Bryan Gill, of the Umpqua Angler, reported very good springer fishing last Thursday when his clients boated four springers while fishing near Elkton. They were using spinner and anchovy rigs. For three of his four clients, their salmon were their first springers ever.
It’s somewhat of a secret, but there has been more springers caught in the lower Umpqua River this year than any recent year – and a good percentage of them have been finclipped fish. Most of the salmon have been taken by spinner flingers at Half Moon Bay, but a few have been caught by anglers trolling herring near Reedsport.The big fish in this year’s Wells Creek Inn spring Chinook contest is now over 32 pounds.
While no shad catches were reported last week at Sawyers Rapids, the early morning springer fishing has been good and several shad were caught near Yellow Creek.
The Fish Haven/Duckett’s dock at the upper end of Loon Lake has been fishing very good for crappie and surprisingly, at least this early in the season, for bluegills. Another lake ripe for excellent panfishing is Ben Irving Reservoir where the small coves on both sides of the boat launch are absolutely loaded with crappies and bluegills. Cooper Creek Reservoir should also be hot for panfish, but last week it seemed that every angler was targeting planted rainbow trout.
The sand dunes lakes between North Bend and Hauser are full and their future fishing looks promising, but their fish populations, reduced by last year’s late season low water, may be tough to find this year.
Always somewhat inconsistent, the beach angling for redtailed surfperch, also called “pinkfins”, has occasionally been very, very good – and a few pinkfins are starting to be caught above Winchester Bay.
The Triangle/South Jetty Area has had little fishing pressure directed at lingcod, but the fishing for greenling and rockfish is much improved. The excellent fishing for striped surfperch has dropped off, most likely due to their spawning season winding down.
Most of the area lakes are starting to produce good fishing for largemouth and while the fishing should hold up for the next several weeks, numbers-wise, the numbers of big bass caught will drop way off after early May.
Umpqua River smallmouth fishing is getting better and the river is clear enough to fish soft plastics effectively. Fishing for smallmouths with crankbaits might be better on the Coquille River, which is less clear than the Umpqua. Both rivers have no limits on the number of bass that may be kept.
Idaho’s Snake River produced yet another state record sturgeon for their new “catch and release division. This fish, caught on April 8th, measured 111-inches and replaces a 98.5-inch sturgeon caught less than a month earlier. Idaho catch and release records that will almost certainly be broken this spring are bluegill (9.5-inches) and white crappie (9.375-inches.
Virtually all of the Florence-area lakes were stocked this week as follows: Alder Lake (850 legals, 225 12-inchers and 36 16-inchers); Buck Lake (850 legals, 200 12-inchers and 36 16-inchers); Cleawox Lake (350 legals and 36 16-inchers); Dune Lake (850 legals, 225 12-inchers and 36 16-inchers); Elbow Lake (600 12-inchers); Erhart Lake (200 legals); Georgia Lake (150 legals); Lost Lake (500 12-inchers); Mercer Lake (2,250 12-inchers); Munsel Lake (3,150 12-inchers and 150 16-inchers); North Georgia Lake (150 legals); Perkins Lake (250 legals and 200 12-inchers); Siltcoos Lagoon (850 legals, 350 12-inchers and 106 16-inchers); Siltcoos Lake (1,000 12-inchers) and Sutton Lake (1,500 12-inchers).
from Pete’s Blog – PeteHeley.Com
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