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Willamette Valley – For the 4th consecutive week the Columbia River Technical Advisory Committee met and downgraded the run size for returning fall Chinook. The current “estimate” is now 713,000. Rest assured, there will be more downgrades. As for fishing, anglers remain enthused and catch rates somewhat respectable for a diminishing run. It does appear however, that the fishery is tanking fast and it’ll take more luck than skill this week to produce results, a good precursor to spring Chinook season. The gorge remains the best bet with a weekend check of nearly 2 Chinook per boat. Downstream fisheries aren’t producing nearly that well.

There’s no steelhead or salmon fishing going on in the lower Willamette unless you count spinner flingers at the mouth of the Clackamas River. And we do, sometimes. A better bet is the bass fishing which is worthwhile.

While the McKenzie was effected by rainfall this week, it by no means was a blowout. The level just came up and the time to fish it is as it’s just coming down.

Along with this nice shower in the valley, the Cascades got a shot as well, which has impacted some of the valley rivers. The North Santiam would be one of those although the South Santiam, which has steelheaders fishing now, was virtually unaffected.

Waters of the Clackamas have been rising and are expected to rise into the weekend. It is hoped that fishing will be good and that coho are in the mix.

The Sandy River got a pretty good wallop between rainfall and the effect precipitation has in the mountains as it’s headwaters are at the base of a glacier on Mt. Hood. That said, fishing is expected to be better as the water drops and clears.

Northwest Oregon – Chinook are in sparse number on Tillamook Bay but it appears the flop in the south of Cape Falcon fishery for coho in July is producing abundant wild coho catches in Tillamook right now. Too bad the season is closed and the bulk of the hatchery run has headed upstream.

Tillamook Bay boats are focusing on the lower bay with fair success coming from jetty trollers. The ocean is still producing some Chinook and large numbers of coho (which must be released). Crabbing remains excellent outside, but will close after October 15th. The ocean forecast is too volatile to predict future opportunity. Be sure to check the bar report from the US Coast Guard.

Nehalem Bay Chinook success is waning as is common this time of year. There are wild coho here too but like all other north coast systems, there is no consumptive opportunity for wild coho this fall. The North Fork Nehalem does have hatchery coho with the bulk of them staging at the hatchery itself.

The Salmon and Nestucca systems are tapering but bank anglers should have a chance at fresh fish just upstream from tidewater.

The Alsea and Siletz Rivers have fresh Chinook available and bobber tossers are starting to come into their own here.

Bay crabbing on all north coast estuaries is fair and should be good into the weekend.

Razor clam digging and mussel gathering are both closed along the entire Oregon Coast, hopefully, that won’t last long.

Central & South Coast Reports – Offshore bottom fishing has been almost everything it should be. There are lots of rockfish and lingcod but the ocean has been so rough most of the time that boats haven’t been able to get out.

Another bonus involved with finally getting out on the ocean is remarkable crabbing. There have been multiple reports of pots coming up with near limits, limits and “had to throw as many back as we kept” over limits. It’s only open through October 15th, so get yours!

Rainfall over the past weekend caused the Siuslaw to raise in level and flow. Anglers optimism is high that, as waters recede, there will be salmon upstream.

We detail the regulations for Siltcoos Lake which were amended this year but weren’t published in the regulations booklet. Conditions are right for the wild coho fishery to get under way soon.

‘Descenders’ are devices used to release deep-water rockfish (such as those species caught out of season or protected) and do so by returning them to the depths rather than floating on the surface. Get one without charge at many south coast sporting good vendors.

Author, publisher and blogger, Pete Heley, (peteheley.com) tells us that crabbing has really improved at Winchester Bay and that legal males are hard and full of meat. Heley also reminds us that while the ocean closes this month for crabbing that bays are open for Dungeness year-around.

Fishing has been slow for the most part for Rogue Bay trollers although the bite has turned on every so often. The Rogue has been little effected by precipitation, which means that Chinook will remain in the bay. It also means that the Rogue is going to remain low and clear for a while, giving fish little incentive to move upstream. Fishing has slowed on the middle and upper river.

