About 300 springers were counted on 1st of May for nearly 3,500 total as of that date. Nearly 1,600 summers had also crossed the Falls. Bank fishing has been slow, yielding steelhead on occasion. Last week was slow for springers but it picked up over the past weekend. Back-trolling small plugs has been picking up a few while a number of trollers have dropped the flasher to hook salmon on plain, cut-plug herring. Others are using prawn spinners and anchor fishers are taking some in the lower channel. Oregon City has produced the most hookups recently but many have been lost to sea lions. Diver and egg/shrimp combos are producing in the Garbage Hole. Catch-and-release sturgeon fishing has been good on anchovies or herring in the lower river below Sellwood Bridge or in the harbor but avoid the stretch from Willamette Falls to the Lake Oswego-Oak Grove Railroad Bridge which closed May 1.

McKenzie flows have been fairly stable over the past week. Fishing for redsides is fair to good and a few steelhead have been landed on jigs. March brows are on the wane but BWOs will be a staple for a while and nymphs are always a productive alternative.

The Santiam system will be dropping and clearing but the next storm front due over the coming weekend, will impact flows. There are steelhead in the river with a few summers taken on the North Santiam and summers reported as high as Foster Dam on the South. The best bet will be the lower river this early, however.

Clackamas water levels will be dropping through Friday this week but are forecast to be on the rise this coming Saturday with the next weather system moving through. There are spring chinook in the river although hookups have been few. Summer steelheading is slightly better with jigs or spinners taking fish, particularly in the Gladstone stretch.

Sandy water levels have been dropping with water clarity improving. A few steelhead have been taken this week by anglers drifting bobbers with suspended baits of cured roe.

Northwest – Spring chinook are starting to show in better numbers in the Tillamook district but we're still a week away from more consistent catches. The low tide exchange this weekend will offer lower bay trollers the best opportunity. The Trask River saw a shot of chinook on the last rain freshet; action is likely to be best close to the hatchery.

The ocean is expected to be angry for the first few days of the Central Coast halibut opener but should calm by Saturday. Catches should be fair out of Garibaldi but north of Cape Falcon, halibut action was slow last year; it's anyone's guess this year.

Southwest- Bottom fishing out of Depoe Bay and Newport continues to reward sport and charter boats whenever offshore conditions allow. Ling cod catches have been particularly robust lately. This week will mark the first all depth halibut fishery which opens Thursday through Saturday this week. Further opportunities will occur every other week until the quota fills or summer season starts in August.

Halibut season opened May 1st south of Humbug Mountain, a location newly-titled the Southern Oregon Subarea. With just 3,712 pounds in the quota for this fishery, it is likely to be a short season. At the opener, a dozen or so were returned to the dock in Brookings.

Surf perch fishing has continued to pick up but shoot for those days when the ocean lays down a bit. Look for a steeper beach where waves break closer to shore. Throw baits of shrimp, clam necks or prawns during the last two hours of incoming tide.

Spring chinook fishing has been fair on the Umpqua mainstem although there have been occasional flurries of action.

When the ocean has laid down, boats launching out of Charleston have been catching chinook offshore. Bottom fish catches have been very good, particularly for lingcod. Crabbing has remained slow inside Coos Bay.

While rough ocean conditions prevented offshore boats from launching out of Gold Beach over the weekend, it was smooth sailing late last week. Nearshore bottomfishing was very good, producing many lingcod limits and decent numbers of colorful rockfish. Chinook are moving through the lower Rogue in schools, creating sporadic good catches for anglers in the Agness stretch. Middle river steelheaders are taking mostly dark fish now with springer catches slow to fair, best below Rainie Falls and at Hayes Falls. Spring chinook are entering the upper river with catches very good for this early in May. Good flows on the upper Rogue have contributed to anglers' success. Back-bouncers are hooking up with plug-pullers wrapping with anchovy rather than sardines here to good effect.

Trout catches have continues to improve at Diamond Lake as spring weather increases water temperatures. Bait fishing continues to be most productive.

Eastern – As the month of May progresses, few March Browns will be in evidence on the lower Deschutes with Mayflies becoming predominant. In addition to Mahogany Duns, Blue Winged Olives will be hatching mid-day to mid-afternoon. Trout fishing has been tough lately but the big bugs will show soon.

Crooked River flows are dropping to the 200 cfs mark. Many fly fishers prefer it when the river is at lower level.

Anglers trolling white or orange hoochies behind a flasher at 20 to 30 foot depths are taking good numbers of kokanee at Wickiup.

Trollers are taking fair numbers of kokanee at Green Peter. Hoochies and wedding rings have been effective.

Soapbox - Have you signed up for the Sandy River Classic yet? This fun fundraiser is designed to keep our hatcheries functioning, especially on the Sandy River. Fishing for chinook and steelhead is open anywhere within a 100 mile radius of the Sandy, allowing anglers to maximize their chances for success in this event. Pro guide Trevor Storlie started this event over a decade ago and now he's graciously handed it over to the Association of NW Steelheaders to run. Find out more.

