Oregon Fishing Update

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Fish Camp - come join us!

The First annual Family Fish Camp will commence at iconic Camp McGruder on the North Oregon Coast. Family Fish Camp is a collaborative program initiated by The Association of Northwest Steelheaders to encourage families to recreate together in our great outdoors.  Find out more about this great mid-January opportunity here: http://www.theguidesforecast.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/FFC-Flyer-wRegistration.pdf 

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Oregon's weekly Fishing Report

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Oregon fishing report

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Oregon fishing report for October 30th

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Oregon fishing report for October 15th

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Oregon fishing report

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Oregon fishing report for October 2nd

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Oregon Fishing Report Updated for September 4th

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Oregon fishing report for August 21st

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Oregon fishing report

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Weekly Oregon fishing report

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Updated Oregon Fishing Report

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Oregon fishing update

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Oregon fishing report

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Oregon fishing update

Willamette Valley Fishing Report - Despite continued good returns over Bonneville Dam, effort and success on the lower Columbia River is not impressive. We're on the verge of improving summer steelhead action and gobs of shad are likely to really pop off in the near future but salmon fishing remains pretty quiet despite fair numbers present. Sturgeon angling near Kelly Point Park is certainly good but interest is also subdued due to catch and release regulations.

 

North Coast Fishing Report - Spring Chinook have finally made a fair showing in Tillamook Bay this week. The upper bay seems to be the best but tides will soon wane, making the lower estuary more attractive. Without much water in the coastal systems, these fish will congregate in the tidewater reaches or stay in the bay until cooler waters prevail. It appears that the moss that commonly fouls gear in the upper bay this time of year is actually not a problem; let's hope it stays that way. Anglers working the adjacent ocean area are finding an occasional salmon but Bottomfishing as well has halibut (when open at all-depth) fishing has been great.

 

Nestucca anglers are only seeing sporadic results and with the extremely low flows, springers don't seem to be making a strong showing in Three Rivers right now either. There is a rare summer steelhead being taken here.

 

Ocean crabbing may be slightly improving but really only slightly. Razor clam digging remains closed statewide due to elevated levels of naturally occurring toxins in the flesh of our favorite bivalves.

 

Central & South Coast Reports – Successful fishing Oregon’s ocean is a matter of following cycles. Over the past couple of days, rockfish have been snapping out of Depoe Bay while lingcod were tough to entice. Dropping pots on the way out has been well worth the efforts with crabbing on the upswing. Chinook fishing has been slow but there's plenty of time for improvement in that cycle.

 

While the wind is predicted to pick up a little in the afternoons, forecasts for the weekend looks pretty good for offshore launches.

 

Beautiful and touching but also an event which will be sure to snarl traffic, the Annual Fleet of Flowers ceremony will take place at Depoe Bay on Memorial Day.

 

The next opportunity for all-depth halibut will occur Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 28-30 with follow-up dates set on June 11-13 and June 25-27. Summer all-depth halibut opens Aug 7-8 then every other Friday and Saturday until the quota is met.

 

South coast surfperch fishing is still going strong with plenty of striped and pinkfin surfperch being taken. The best bait is still small pieces of raw shrimp but many are hoking up by using Berkley Camo Sand Worms

 

Central & Eastern – Fly fishers on the Deschutes around Trout Creek will find redsides still keyed on big bugs, actively sucking down Stonefly and Salmon Fly imitations. Various May flies are also in evidence along with Caddis.

Kokanee have continued to challenge trollers at Wickiup but those who have remained persistent have taken some nice fish to 18 inches. Jigging has been effective at Odell for those who can locate schools and hold over fish. Otherwise, it's a trolling game for fair to good catches of kokes swimming 30 to 40 feet deep.

Green Peter remains low, about 34 feet below full pool, with no docks available. Kokanee fishing is slow.

 

 

SW Washington - The Cowlitz remains the top bet for salmon anglers working the lower Columbia tributaries in the district but success rates are slowing from previous weeks. Summer steelhead are also starting to show with more regularity but action is sporadic and more likely to improve into late June. The Kalama and Lewis are fair bets at best as spring Chinook returns continue to be depressed. Some summer steelhead are available but this too seems to be a diminishing fishery. The Wind River and Drano Lake fisheries are dramatically slowing as well. With the bulk of the run passed, anglers will anxiously await summer steelhead opportunities later in the summer.

