Willamette Valley/Metro - Although not hot, the spring salmon fishing has picked up on the Willamette River since the Columbia has closed. The best action is coming from the Multnomah Channel and at the head of the channel, with catches coming in at Willamette Park and Sellwood as well. A handful have even been reported from Oregon City from both boaters and bank anglers. Plug cut, green label herring and cured prawns are the most popular baits with the boaters. Spin n glow with or without bait works best for the bank plunkers. Expect the fishing to improve through the end of the month.
Following a spike in levels on the 8th, only light showers are in the forecast for this week which means anglers may expect to find the McKenzie River in excellent condition. Until the brief afternoon March Brown hatch occurs or Caddis start popping, nymphs will be effective.
The Santiam system will be gradually dropping over the week although fishing has been fairly slow. With only 1,700 summers and 500 spring Chinook reported at Willamette Falls, that's not a lot of fish to populate the upstream tributaries. Only winter steelhead have been crossing Foster Dam since April 4th.
The Clackamas River has dropped into prime shape and is giving up a few late winter and early summer steelhead. The section from Rivermill Dam downstream to Carver will provide the best action. Rumors of spring Chinook should start surfacing soon. Sand shrimp and cured roe are the preferred baits, while plugs, jigs and hardware are the recommended artificials.
On the Sandy River, fishermen are still plying the waters for late winter steelhead and early summers. The winter component is on the way out and care should be taken to release spawners carefully. Early summers have been showing up in the catch and numbers should increase through June. The same baits and lures will apply here, as on the Clackamas River.
The ODFW will host a fishing event for two to 12-year-olds at McNary Ponds on Saturday, April 20th from 10 a.m. to noon. Another event on Sunday, April 21st at St. Louis Ponds from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. is family-oriented. Both events are free and kids will be provided with tackle. For information, call 541-276-2344.
Northwest – Although several north coast streams remain open to steelhead fishing, action is slow, after an already mediocre season. Spring chinook is next on tap but action won't heat up for another month. The district doesn't predict the number of returning adults but the size of the Willamette run is often an accurate predictor. Two spring chinook are rumored to have been taken on the Trask River recently.
A few summer steelhead and a rare fresh winter run fish remain available on the Wilson and Nestucca Rivers. The catch will largely be made up of wild and hatchery steelhead either close to spawning or already spawned out.
Coastal anglers will anxiously be awaiting ocean opportunity until springers arriver. Action for California bound chinook should be good out of Garibaldi when seas calm. The weekend looks to hold promise but early morning launches are recommended as it's likely the late morning/early afternoon trade winds will blow. The softer tide series will benefit bar crossers and bottomfishers.
Southwest- Fishery managers recently announced the continuation of the offshore chinook season; south of Cape Falcon, the ocean chinook salmon fishery will remain open through October 31, 2013. Results have been good thus far for offshore trollers from Newport to Bandon which bodes well for the remainder of the season.
Offshore launches should be possible this coming weekend as swell and wind conditions moderate. Sunday looks most promising in the long-range forecast.
Spring chinook entered the mainstem Umpqua early this year. With the water dropping and clearing this week, anglers should take some around Elkton. With winter steelhead in the system, North and South Umpqua flows will be moderating as well.
Lingcod limits came early to boats launching out of Charleston over the past weekend while rockfish numbers were a little harder to come by. Coos Bay offers the best chance of any bay for success with Dungeness crab.
Bottom fish limits took a little longer over the past week but were filled for most boats launching out of Gold Beach. Area beaches have produced good catches of redtail surf perch whenever wave action has been moderate. Boat fishers on the lower Rogue are taking spring chinook to the tune of about a dozen a day on anchovy/spinner combos while bank anglers are scoring a few on Spin 'N' Glo's. Steelheaders on the middle Rogue will encounter late-running winters with best results below the Applegate River. Above the old Gold Ray Dam site, upper river anglers will also have an opportunity to tangle with winter steelhead as the Army Corps of Engineers will allow the upper river to drop over the coming week. Springers are yet to appear at Cole Rivers hatchery.
Even when the ocean has been lumpy, boats launching early mornings out of the Port of Brookings have been scoring good numbers of rockfish and lingcod just outside the bar.
Eastern – Anglers are advised with the upcoming April 27th opening on the Deschutes that use of the popular railroad track crossing at South Junction Campground is considered trespassing by Burlington Northern/Santa Fe Railroad according to the Bureau of Land Management.
Crooked River flows have dropped below 300 cfs over the past week which will be welcome news to fly anglers who were dismayed when flows increased.
The smallmouth bass bite is picking up in upriver reservoirs in the Columbia. The John Day Pool will likely provide some of the best opportunity.
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