Oregon Fishing Update
Willamette Valley/Metro - The coho bite in the Meldrum Bar stretch has been hot or cold with hundreds of fish in the river now. Peak migration is just past its peak in this area but catchable numbers are still present.
Sturgeon retention on the Willamette and Columbia re-opens in October on Thursdays through Saturdays with the first opportunity October 5th. The Columbia River Gorge will offer the best opportunities- especially for bank anglers.
Scores of coho can be seen rolling on the Sandy which can be frustrating if they're off the bite. Good numbers of fish are moving through Cedar Creek although catches are spotty in crowded conditions. Pocket water fishing with small egg clusters will take some fish.
Lots of coho are showing in the Clackamas, particularly at the mouth, but few of these finicky fish are being hooked. Early morning spinner casters are likely to take the most fish. Some decent summer steelhead are still being taken upstream. Eagle Creek is extremely low.
The North Santiam is a little high but should remain stable at this level until the fall rains. Steelhead prospects are good.
Henry Hagg Lake, West Salish Pond and Detroit Reservoir are scheduled to be planted with trout.
Northwest – The ocean on the north coast has been extremely calm allowing anglers to target chinook in the seaweed free zone just outside of Tillamook Bay. Fishing was excellent on Saturday but has been spotty ever since. A 51½ pounder was weighed in at Garibaldi Marina over the weekend. High pressure should offer more calm seas over the weekend.
In Tillamook Bay, chinook catches have become more consistent but seaweed continues to be a problem. Catches have comprised of more 5 year-old fish than in years past. These larger fish have been going 30 to 40 pounds and have been oddly absent the last 2 years in this fishery.
Crabbing on Tillamook Bay is competitive so limits are hard to come by. Fresh bait will produce the best results. Netarts and Nestucca estuaries are producing more consistent results.
Nehalem Bay is relatively poor for this time of year. Seaweed is also a factor here.
The Nestucca and Salmon Rivers near Pacific City have plenty of chinook present but the bite has been sporadic. The combination of eggs and shrimp under a bobber in the tidewater sections are taking the majority of fish.
Crabbing out of Hammond on the lower Columbia is excellent. Salmon effort is non-existent.
Albacore tuna are still an option and good numbers were taken within 20 miles last weekend.
Incoming tide is bringing fresh fish and fall chinook action is starting to pick up on the Siletz.
Offshore tuna fishing has been fair to good this week out of Newport and Depoe Bay. Most boats are returning to port with albacore catches in the teens. Salmon are being hooked at the 30 to 65-foot depths with most chinook in the 20 pound range.
Chinook are being taken in the Yaquina River. Fishing is slow at the Alsea where increasing numbers of sea lions await the coming chinook. Crabbing is great out of Newport and Waldport.
Southwest – Pressure is on at Siuslaw tidewater where trolled spinners are effective in taking modest numbers of chinook.
Ocean chinook catches have slowed out of Winchester Bay. Crabbing is yielding limits. The mainstem and South Umpqua are still kicking out smallmouth bass by the score.
Crabbing is excellent in Coos bay while chinook fishing is fair but improving.
Trollers in the Rogue estuary have seen an improvement in hookups this week. The Grants Pass stretch remains slow. Summer steelhead continue to be taken on the upper river but they're getting fairly colorful.
All-depth halibut, closed September 17th off the central coast, remains open South of Humbug Mountain. Nearshore halibut fishing is closed coast-wide.
Chetco anglers are catching good numbers of Chinook, with some really large ones in the mix. Chinook stacking offshore should provide excellent fishing when the Chetco Terminal fishery opens October 1st through 12th.
Tuna runs 50 or so miles offshore out of Brookings are yielding only fair catches of tuna.
Eastern - The Deschutes is at its peak for steelhead now until the middle of October or so when flows will change with rainfall. Currently, the water is low and clear with fish well distributed in the lower river. Trout fishers may expect to see large Mayflies and October Caddis hatches. With cool nights moderating the water temperatures, fly rodders on the middle Deschutes are doing well with Blue-Winged Olive and Pale Morning Dun patterns. Nymphing remains effective all day. The October Ceddis hatch is just starting up on this stretch but will become the predominant pattern in the next couple of weeks.
Oregon fishing guides
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