Willamette Valley/Metro - Salmon catches at Bonneville continue to be spotty but should improve as we near peak passage dates. Summer steelhead action should improve weekly with spinners commonly taking fair numbers of both species as we near late June. Shad action remains good on sunny days.
There hasn't been much change in flow at Willamette Falls over the past week although the water visibility had shown a great deal of improvement early this week. More than 12,500 summer steelhead nave been counted at the Falls, about 2,000 more than at this time last year. Steelheaders are connecting on the upper Willamette and in the tributaries. The roughly 24,000 springers counted as of June 18 was similar to 2013 counts. Slow but steady catches of spring chinook are coming to boats fishing just below the deadline at the Falls. Bobber and bait is being used almost exclusively. Shad continue to be caught but anglers better get there before it's over.
McKenzie River level and flow has continued to fluctuate due to snowmelt which does anglers no favors. Trout fishing is fair for fly anglers throwing Caddis patterns and a few summer steelhead have been landed.
The best place to intercept spring chinook above Willamette Falls is the upper Santiam mainstem and lower South Santiam. Anglers are wary about discussing results but we know several have been taken recently. Bobber and bait, drift-fishing or backbouncing roe is effective. Try the North Santiam for summer steelhead with either jigs or spinners.
Springers are being caught in the Clackamas with best results coming on cured salmon eggs. Little Cleo spoons have been consistently productive for several steelheaders fishing the Clackamas over the past few weeks. Bobber and jigs have also hooked fish recently. Better fishing has been upstream above Faraday.
Steelheaders have scored a few very bright summer steelhead while throwing spoons on the Sandy River. A few spring chinook are being caught but fishing has been slow to spotty. Fish early or late in the day or don't bother.
Northwest – Although few people are participating, catch and release sturgeon fishing remains epic. Fresh anchovies and sand shrimp are responsible for 40 to 50 fish days, of which the vast majority of fish brought to the boat are in what was historically keeper range. It's hard to believe action will improve but it should stay consistent well into July.
Offshore ocean salmon action out of the mouth of the Columbia remains fair to good with coho reported in the 5 to 7-pound range. Boaters are going both SW and to the north but neither location is consistently producing. Chinook are more likely to be found to the north, along the Long Beach Peninsula. Be cautious of bar crossings on the upcoming minus tide series.
The lower Columbia beaches should produce fair to good catches of summer steelhead and an occasional summer chinook. The upcoming minus tide series draw fish closer to beaches where water velocities aren't as extreme.
The minus tide series should also be productive for razor clam diggers along Seaside and Gearhart Beaches.
Salmon trollers out of Garibaldi report good catches of ocean coho. When bar conditions allow, boaters should head NW out of Tillamook Bay, targeting 180 to 220 foot of water. You can ride the NW wind waves back home, a common occurrence this time of year.
Southwest- Ocean coho opened on June 21st with most anglers taking at least one fish and many limits reported. These salmon must be fin-clipped to keep. Chinook fishing is ongoing but spotty.
Rough ocean conditions have prevented boats from launching out of Reedsport over much of the past week. When they could get out, chinook fishing has been fair with no reports on coho. Pinkfin surf perch fishing has been fair to good on the lower Umpqua. Springer fishing is winding down on the Umpqua just as summer steelhead are starting to make an appearance. Smallmouth bass fishing is worthwhile.
Boats out of Charleston have taken albacore but they have been 25 miles or further from port. When sport boats have been able to get out, bottom fishing has been excellent, Chinook catches are spotty and ocean crabbing has picked up a little. Clamming in Coos Bay was excellent over the recent series of minus tides.
Boats were able to launch out of Gold Beach for all-depth halibut last week, catching fish to 50 pounds. Ocean salmon fishing was fair, and then shut down as the water temperature rose several degrees. Bottom fishing has been producing limits of lingcod and rockfish. Lower Rogue spring chinook results have been fairly good over the past week. Guide boats have been picking up four or five springers a day. Lower river results will improve with cooler water. Fishing remains poor in the middle Rogue. When flows were increased over the past week on the upper river, springer fishing stalled but it's still the better place to fish on the Rogue. Increasing numbers of summer steelhead are being hooked.
Rockfish and lingcod catches have been good out of Brookings over the past week when winds has allowed launches. Salmon and Pacific halibut have been caught as well.
Fishing has been slow at Diamond Lake with the weather turning cold and windy. If the forecast remains accurate and southwest Oregon warms up late this week, catches are expected to improve.
Eastern – Water levels on the Crooked River have changed very little over the past 10 days, good news for fly fishers as this one fishes best when there's no fluctuation,
The Metolius has continued to fish well for fly anglers who know it well. Golden Stones continue to fool trout upriver while Green Drake patterns are taking fish near the dam.
Despite a moderation in flow over the past couple of weeks, the Wallowa River remains too high to wade safely. Trout fishers are hooking good numbers of nice-sized fish on nymphs, however.
Spring chinook fishing will be allowed on the Grande Ronde river but only from Friday, June 27 through Monday, June 30 from the Oregon/Washington border to the deadline 100 yards upstream of the Wildcat/Powwatka Bridge. Anglers can keep two adult hatchery chinook and five jacks per day. The mouth of the Wenaha River at Troy will be closed.
The Imnaha spring Chinook fishery, scheduled to open June 21st, was delayed until more fish show up.
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