Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - Strong numbers of summer steelhead continue to pass Bonneville Dam. Due to high water temperatures however, success rates are beginning to fall. Spinners and spin-n-glos tipped with coon shrimp will continue to be an anglers best bet. Catchable numbers of fall chinook are still about 3 weeks away.

Salmon and steelhead counts have picked up a little at Willamette Falls. Coho will appear in the counts starting around mid-August. The Multnomah Channel has produced walleye occasionally but it has been slow. Smallmouth bass fishing has been good while catch-and-release sturgeon fishing is slow in the summertime.

McKenzie River levels have dropped to levels where it will fish quite well. Target trout with caddis patterns and steelhead with spinners or drift gear.

Despite good numbers of summer steelhead on the North Santiam, they have been off the bite lately, Best chance is with a small spinner or jig early in the morning. Expect to pick up some fresh character on a hard-hulled drifter on the South Santiam. Boats are banging and dragging in places but they're picking up a few fish.

A push of summer steelhead historically occurs on the Clackamas in late July and early August. Steelheaders are hoping this comes to pass despite low, clear water conditions. Early mornings are really the only opportunity this time of year in these conditions. Try small spinners and a stealthy approach.

Hot weather this week is triggering glacial runoff in the Sandy during which the water turns from clear to milky. Some anglers prefer it that way, most do not. Steelhead are being caught between Marmot Dam and Dabney Park by anglers using small offerings early in the day.

Northwest – Moorage slips are next to non-existent in Astoria as anxious anglers await the opening of the Buoy 10 fishery starting Friday. Early returning chinook are typically destined for Young's Bay but the target fishery that had developed there in previous years, near the mouth of Young's Bay, has been rescinded by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission; be mindful of the new closure, it can be viewed here.

With predicted returns (about 10,000 adults) of these Young's Bay brood about half of what it was last year, the early season may not prove to be too productive anyway. Regardless of where you fish, you'll want to target the last 2 hours of incoming tide and the first hour of outgoing.

Ocean fishing out of the mouth of the Columbia remains excellent with more chinook beginning to show north of the river mouth, just off of the Long Beach Peninsula. Unfortunately, rough seas will continue to keep the small boat fleet at bay.

Success rates dropped out of Garibaldi over the weekend as coho seemed to scatter when water temperatures warmed. Now, with the trade winds blowing and cooling the offshore water, coho may once again go on the bite. Don Loper of Portland landed a 23-pound chinook fishing deep for halibut, in 210 feet of water west of Manzanita on a trolled whole-rigged green label herring. Ocean crabbing has been productive too although some soft-shells remain in the catch.

Nehalem Bay action remains fair at Wheeler and the city of Nehalem but the upcoming weekend tide series should draw interest back to the mouth where August should produce impressive catches here.

Southwest- Salmon fishing has been good out of Depoe Bay with the majority of the catch coho although there have been chinook in the mix as well. Ocean crabbing is yielding good numbers but the majority of Dungeness are still soft. Bottom fishing is producing limits of rockfish along with a few lingcod.

All-depth halibut opens for the summer on August 1 & 2 then every other Friday and Saturday until the quota fills.

Over the past weekend, one of the charter boats out of Newport returned to the docks with 96 albacore on board. Tuna are running large this year with fish running up to 35 pounds.

Boats out of Winchester Bay have been taking a mix of coho and chinook. Bay crabbing is improving and a few salmon are available to trollers in the bay, The pinkfin perch run is winding down on the lower Umpqua but has still provided decent catches recently around marker 12.

The most productive port for tuna on the entire coast has been Charleston where every angler has returned with eight to 10 albacore. Crabbing has been good on Coos Bay although many are still soft.

Bottom fishing has been excellent out of Gold Beach although opportunities to launch have been frequently hampered by windy seas. Ocean coho salmon fishing has been good when bar crossings have been possible. Rogue Bay was giving up chinook to 30 pounds or better until last week's rainfall dropped the water temperature of the lower Rogue, sending salmon upstream. Chinook will continue to enter however, and August is expected to be a good month for bay trollers. Half-pounders are being caught from the low water between Quosatana and Lobster Creek on the lower river. There's little interest on the middle river as fishing has been poor to slow. Upper Rogue summer steelheading is worthwhile and will continue to improve into August. Plugs have been hooking fish recently.