Trout fishing has been picking up a little and shoud improve even more as weather and water temperatures cool.

Central & Eastern – Deschutes River fly fishers report that fishing for redsides has been steady. While it is hoped that more are on the way, steelhead remains slow to fair.

Trout are being caught at Fall River, one of the trout streams that fishes in the fall.

Some eastern rivers fish well anytime of the year. The Metolius is such a river due to being spring-fed. Everyone who fishes it (flies only, of course) says it is quite challenging but will produce for those who get to know it.

Miller Lake is reported as poor to slow. It is producing trout only on occasion.

SW Washington – The Cowlitz remains the best option for district anglers but with the regulations in place, requiring wild Chinook to be released, it’s tough to find a take-home fish. Sea-run cutthroat and coho are also being caught, but overall, catches remain less than stellar for the effort being put forth.

North Fork Lewis bank anglers are catching a few fish, far from what anglers are used to for this time of year.

Drano Lake anglers are still posting good catches of mostly steelhead but good numbers of Chinook as well. This fishery doesn’t have much time left on it however.

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Willamette Valley – The fall Chinook run up the Columbia has, for the 3rd consecutive week, been downgraded. The run forecast for the mouth of the Columbia is now 729,200 adults. I don’t think these biologists are done downgrading either.

Continued weak passage at Bonneville Dam continues to be reflected in this week’s catch rates. Although the Bonneville reach keeps putting out fair to good numbers of Chinook for persistent trollers, other downstream locations are consistently failing anglers that remember how good it was last year. It’s still a Pro-Troll and spinner bite but plan on losing as many fish as you hook on this method. Action will remain best in the Bonneville reach and in the upstream reservoirs for those that know how to effectively fish it.

There’s very light effort for coho by plug pullers and back-bouncers on the lower Willamette although fishing for bass will provide more action as no verifiable reports of coho catches from this area have been made.

The McKenzie River seems to just keep plugging along. The water level dropped very slightly over the past week and fishing is expected to be decent here.

While the Santiams are low, even for this time of year due to little rainfall recently, there are steelhead and trout in the system, some of which are getting caught daily.

Clackamas River water and flow are low, having returned to its previous state following precipitation several days ago. There are coho and steelhead in the river that are going to be caught by someone – it might as well be you! While it was most recently reported as somewhat slow, Dave Neels of Oregon City Fishermans Marine (503-557-3313) in his regular weekly report, assures us that more fresh fish are on their way and that we have only seen the start of the run. He also lets us in on a new/old technique that catches coho.

Pro fishing guide Jeff Stoeger of O2BFISHN Guide Service (503-704-7920), in his regular weekly report from the Sandy River, tells us, “The report and word on the river is that coho are scattered throughout its entire length.” Sandy River coho hopefuls have been rewarded with a little greater frequency in hookups this week than last. Stoeger goes into the details of how and where.

Northwest Oregon – Tillamook remains one of the north coast highlights although Chinook continue to show in low numbers. Ocean caught coho, mostly wild now but a few hatchery fish mixed in, has kept the fleet active. Ocean coho is slated to close on September 30th however, so Chinook will become the primary focus.

Tillamook Bay anglers have been struggling to find consistent success for Chinook but with an improving set of tides over the weekend, action should improve in upper Tillamook Bay, where the bulk of the early run is destined for the Trask and Tillamook Rivers. Hatchery coho remains open in the bay through October but the bulk of the fish are staging at the Trask River hatchery.

The North Fork Nehalem hatchery have had nearly 100 coho into their traps there, indicating a few fish are available to anglers. The river is extremely low however and not expected to rise much, even with the upcoming predicted precipitation. Chinook fishing in the Nehalem is fair, like most north coast systems, it’s down from last year.

The Nestucca tidewater, especially at the Boat Ramp Hole, produced fair to good catches over the weekend for bobber tossers. Tidewater should remain a good option through the weekend with fresh fish moving in on the upcoming stronger tide series.