 

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Oregon fishing report

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Oregon fishing report

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Oregon fishing update for April 17th

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Oregon fishing report for April 10th

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Oregon fishing update

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Oreogn fishing report

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Oregon fishing reports

Willamette Valley Fishing Report –  The spring chinook fishery is underway with veteran anglers expecting action just about every time out. Although action has been fair throughout the river, with the Willamette recently blowing out, effort has shifted primarily to Davis Bar and upstream. It’s still too early to experience consistent fishing, despite what veteran anglers expect but with low flows, warmer than usual water temperatures and passage at Bonneville ramping up oddly early, there are fish to be had. As the Willamette clears, action should improve downstream of Davis Bar and it should be a pretty good week overall for trollers working the mainstem.

As of today, March 18th, visibility at Willamette Falls is 1.7 feet which is the best it has been this week. This as the flow has also been moderating. Turbid water hasn’t kept trollers off the lower river but when visibility is poor, fishing is likely to be slow and that has been the case. Unless the quarry is sturgeon, of course. The McKenzie River below Leaburg Lake is open to catch and release trout fishing. This river stretch is open to retention of adipose fin-clipped steelhead and non-adipose fin-clipped steelhead greater than 24 inches in length. A Columbia River Basin Endorsement is required for anglers targeting salmon and steelhead in the McKenzie. Gear use is restricted to flies and lures.
The North Santiam River took quite a hit from the storm that passed through earlier this week but has been dropping and is mostly recovered. The Santiam system is predicted to remain stable for the most part, even as another from moves through in the week to come. Water level and flow increased rapidly with the storm front that passed early this week, rising two feet at Estacada. While the water came down, it’s still about a foot higher than pre-freshet levels although clearing.

Flows at the Sandy River started to increase on March 14th, rising over three feet at the town of Sandy on the 15th and dropping since that date. Smelt sipping on second and last opportunity Sunday, March 15th, was a bust.

Northwest – Steelheaders have had a very good week on all coastal systems. With the most significant rainfall in several weeks, coupled with an above average adult return this season, action has been excellent on most north coast systems. Bobber-dogging is standard procedure these days. Standalone beads are taking numerous fish but small clusters of eggs and plugs are now effective in the dropping flows.

The Wilson and Nestucca didn’t disappoint for driftboaters with the upper reaches producing good by Tuesday and smaller systems such as the Kilchis and Necanicum fared well early in the week as well. Fish tipping the scales to over 20 pounds were reported and many fish over 10 pounds as well. Some spawned out fish are starting to show in the catches. It looks like rainfall may keep rivers in good shape into next week.

Angry seas seem to be the standard coming into spring break. Bottomfishing would be great is the ocean allowed and whales should be a common occurrence in the coming weeks. Bay crabbing will remain challenging but a good series of clam tides should produce fair at best in the higher surf. Digging has been excellent when sea surf is calm.
Coastal lakes should be heavily planted with trout this week, in preparation for spring break. Check the stocking schedule here: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fishing/trout_stocking_schedules/
Central & South Coast Reports – The First Day of Spring (Spring Equinox) is Friday, March 20, 2015. Most of us already have spring flowers but trout ponds, charters and coastal merchants are gearing up for spring break as well.

As of Wednesday, March 11th, it became legal to retain one canary rockfish per day as part of a daily seven rockfish limit.

Bottom fishing was great for ling cod out of Depoe Bay on Wednesday this week with decent ocean conditions.

Spring All Depth halibut season opens May 14th through 16th (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) with backup dates of May 28-30 and June 11-13. More dates will be added if the quota does not fill. “The 2015 Pacific halibut quota is approximately 1 percent greater than 2014.” according to the ODFW.
Surfperch fishing is very good off most open beaches particularly those around Bandon, Charleston, Gold Beach and off the beaches around Winchester Bay.

Crabbing has been slow at Winchester Bay, best for boaters in the Triangle area where catches are reported about 50/50 Dungeness and red rock crab. Striped surf perch and greenling are being taken in good number off the South Jetty.

As with most Oregon ports this week, ling cod fishing is great out of Charleston. Crabbing has been worthwhile in Coos Bay, best in the lower bay around the jetties.

Catches of spring Chinook have been fair to good on the lower Rogue as boat and bank anglers are landing fish daily from Huntley Park to Quosatana Creek. For winter steelhead, the stretch around Agness should be productive. Winters are into the Grants Pass stretch although anglers may expect to hook a mix of those fish and spent (spawned out) summers. On the upper Rogue, winters have continued entering the hatchery facility and were doing so even in low water. ‘Most every lake in the Southwest Zone is being planted with trout this week in anticipation of spring break.