Salmon fishing out of Brookings has been a little more challenging this week with chinook at 100 to 120-foot depths. This requires downriggers, a specialized technique with heavy weights.

Eastern – Caddis dries remain the best bet for redside surface action on the lower Deschutes. Take representations of other life stages of the insects life as well in case trout aren't looking up.

Fly fishing has been good on the stretches of the Metolius which remain open. Sections of the river are closed due to wildfires, most recently around Wizard Falls Hatchery.

Now that the Wallowa River water level has dropped sufficiently to allow wading, water temperatures have slowed the bite. Wallowa Lake is fishing well for trout but poorly for kokanee.

Kokanee are running large at Wickiup although the bite has been unpredictable; on one day, off the next two.

Jigging has been most effective for good-sized kokanee at Paulina with best results coming from early to mid-morning.

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - Steelhead remain the best game in town, at least for a little while longer. Bonneville boaters are tallying the best catches, running spinners and spin-n-glos along rocky outcroppings, which are few and far between, in the gorge. With water temperatures climbing, it's likely the bite will soon taper even though the run has yet to peak. River mouths at upstream tributaries should start to produce better catches as fish seeking out the cooler waters become susceptible. Anchor anglers still have another month before significant salmon catches occur.

Spring Chinook and summer steelhead counts at Willamette Falls have dwindled to insignificant levels. While the lower Willamette is providing a fair to good fishery for smallmouth bass, Multnomah Channel has been producing decent numbers of walleye, some larger than 24 inches. Pressure is picking up as the word gets out but there seem to be good numbers of fish for all.

The level and flow of the McKenzie River bumped up early this week but in the absence of precipitation this week, it should be dropping nicely through the weekend, providing opportunities for trout anglers and steelheaders.

Clackamas flows will show only a slight increase which should be brief in duration with already-low levels dropping further through the weekend. Steelhead are available in reasonable number and have been responding to spoons and spinners. While springer catches are not as frequent, drifting roe is the best way to entice a bite.

Cooler temperatures and a little precipitation may break the cycle of glacial runoff on the Sandy River this week but count on seeing it run milky as soon as the temperature starts rising again. Steelheading is fair on hardware but concentrate on the upper rover early and late in the day. A good springer year is predicted but expect skinny water conditions.

Northwest – The offshore salmon season continues to delight. It's been a productive week out of Garibaldi with some anglers reporting easy limits last weekend. Crabbing is picking up too although a fair number of the keeper-sized Dungeness remain in a soft-shell state. Halibut action has tapered slightly with the last statistics indicating 1 in 4 anglers lucky enough to keep a prized flatfish. Albacore chasers are having a good time trolling clones and casting swim baits at about 35 miles out. It won't be long before they respond better to live bait, however.

Further north, the Buoy 10 fishery is still over a week away but anxious anglers are pursuing ample numbers of salmon just outside of the mouth of the Columbia. Catch rates for hatchery coho are great and chinook catches are beginning to pick up again to the north, along the Long Beach Peninsula. Ocean catches will only continue to improve as salmon begin to stage just outside, waiting for ideal conditions to cross the bar.

Astoria tuna chasers are having great success trolling and working swim baits and jigs. Boats putting in a full day are taking home between 30 and 45 fish per day with the average size around 16 to 20 pounds. Seas were excellent at mid-week but are forecast to deteriorate by the weekend.

Minus tides over the weekend may afford one more week of productive plunking for steelheaders working lower Columbia beaches. Use hot colored spin-n-glos on the minus tides.

Southwest- Charters out of Depoe Bay have been taking good numbers of salmon ranging from a fish-per-rod to limiting out. Rockfish catches remain strong and ling cod to 15 pounds are being caught.

The majority of salmon catches out of central Oregon ports are hatchery coho while southern ports are producing primarily Chinook.

Nearshore halibut fishing is another option for offshore anglers. These fish aren't as plentiful nor usually as large as those outside the 40-fathom line although a 60 pounder was taken out of Newport over the past week. It's open seven days a week.

With wind and wave forecasts mellowing this week, prospects for surf perch will be improving. Almost any beach where waves break closer to shore, indicating deeper water, will be productive. The limit is a generous 15 fish but keep only what you need.

The coast-wide closure of mussel harvesting was lifted on July 17th with the Oregon Department of Agriculture determining they are now safe to consume.

Coho limits and near-limits of ocean crab are being taken by boats launching out of Winchester Bay. Limits of pinkfin perch were still being taken by boaters this week around marker 12 on the lower Umpqua despite the run winding down.

