Oregon fishing report

Willamette Valley/Metro - With salmon fishing effectively over on the lower Columbia, effort will shift to sturgeon for the remainder of the year. Sturgeon catches continue to taper below Bonneville as fish seemingly move into the lower Willamette this time of year. Anglers are likely to target the mouth of the Willamette as the mainstem Columbia continues to cool.

Catches were good and pressure high at the re-opener of sturgeon retention on the lower Willamette last week. Anglers took 580 keepers which filled the quota, closing the lower Willamette and Multnomah Channel until January 1, 2011. Steelhead remain available on the Middle Fork of the Willamette.

Trout fishing has remained good on the McKenzie when water conditions are conducive where brilliant fall foliage graces the banks.

Steelheading has been fair on the North Santiam but the river is high this week and will remain so through the coming weekend.

Clackamas water levels are up following precipitation over the past weekend and while dropping, fishing remains slow with the coho season about done for the year.

Winter steelhead will be the next fishery on the Sandy but it will be a while as these are broodstock adults with returns delayed until late winter.

Henry Hagg Lake has been fishing well but anglers have only though November 20th, after which it's closed until spring.

Northwest - Wild weather has subdued effort on the north coast, even though fall chinook should be peaking on many river systems. The Wilson and Kilchis River chinook runs aren't materializing like they do most years, this fishery should be peaking now with ideal conditions for driftboaters underway. Some chum are still being caught but anglers can no longer target chum salmon after Monday. Trout fishing closed on October 31st.

The Nestucca River produced some good catches last week even though the run was forecast to be down this season. Plug pullers and backbouncers fared well during the North Coast Salmon Rendezvous last week.

Tillamook Bay continues to challenge anglers but a few bright fish are still being produced in the west channel, Ghost Hole and in the upper bay. Spinners or herring should continue to take fish into early December. Female fish, although bright, sometimes exhibit poor quality flesh this time of year. Bright bucks will provide the best tablefare for the remainder of the season.

Sturgeon should be available in Tillamook Bay as fish continue to exit the lower Columbia and seek better feeding conditions in other estuaries this time of year. With all the recent freshwater, juvenile crabs should not be the problem they typically are for shrimp plunkers. The west channel should be a prime place for interception.

If 2010 steelhead returns come in high, anglers should begin to see chrome returns to the North Fork Nehalem, Necanicum, Kilchis, Wilson, Three Rivers and the Nestucca Rivers within the next 10 days. None have been reported yet.

An excellent tide series over the weekend should produce easy limits for crabbers on the lower Columbia. Expect plenty of competition however.

Southwest - Tidal exchanges this weekend will be mild but offshore conditions may prevent ocean forays.

Trollers are catching fair to good numbers of wild coho at Siltcoos Lake with plugs being most effective this season.

Weekend rainfall relieved low water conditions on the Coos and Coquille. Chinook catches are expected to be
good this week. Crabbing has been good in Coos Bay but too much fresh water will reduce catches.

Chinook catches picked up following rainfall last Sunday on the Elk and Sixes but leaves in the water and high winds have been hampering efforts.

Chetco anglers are taking good numbers of bright chinook with several breaking the 40-pound mark. Bobber and bait fishers, back-bouncers and plug pullers are all taking fish. When ocean conditions have allowed crossing the bar out of Brookings, limits of rockfish were taken and ling cod fishing improved.

The Winchuck River opened for chinook retention over the past weekend. While there was no sign of an early return late last week, rainfall will get this fishery underway and an excellent return is forecast this season.

Eastern - Steelheading has improved on the lower Deschutes with fewer anglers on the river now. With the water cooling, the bite is soft. Most of the steelhead are wild but are running large.

A good late fall and winter fishery, the Crooked River is producing well for fly anglers targeting large rainbows.

The Grande Ronde, Wallowa, Imnaha and Umatilla Rivers are all strong possibilities for late run summer steelhead. Bobbers and bait or jigs should produce nicely for persistent anglers.