Willamette Valley/Metro - Willamette River anglers, what few there are, remain focused on catch and release opportunities for sturgeon in the Portland Harbor. Action is good using sand shrimp, smelt and anchovies if you have them. You won't find much competition out there.
Steelheaders continue to bide their time on Meldrum Bar with only an occasional fish being caught. The action is likely to wind down even more as the early season component is past its prime. Many anglers hope to claim the season's first spring chinook. Although an extremely rare catch in January, especially on a low return year like the one predicted for 2014, early February often sees fair action around Sellwood Bridge. The predicted rise in river levels over the weekend will likely put this goal out of reach until later this month.
Clackamas steelheaders remain diligent in their quest for early steel but realistically, it will be several more weeks before a stronger possibility exists. With little effort, anglers can still score results but you'll have to cover a lot of water to find a biter.
The Sandy has seen spurts of good fishing prior to the dry spell but it has been challenging lately. Depending on how much precipitation falls as snow will determine how much flow and color the river will get over the weekend. It's likely that the Sandy will remain the best metropolitan bet for the next several weeks. When colored waters return, anglers can up-size their baits and offerings to entice fish from greater distances. Fish bobbers and worms until the river swells.
Northwest – Reports remain consistent throughout the north coast with most anglers coming home empty handed when pursuing winter steelhead on Tillamook County streams. The first significant rain freshet in weeks is due to hit before the weekend however; it will be an anglers last chance for fresh early season fish before the wild and broodstock run makes a stronger appearance by mid-February.
Anglers plying the tidewater stretches of the Wilson and North Fork Nehalem systems report quiet waters as well, indicating that not many steelhead are even staging in these lower reaches before making the run upriver in the seasonally low north coast streams. There are however steelhead being taken in many of these systems nearly every day for anglers versed in low-water tactics.
The Trask has also been predictably quiet although there has been a rare wild fish taken near the hatchery. Only two wild bucks have been tallied by Tillamook ODF&W personnel for the Wilson River wild broodstock collection program, hopefully, February and March prove more fruitful.
A calm ocean on Sunday prompted anglers to head out in search of lingcod and sea bass. Action was good for those hitting the right reefs and whales could be seen on their annual migration south to Baja. Nearshore waters out of Tillamook Bay are laden with commercial crab gear as the fleet tries to improve soft early season catches. Crabbing in Tillamook Bay remains fair at best with fresh bait, which is hard to come by, producing the best results by far. The lower Columbia is also a fair bet for January crabbers although weekend tides and weather don't look promising.
Southwest- Calm seas offered some limited opportunity for bottomfishers last weekend but big tides likely kept fish from aggressively feeding or at least fishers from effectively catching. None-the-less, lingcod were top on the list as we enter spawning season with fish fairly aggressive. Swells are likely to remain too high for safe boating for the foreseeable future.
Recreational and commercial ocean crabbing remains challenging on the south coast.
Like much of Oregon, area rivers remain low and clear, challenging winter steelhead anglers for the last several weeks. The year's first significant river rise is forecast through the weekend which should stimulate action for plunkers working lower river gravel bars on the rise and side-drifters once swollen rivers recede. The Coquille and Chetco are likely the best prospects as steelhead entering these systems typically start to peak in January anyway. Coquille Basin steelheaders are allowed an additional fin-clipped fish per day, making a three-fish bag limit pretty attractive to area anglers.
The Umpqua is also slated to receive a much needed rain freshet which should jump start the wild run, mostly destined for the mainstem and North Umpqua with a few hatchery fish available in the South Fork.
The Rogue will also be a strong option following the predicted rain freshet. The lower reaches should produce for plunkers during the week when flows are expected to rise and driftfishers when flows stabilize. It appears unlikely that a strong run will show but it will remain a top destination for the next 3 weeks.
Hearty plants of catchable size and larger trout have been recently planted in Fort Borst Lake in Centralia, South Lewis County Park Pond in Toledo, Lake Sacajawea in Longview and Battle Ground Lake.
Eastern – Although the John Day River is reportedly still ice-laden, the Grand Ronde, Imnaha, Wallowa and Umatilla are options for late season steelhead. The Grand Ronde is your best option with the Umatilla reported as slow.
Wallowa Lake can offer some decent winter fishing opportunities when conditions are safe.
No comments:
Post a Comment