Central & Eastern – High-altitude lakes around Mt. Hood lake have been productive recently. Without snow, the roads are open and water surfaces are free of ice. Fly fishers may cast to rising trout to their heart’s content and foot-long rainbows are not uncommon.

Another good bet would be Timothy Lake. “Fishing has been real good here.” according to Robert Campbell at Fisherman’s Marine in Oregon City (503-557-5600).

SW Washington- Steelheading on the Cowlitz remains fair to good with recent rains reinvigorating late run fish. Fishing in several tributaries is closed to check regulations.

WDF&W reported 2 spring chinook caught in the Kalama River but it will likely be a low return again this year.

It may be hard to justify a trip to Wind River or Drano Lake but action should heat up soon if the Bonneville passage trend continues. Trollers working plugs, prawns or herring should start to see results when passage at Bonneville surpasses 500 – 600 fish per day.

Klineline, Battle Ground and Lacamas Lakes have all been stocked recently.

Oregon fishing reports

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Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - Reports of an occasional springer is coming from the mainstem Columbia although high effort is yielding mediocre results, as is to be expected. Plunkers and boaters are coming out in fair numbers but despite good water conditions for catching (or at least “good” relative to previous years for this time of year), catches are not that impressive. Steelhead remain an option for lower Columbia beaches too.

Lower Willamette spring Chinook trollers are taking fish occasionally at various locations. Catch-and-release sturgeon fishing is good.

While the McKenzie has been stable for several days, it is expected to rise with rain this week. Trout fishing is spotty.

A few wild winter steelhead are providing some catch-and-release action on the North Santiam but catches will improve in months to come.

Northwest – Despite low water conditions, action for steelhead on the north coast remains fair to good. Effort drops off in the less than ideal conditions when flows drop but fish still move into the river systems and will fall to savvy anglers. The Wilson and Nestucca remain primary targets but wild fish are present in every north coast stream.

Smaller streams will remain too low for boating through the upcoming weekend. Despite the recent, albeit light precipitation, river levels won't be on the rise anytime soon. This will continue to favor bank anglers as it's much easier to traverse the smaller reaches in low flows.

Saltwater anglers had some great opportunity on calm seas over the weekend and early this week. Black sea bass and some lingcod fell quite easily for those fishing over productive reefs. Crabbing remains challenging in the bays and the ocean.

Central & South Coast Reports - There has been frost on the docks some mornings this week at Depoe Bay, but mostly clear weather has provided comfortable offshore experiences for boats launching this week. The ocean has been producing ling cod limits.

Central & Eastern - Trout anglers on the lower Deschutes can sometimes do alright with redsides over the winter months.

According to Steve Fleming of Mah-Haw Outfitters (971-533-5733), one client caught several smallmouth bass to 19 inches as well as three steelhead this week on the John Day River.

Area beaches along the south coast have been producing pinkfin surf perch this week.

For those looking to book a charter or accommodations, the 2015 spring all-depth halibut dates will be May 14-16, May 28-30, June 11-13 and June 25-27. The nearshore halibut fishery starts July 1st, seven days a week inside the 40-fathom line through the earlier of the quota filling or Oct. 31st.

According to Robert Campbell at Fisherman's Marine in Oregon City (503-557-5600), Tenmile Lake is heating up for largemouth bass with warmer weather this week.

Winchester Bay crabbers have enjoyed an improvement in results with the bay clearing and the salinity level returning to normal. Umpqua mainstem steelhead had it good last week, not so good recently as the water dropped and cleared.

With the Rogue flowing low and clear on the lower, middle and upper sections, catches of winter steelhead have slowed.

While Diamond Lake is clear of ice, the water remains cold. This has made for a light bite.

Oregon fishing report for Feb 20, 2015

Willamette Valley/Metro - Anglers anxiously await more spring chinook news and plunkers as well as boaters ply the waters in hopes of an early prize. The season's first spring chinook made itself visible at Bonneville Dam on February 8th. The mainstem Columbia season is projected to run through April 10th.

Lower Willamette sturgeon fishing is slower this week than last. Herring and squid are still taking fish but so is smelt. Following high water, there may be some spring Chinook action in the near future. We'll let you know when it happens.

McKenzie River level and flow are conducive to fishing but catch-and-release trout fishing here has been slow.

The Santiam system is in decent shape but there haven't been sufficient numbers of winter steelhead over Willamette Falls to create a fishery here yet.

Northwest – Early indications following the high water indicates that there are good numbers of steelhead around and as expected, a number of spent fish with some fresh wild fish available too. With larger, more productive rivers just coming on line at this writing, we won't know more until the next issue but check the Forecast section for the region you'll be fishing in for an accurate assessment of what lies ahead for your favorite stream. This is in the paid member's only section.

