Willamette Valley/Metro - Sources say the shad are still running strong on the Willamette River at Oregon City. Most anglers are doing well if they are diligent about checking and cleaning their gear of moss every five to ten minutes. Fish tiny, bright offerings in 8-15 feet of water with good current. Spring chinook are few and far between, but the few that are getting caught are usually caught by shad anglers below Willamette Falls. There are a handful of die-hard fishermen targeting salmon below the falls and they score the occasional fish or two.
Sturgeon fishing remains fair, although many of the fish and the fishermen have made their way to the Columbia River. Bass anglers are finding success along rocky shorelines and behind islands. Walleye are on the bite in the Multnomah Channel and a few local experts are getting their share of the fish, but these guys keep things on the down low.
Water levels have dropped nearly to summer level lows on the McKenzie River and with little snowpack this year and only a few showers in the forecast this week, anglers may expect these conditions to endure for the weekend to come. Wading will be less challenging and a variety of hatches should produce all day long with action improving as shadows lengthen. There are also a few summer steelhead in the system.
A few summers have been taken with bobber and jig on the North Santiam. Summer steelhead are entering the fish trap daily on the South Santiam at Foster Dam but no springers have been seen here since May 20th.
The Clackamas River remains slow for spring chinook and summer steelhead although water conditions are holding up well. Local, experienced anglers willing to work hard and put in some time are having some luck. Small baits of cured roe and sand shrimp are drawing bites. Fish early and late for best results between Rivermill Dam and Carver Park.
A similar story holds true for the Sandy River. The water is lower and clearer here than on the Clackamas, demanding stealthy, low water tactics. Best results for spring chinook and summer steelhead are had above Dabney State Park.
Northwest – Tillamook spring chinook angling has been challenging lately but anglers are accustomed to one more good push of fish during this time frame. Anglers have been focusing their efforts in the upper bay but diminishing tide exchanges will re-focus effort in the lower end of the west channel and Ghost Hole during the incoming tide and along the jetty on the second half of outgoing tide.
Although rivers remain low, anglers working the Hatchery Hole on the Trask are finding fish using bobbers and bait. Trask tidewater anglers also reported good results last week. Fresh fish should continue entering the system well into July. The Wilson and Nestucca should also have catchable numbers of fish, best pursued using bobber and bait as well. Look for chinook in the slow, deep holes while some summer steelhead should be available in the shallower riffles.
Sturgeon fishing on the lower Columbia is productive. Anglers will likely focus on the deeper water as the tide exchange weakens over the weekend. There are keepers available below the Astoria/Megler Bridge and are willingly taking both sand shrimp and anchovies. There are oversize present as well.
Following a week of rough ocean conditions, swells and wind waves are forecast to settle. Offshore opportunity for salmon, halibut, bottomfish and crab should all be available. Check the ODF&W web site for season restrictions. A mark-select chinook fishery north of Cape Falcon opened up on June 8th. This fishery produced some quality fish last year and is likely to again this year. The coho season opens up on June 22nd.
Southwest- Weekend fishing was a bust out of Newport and Depoe Bay but boats got out over the past week on Wednesday to take bottomfish and Thursday for the all-depth halibut fishery with good results. Limits of large flatties were taken out of Newport before winds came up. Conditions are forecast to moderate by the coming weekend.
According to the ODFW, an announcement will be made by noon on Friday, June 14 if enough quota remains for any Central Coast all-depth back-up dates to be open with the first possible dates June 20-22. The next nearshore opening is June 13-15.
Although the redtail surfperch fishing has continued to improve on the lower Umpqua, it has remained spotty. For those who have gotten into them, 15-fish limits have been taken. Best results have been coming around Buoy 12. The peak of the shad run has passed but there are still a few to be caught between Elkton and Sawyers Rapids. Hit the South Umpqua for smallmouth bass.
Boats bound for the ocean and bottom fish were able to launch out of Gold Beach only a couple of days over the past week with high winds prohibitive otherwise. Trollers started working the bay over the past weekend, scoring a couple of chinook. The water of the lower Rogue remains low and warm, which has the chinook run all but stalled. Catches have been slow to fair in the middle river. Once again, the upper Rogue is most promising for chinook but recent results have been spotty. Summer steelhead are starting to enter the hatchery and fishing is expected to pick up in a week or so.
Trolling for ocean chinook has been slow out of Brookings but fishing for rockfish and lingcod has been good when offshore conditions have allowed.
Now that the midge hatch at Diamond Lake has started to moderate, mosquitoes are becoming a challenge. This is an annual situation but be sure to take plenty of insect repellant if you go. Fishing is fair.
Eastern – With Salmonfly and Golden Stones about done, look for summer caddis to be hatching on the lower Deschutes this week. Redsides should respond to dry and nymph imitations.
Green Drakes have been hatching on the Metolius in cloudy weather but hatches will slow as conditions turn sunny for the weekend. Watch for Pale Morning Duns and late in the day, Caddis and Golden Stones are due in late June.
Hot weather over the past week triggered snowmelt in the high mountains and a consequential rise in Wallowa River levels. The water has dropped a little and stabilized with big bugs due in a week or so. Wallowa Lake is fair for planters, slow for kokanee. Brown trout are rising to mayflies at Wickiup Reservoir but they have been highly selective when presented an imitation. Kokanee have been taken to 18 inches.
The next report will be out on the 28th of June.
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