Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - Bonneville salmon passage continues ahead but numbers need to continue to climb in order to realize additional opportunity. Peak passage has been in the first week of May in recent years. Fisheries upstream of Bonneville are beginning to produce good results.

Red-hot catches of sturgeon near Rooster Rock prompted an abrupt closure from April 29 through July 31 between the upper and lower ends of Sand Island and corresponding markers on the Oregon shoreline.

Spring chinook are starting to pass in earnest at Willamette Falls. This should stimulate upriver fisheries in the very near future. Meanwhile, action at Oregon City remains excellent for backbouncers and backtrollers working shrimp and egg combinations or prawns reports pro guide Joe Salvey (503-349-1411). Hogliners are doing well between the West Linn Bridge and I-205 as well. As temperatures warm, hardware will become more effective.

Pro guide Bill Kremers (541 754 6411) reports that springer fishing around the Portland Harbor area on the Willamette has not been red hot compared to the Oregon City area but fishing pressure is only moderate.

The Town Run on the upper river is producing steelhead and counts indicate a good season ahead.

A few steelhead were taken on opening day on the McKenzie. Weekend trout fishing was fair. Look for McKenzie Green Caddis hatching now.

South Santiam summer steelhead numbers continue to improve, recycling efforts picking up and pressure is building with both boat and bank participation increasing.

Jesse Zalonis (503-392-5808) reports the Santiam has some nice summer steelhead in it. With the counts over Willamette Falls improving.

Fishing has been slow on the Clackamas for steelhead with many spawned out and only a few springers showing near the mouth.

Fair to good catches of mostly native steelhead are being caught (and released) on the Sandy River. Springers have yet to arrive in any fishable numbers.

Henry Hagg Lake, Huddleston Pond, Silver Creek Reservoir, Timothy Meadows and Waverly Lake are scheduled to be planted with hatchery trout.

Northwest - Spring chinook are starting to show in the Tillamook district. Quality fish have been taken in the Trask River and the upper Tillamook Bay. Although the action begins to peak later in May, if the run is sizable, anglers could experience good catches in the coming weeks. Sturgeon are hard to come by but a few are present.

A recent rise in river levels could send fresh steelhead and salmon into north coast systems. Although past peak season, late winter steelhead and a few summer fish may fall to the few boaters working the Nestucca, Trask and Wilson Rivers reports pro guide Jesse Zalonis (503-392-5808).

The bulk of the catch will likely be spent winter steelhead but fresh fish should be present in the faster flow and likely to fall to small drifted baits or plugs backtrolled through shallow runs. Early spring chinook should be present in the deeper runs and will likely fall to plugs or backbounced eggs.

Bay crabbers are picking up a few keepers in Tillamook and Netarts bay. Most serious crabbers are awaiting more calm ocean conditions as better success is likely. Long term ocean forecasts are not looking promising however.

May 1st marks the north of Falcon halibut opener for the all-depth fishery. The 3-day per week season runs from Thursdays through Saturdays until the quota is met or July 17th. South of Cape Falcon, the nearshore fishery (inside of 40 fathoms) also opens on May 1st. The limit is 1 fish per day, 6 per year.

Good razor clam tides are now underway. Clatsop Beaches should produce the best digs.

Scheduled for trout stocking are Coffenbury Lake, Lost Lake (Clatsop County), Sunset Lake and Vernonia Lake.

Southwest - Morning tides greater than minus one foot through Saturday will mean late day launches for boaters. Clamming will be good in estuaries, however.

The ocean salmon season from Cape Falcon to the California border was finalized for May 29th through September 6th for chinook with hatchery coho retention allowed from June 25th through the closure or a quota of 26,000 fin-clipped fish, whichever comes first.

Shad fishing will heat up on the Umpqua in May and will continue through June. Spring chinook remain a good option here.

Rogue River levels will be on the increase through the weekend which will slow down spring chinook fishing. This is the second time in less than a week that the freshets have slowed the action, just when it's getting really good. As it starts to drop and more importantly, the water temperature improves, good results will resume.

Fishing was poor to slow at Diamond Lake for the opener with soft ice evident on the lake's surface in many locations. A little warm weather will have Diamond fishing at its true potential.

Incoming tides have been good to beach anglers for surf perch averaging two pounds when ocean conditions have allowed the activity.

Floras Lake and Powers Pond are scheduled to be stocked with trout.

Eastern - The Mecca opener on the Deschutes over the past weekend (Pelton to the Northern reservation boundary) had anglers trying at Maupin with mixed results although the middle river fished quite well.

Cold water is resulting in slow fishing at Odell.

Lake Billy Chinook offered fair fishing in frigid conditions for the opener.