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.