Oregon fishing

Oregon Fisheries Update:

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Willamette Valley/Metro- As the weather turns, anglers will lose motivation to fish in the Columbia River Gorge. Keepers also are migrating from this area, in search of warmer waters found downriver and in the lower Willamette. Catch rates have already peaked and are clearly on the decline.

The temperature at Willamette Falls is hovering at the 50-degree mark. Sturgeon fishing has remained reliable with plenty of shakers and a good number of keepers being caught.

The water condition at the Sandy remained good as of Monday this week. A few late summer steelhead are the only fish of interest with salmon closed here and winter steelhead still weeks away.

While Thanksgiving is the traditional winter steelhead kickoff, it's early to expect decent results. Still, a few anglers plan on hitting the Clackamas next week. Fortunately, there are still summers available.

On the Santiam system, steelhead are moving around with normal fluctuations in water conditions at this time of year. Try the stretch from Packsaddle Park down to Stayton.

This is the last week to try for trout and warmwater gamefish at Hagg Lake as it closes for the season at Sundown on Sunday, November 18th.

Northwest – Anglers still holding out hope for productive Tillamook Bay fishing are typically coming home empty-handed this season. The Ghost Hole and West Channel are only occasionally putting out fair numbers of fish. With local area rivers higher then they have been in weeks, most fish are heading right to the river systems.

Monday’s weather system produced good results from the Trask and Wilson Rivers although debris kept anglers from effectively fishing for at least part of the time Tuesday. The initial push of bright fish entered most north coast streams early in the week but forecasters are calling for more rain freshets kicking off a more consistent driftboat season.

In the order of most productive options, the Wilson, Kilchis, Trask, Nestucca, Necanicum and Nehalem Rivers should all be producing fair numbers of fish this weekend. Fish the smaller systems when river levels are high but keep in mind that high winds and rain-soaked riparian areas are ripe for downed sweepers- responsible for lost lives every year.

Anglers were catching chum salmon on the Miami and Kilchis Rivers early in the week but these rivers will close to targeted fishing for these depleted runs beginning Friday. It is catch and release only until then.

Sturgeon are present in Tillamook Bay but crabs are too numerous for anglers to succeed consistently. The west channel fishery is just getting underway.

Crabbing remains poor on Tillamook Bay but fair on Netarts and Nestucca estuaries. The lower Columbia River is excellent for large Dungeness.

Another minus tide series hits north coast beaches on Thanksgiving. Razor clam diggers will likely do best in dry sand digging. Rough surf will likely hamper success however.

The first weeks of November have not been kind to chinook anglers on the Siletz. No new pictures have been posted at Coyote Rock so far this month.

Crabbing is slow to fair at Yaquina and Alsea bays.

Southwest – Another rough week is forecast offshore, keeping recreational boaters off the ocean.

Coho passage at Winchester Dam has been decent with over 1,000 reported as of mid-October. While fishing hasn't been impressive in the mainstem North Umpqua, it is expected to improve as the coho run ramps up. Dropping water temperatures are curtailing smallmouth bass catches in the mainstem as expected. Ling cod fishing has been good out of Winchester Bay when the seas have allowed safe crossing.

Anglers fishing the jetty at Coos Bay have been taking large kelp greenling (known locally as sea trout).

The Elk River was at 4.5 feet on November 11th following nearly an inch of rain on Monday this week. Chinook have been taken but the water level is dropping.

Chetco River levels increased over 4.5 feet from November 12th to the 13th, hitting nearly 6,000 cfs overnight Monday this week. Increased flow is bringing in fresh, chrome chinook which are wasting no time charging upriver. Backbouncing eggs and bait-wrapped plugs will take fish as levels drop. Bank anglers will score with bobber and bait or drifted roe.

When the weather breaks and the bar allows safe passage offshore, bottom fishing is excellent off the southwest coast with rockfish and ling cod in the best condition of the year.

While no trout stocking is scheduled for the remainder of 2007, the ODFW will occasionally conduct winter plantings, often of larger trout or broodstock steelhead.

Eastern – The water level is up at the Deschutes and is expected to stay that way for some time. Trout fishing has slowed in the lower river and steelheading remains slow.

Grand Ronde steelheaders experienced decent action in low water over the weekend for a mix of hatchery and wild fish. Recent weather events however should stimulate the bite and more consistent fishing will occur well into the winter months. Pro guide Mac Huff (800-940-3688) reports that a few Grande Ronde steelhead have been taken daily since mid-October but that the water has been very low this year.

http://www.TheGuidesForecast.com/