Charleston has held the top spot for tuna catches over the past week despite the fact that albacore have been holding 30 or so miles from the beach. The reward of large fish has been worth it for those capable of making the trip.

Offshore wind has been problematic but boats have managed to get out of Gold Beach periodically to troll for Chinook and coho. Results have been a little spotty but salmon are being landed every day. Decent numbers of fall Chinook are being taken by bay trollers and summer steelhead that are in the bay now will soon be entertaining anglers upriver. The lower Rogue is also producing Chinook while half-pounders are being caught between Quosatana and Lobster Creek. Summer steelheading is spotty on the middle river. Anglers back-bouncing bait are doing best for summers and springers on the upper Rogue despite low flows. Open fires are banned on the Rogue from Graves Creek to Watson Creek as fire danger is rated as extreme.

Boats out of the Port of Brookings have been experiencing excellent results for Chinook to 30 pounds. It's not unusual for boat to fill limits in less than an hour although most are releasing smaller fish to cull a limit of larger salmon. Speaking of which, coho are already hitting eight to 10 pounds with a 14-pounder landed over the past week. That's huge for this time of year.

Eastern – Steelhead counts at the Sherars Falls Fish Trap started to show in mid-July. Numbers and catches will be picking up in coming weeks. With the salmon fly hatch over, caddis patterns are fooling redsides around Maupin.

With Fewer fish available to anglers and warmer water temperatures, ODFW biologists decided to close spring Chinook fisheries in the Imnaha, Wallowa and Snake rivers beginning Sunday, July 27.

Results will be improving on the Wallowa River as levels drop sufficiently for fly fishers to wade while targeting trout.

Trollers using hoochies behind a dodger are taking limits or near limits of kokanee at Wickiup. The daily bag limit here is 25 fish.

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - With summer steelhead numbers peaking, interest in the gorge is also peaking. It's a race however; as temperatures rise, success will drop. Small spinners and plugs will take fish in the fast water at Bonneville while beach plunkers down to Longview will take fish off of area beaches using spin-n-glos and coon shrimp.

Spring chinook and summer steelhead counts are dwindling at Willamette Falls with the water temperature climbing past the mid-70s. Bass fishing has been good on the lower Willamette. As with most summer angling fare, mornings and evenings have been most productive. Catch-and release sturgeon fishing is receiving slight attention with fair to good results in the Portland Harbor. Salmon and steelhead are primarily concerned with escaping the warm water of the lower river for cooler alternatives upstream.

Hot weather combined with low water creates less than ideal fishing conditions. The McKenzie has been fishing fair early and late in the day, however. In the absence of hatches, try terrestrial patterns, attractors or nymphs fished in deeper water.

North Santiam levels have been on the drop over the past week and are expected to continue in this trend with no rain in sight. With a denser fish population consisting of both salmon and steelhead with the bonus of stable flows, the South Santiam is the better bet for weekend fishing.

As the Clackamas has continued to drop and clear, fishing results have continued to slow. First and last light fishing become the only options in these conditions with the probability of a steelhead hookup greater than that of a springer in skinny water.

The Sandy is fishing fair at best with only mornings and evenings offering the opportunity for some action. Gray-green water conditions are expected on the Sandy at this time of year due to its glacial origins but some fish are being taken regardless by anglers fishing high on the system.

Northwest – With a staging population of salmon at the mouth of the Columbia, ocean salmon trollers are enjoying easy limits on both the south and north sides of the river entrance. One boat reported multiple whales and birds feeding on evident baitfish NW of the river mouth. He attained a 16-fish limit in just under an hour. Chinook were oddly absent however; that should change in the near future.

Sturgeon fishing remains nothing short of awesome. Fresh anchovies is all you need and action will likely remain excellent through July. Keeper range fish have inundated the estuary but no one area is consistent. Targeting fish in the deeper water as temperatures rise should produce remarkable catches from the East End Basin to the mouth of the Skipanon River.

Further south, coho action is picking up but limits are not necessarily the rule. Garibaldi is posting consistent catches but action should ramp up as Columbia River coho migrate up the coast. Chinook are rare in the catch here too but they should start to show in better numbers next month. Offshore and bay crabbing is picking up and crab are starting to fill out a bit more. Halibut fishing out of Garibaldi is fair for those targeting fish in the 150 to 190 foot range.

