Willamette Valley/Metro – The big news in the metro area is the first spring Chinook to hit the bank at Meldrum Bar on February 1st. There were no rumors of a January salmon, but there’s little to complain about when the season’s first hits the deck, or gravel in this case. The fish weighed around 17 pounds and was caught in rising waters. Anglers shouldn’t rush out to the Willamette however, it’s high and turbid at this writing.
Still no spring Chinook reported from the mainstem Columbia, but that’s no surprise. There hasn’t been one cross Bonneville Dam yet either. It’ll be a while.
Pro guide Jeff Stoeger (503-704-7920) of O2BFISHN reports, “Hello All. There’s not much to talk about for the Sandy River this week. There is only a hand full of fish being caught and it depends on who you talk with. The river is running at just over 9 ft. and the forecast is for the river to take a small bump and going up to about 10 ft. The river temp is 41 degrees, which is ideal for steelhead. The river has great color and should stay that way thru the weekend. The report is that there is fish moving thru the river and heading straight to the hatchery.”
The fish in the photo is a nice 14 lb. buck caught on a 3.0 mag lip by Bruce Netzel.
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The Clackamas remains slow too, but we’re just coming into prime time for this river, as well as the Sandy. Low snow levels has kept water levels tame but rain this week will likely cause a bump over the weekend. There are fish to be had, but the better fishing will likely be after the upcoming high water event.
North Coast Fishing Report – Followingthe recent high water event,anglers are just now getting back on the water to pursue later returning broodstock steelhead. Boats fishing on Thursday (today) did exceptional on the Wilson, even though the flows remained a bit high for most steelheaders.
The Trask didn’t fish as well as some had expected, but the wild fish return a bit later here.
The Nestucca was still a few days from dropping down into good condition, but when it does, it should be good. February is really when better numbers of steelhead return to these systems, with March being equally as productive most years.
The Siletz and Alsea systems should fish well this weekend, with broodstock and wild fish showing up in better numbers than anglers have seen in recent weeks. Fish the upper reaches Friday, but fish should be available throughout the entire reach by the weekend.
Smaller systems that get earlier returns (NF Nehalem, Necanicum, Three Rivers and the Highway 30 streams and Klaskanine River) are done for now. The steelhead have or will spawn very soon, and surplus fish are being stocked in some district lakes for angler opportunity.
The mainstem Nehalem will still be out for much of the weekend, but should be pretty fish by next week.
Central and Eastern Oregon Fishing Reports – From avid angler Tim Moran (Repeat from last week):
Snow and cold temps were the norm this week in central and eastern Oregon. I was out on the property in Terrebonne this week (building the dream home and fishing camp and global headquarters for Valalla Outfitters! The low Tuesday was 11 so fishing is a noon to 4pm kinda sport right now. As reported last week, news is tough to come by – some of my fishing contacts have holed up for the winter while others take their fishing addiction to places a 1000 miles or more south of here and chase Tarpon, Bonefish and Dorado. But I digress…there is some fishing available to us hardy anglers and I did get some intel so here we go…
The Crooked is low and clear and really cold in the canyon but if you get there late and leave early you can get on a few fish.
The Fall River is a good winter river and should hold up too. Small nymphs will be the key here too and swinging a smaller black wooly and then stripping it in can be a way to entice strikes too.
The Lower Deschutes – Checking in with a few of the guides that are still out there, the reports of good winter fishing are there. The river doesn’t see much pressure and on a day (or days) like we are going to get this week – so it’s a great time to be out there with the river to yourself. The Middle Deschutes has been hit and miss with some anglers getting a few rainbows from 9 to 14 inches and a couple of nice Browns in the 22 inch class, while others have put in their time and not gotten a hit… Such is winter fishing!
Prineville Reservoir – It’s tough to fish right now and will be until the ice around the edges melts off. Obviously it’s not thick enough to stand on, but it’s thick enough and far enough out to hamper fishing until we get a little warm up!
Forecast calls for a little more snow rain mix this week with moderate temps so if you get out, it should be comfortable and the fish should be a bit more active.
SW Oregon Fishing Report – I spoke to two guide friends that have been fishing the mainstem Umpqua and they report fair to decent steelhead fishing. Some days are good with 4+ fish to the boat and some it’s difficult to scare up a fish. Bait and beads are taking fish as well and back-trolling Mag Lips. Friend and Guide Martin Thurber, has been posting some really nice fish on Instagram and FB.
