Oregon fishing report

Oregon Fishing Update

Willamette Valley/Metro - Warm water temperatures have most river users swimming instead of fishing. Despite a significant climb in dam counts and favorable tides over the weekend, steelhead anglers did not fare well on the recent tide series. Angling is now closed for adult chinook but anglers are allowed to retain jack salmon.

Effort is low for oversized sturgeon and fresh shad are hard to come by. Floater shad make the best bait this time of year.

Warm weather has pushed the Willamette temperature to 76 degrees at the falls. Chinook and steelhead continue to cross but they aren't biting well in these conditions. Shad fishing is getting spotty with the best catches coming in the evening. Boaters should be cautious at ramps with the river so low.

The color of the Sandy makes it look unfishable as dam work upstream has combined with seasonal glacial runoff to turn the water opaque. Even in these less than ideal conditions, summer steelhead are still being hooked.

Steelheading in the Clackamas has been fair to good and hasn't been too crowded with anglers. A few spring chinook have also been hooked this week.

Persistence is paying off on the North Santiam with steelhead taking bait and striking lures from Fishermen's Bend to Mehama.

Hatchery trout are scheduled to be planted in the Breitenbush River, Carmen Reservoir, Clear Lake, Leaburg Lake, McKenzie River above and below Leaburg Lake, Quartzville Creek, Salmon Creek and the North Santiam River above Detroit.

Northwest – Heavy winds kept most recreational craft in port much of the week. Previous reports indicated fish were well scattered with inconsistent water temperatures on the north coast. One report from just outside of the mouth of the Columbia indicated hatchery coho were present in good numbers but anglers had to weed through several wild coho and undersized chinook to get their limits.

Catch and release sturgeon fishing remains great in the Tongue Point area with anchovies producing the best results. Call ahead to ensure bait orders can be filled as demand has dropped making bait deliveries inconsistent.

Pro guide Brandon Glass (503-260-8285) reports slow walleye fishing in the lower Columbia but hopes for an improvement this week.

The weekend ocean forecast calls for favorable conditions which has more anglers excited about tuna than salmon. Forecasted ocean temperatures look more favorable for tuna fishing. Look for water 61 degrees and warmer for tuna while salmon prefer temperatures in the range of 56 to 59 degrees.

Newport ranks number one for coho landings according to a July 8th ODFW report. More fish-per-trip were landed out of Depoe Bay although fewer boats launched. Offshore tuna fishing held up whenever boaters could safely cross the bar.

North and mid-coast lakes will not be stocked with trout again until September.

Southwest – Wind has kept boats off the ocean for several days on the central and southern Oregon coast. Conditions are forecast to improve for the weekend, but early morning minus tides will complicate bar crossings.

While summer steelheading has yet to show anglers much action, smallmouth bass fishing on the Umpqua is producing plenty of fish per trip. Salmon fishing had been decent until the wind came up late last week.

Pro guide Bill Kremers (541-754-6411) confirms decent fishing for smallies but advises drift boaters that low water requires wading to push and pull in places.

So far, pressure is light on the Rogue River estuary where trollers have been picking up chinook, It's early for this fishery but some boats have landed multiple fish about half of which were hatchery. Unclipped Chinook may be retained starting July 14th. Fishing for half-pounders has been fair but everything else is slow on the Rogue River.

Pro guide Jeff Jackson (541 268 6944) reported in to confirm catches of early fall Chinook mixed with late springers.

Section 5 of the Rogue River is scheduled to be stocked with trout.

Tuna fishing remained rewarding last week with albacore within 30 miles of the port of Brookings. Since then, high winds have hampered effort and pushed the warm water further offshore. Chinook and coho have been 10 to 12 miles out in 350 to 400 feet of water.

Eastern – The lower Deschutes has caddis hatching well in the mornings and evenings, coincidentally, the best times to fish on the scorching east side. With over 90% of the water in the middle Deschutes dedicated to irrigation, fishing in the warm water is not so promising.

Anglers are beginning to consider the Deschutes for steelhead but the Dalles Dam counts dictate how the action will be. Numbers are still a bit low for great action on this premier river. Last year, it began fishing best the latter half of August but passage at Bonneville is improving significantly.

The cool, spring-fed water of the Fall River is fishing quite well for brown trout, even on the hottest days.

Pro guide Rick Arnold (541-480-1570) reports good fishing for browns a Wickiup with some over the six pound mark.

Waters scheduled to receive hatchery trout this week include Badger Lake, Campbell Lake, Deadhorse Lake, Fall River, Shevlin Pond and Spring Creek.

The Guide's Forecast would like to congratulate Jenni Logsdon Martin of www.ifish.net for being selected again this year as one of the top 25 most influential people in Oregon.