Buoy 10 Opens on Sunday, August 1st!

Portland / Metro

With the Willamette River spring Chinook fishery finally over, anglers will be looking west to satisfy their salmonid needs. Coho won’t show until early September here, there should be a good return if the Columbia River coho prediction is actually accurate.

Summer steelhead action never got great on the mainstem Columbia, but we’re in peak season now and anglers are more likely to find more wild fish in the catch. See more options in our Oregon fishing reports below.

Clackamas River Fishing Report

Ben Walczak of the Clackamas district office is reporting that there are still fair numbers of larger sized summer steelhead available for Clackamas River anglers. Ben reported that the McIver Park area is where it seems to be the most productive for those that are still trying their hand at these elusive fish. Early morning is of course the best strategy, but you still have to go with light lines and subtle offerings. These fish will be hunkered down in the deeper, broken surfaced waters often found in the upper reaches of the Clackamas, but you’ll find willing fish in the deeper boulder strewn reaches as well.

Sandy River Fishing Report

Avid angler Jeff Stoeger reports, “It’s been extremely a warm summer. Well, this week were going to see the heat return with temps getting back up in the upper 90’s. With the heat returning we will see the sandy turn from silt green to silt brown. The river temp is running in the upper 60’s and the current level is about 8 ft or just under 8. There has been lots of pressure on the upper river with few fish being caught. If you do hook a native fish, please be as gentle as you can.  Oxbow Park to Cedar Creek has been the most productive.

Find the full report and forecast for Chinook and Steelhead members for the Sandy and the Clackamas from this page here.

North Coast Fishing Report

The famed BUOY 10 season opens up on Sunday, August 1st. Although it’s not expected to be fantastic right out of the gate, it should be a good season. Steelhead and Chinook members will soon be able to access DAILY fishing reports AND A DAILY FORECAST to suggest where you should fish the next day via private link on YouTube. We’ll make an official announcement soon. There is no better time than NOW to sign up for a Steelhead, Chinook or SW Washington Membership, especially if you fish the north coast for salmon!

Remember, it’s a mark-select (fin-clipped only) Chinook fishery through August 10th this year! Paid subscribers, we have a detailed forecast for you in the MEMBERS SECTION so be sure to read it if you’re heading to this famed fishery this weekend!

Coho action on the north coast remained relatively stable this week. Catch rates declined in some ports, while slightly improving in others. Overall, the coho fishery offshore remains strong and of particular interest, central and south coast ports remain productive fisheries.

Newport came close to hitting their season high of 1.51 retained salmon per angler with more coho released here than retained as well. A season high of 610 Chinook were retained here last week.

Garibaldi catches dropped off this week, but are still worthwhile. A lot of wild fish have been tallied in the catches. Garibaldi turned in a catch rate of just .74 retained salmon per angler, the lowest reported catch in three weeks.

Overall, it has been a good season on the central coast for coho with many more weeks to go. The ample quota for this year south of the Cape Falcon deadline is around 120,000 fin-clipped fish of which we just hit the 30% mark. Plenty of opportunity remains.

Halibut fishing has been a large disappointment this spring and summer. That doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon.
Bottomfishing on the other hand, remains highly productive with ample catches of black seabass and improving catches of lingcod along most of the coastal ports.

Everyone talks tuna this time of year. Reliable reports however indicate they are still relatively far offshore.

Crabbing reports are varying by port. Pro guide Rob Gerlitz (503-812-4950) reported that he’s been getting about 30 keepers a day, circulating through his three pots that soak overnight in Lysters Corner of Tillamook Bay and taking another three offshore when he’s salmon or bottomfishing.

Nehalem Bay is heating up, with fair catches reported from the Wheeler area. It’s getting close to peak season although we’re still 2 weeks away from the best fishing.

Bay crabbing is fair in most estuaries, there are a lot of people seeking success in this easy to participate fishery however. You won’t be alone.

See the full report and forecast for Members for Chinook and Steelhead Members right here.

Central Oregon Fishing Reports

Contributor Glenn Zinkus reports:

As a reminder, ODFW established “Hoot Owl” regulations limiting fishing hours on these waters:

Effective July 1 through September 30, all angling for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and trout is closed from 2:00 p.m. to one hour before sunrise in the lower Deschutes River from the mouth at the Interstate 84 Bridge upstream to Sherars Falls.

Effective July 1 through September 30, all angling for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and trout is closed from 2:00 p.m. to one hour before sunrise in the entire John Day River and all tributaries, for the Umatilla River and all tributaries (but not the river within the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation lands)

Fall River:  Spring fed Fall River continues to be one of the better trout refuges with towering ponderosas providing shade and constant, cool water.   This is a popular summer weekend location. Jeff Perin at The Fly Fishers Place in Sisters reports some recent good dry fly fishing with good caddis and PMD hatches. 

Lower Deschutes River:   

River temperatures and the mix of water from Pelton dam remained steady through the week. 

