Willamette Valley/Metro - Gorge options are largely over for the year. Historically, there used to be a productive sturgeon fishery here, but not since the Stellar Sea Lions moved in. Trollers may still ply the gorge waters in pursuit of late season coho.
Willamette flows have started to drop and while coho counts are impressive, they too are on the wane. Visibility has improved although catch-and-release sturgeon fishing has held up for the very few trying it. One report indicated a fish on every cast. Multnomah Channel should once again produce some walleye as the water continues to drop and clear with a break in the weather.
Level and flow of the McKenzie River are on a steady drop. With little rain in the forecast over the coming week, this trend will continue. Fly fishing should be good.
With water flows about 5,000 cfs at Mehama, the North Santiam River is still higher than optimum but is predicted to drop into mid-November so it will just keep getting better. Coho are in the river.
With the Clackamas running at roughly 2,100 cfs on today, November 6th, it should continue to fish well over the coming week. Coho are scattered up to and into Eagle Creek.
The Sandy River started rising on November 3rd and was mostly high and muddy until mid- week when it started to drop. Coho fishing remains good but many fish are darkening.
Northwest – Tillamook is still putting out chinook and local area river systems are producing good chinook catches as well. The bay remains consistent at the Bay City Piling with the Ghost Hole taking second place. There were some fish in the upper bay on Thursday with fair numbers of fish taken from Cap Johnson's to the Oyster House Hole.
The Wilson has been producing chinook from Mills Bridge to the mouth and following the moderate river rise, water levels should be ideal by Friday. Fish will begin to hold in deeper water instead of moving, by the weekend. The Trask and Nestucca remain strong options into next week with plugs becoming more effective as flows drop.
Crabbing is a poor option on all estuaries this weekend, largely due to fresh water inundation and strong tidal exchanges. The lower Columbia still offers the best opportunity but be cognizant of stronger tides taking buoys under.
Razor clam diggers may see some good action over the weekend as a calming swell and a slowdown in rain could cause clams to come to the sand surface to feed.
Southwest- Offshore conditions should allow boats to get out on the ocean Friday and Saturday this week.
While ocean salmon fishing closed on October 31st, the month of November provides excellent opportunities for rockfish and lingcod without any limitations on the depth at which anglers might fish,
Crabbing has been good for boaters at Winchester Bay. Chinook and occasionally coho are being caught in the bay and up the Umpqua mainstem. Steelheading is fair on the North Umpqua.
Steelheading is slow in the low waters of the lower Rogue, fair in the middle river and improving on the upper Rogue where the flies-only regulation now allows lures and in some stretches, bait.
Bottom fishing is good out of Brookings. Chinook fishing has been good at times on the Chetco River. The upper river opened to Nook Creek on the 1st of November.
The Elk and Sixes Rivers are once again low and will remain that way for at least a week and possibly longer. When rains do come, Chinook will follow. This is a late season run which will still be bringing joy to salmon fishers as the holiday season approached.
Eastern – Steelheading is slow to fair on the lower Deschutes. Counts at Sherars Falls indicate decent numbers of fish heading upriver although catches in this area remain disappointing.
Steelhead have been taken daily on the Grande Ronde River although anglers have had to invest some time on locating and landing them.
Wickiup and Crane Prairie, both of which closed on November 1st, will not reopen until springtime.