The Nehalem system is starting to produce more consistent catches of chinook. The soft outgoing tides over the weekend should produce good to great chinook catches in the jaws for herring trollers. Bay crabbing is picking up here too.

Albacore become more prevalent out of Garibaldi this time of year. Good catches were reported when seas permitted but fish remained out of reach for many. Seas may calm by the weekend.

Southwest- Bottomfishing out of Depoe Bay is yielding great catches of rockfish but lingcod remain elusive. Ocean salmon trolling is producing primarily coho with a high percentage of those hatchery fish. Many limits are returning to port on charter and sport craft.

Albacore anglers were frustrated over the past weekend as tuna were nearly 50 miles offshore, a distance at which they are out of reach of most recreational boats.

Salmon fishing and ocean crabbing are producing limits for boats out of Reedsport. The pinkfin surf perch fishery showed no signs of waning on the lower Umpqua over the past weekend.

Offshore boaters launching out of Charleston have been enjoying a variety of options. Crabbing is good and bottomfishing has produced excellent results. Boats venturing 25 to 30 miles out of port have been scoring some seasonally large tuna.

When boats have been able to get out of Gold beach, bottomfishing has been excellent. Most are returning with limits of rockfish, lingcod and Dungeness. Salmon trollers have found chinook and coho on the bite. A few fall chinook are being taken in Rogue Bay but it's still early for these fish. While the lower Rogue isn't offering much to anglers, summer steelhead are being caught by bait fishers on the middle river with best results occurring in the evening. Spring chinook catches are fair to good on the upper Rogue with summer steelhead hitting occasionally.

Local residents are saying the salmon fishing out of Brookings is the best in decades. That's a bold statement but the scores of three and four-salt chinook and hatchery coho which are weighing in at 10 pounds or better at the cleaning tables seems to substantiate it. Best results have come to those trolling anchovies near the Oregon/California border.

Diamond Lake was stocked over the past week to boost catches but the effect was minimal due to warm water. Fish deep for best results.

Eastern – Caddis are hatching on the Warm Springs to Trout Creek drift on the lower Deschutes and large redsides are responding well to imitations. Steelhead fishing remains spotty but should improve in the coming weeks.

While hookups begin to slow on the Crooked River at this time of year, catches will remain steady. It'll be mostly a nymph show throughout the month with Caddis variations most effective.

Water levels on the Wallowa River are finally dropping. The stonefly hatch is about done but Caddis are hatching in earnest.

Good-sized bull trout and rainbows are being taken on the Grande Ronde River now that flows have dramatically moderated. Try large, dark, wet offerings.

Fishing is fair to good at East Lake where fly anglers have been taking mostly rainbows and a few brown trout to 18 inches on nymphs.

Oregon fishing report for July 11

Willamette Valley/Metro - Sportanglers have been frustrated with a 38% mark rate for the summer chinook return this year. Typically, the mark rate is closer to 60% and although catches have been fair, few fish are being taken home for consumption. Fishery managers will meet today (Wednesday) to consider additional time on the water by the sportfleet. The any chinook season on the Columbia opens up on August 1st.

Springers and summer steelhead continue to cross Willamette Falls by the hundreds daily. There's little angler interest on the mid-70-degree water of the lower Willamette at this time. A few are bass fishing while some are fishing catch-and-release for sturgeon which has been good at times. Spring chinook and shad fishing is all but over. Upriver summer steelheading is fair to good in the stretch between Eugene and Springfield.

North Santiam steelhead has been fair but is improving. On the South Santiam, steelheading has been fair to good with the bonus of spring chinook in the river. Mornings are a good bet although evening fishing has been quite good recently.

A few spring chinook and summer steelhead are being taken on the upper Clackamas. For these fish in summer conditions, be there at first light to connect. It's a hardware show now with spinners and spoons taking fish. Try a copper finish if nickel and brass aren't producing.

Try the Sandy River early in the day from Dodge Park upstream. While there are springers and steelhead in the river, many are looking forward to coho which won't be arriving for several more weeks.

Northwest – With the minus tide now upon us and the summer steelhead run coming on strong, action for these fish should ramp up this week along lower Columbia beaches. Hot colored spin-n-glos tipped with coon shrimp should account for success on the morning tide series. Sockeye retention remains open as it appears we're on the way to a record return. Sockeye are occasionally taken while fishing for steelhead.