Temperatures near the mouth are in the low 70s during the afternoons and evenings, much to warm for fishing for salmonids.  Low water temperatures near the mouth are lowest in the early morning in the mid 60s.

The Lower Deschutes from the mouth to Sherars Falls are now under “Hoot Owl” regulated hours.  Anglers should voluntarily abide by these regulations upstream of Sherars Falls to protect these wild fish. 

Upper Deschutes River:   The upper Deschutes has been fishing well, with nymphing being the primary method now. Lake Billy Chinook:  Reports of good kokanee fishing in both the Deschutes and Metolius arms.  Jigging with gold and silver colors.    

North and South Twin Lakes:  Josh at Tim’s Fishin Tackle Shop in Lapine reports great fishing!  North and South Twin have been recently stocked with trophy rainbows. 

Devils Lake, Cascade Lakes Highway:  Devils Lake is scheduled to be stocked with more than 1300 legal size trout this coming week. 

Crescent Lake:  Crescent Lake will remain very low.  Latest report from Cody Herman, at Day One Outdoors (Day One Outdoors), is that Crescent gets lower and the fishing is slowing down.  It is getting harder to launch a boat at Crescent.

Eastern Oregon Fishing Report

Contributor Glenn Zinkus reports

Oregon fishing report Eastern Redside

Hoot Owl Restrictions:  Walla Walla River and Tributaries

Effective July 1 through September 30, all angling for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and trout is closed from 2:00 p.m. to one hour before sunrise in the Walla Walla River and all tributaries.

Ana Reservoir:   LIKELY AFFECTED BY SMOKE FROM THE BOOTLEG FIRE There are reports of good fishing on Ana Reservoir for legal and trophy size trout.   The reservoir was just stocked this past week.

Trolling lures and flies, and bait are taking fish. 

Blitzen River: Mayfly and caddis nymphing is effective right now.

Lofton Reservoir:  Affected by the Bootleg fire.  Inaccessible. 

Krumbo Reservoir:  Inaccessible due to the Bootleg Fire.  Krumbo is slowing down for trout.  Turn on to warmwater species opportunities, such as bass fishing on Krumbo.   

Sprague River:  Inaccessible.  Heavily affected by the Bootleg Fire.  Consider this river to be off-limits for the time being. 

Klamath River (below Keno dam):  The Klamath was fishing well with dry flies over this past week.  

Owyhee River:  Reports are that the mornings are a bit slow.  However, afternoon fishing.

Wallowa River:  Now under Hoot Owl restrictions.  Rob from The Joseph Fly Shoppe reports the river level is dropping.  River flows are in and around 105 CFS right now.     Only option now is to fish the Wallowa River very early in the morning.  Temperatures warm to about the mid 60s by the afternoon. 

SW Oregon Fishing Report

Contributor Jeff Rome reports

Unseasonably hot valley weather in the upper 90’s and triple digits have prompted avid anglers to get out of the heat and migrate to the coast for some salmon action. Reports this week say that the coho bite is “incredibly good” (Anna Alisa from Salmon Harbor Tackle) out of Winchester bay and that there was a “good” Chinook bite earlier this week at the Rogue bay (Jim from Rogue Outdoor store).
 

Bottom fishing is now restricted to inside the 40-fathom line unless you choose to fish in the offshore longleader fishery. Anglers may also choose to fish the offshore longleader fishery outside of the 40-fathom regulatory line, which is open year-round. The longleader fishery has a daily bag limit of 10 fish made of yellowtail, widow, canary, blue, deacon, redstripe, greenstripe, silvergray, chillipepper, and bocaccio rockfish. No other groundfish are allowed and offshore longleader fishing trips cannot be combined with traditional bottomfish, flatfish or halibut trips. Find information about a longleader setup here. As of July 1, anglers may keep one cabezon (minimum length of 16 inches) as part of their 5 fish general marine fish daily bag limit.

Nearshore halibut season is currently open seven days a week inside the 40-fathom line. As of July 4th, there is still 72 percent of the quota remaining. The next All-Depth Halibut open days are July 15-19 and 29-31. Anglers have been picking up nearshore halibut in the Coos Bay/ Winchester bay area. Winds have been a big factor as to being able to get out to halibut grounds should improve this weekend. When conditions are good, halibut are being caught in the 15-25 pound range with an occasional fish into the 40’s and 50’s. It’s best to go early before the wind picks up and gets ugly.

For the Southern Oregon Coast halibut season, there is still 80% of the quota remaining.
 

Tony from Tony’s Crab Shack in Bandon- 541-347-2875

Tony’s latest fishing update:

Tony said that Coho fishing out of Winchester Bay is awesome!

Striper fishing on the Coquille is still fair above Rocky Point but is winding down.

Tony is sponsoring the Annual Crab Derby out of Bandon so check every crab you get, it could be worth some cash.  Smallmouth bass anglers are catching good numbers of bass in the South Fork Coquille below the mouth of the Middle Fork and in the mainstem Coquille River. There is no size limit or daily bag limit on smallmouth bass in the Coquille River. It’s recommended to catch and keep as many as one can to help keep the population at bay since these fish are not salmon, trout, and steelhead friendly.