The Wilson and Nestucca as well as the Siletz will remain top options for those seeking hatchery fish options. Wild steelhead should be available in nearly every system.

Rough weather kept recreational boats at bay for the week but conditions may improve by the weekend. Rockfish and lingcod await anglers.

Crabbing remains poor both in the ocean and local estuaries. It's clearly a down-cycle for the crustaceans.

Southwest- Offshore conditions are forecast to be favorable through the weekend and into the coming week for those looking to launch for ocean bottom fishing or crabbing.

While boats out of Depoe Bay and Newport are regularly scoring limits of ling cod, catches of rockfish have slowed somewhat.

Surf perch fishing has been worthwhile at various south coast beaches including those around Coos Bay, Bandon and Gold Beach.

The Reedsport Fly-fishing Expo, sponsored by the Lower Umpqua Fly-casters will be on Saturday, February 28th from 9 AM to 3 PM at the Reedsport Charter School. A dozen tyers will give demonstrations, a film will be shown and door prizes are available. A pretty good deal since admission is free.

Crabbing has been poor at Winchester Bay as it is still suffering from turbidity from rain last week.

Coos Bay crabbers are starting to score once again now that the waters are recovering from last week's storms.

Catches of winter steelhead are good on the lower and middle Rogue River. Winters are into the upper river as well and are being caught in fair to good number now.

Steelheading has slowed on the Chetco River with waters dropping low and turning clear.

Eastern – Crescent Lake is producing Mackinaw trout for trollers using downriggers.

Trollers at Green Peter have been picking up a few kokanee but they have been running small.

Oregon fishing report for 2/13/15

Willamette Valley/Metro - Passage of winter steelhead at the Falls has slowed over the past couple of weeks. Water flowing from upstream is still muddy, adding to the turbidity of the lower river.

Water levels remain high on the McKenzie River.

The Santiam system has not yet recovered from rainfall earlier this week.

The Clackamas River started rising in the middle of last week but never really blew out. It has dropped, is exhibiting good color and is a decent bet for winter steelhead.

With the Sandy River dropping and clearing and winter steelhead scattered, it will produce over the coming weekend.

Anglers anxiously await more spring chinook news and plunkers as well as boaters ply the waters in hopes of an early prize. The season's first spring chinook made itself visible at Bonneville Dam on February 8th. The mainstem Columbia season is projected to run through April 10th.

Northwest – Early indications following the high water indicates that there are good numbers of steelhead around and as expected, a number of spent fish with some fresh wild fish available too. With larger, more productive rivers just coming on line at this writing, we won't know more until the next issue but check the Forecast section for the region you'll be fishing in for an accurate assessment of what lies ahead for your favorite stream. This is in the paid member's only section.

The Wilson and Nestucca as well as the Siletz will remain top options for those seeking hatchery fish options. Wild steelhead should be available in nearly every system.

Rough weather kept recreational boats at bay for the week but conditions may improve by the weekend. Rockfish and lingcod await anglers.

Crabbing remains poor both in the ocean and local estuaries. It's clearly a down-cycle for the crustaceans.

Southwest - Offshore launches should be possible this coming weekend off the central Oregon coast.

South coast surf anglers have been making good catches of redtail and calico surf perch whenever the ocean has laid down.

As the mainstem Umpqua drops and clears, steelhead should be good although less than 10% of the fish here will be of hatchery origin.

Steelheading will yield a mix of hatchery and wild fish in the Coos system.

Waters of the lower Rogue are still high but clearing. It should fish by Friday or Saturday. The middle river is in better shape and upper Rogue steelheader should have a decent shot at winters now.

Waters were just dropping into fishing levels and the clarity rapidly improving on the Chetco as of Thursday this week.

Eastern – The lower Deschutes offers little to steelheaders at this time of year.

Fly fishers on the Metolius report that fishing is slow.

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - Nope, no springers at Bonneville yet. An initial springer frenzy has ensued recently but if the metro rivers swell as anticipated, interest will wane. It's too early to invest too much time into these fisheries. I know, they're springers, right?

As the lower Willamette rises and muddies up over the coming week, the burgeoning winter steelhead and spring Chinook fisheries will stall. Catch-and-release sturgeon fishing is expected to remain good.

There's not much reason to send anyone fishing on the McKenzie River in the Wek to come.

While there are a few summer steelhead available in the Santiams, there are too few winters to target them this early in the season. The Santiams will be high and swift regardless.