Ocean fishing out of Astoria was excellent over the holiday weekend. Coho and some chinook were taken south of the mouth of the Columbia, not much effort along the Long Beach Peninsula. Rough seas this week will keep offshore effort to a minimum. A strong minus tide will make bar crossings dangerous.

Garibaldi ocean trollers also took fair numbers of coho over the holiday weekend. Some halibut were taken between 90 and 170 foot of water as well. Crabbing is great on the ocean and improving in Tillamook and Nehalem Bays but a large portion of the crab remain in a soft shelled state.

This will be the last minus tide for clam diggers as the season closes beginning July 15th until September 30th along Clatsop area beaches.

Southwest- Salmon fishing has been decent out of Depoe Bay and Newport with limits of rockfish being taken although lingcod have remained more challenging. Ocean crabbing has been good but half or more in the pots are soft-shells at this time of year.

The Oregon coast is open for all shellfish except mussels; the harvest of which is closed due to a naturally-occurring toxin.

Sport boats launching out of Reedsport are taking good numbers of chinook and coho salmon and have returned with good catches of ocean crab. Winchester Bay is slow to fair for crabbing although the surf perch fishery in the lower Umpqua has continued to produce.

Tuna remain 20 or more miles offshore out of Charleston with windy conditions preventing most sport boats from making the trip. Clamming will be excellent in Coos Bay with a series of minus tides extending into the coming week. Bay crabbing has improved but is only fair.

Charter boats out of Gold Beach have been scoring limits of lingcod then finishing up with similar results for rockfish. Bottom fishers are taking cabezon to 7 pounds since that specie became legal to keep on July 1. Ocean crabbing has been fair.

Offshore fishing has been good out of Brookings for chinook averaging 20 pounds and most coho around eight pounds. Bottom fishing has been good as well with some large cabezon filling out rockfish limits. Boats are starting to troll Rogue Bay but no fall fish have yet been reported. Fishing is poor in the low, warm waters or the lower Rogue River. Fish are being taken following a long dry spell on the middle river as summer steelhead are starting to show up. With over 200 summer steelhead at the hatchery already, upper Rogue steelheading is fair but will improve as numbers build. Spring chinook are being caught above Shady Cove. Wild Chinook may be kept from Dodge Bridge down to the Hatchery Hole.

Trout are biting light at Diamond Lake but they are biting. Power Bait is still the best choice but keep baits small to improve hookup-to-bite ratios.

Eastern – With decent summer steelhead movement in the Columbia, fishing is picking up on the lower Deschutes as the season gets underway here.

Caddis Flies and Stoneflies are hatching evenings on the Metolius but not in great number.

Crane Prairie has been fishing well for fly anglers. With Damsel Flies furiously hatching, the local 'bows have been suckers for the nymph version.

Gold Lake continues to produce nice-sized rainbows and brook trout to anglers using nymphs or wet attractor patterns.

Wallowa Lake is fishing well for trout but poor for kokanee. While still too high to wade, the Wallowa River has started to drop and is producing trout on Stonefly nymphs.

Oregon fishing update

Willamette Valley/Metro - Fishery managers met on Tuesday, extending the lower Columbia River salmon fishery from July 4th – July 7th in anticipating of high interest over the holiday weekend. The chinook run is expected to come in as predicted but the sockeye return was upgraded significantly and remains open to catch and keep through July 31st.

Shad fishing is about done in the lower Willamette. Catch-and-release sturgeon fishing remains a decent option in Portland Harbor. There is almost no effort for springers in the warm water of the lower Willamette. With hundreds of summer steelhead crossing the Falls daily, fishing on the upper Willamette in the Eugene/Springfield stretch known as the Town Run has been improving. Fly rodders using sink-tip lines to swing brightly-colored flies are hooking up regularly.

Fly fishing for trout is fair to good on the McKenzie River with best results occurring evenings. Caddis patterns are effective with Green Drakes and Golden Stones fading on the upper river. Steelheaders are catching a few with the best chance coming at first light in sunny weather.

With a fair number of salmon and steelhead having crossed Willamette Falls, fish populations on the Santiams make it a favorable destination. Try jigs or spinners on the South Santiam for spring chinook with the same combination effective for summer steelhead on the North Santiam.

Bait fishers continue to fare best for spring chinook on the Clackamas; bobber fish or driftfish good-quality roe for the best chance of a hookup. A few summer steelhead have also been caught over the past week on spoons or spinners.