The Salmon, Siletz and Alsea Rivers all have a fair to good smattering of Chinook available. Stronger tides should inspire more biters for bobber fishermen as well as those working plugs and spinners. Remember, wild coho may not be retained anywhere on the north coast, in freshwater.

Crabbing remains good in most estuaries and that shouldn’t change, even with the upcoming precipitation.

Central & South Coast Reports – Bottom fishing is expected to remain good to excellent out of most Oregon Ports and starting Saturday, October 1st, it’s no longer limited to 20 fathoms.

Strong south winds have been hammering the coast for a while which has kept most boats from making tuna runs. A couple of skippers which have done so tell us the fishing remains excellent about 45 miles from shore.

We answer those (not so) hard questions about whether it’s legal to troll for lake coho using two rods (it’s not), open seasons and daily and yearly limits. Be prepared for the coho troll fisheries on Siltcoos and Tahkenitch!

Fishing guru, blogger, author and publisher Pete Heley (peteheley.com) once again graces us with his presence and knowledge as he reports from Reedsport that an above-average number of fin-clipped coho are being caught on the lower Umpqua and that crabbing has improved at Winchester Bay. He also enlightens us on Chinook fishing and the halibut outlook.

Spinner blade and anchovy combos are purportedly responsible for the majority of hookups on Rogue Bay recently. Trollers have enjoyed hot fishing a couple of days of the past two weeks with slow to fair fishing in between. Fly fishers are doing best on the lower river. Chinook hookups have slowed in the middle Rogue. The Flies-Only restriction on the upper river ends Saturday but bait is still disallowed.

The “2016 Chetco River Fall Chinook State Waters Terminal Area Season” (or Chetco Bubble Fishery) starts on Saturday, October 1st and will be open for four days, then close four days, then re-open for two days on October 8th. ‘Sound confusing? It’s not really, so go catch a big one but be sure it’s open when you do so.

Central & Eastern – Water level, flow and clarity are excellent for fishing on the Deschutes. Now that the weather is cooling a bit, we expect improvement for both trout and steelhead anglers.

The water level at Wickiup is low – some have said shockingly low – but we’re told it is still fishing and even bank fishers have caught fish … in the mud, we assume.

Fish the High Cascade Lakes over the coming week and do so with a degree of confidence. Anglers, especially fly fishers, do well at this time of year. Just be sure to check the weather.

Kokanee fishers may want to stock up on Green Giant Shoepeg Corn while it’s on sale. In addition, this product (which we’ve been assured is not Good Eats) is available for a limited time each year.

SW Washington – Cowlitz anglers are catching a few fall Chinook and early coho. Coho fishing should pick up in the coming weeks as SW Washington coho are often October returning fish, clear into November.

The North Fork of the Lewis and Kalama Rivers are also putting out few Chinook and coho but action should improve in the coming weeks.

The Drano Lake fishery is producing about equally for late-run steelhead and fall Chinook. This remains one of the best fisheries in the district right now.

The Klickitat River has slowed and most would say, never really got going this year. The coho return is expected to be equally dismal but we’ll have to wait several more weeks for that bad news.

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Willamette Valley – Action for Portland/Metro area fall Chinook is slowing. With a downgraded Chinook return, anglers are seeing firsthand the impacts from an over-prediction. Trollers are still having a few good days just downstream of Bonneville Dam but as we’ve said all season, it’s a far cry from what sportanglers witnessed last year. Pro Trolls and small spinners remain the top option but backtrollers should start to see more biters as the water and air temperatures continue to cool.

Interest is growing for coho on the Clackamas and Sandy Rivers but few fish are in the system just yet. A rain storm would certainly motivate fish to move but no one is counting on a big return this year. Keep your effort low in these river systems until we get that rain storm. Only a slight river rise is in the forecast but the Sandy and Clackamas did come up nearly a foot on last weekend’s weather system.

The lower Willamette should have some coho milling around, for which anglers will usually cast spinners at the mouth of the Clackamas.

McKenzie River conditions were effected very little by recent rains and, as fall comes on, is a good destination for fly anglers to consider.