Northwest – Steelheaders have been waiting for the upcoming rain freshet for a while now. The precipitation should produce good results for the late steelhead run. The Wilson and Nestucca will be primary targets for hatchery fish seekers.

You won't find many boats working the Trask River post freshet, mostly because it's catch and release. This will be a good system to look for trophy steelhead over the next several weeks.

The Kilchis will be one of the early systems to clear and should provide some wild steelhead action.

The smaller, north coast systems should have lots of hatchery fish in them (Necanicum, North Fork Nehalem) but they will largely be spawned out and of poor eating quality.

Forget an offshore effort this weekend but it sure was good last weekend, especially for sea bass out of Garibaldi and lingcod out of Newport.

Crabbing, both in the ocean and in the estuaries, is slow.

Southwest- Heavy rainfall over the next several days will hinder crabbing efforts in coastal estuaries.

Surf perch fishing has been quite good, particularly for this time of year. Beaches at Bandon and Coos Bay have been productive although with storms over the weekend make surf fishing unsafe.

A couple of boats out of Newport caught Chinook salmon while bottom fishing.

Smelt shouldn't be far from the Cowlitz, be sure to check last weeks archived edition for the smelt season.

Chinook season will not open until August 1st on the Siuslaw according to 2015 regulation.

Umpqua mainstem flows will be on the rise this weekend with the water forecast to crest at 60,000 cfs overnight Saturday, February 7th.

Water level on the lower Rogue will rise above the 'Action Level' of 16 feet at Agness on Saturday, February 7th. Steelheading will resume and possibly improve as the water drops and clears.

High water stalled fishing efforts on the Chetco River a couple of days ago and just as it's settling down, another front is due to cause a genuine blowout. This freshet should bring fresh winter steelhead into the system.

It looks like ice fishers may not get a change this year as the surface has already started to thaw without ever getting thick enough to support anglers.

Eastern – Redside fishing is fair to good on the lower Deschutes with Blue-Winged-Olives hatching around mid-day although nymphs fished near the bottom will be effective 'most anytime.

While the Metolius is slow to fair, fly anglers are occasionally picking up some nice trout.

Oregon fishing update!

Willamette Valley/Metro - Spring chinook are becoming more newsworthy as three springers have now been confirmed not far from the Portland/Metro area. With more low, clear water conditions happening, more opportunity will present itself in the coming week on the larger bodies of water here locally. No, there have not been any springers pass by Bonneville Dam…yet.

The cool waters of the lower Willamette are moderating in flow. Some winter steelhead are being caught by boat and bank anglers on the lower river. Catch-and0release sturgeon fishing remains good.

McKenzie River water levels are dropping but fishing here is slow.

North and South Santiam water levels have been dropping over the past week. It's too early in the year for these rivers to offer much in the way of fishing, however.

The Clackamas River is running low although steelhead have been caught as recently as Wednesday this week. Even Eagle Creek produced fish over the past weekend.

Sandy water levels are reported as very skinny. Steelheading is fair but will improve with more water. Smelt dipping will be allowed two days in March.

Northwest – Steelheaders are contending with low, clear water conditions on all north coast streams except the mainstem Nehalem. Catches have been sporadic but anglers have to be sneaky in order to score success on most of these smaller systems.

The Nehalem, Nestucca, Wilson and Trask will remain top options but you'll want to fish low in these systems and hope for tidal fish to be on the move. Broodstock fish should start to make a stronger showing, especially on the next rain freshet but spawned out, earlier returning steelhead will likely begin to make up the bulk of the catch.

The ocean has produced some great catches recently with a rare calm sea situation allowing saltwater anglers non-typical access to big blue. Be cautious of the 2015 regulations, they could catch you by surprise. You can likely find what you need from this ODF&W web page.

Ocean conditions should allow for boats to launch over the coming weekend. Crabbing is slow offshore but bottom fishing is good.

Razor clamming is closed from the California border to Heceta Head near Florence because of elevated levels of naturally-occurring bacteria.

While this is not the time of year when it's usually productive, south coast beaches have turned on again for surf anglers who are taking decent numbers of redtail surf perch.

Steelheading is not living up to angler expectations on the Alsea. Many are trying but very few are catching anything.

The Umpqua mainstem is producing fair to good numbers of winter steelhead, most of which are wild. Similar results are reported from the North Umpqua. While the South Umpqua is a good bet for fin-clipped fish, it's still early to expect good results here.

Crabbing and fishing for rockfish has improved at Coos Bay. The Coos River system is running too low to fish well for winter steelhead.