Steelheaders hitting the Sandy River at first light or late evenings have been taking a few summer steelhead and fewer springers.

Northwest – Coho fishing out of Garibaldi is hit or miss. Some anglers are reporting good success coming from 200 to 220 foot of water SW of the Tillamook Bay entrance. Chinook are rare in the catch. Even with a liberal ocean coho quota, fishing will not likely get better until Columbia River bound coho migrate their way north in late July.

Ocean crabbing is improving but soft-shelled crab remain prominent in the catch. Bay crabbing is improving as well with Garibaldi Marina reporting rental boats coming in with 12 to 16 keepers per boat for an incoming tide.

Few anglers are taking advantage of the spring chinook opportunities that still exist for spring chinook in the Trask, Wilson and Nestucca Rivers as well as Three Rivers. Early mornings are best and success rates are low but ample numbers remain available for savvy, early morning anglers using light, fluorocarbon lines and small baits. Deadlines near the hatcheries at Three Rivers and the Trask Hatchery are best.

Summer steelhead are available on the Wilson and Nestucca systems but like spring chinook anglers, you must be stealthy and center your effort around early mornings.

Catch and release fishing for sturgeon remains epic for estuary anglers. Fresh anchovies are producing very well but sand shrimp is an excellent choice too.

Southwest- Salmon fishing is good out of Depoe Bay with the majority of the catches consisting of coho although a few chinook are being bagged as well. Rockfish limits are being taken but lingcod have been elusive over the past week.

As predicted in an earlier column, offshore fishers took a big bite out of the spring all-depth halibut quota during last week's opening, shutting down deep-water flattie fishing until the summer season opens August 1 & 2.

The central coast nearshore fishery opened July 1, seven days a week inside the 40-fathom regulatory line and will remain open until the 22,274-pound quota is reached or until Oct. 31, whichever comes first. Unlike last year, the fishery is open 7-days per week.

Catches of red-tailed surf perch are good from beaches along the coast with many anglers scoring 15-fish limits.

The entire Oregon coast is closed to mussel harvesting due to a naturally-occurring organic toxin. All other shellfish harvesting is open.

Offshore chinook catches have been fair to good just outside Winchester Bay with mostly fin-clipped coho being caught a little further out. Ocean crabbing has been good but a percentage are soft at this time of year. Fall chinook will start entering the bay in just a week or two. Pinkfin perch catches are ongoing on the lower Umpqua and smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent on the South Umpqua.

Salmon fishing is reported as slow out of Coos Bay. Albacore are offshore but it's a 25-mile trip to reach them and high winds have been preventing sport boats from making it out that far. Bay crabbing is fair.

The Coos Forest Protective Association has imposed a regulated closure on all private, county, state and BLM lands in Coos, Curry and western Douglas counties as of July 2. This means no open fires except at managed campgrounds and no fireworks.

Salmon fishers launching out of Gold Beach report good catches of coho but as this is a fin-clipped only fishery, having to release wild fish is part of the game. Ocean salmon fishing has been fair out of Gold Beach but has shut off whenever there has been a rise in water temperature.

Recent rainfall had little effect on the Rogue. Spring chinook fishing has been fair at best in the low, clear, warm waters of the lower river. Fishing remains poor on the middle Rogue. Despite fluctuations in water flows causing a slowing of spring chinook catches on the upper river, this stretch is still offering the best chance to catch one. There are enough summer steelhead around now that some anglers are successfully targeting them.

Boats launching out of Brookings have been returning to port with a plethora of sea creatures. Salmon fishers have done best heading south about five miles. Best results are coming at depths of 100 to 150 feet on anchovies or herring. Catches have been mostly chinook but a few coho are being bagged as well. Bottom fishers are taking limits of lingcod and rockfish.

Eastern – Lower Deschutes fly anglers can expect fair results for redsides early and late in the day with Pale Morning Duns and Caddis patterns predominant in early July.

Caddis are starting to hatch on the Wallowa River where Golden Stones maintain a strong presence. The water level remains high but fishing has been good.

The lower 45 miles of the Imnaha River will open for spring chinook fishing on Saturday and Sunday, July 5-6 only for two adults 24 inches or better.

Fishing at picturesque Lava Lake has been slow.

East Lake has been fishing very well with Callibaetis patterns effective. There are rainbows and kokanee here, as well as a few Atlantic salmon.