Thursday, May 01, 2014

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - The Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Program on the Columbia River starts May 1st.

Columbia River anglers posted good catches on the 1-day extension. Fishery managers are reviewing catch stats but another opener is unlikely, at least until late May or June. Steelhead season opens in mid-May.

Trollers using herring, either whole or plug-cut, but generally behind a flasher, have been hooking up with springers on the lower Willamette from the Sellwood Bridge to Portland Harbor. Some are opting for prawn spinners in the mid-50-degree water. Boaters in Oregon City have also seen their share of action. Bank anglers at Meldrum Bar had to content themselves with being spectators earlier this week as the only springers landed were by those fishing from boats although a couple were landed from the bank at Dahl Park. The Willamette if forecast to receive about 58,700 spring Chinook this year. Many of those will make it past the falls while about 4,000 should enter the Clackamas.

Fly anglers on the lower McKenzie are enjoying great water conditions and good results with native redsides and cutthroat. March Brown dries and nymphs are taking fish now.

If the rising waters of the Santiam system had sufficient numbers of fish to tempt an angler, rising water conditions this week would be enough to ward them off.

Springers are being taken at the mouth of the Clackamas and are scattered upriver. A few are being hooked on hardware. Try locations where natural obstacles cause salmon to hold. Fishing for winter steelhead is fair with the best chance of a hookup high on the river. The first decent push of summer steelhead should occur in a couple of weeks. Expect to find the water level rising this week although it should start to drop by the weekend.

The Sandy is rising this week but should be starting to moderate by Saturday this week. Sandy River spring chinook anglers have been taking a few fish but the better part of the season still lies in the future. Bobber fishers using bait or jigs have taken some from parks along the river. The Sandy is forecast to receive 5,500 spring chinook this season with the peak coming in late April and early May.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will host a free family fishing event at Trojan Pond southeast of Rainier from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 26.

For many Oregon anglers, the 2014 trout season officially kicks off on Saturday, April 26 with the opening of many lakes around the state. Check your angling synopsis or online at www.dfw.or.us to determine which water bodies are effected.

Northwest – Effort remains low for steelhead on the north coast but those that participated in the Nestucca and Wilson fisheries recently have reported big numbers of spawned out fish. Only a rare fresh fish exists and summer run steelhead remain elusive.

Spring chinook have been reported in Tillamook Bay but anglers won't expect much until mid-May. This run often mimics the Willamette return, which is likely to come in mediocre this season.

Offshore anglers remain anxious to fish bottomfish out of Garibaldi; they'll still have to wait for better ocean conditions not seen in the foreseeable future.

Southwest- While offshore winds moderated early this week, ocean swells remained too big for boats to launch. Bottom fishing is excellent when anglers can get to the fish. Boats launching out of Newport over the past weekend limited on large lingcod.

All-depth halibut opens May 8-10 with additional opportunities every other week or until the quota of 113,229 pounds is met or the summer season starts August 1. The nearshore halibut fishery will open on July 1, seven days a week. A new sub-area has been set up south of Humbug Mountain to the OR/CA border with a quota of 3,712 pounds.

Spring Chinook have continued to enter the mainstem Umpqua which has provided early-season action for plug pullers on the lower river. While it is getting late in the season for winter steelhead, anglers have continued to catch decent numbers of hatchery fish on the South Umpqua. The run is above average this year.

Ocean chinook remain scattered which has made it difficult for offshore boaters to locate fish. Results improved when boats could launch out of Charleston recently, however, with best results in water depths of 50 to 150 feet.

Waters of the lower Rogue have continued to drop and clear this week, creating challenging conditions for spring chinook hopefuls. Best chance to hook a springer is below Quosatana Creek. Steelheaders are getting a few winters but most are of poor quality now. Level and flow are supposed to rise through the coming weekend which should trigger the bite as the river recovers. Anglers on the middle Rogue have it a little tougher with rising water, few steelhead and fewer springers passing through. It has been slow on this stretch. There are still a few winters amidst the incoming spring chinook on the upper Rogue where fishing remains fair.

Charter and sport boats are taking limits or near limits of rockfish and lingcod whenever they have been able to launch out of the Port of Brookings.

Diamond Lake has been producing limits for some boaters fishing bait in 35-foot depths over 45 feet of water.

Eastern – The lower Deschutes water level dropped through April 19th but has been stable since that date. Fly anglers are using March Brown and Blue Winged Olive patterns to take resides at a fair to good clip.

Anglers are starting to fish the Crooked River despite water flows much greater than a month ago.

Smallmouth bass fishing is heating up on the John Day River. The largest smallies of the year are historically landed here in April.

Kokanee fishing has been slow at Green Peter with none of the trollers fishing this week approaching the 25-fish limit.