Tenmile Lakes– The lake water temperatures has increased to lower 70s where most largemouth bass have moved to their summer locations. Some bass are hitting topwater baits in the mornings and evenings.

Surf perch- Perch fishing is has slowed but can still produce in the mouths and jetties of the Umpqua, Coquille. Boats targeting these delicious and fun to catch fish are anchoring on the inside of a jetty.

CHETCO RIVER-Trout fishing is open, but with low and warming water conditions, anglers will want to look for cooler water in deeper pools and near tributary mouths. Best fishing bet is to try for Sea-run Cutthroat trout.

UMPQUA RIVER System – The main Umpqua is done on shad and will switch over to the Coquille. Shad darts (jigs) and flicker spinner spoons are the ticket for great catching on light outfits. Most shad are used for crab bait that is excellent next to tuna carcasses. Best bet here is to try some surf perch fishing towards the mouth at Winchester Bay!

SW Washington Fishing Update

by Terry Otto

Ocean coho is still the best bet for the coming week, with Buoy Ten on the horizon. Cowlitz fair for steelhead, all other tribs slow, slow, slow. Bass, walleye, and panfish excellent.

Vancouver Metro Area
Columbia River Fishing is in a short lull, as anglers gear up for Buoy Ten, and most tributaries are fishing slow for summer steelhead. The only exception is the Cowlitz, but even that fishery has slowed down some.

High country trout fisheries are a mixed bag, with some doing well, but others not so much. Panfish, bass, and walleye are all still biting really well just about everywhere, and could be the best bet for action until those fall fish arrive. There are a few really good catfish bites happening, too.

Lewis and Washougal Rivers Fishing report—There is just not much biting in the Lewis River, with only a very few steelhead coming to hand. Fishing pressure is up a bit, but anglers have been mostly disappointed. John Thompson of Sportsman’s Warehouse in Vancouver, (360) 604-8000), said a few summer fish were around, but no one would call this fishery hot, or even fair. During the latest creel survey, 12 bank rods kept one steelhead and released one steelhead. Four boats/five rods released one Chinook. 

Pulling plugs and fishing bait or jigs below a bobber has been responsible for a few of the landings, but with so few fish coming to hand, it is hard to find a pattern. The best bet for boats.

Longview Area

Cowlitz and Kalama Rivers Fishing Report–The Barrier Dam spillway upgrade construction project has  finished. The Cowlitz River outflows below Mayfield Dam were at about 2,500 cfs for the last few weeks due to the construction, but the project is now at a phase where flows can be increased again and move back to typical operations. The flows will likely increase to 3,500 cfs on Wednesday, but it’s probable that discharge may go as high as 6,400 cfs and be there through Friday. Please note that the construction work has changed the flow path near the “Cowlitz River Below Mayfield Dam” USGS gage, so the real-time gage readings are currently not accurate.

Fishing was still slow on the Cowlitz this past week, although it is fishing better for summer steelhead than any other Columbia tributary. Fishing was best again in the upper river. During the latest creel survey below the I-5 Bridge, 22 bank rods kept two steelhead. 1 boat/2 rods kept one steelhead. Above the I-5 Bridge 13 bank rods kept two steelhead and one cutthroat. 21 boats/73 rods kept 36 steelhead. You still can’t beat bobber-dogging with bait, and that is what most boat anglers are doing, while bank anglers are fishing drifted gear and bobber presentations. Last week, Tacoma Power employees recovered 302 spring Chinook adults, 48 spring Chinook jacks, 216 spring Chinook mini jacks, 217 summer-run steelhead adults, and 10 cutthroat trout during five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.

Also, Tacoma Power recycled 103 summer-run steelhead adults to the I-5 boat launch.

The Kalama is still fishing slow for summer steelhead, although Thompson reports a few are being caught in the lower river. Fishing pressure is still low, too. During the last creel survey 13 bank rods had no catch. The summer steelhead that are around are keyed in on bait and plugs right now. In the low water the fish are moving through the system slowly, and the best bite has been below the Modrow Bridge.

Merwin and Yale Lakes Fishing Report—According to multiple sources, the kokanee fishing at Merwin has been tough lately, even though effort has not seemingly decreased at all. Sunny days are seeing a decent bite in early morning and late day, with the schools at the 20-foot mark early and dropping down as deep as 60 feet when the sun climbs mid-day.

Anglers have been the reach from the Golf course up to the hatchery, while bank anglers are fishing at the hatchery and down in Woodland at the Hole in the Wall.

The Washougal remains very low and ultra-clear, and there have been no recent reports from steelheaders. The fish collection weir has been installed, but locals say the river is prohibitively low and clear.

Columbia River Gorge

Drano Lake Fishing Report—A few Chinook are starting to show up in the catch, and fishing can be described as decent. Anglers are reminded that fishing for, and retaining steelhead is prohibited. During the latest creel survey, six boats/16 rods kept six Chinook and released one Chinook and one steelhead.

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