Recent precipitation caused a bump in the level and flow of the South Santiam which should translate as good news for Santiam fishers.

The Clackamas could only have benefitted from showers. While the effect on level and flow was slight, it doesn’t take much to entice fresh fish to enter at this time of year.

Sandy River anglers have been faced with off-color water over the past week which seems to linger. This isn’t necessarily bad news and many prefer off-color water when they fish the Sandy.

Northwest Oregon – Tillamook anglers were stuck inside the bay for much of the week but made the most of it with flurries of activity in the Ghost Hole, Ray’s Place Piling and Memaloose Point. The peak of the run is still to come but overall, the fishery is performing fair to good. The ocean opened up for one day of opportunity on Thursday but the best action took place on the inside of the north jetty, on the soft outgoing tide we had for much of the late morning hours.

Many of the hatchery coho have exited the estuary and are starting to return to their respective hatcheries on the Trask and North Fork Nehalem Rivers. Although returns are expected to be low, these small river systems will offer up some opportunities to find biting fish.

The Nestucca, Nehalem, Alsea and Salmon Rivers all have catchable numbers of Chinook available. Softer tides this weekend should be conducive for trollers working the lower reaches of these river systems using herring for bait. The Siletz is becoming more consistent too, but is still weeks away from peaking. Bay crabbing should also be productive. Keep in mind that the retention of wild coho is illegal in all of Oregon’s estuaries this year.

The lower Columbia remains abysmal for coho but crabbing should pick up this weekend.

Interest for tuna is waning offshore; anglers are coming back disappointed.

There remains halibut on the nearshore quota, we should make it through the end of September, especially if the weather remains volatile.

Bottomfishing remains excellent as well and the deep reefs open up October 1st. See discounted coupons from our homepage http://ift.tt/1RKEtsf for a trip with Garibaldi Charters.

Central & South Coast Reports – Despite earlier reports that hinted to the contrary, all central and south coast halibut fisheries will continue through September.

Tuna fishing has slowed due to a combination of albacore moving more than 30 miles offshore and high south winds which have made it challenging to navigate.

Fishing for rockfish and ling cod has been reported as excellent out of most Oregon ports. As a bonus, ocean crabbing has been reported as “stellar.”

This is a good time of year for sea-run cutthroat trout fishing, particularly after a little rain has fallen. They’ll be found in tidewater this early in the season.

Blogger, author and publisher of several fishing books, Pete Heley (peteheley.com) reminds us that Winchester Bay is kicking out a few salmon and that crabbing is pretty good here.

Coos Bay is usually mentioned as one of the places producing salmon and crab but this week it seems to be the Coquille River.

Trolling for salmon in Rogue Bay has taken a hit as Chinook are just passing through. Lower Rogue anglers are picking up a few fish as are those on the Grants Pass stretch. It’s still flies only and no Chinook on the upper Rogue.

‘Tis the season for the Chetco River as fall Chinook salmon start to enter. A few are getting caught daily with this fishery improving over the coming weeks.

Central & Eastern – That darned White River, a lower Deschutes tributary, is once again spewing mud into the main river. Fortunately, the condition has been improving over the past couple of days with the water staring to clear.

Spring-fed rivers are often the secret to successful fall and winter trout fishing, so determine which trout streams qualify and go catch some fish!

Odell Lake has been a worthwhile location for kokanee fishers but stay versatile with technique as it’s not always jigging that takes fish here.

Kokanee fishing has been decent at Green Peter. While these fish are smaller than at some other impoundments, there are plenty of ‘em.

SW Washington – Anglers are starting to hit the tributary fisheries a little harder with the appearance of Chinook and some coho salmon in the recent weeks. The Cowlitz will likely remain the top producer but the Kalama and North Fork Lewis River are also starting to improve.

Drano Lake continues to put out Chinook and some steelhead. The run has peaked here but angling should remain good for another week or so before it tapers.

The Klickitat River is also picking up as Chinook seek refuge in the cooler flows. This should be a good week for anglers here.

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