Over on the Rogue River Alex at Rogue Valley Angler’s reports that they’re in that, “in between runs time” here on the Rogue. Still plenty of summer steelhead around, but many of those are heading into the tributaries to spawn over the next month. Winter steelhead are here in the upper river, but not very many at all. Our head guide Captain Logan Johnson has a place on the Umpqua, so he spends 50+ days a year up there floating the North, South, and mainstem whenever the rivers aren’t totally blown out. He has taught Jordan the ropes up there the last few years, so we send our Umpqua trips out with these fellas as they are the best fly guides floating all these rivers. Give us a call (541-973-2988) to book your trips and get your chance at that fish of a lifetime!
SW Washington – Terry Otto has put together another smashing report for SW Washington. What you will read below is an abbreviated version of what Terry’s “FULL VERSION” report will look like in the months ahead. Sign Up for Terry’s PAID version that started last week. With this level of detail, you won’t want to miss a single week! It’s JUST $0.32 cents per week! Here’s Terry’s summary for this week. SUBSCRIBE to the full SW Washington version HERE!
Southwest Washington Fishing Update and Forecast
Steelhead finally picking up, still slow in tribs. Cowlitz smelt dip? Covid complicates situation.
Vancouver Metro Area
Steelheading is finally picking up in the local rivers, fueling hopes that this year may bring a better run than has been seen for the last few years. No one is expecting lights-out fishing, but any improvement is welcome. Fishing in the smaller tribs may be slowed by low water after recent rains did not bring as much precipitation as expected.
Winter trout fishing is picking up in most local lakes, and solid stockings continue to bolster the fishing.
Commercial smelt landings this week were not strong enough to push the state toward a smelt dipping opener in the Cowlitz, although smelt and sea lions are pushing up into the area’s rivers. There are Covid pandemic concerns about the fishery, too.
Lewis and Washougal Rivers Fishing Report—The Lewis River is still giving up a few winter steelhead, as the river’s early run is petering out. The river has dropped back into decent condition, and anglers have still been gathering at the hatchery and in the first few miles below it. Reports have indicated that the lower river is filling with sea lions, which could dissuade steelhead from moving up. About 60 sea lions were observed at the Hole in the Wall in Woodland recently, according to John Thompson of Sportsman’s Warehouse in Vancouver, (360) 604-8000).
This week the Washougal dropped to a very low level, and the steelheading slowed. Drifted baits and gear have been the go-to here, although other low water techniques, such as jig and bobber, or beads, have been producing, too. With most of the public access in the lower river, fishing in the Washougal suffers once the fish pass through. Reports do indicate that the river has been crowded, much more than usual.
Merwin and Yale Lakes Fishing Report—Both lakes continue to produce good catches of decent-sized kokanee this past week, although some anglers are still struggling to catch fish. Decent weather has been one of the keys to the better fishing days, although lake conditions have been good. With the fish near the surface flat-line trolling is still the go-to method. The best colors have been pink and orange and the best bait has been natural color corn. However, other colors and baits can sometimes work, too.
Local Lakes Fishing Report—Klineline Pond picked up some for trout this week, as did Battle Ground Lake. Both lakes were last stocked on January 19 with catchable rainbows. Horseshoe Lake is also producing good numbers of trout, and has been generously planted with excess steelhead.
Longview Area
Cowlitz and Kalama Rivers Fishing Report–Steelheading improved considerably on the Cowlitz last weekend, but it slowed down again early this week. It may be that the sea lions at the mouth of the river were forcing some steelhead to wait to enter the river, or it may be because of a natural lull in the run. Either way returns to the hatchery slowed considerably, too. Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered two coho adults and only 12 winter-run steelhead adults during five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator. However, before the fishing slowed, creel surveys in the upper river found 31 bank rods keeping two steelhead, while 29 boats/88 rods kept 18 steelhead, the best creel so far this year. Dave Mallahan of Dave’s Guide Service (360-201-9313), fished the river this past week, and found slower fishing than expected.
The lower river also fished better for a while before slowing early this week. Creels showed 101 bank rods kept six steelhead, while one boat/two rods had no catch.
Reports from the Kalama rate the river as fair to good for steelhead, with Thompson reporting that anglers in the lower river did pretty well last weekend. With the river having dropped from the high flows, anglers are finding good conditions in the river, and have been able to find biters in most sections. Drift boat anglers have been doing well from Pritchard’s down to the Modrow Bridge, and bank anglers have been doing well in the upper river, where there is less traffic from drift boats.
Local Lakes Fishing Report—Klineline Pond picked up some for trout this week, as did Battle Ground Lake. Both lakes were last stocked on January 19 with catchable rainbows. Horseshoe Lake is also producing good numbers of trout, and has been generously planted with excess steelhead.
Covd-19 Update—With the Covid-19 virus spiking in Washington State, anglers are reminded to please fish only with members of their own household, avoid crowded areas, and use social distancing and wear a mask to protect themselves and others from the disease. No one wants a return to last spring’s lockdowns, so please do your part to make sure fishing and hunting remain open statewide.
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