Winter steelhead are being caught in fair to good number on the lower and middle Rogue River although prospects are expected to improve with rain. It's too early for the upper river to reliably produce winters.

Bottom fishing has been good for boats launching out of the Port of Brookings. Steelheading has slowed on the Chetco with water levels low.

The Elk and Sixes have fallen to levels too low to fish well.

Central & Eastern – Deschutes water levels are high, apparently from snowmelt due to warmer temperatures on the east side.

Winter trout fishing is very slow at Fall River.

A few trollers have been trying their luck for kokanee at Green Perter Reservoir with mixed success.

Oregon Fishing Report

Willamette Valley/Metro - A few steelhead are being taken by bank anglers on the lower Willamette. The better bet would be catch-and-release sturgeon fishing.

Waters of the McKenzie are dropping and clearing although fishing here is slow.

Winter steelhead are yet to show in sufficient number to create a fishery on the Santiams.

While the Clackamas rose rapidly following rainfall over the past weekend, it has since dropped and is in good conditions for winter steelheading.

Similarly, the Sandy is on good shape and has been producing some steelhead although the peak of the run has yet to occur.

Northwest – Steelheaders did have one last great crack at fresh winter steelhead on most north coast systems and larger systems came online mid-week. Traffic should be heavy over the weekend with action only likely mediocre. The Wilson and Nestucca will become primary targets as quality hatchery broodstock fish begin to make their way in. We're still several weeks away from peak season however.

The North Fork Nehalem River is recycling more steelhead into district lakes, giving bank anglers a fair shot at less-than-ideal steelhead but still a great option. Fresh early run fish will become increasingly hard to find here and on the Necanicum River, despite a great return this year.

The Nestucca should start to produce better results from the lower reaches as flows drop. High tides this weekend could keep fresh fish running in.

Crabbing will likely be poor as the commercial season catches reflect a downturn in production. Heavy tides this weekend won't help matters.

Southwest- Charter boats launching out of central Oregon ports for rockfish are doing well for ling cod in deep water.

Reports for winter steelhead catches have been good from the mainstem and South Umpqua with steelhead running large.

Crabbing has been improving at Coos Bay this week with Dungeness hard and full of meat. Winter steelhead are being caught on the Coos River system.

Winter steelheading is worthwhile on the lower Rogue and may be slightly better on the middle river. While it's still early in the season, a good run is indicated this year. A few winters have been landed on the upper Rogue although this fishery will improve in February and March.

Boats launching out of the Port of Brookings have been doing well for bottom fish. The Chetco River has recovered from recent storms and has been producing steelhead although it may soon be too low and clear to fish well.

The ice at Diamond Lake is not yet thick enough to allow ice fishing.

Eastern – Trout fishing on the lower Deschutes has been fair to god unlike summer steelheading.

Oregon fishing reports

Willamette Valley/Metro - Winter steelhead passage has picked up slightly at Willamette Falls. Options for fishing the lower Willamette include bank fishing for winter steelhead and catch-and-release fishing for sturgeon.

The McKenzie River will blow out with storms this week and is historically slow to recover.

The Santiam system is also due to rise rapidly over the coming weekend as storms pass over western Oregon.

Winter steelheading has been slow to fair on the Clackamas and Sandy although it is still early in the season. Look for numbers and results to improve into February and even March.

Northwest – It's been a productive early season for steelheaders but good action is about to wane as this component seeks out spawning grounds to mate. It won't be long and these fish will be exiting in masse and become easy targets. The Highway 30 streams as well as the Necanicum, North Fork Nehalem, Kilchis and Nestucca systems all get early plants of these steelhead.

It will still be several weeks before broodstock steelhead enter in masse but savvy anglers are scoring early season results for these high-quality products. The Wilson and Nestucca are your best options but there will be better days ahead as we forge into spring. None-the-less, action should be good for those that play the rain freshet to their advantage.

Offshore options have not been good ones lately but there was a fair amount of public input on the nearshore rockfish fishery at the Salem level. And how about those barbless hooks on the Willamette still…..mindboggling……..

Southwest- When boats were able to get out of Depoe Bay and Newport earlier this week, limits of ling cod were the rule.

Starting this Thursday, Jan. 15, the bag limit of seven rockfish will remain the same but only three may be blue rockfish.

Despite concern heard from some offshore fishers that all red rockfish will be off limits, vermilion rockfish may still be retained in 2015.

Razor clamming is closed from the Oregon/California border north to Heceta Head (north of Florence) due to elevated levels of a naturally-occurring biotoxin.

