Willamette Valley/Metro - Columbia fishers have been witnessing increasing catches but far from expectations by anglers and the Fish and Wildlife Departments. With the Willamette blowing out this week, effort has been concentrated from Davis Bar near Vancouver and upstream. Spring chinook catches have been improving in the airport reach. Managers are expected to meet by phone on Thursday to consider a sport extension, based on how the fishery is currently performing.
Trollers on the lower Willamette have been hooking up with a fair number of spring Chinook and results are expected to improve through the week. Brined herring trolled at 14 to 20 feet with a flasher has been most effective. Fishing was good last week and with the water dropping and clearing more rapidly than predicted, this weekend should provide decent catches on the lower river. As water conditions improve, so will results for springers. It's still early in the season and April should be a great month.
McKenzie levels are dropping this week with the river expected to be in good shape for fishing by the coming weekend. Fly fishers may expect to find March Browns hatching. A few salmon flies were spotted early this week.
The Santiam systems are coming into excellent level and color for fishing over the coming weekend. Mostly native winters are available on the North Santiam while the number of summers is increasing on the South Santiam.
Following a crest of over 16 feet and flows if 10,000 cfs at Estacada on March 30th, the Clackamas is dropping and clearing. Fishing for winter steelhead is fair but steady. A few summers have been landed and while no springers have been taken, it could happen any day.
The Sandy has recovered from recent rainstorms and was exhibiting good color early this week. The best results have come early in the morning and late in the evening with dark-colored jigs productive recently. Mostly winters are being hooked although the Sandy got a good shot of summers last week.
Northwest – North coast steelheaders are still finding fair pockets of fish on the Wilson and Nestucca systems. Both hatchery and wild fish should remain available through the weekend but action should quickly taper after that, at least for fresh, sea-running steelhead. Many smaller systems closed on April 1st so check regulations carefully before venturing out. Rivers are expected to continue to drop, making for ideal conditions by the weekend.
Spring chinook anglers in the Tillamook area shouldn't get too excited for several more weeks. Pilot chinook can often be caught by mid-April but the bulk of the return happens from mid-May through mid-June. Run size often mimics the Willamette run.
There is no sign of calming seas so bottomfishers will likely be side-lined for yet another weekend. Sea bass and lingcod are often available during weak tide exchanges along estuary jetties, which won't happen again until the middle of next week.
Southwest- Boats that were able to launch out of Depoe Bay and Newport over the past weekend found bottomfish cooperative. Conditions started to get rough on Monday this week as wind and waves chased vessels back to port. As of April 1st, offshore bottomfishers are restricted to waters no deeper than 180 feet.
Results for ocean chinook have been slow to spotty. The few boats which have landed salmon report them as running small.
Spring chinook catches have been hit or miss on the Umpqua mainstem but should improve this week as the river drops into shape. Steelheaders are catching and releasing a few natives on the North Umpqua while fishing for hatchery winters has remained good on the South Umpqua.
Surf perch fishing has been good in the Gold Beach area. Waters of the lower Rogue crested over the past weekend and are forecast to be dropping and clearing into the week to come. Fresh steelhead are in the river and are being caught in the Agness stretch while spring chinook numbers are improving with the best results below Quosatana Creek. Steelheaders on the middle Rogue report fair to good catches although many of the fish that are being hooked have already spawned and are of poor quality. The upper Rogue has been a fairly reliable fishery with numbers of winter steelhead continuing to increase. This is shaping up to be one of the better runs of those over the past decade.
When offshore conditions have allowed boats to cross the bar out of Brookings, catches of lingcod and rockfish have been good. The Chetco River closed to steelhead fishing at sundown on the last day of March. Local reports indicate the best bet is currently for surf perch from area beaches.
The spring thaw is underway at Diamond Lake with much of the water open now. Caution is advised as ice flows can be a hazard and will occasionally block boat ramps.
Eastern – Deschutes flows are fairly stable and the color is good although fishing for redsides is reported as only fair. Expect to see Blue-Winged-Olives and March Browns occasionally. Nymphs have been effective in the absence of hatches.
Lake Billy Chinook is producing fair to good catches of kokanee and some good-sized bull trout to those who are targeting them.
Green Peter has been producing some kokanee but fishing has been slow. Roadside camping has been permanently closed due to littering.
