Oregon fishing report

Oregon Fisheries Update:

 

Willamette Valley/Metro- A break in the weather this week gave the valley rivers a chance to drain and drop. The Willamette remains high and murky but the sturgeon will still readily feed, so opportunity awaits the willing catch and release angler. Reports are still coming in of fair to good action from the lower Portland Harbor and the Milwaukie area. Smelt, sand shrimp and herring are the favorite baits. Little to no effort is taking place on the Columbia River with nothing to report.

 

Only one sturgeon may be kept in the 2013 angling year although no open seasons have been announced for the lower Columbia or Willamette Rivers. This decision was announced December 10 as a transition to catch-and-release only for sturgeon in Oregon waters starting in 2014.

 

The McKenzie River has dropped since heavy storms over the past week but is still too high this week to fish well. With Detroit Reservoir over-full, extra water is being diverted into the North Santiam which will keep the river high all this week.

 

The Clackamas and Sandy both have winter steelhead and despite the high water conditions a handful have been caught. On the Clackamas, focus on the upper section of river between Rivermill Dam and Carver until the river falls to that perfect 12.5 ft. level. Catches on the Sandy have come from both low and high on the river with decent reports from Lewis and Clark State Park and up to Dodge Park. Look to this week for an improvement in the water conditions and the catch for both rivers.

Northwest –  Despite poor weather and less than ideal conditions, salmon and steelhead anglers are still plying Tillamook County waters in pursuit of fresh fish. Although the peak of early season steelheading is upon us, there are equal numbers of anglers still looking for late-season chinook.

 

Tillamook Bay is still putting out fresh chinook with a few still being taken from the Ghost Hole to Bay City, particularly just after high tide. Incoming is a traditional time to target troll-caught chinook in the bay but fishing can also be fair on the first part of outgoing tide. Anglers were taking advantage of good sturgeon tides this week on Tillamook Bay with some fair keeper fishing taking place in the west channel.

Rivers were in ideal condition through the weekend with the Kilchis still putting out some fresh chinook and a rare hatchery steelhead. The Wilson is a more likely target with better numbers of chinook and early run steelhead available. Water levels are scheduled to remain stable into this weekend.

 

The smaller systems continue to be the primary target for winter steelhead with the North Fork Nehalem, Three Rivers and the Necanicum the best options for both bank and boat anglers. Boating remains hazardous on these systems however with constant wind-fall and saturated banks causing instability. These tributaries are more likely to produce than the larger mainstem stretches these fish first enter.

Razor clam digging was good along Clatsop Beaches early in the week but a volatile ocean may quell results by the weekend. The best tide will happen after sunset.

 

Southwest- Charters and recreational boats have been able to launch out of central Oregon ports over the past few days, resulting in mostly limits of rockfish and lingcod.

 

Recreational ocean crabbing, which opened December 1, has been yielding good results. The ODFW announced this week that commercial efforts will be delayed through December 30 to allow quality to improve. Cabezon may be kept by bank-bound anglers but not by boat fishers until January 1, 2013.

 

Steelheaders on the Alsea have taken a few fresh winter fish over the past week.

 

The mainstem Umpqua dropped to fishable levels at mid-week but is forecast to begin rising, then roller coaster in level through the coming weekend.

 

The Coos and Coquille Rivers both took a heavy hit from storms over the past week and are unlikely to reach fishable levels and clarity before the coming weekend.

 

Plunkers on the lower Rogue experienced spotty success using scented Spin 'n' Glos as waters dropped and cleared. Steelhead must be fin-clipped to keep until January 1, 2013. The middle Rogue has dropped and when it's fishable, fresh winter steelhead will be available around Galice and near the mouth of the Applegate River. High water conditions on the Upper Rogue have made fishing a challenge this week. Steelhead will be available as the water drops but quality will be mixed.

 

Despite high water levels at the Chetco dumping mud into Brookings Harbor, crabbing was good late last week and into the weekend. Limits have been the rule and the Dungeness being taken are large and heavy. Water levels and flows are dropping this week although the Chetco may experience another rise over the coming weekend with passing fronts.

 

Elk River anglers enjoyed decent water conditions over the past weekend where late chinook are mixed with a few early winter steelhead. Conditions were better and the pressure was high on the Sixes River into this week as it clears a little later.

 

Eastern – Levels have been high on the lower Deschutes recently but there should be some steelhead available for those who know how and where to fish here when the water is up.

 

Crooked River levels remain low with anglers experiencing good results here. Trout are running eight to 12 inches with the occasional larger fish. Midges are the primary pattern of interest here.

 

SW Washington- The Cowlitz River is the best early season bet for fair sized winter steelhead. The trout hatchery is putting out fair catches although success has been reported river-wide.

 

The Lewis, Kalama and Washougal Rivers are also steelhead favorites but catches are not expected to be great as witnessed in recent years. Fresh chinook remain an option on the Lewis but catches are slowing for the year.

 

Razor clam digs are scheduled throughout the week along SW coastal beaches. Check the WDF&W website for details.