Crabbing has been slow in Winchester Bay, Steelheading has been slow to fair in the mainstem, North and South Umpqua rivers.

Rain this week will do nothing to improve the already-slow crabbing at Coos Bay. Winter steelhead have been entering the Coos River system with best fishing in the tributaries.

The Coquille River system has been providing decent numbers of winter steelhead. Prospects remain good as the river recovers from storms due over the coming weekend.

Steelheading has been best on the lower Rogue although fish are distributed through the middle river and to the upper stretches. Winter steelheading is expected to have benefitted from freshets in the week to come with better numbers of fish moving upstream as a result.

Boats launching out of the Port of Brookings have experienced excellent results for ling cod and good catches of rockfish. Chetco steelheading has been fair this week. The river will be unfishable over the coming weekend but is expected to be good in a week or so.

Diamond Lake is expected to produce well as soon as it freezes over, allowing for anglers to do some ice fishing.

Eastern – Trout fishing has been decent for fly anglers on the lower Deschutes. A few summer steelhead are also being taken.

Lake Billy Chinook is producing kokanee.

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - Flows are dropping and winter steelhead counts are gradually improving at Willamette Falls. A few winters are being taken by bank anglers but catch and release sturgeon fishing remains a reliable alternative

While water flows and conditions are good on the McKenzie River, trout fishing is slow.

The Santiams are in decent condition but are between seasons right now, offering little of interest to anglers.

Clackamas River water flows are good as is the water color. Winter steelhead fishing is picking up but the bulk of the run has yet to arrive.

Steelheading has also shown some improvement on the Sandy although the planting of broodstock steelhead here for many years has moved the run timing forward on the calendar. Most of the fish are yet to arrive.

Northwest – prior to the H=high-water event, steelheaders were finding good success on larger streams. The Wilson produced some great catches and is just now coming back into fishable shape.

The smaller streams on the north coast began producing good catches by Thursday. The Necanicum River near seaside as well as the North Fork Nehalem. Hatchery workers on the Nehalem are recycling fish to Vernonia and Coffenberry Lake.

All rivers on the north coast should be producing great catches of steelhead this weekend with larger streams in perfect shape for drift boats but smaller systems a bank fishing show only.

There are nice broodstock fish showing on the Wilson and some on the Nestucca rivers but the early run steelhead our starting to spawn already.

Recently, the ocean has been friendly for bottomfishers. Those seeking lingcod and sea bass are faring well and it looks like opportunity should exist into the weekend.

Not many are participating in estuary crabbing but moderate tides in the afternoon should produce fair results.

Central & South Coast Reports - Ocean conditions have been good this week which has allowed trouble-free offshore launches. Bottom fishing for rockfish and ling cod has been fair to good.

Mixed reports have been coming in with regard to ocean crabbing but it is better off the central coast than it is for ports further south.

Catch-and-release winter steelheading will be picking up once again as water conditions improve on the Umpqua mainstem.

Crabbing has started showing some improvement as salinity levels rise at Coos Bay. Rock fishing from the jetty has resumed as the bay clears following recent storms.

Lower Rogue steelheaders are picking up some fish as are anglers in the middle river as the run is moving upstream. With releases from Lost Creek Reservoir moderating this week, fishing will resume on the upper Rogue River.

Winter steelheading started to pick up on the Chetco at the first of the year and has been quite good at times. With the water dropping and clearing, action has slowed somewhat but it's early in the run so catches will pick up as more fish pour into the system and subsequent storms improve water levels.

Despite cold weather in the Diamond Lake area, it is not yet frozen over to allow for ice fishing.

Central & Eastern - Rainfall from the last storm front has left the lower Deschutes off color although conditions improve somewhat above Maupin. Summer steelhead and trout catches remain slow.

Once again, readers, we appeal to those of you who fish the central and eastern parts of Oregon to send us reports. This time of year is tough to get information from those willing to rise frostbite on their nether regions to pursue waterborne quarry.

Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - The Bonneville and upstream pools open for sturgeon retention on the 1st. Here is the official press release from ODF&W:

States set winter sturgeon season for Bonneville Pool

December 18, 2014
CLACKAMAS, Ore. – The Bonneville Pool and adjacent tributaries of the Columbia River will be open to the retention of white sturgeon 7-days-a-week from Jan. 1 through March 1, 2015, unless the harvest guideline is reached sooner.  The Bonneville Pool extends from the Bonneville Dam upstream to The Dalles Dam.

Under the split season management structure adopted today, Oregon and Washington fishery managers also anticipate the pool will re-open to a summer retention season starting in June 2015, assuming fish remain available on the harvest guideline.

