Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - River flows on the Willamette will slowly rise over the next several days. Winter steelhead are crossing daily. Try for sturgeon on the lower river.

McKenzie River levels, dropping over the past week, will rise with heavy weekend rainfall. Trout fishing here is slow.

The Santiams will rise this weekend, dropping starting Monday, December 22nd. With coho dark and summer steelhead far upstream, there's little of interest here.

Clackamas water levels are forecast to reach flood stage on Monday, December 22nd. When the water drops and clears, there will be winter steelhead available.

Winter steelhead have been caught over the past week on the Sandy River, though not a great number. It's early in the season but this weekend's winter storm should bring in a few more.

Northwest – It's been a bit of a bleak week for steelheaders and what few salmon anglers remain. A rough early return seems to be existing on most north coast systems and with a potential flood on the horizon, options look minimal for steelheaders ahead. It's going to be a quiet week for steelheaders to an already challenging start to the season.

Christmas crab will be hard to come by as foul weather and flood stage rivers should wash opportunities out to sea this week. Even under ideal conditions, success was sub-par.

There are still an occasional fresh chinook hitting the decks in the Tillamook district with Tillamook Bay and the Wilson River the best options for success. That was hindsight however as the upcoming high water event will wipe out options until after Christmas if it actually comes to fruition.

Southwest- When charter boats have been able to get out of Depoe Bay and Newport, bottom fishing has been good.

Heavy rains predicted for the coming weekend will create blowout conditions on many rivers and prevent fishing efforts. As the rivers recover, fishing in many places will improve.

Crabbing has been fair to good at Winchester Bay. Chinook fishing is wrapped up for the season. Only wild steelhead are available on the Umpqua mainstem.

Crabbing and rock fishing has been good at Coos Bay. The Coos River system has produced a few winter steelhead with prospects improving as the season wears on.

Anglers have been taking winter steelhead on the lower Rogue for a couple of weeks. The middle river has been providing fair but steady catches of summer steelhead. On the upper Rogue, steelheaders may expect to catch good-quality summers mixed with spawned out down-runners.

Chinook season is over on the Chetco as these fish have pushed far upstream to the spawning grounds. Anglers here are awaiting winter steelhead.

Eastern – Boats using downriggers to fish deep water are taking good-sized lake trout at Crescent Lake.

East side reports are hard to come by at this time of year. Readers are encouraged to contribute. Your report will be 'anonymized' unless you specify otherwise.

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - The Willamette River level has been dropping at the Falls but that will soon change. Catch and release sturgeon fishing is good and is the only fishing available on the lower Willamette.

While McKenzie River levels have been dropping, that will change with December rains. Fishing is slow.

The Santiams offer nothing of angler interest at this time.

Northwest – It's transition time on the north coast as chinook are focused on spawning and winter steelhead have yet to appear in great number. Both species are available however; just view our full length version for which watershed to target which specie.

Chinook are still being caught in Tillamook Bay for the few trollers in pursuit and with a fair late-season showing of chinook in the Trask, the west channel may still be a fair option.

Hatchery workers are reporting daily success, albeit minimal, at the North Fork Nehalem Hatchery. The Highway 30 systems should also have early returning fish available although these stocks of fish can be hard to get to bite.

Minus tides this weekend may produce some catch and release opportunity for anglers in Tillamook Bay but without a consumptive option, few are likely to participate.

The minus tide series would also promote razor clam digging if the surf wasn't going to be so high. The big tides will also minimalize estuary crabbing success although the lower Columbia is still an option even though the river is littered with commercial gear.

Southwest- Charters fishing out of Depoe Bay this week have been scoring limits of ling cod. Rock fishing has been slower.

Sport crabbers are plying the ocean for Dungeness with best results coming from just off the mouths of bays and estuaries. Bay crabbing will hold up as well unless a very heavy rain falls.

With wild coho fishing open through December, there are still some good chances to take bright fish at Tenmile.

Chinook fishing is well into the wind-down phase on the Alsea but there will be stragglers which will provide scratch fishing over the next few weeks. Unmarked coho may no longer be kept.

Crabbing has been good on the Umpqua River bar where anglers have dropped posts, pursued bottom fish, then returned to good catches of hard Dungeness.

Rogue Bay is done for the season with Chinook moving upstream. Winter steelhead are entering and have been providing fair fishing on lower river. Those able to fish above the Shady Cove boat ramp, however, will find better water conditions and less leafy debris. Chetco Chinook fishing is slowing just as winter steelhead catches are improving.

Eastern – Plug pullers at the John Day River report slow fishing for steelhead but that the ice has melted.

Winter trout fishers are landing large lake trout over the gunwale at Crescent Lake. Some of these anglers look forward all year to trolling for Macks in frigid weather.