Managers estimate 40 percent of the 1,100 fish harvest guideline for the pool will be caught during the winter retention period, leaving opportunity for a June re-opening.  However, winter catch rates can be highly variable and anglers should be alert to the possibility of early closure.

The daily bag limit is one sturgeon between 38 and 54-inches fork length, and the annual limit is two. Retention sturgeon fisheries also will open as planned in The Dalles and John Day pools on Jan. 1, 2015.  Those fisheries will continue 7-days-a-week until harvest guidelines are achieved (see ODFW website).  The daily bag limit in these areas is one sturgeon between 43 and 54-inches fork length, and the annual limit is two.

Anglers fishing the Bonneville Pool in January may see tribal fishers deploying gill nets in designated areas to collect and tag white sturgeon as part on an on-going sturgeon research program.  Among other scientific uses, this work is used to calculate the size and status of the sturgeon population in these reservoirs.

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Contact:
John North (971) 673-6029
Jessica Sall (503) 947-6023

After cresting at 101,000 cfs at the Falls on Christmas day, the Willamette River started to drop. The last available reading online of 78,800 is December 30th. Despite the reduction in flow, visibility remains at less than a foot and that's just fine for sturgeon fishing.

Trout fishing is slow on the McKenzie River.

The Santiam system is high. Both North Santiam and South Santiam Rivers will drop in the coming week but there is little of interest to anglers here.

The Clackamas is coming into shape and is exhibiting decent color. There are a few winter steelhead with the bulk of the run yet to arrive.

Sandy River levels are returning to normal with water clarity good as long as the freezing level remains high. Winter steelheading is slow as there are only a few fish in the system this early in the run.

Northwest – Following the recent flooding event, steelheaders have enjoyed a good week of early season steelheading. Starting with the smaller streams, good numbers of steelhead were taken by experienced driftboaters with the Necanicum being a prime target for drifters and the North Fork Nehalem a great option for bank anglers. There is a significant navigational hazard downstream of Klootchy Creek on the Necanicum so plan on ferrying your boat across challenging terrain if you float that stretch.

Larger systems came on line early in the week with decent steelhead catches reported on the Trask, Wilson and some on the Nestucca systems. There are still some chinook around but the season officially closed on 12/31 so retention is no longer an option. Early indications point to a good steelhead return this year, as is often the case when we have a good coho return.

With a distinctive east wind, the offshore swell has tamed, allowing bottomfishers and ocean crabbers to get after salty quarry. Friendly conditions may change back to angry by as early as Saturday night however.

Bay crabbing remains challenging, especially on the increasing tide exchange. A calm ocean and minus tide this week could produce good razor clam digging, especially for those willing to bring night lights.

Southwest- Bottomfish anglers out of Newport and Depoe Bay have been taking good numbers of lingcod and rockfish. Check the 2015 regulations as there are some changes in the rules for the New Year.

Conditions for offshore launches are forecast to be good over the coming weekend but be certain to check before making the trip. Among other changes, cabezon may not be retained as part of a rockfish limit until July 1, 2015.

Ocean crabbing remains open with fair catches coming out of central Oregon ports and results diminishing for boats launching out of southern ports.

Wild coho salmon fisheries on Siltcoos, Tahkenitch and Tenmile lakes closed today, January 1, 2015.

The catch-and-release fishery for wild steelhead on the mainstem Umpqua will be moving into the North Umpqua following the rain storms of the past week.

Rock fishing at Coos Bay which shut off with runoff bringing silt into the bay, should return with conditions improving this week. Similarly, crabbing is expected to pick up once again as visibility improves and salinity levels return to normal.

Middle Rogue spawned-out fish have been replaced with fresh, bright winter steelhead but the water temperatures are in the mid-40s even here. On the lower Rogue, flows went from 30,000 cfs to the current 8,500 cfs over the past 10 days. Plunkers and plug-pullers are finding some success with winters. Starting January 1, one wild steelhead may be kept per day up to five for the year. This regulation will apply to the middle and upper Rogue starting February 1.

Chetco flows are approximately 2,200 cfs as of New Year's Day with the flows forecast to gradually moderate into the coming week. Water visibility will determine how good winter steelheading will be.

Eastern – While the Deschutes was not spared a generous wallop of precipitation during storms over the past week, it is settling down although enduring a bit of roller coaster action as it settles down. Steelheading has been mostly a miss in this mess although redsides have been responding as Blue Winged Olives hatch along with some Caddis. Expect steelheading to improve along with water conditions.