fishing

The Nestucca finally came into fishable shape recently, but another system will put it high again until the weekend. This river is a bit larger, requiring more time to clear. There are fish available however.

The smaller systems such as the Kilchis, Necanicum and upper Trask have also been putting out fish. It is peak season after all. Anglers are already starting to see some down-runners, but there will be fresh fish for another week or so, at least in fishable numbers.

More gale warnings and high seas for offshore anglers. Everyone’s supply of bottomfish is on the low side. How will we ever get through Lent without Skippers?

Crabbing is tapering as well, especially in the freshwater-laden estuaries.

Southwest – OK, here’s your Tip o’ the Week: Ling cod fishing is as good as it gets all year. Whether fishing offshore or from shore, now is the time. Go get ‘em!

This week, Author and Reedsport resident, Pete Heley gives us details about ocean Chinook season which opened March 15th but tells us it may not las ‘til May this year, shares south coast trout planting details and where the big ones will get planted with Spring Break coming up and shares his opinions (as always) with the ODFW and WDFW, er, disagreement in his sites this week.

Pete Heley works weekends at the Stockade Market & Tackle in Winchester Bay where he is more than happy to swap fishing info with anyone.

Our Rogue River writer complains this week about running out of was to describe Rushing, heaving, unfishable torrents where a river used to be with seemingly no end in sight. We suggested: Rogue River.

There have certainly been some “wow!” days on the Chetco this season. Too few thanks to crummy weather and high water during far too much of the winter steelheading season, which closes on March 31st.

There have been no reliable reports regarding the stability of the surface of Diamond Lake nor reports of fishing over the past week.

Eastern – In addition to flowing high and swift, the Metolius adds daily fluctuations to its fly fisher frustration menu. This, too, shall pass.

This time of year, we generally start hearing about smallmouth bass fishing on the John Day but with the water running high and cold here, not so far in 2017.

Although the water level allows launching a boat without problem, visibility has been poor and the water cold.

High Lakes in the Cascades were inaccessible earlier this week but the Cascade Lakes Highway has historically opened in May.

Fern Ridge reservoir has warmed sufficiently to get trout up and active in the shallows. Later in the year, kokanee are available here.

SW Washington – Steelhead catches on the Cowlitz ticked upward this week. Boats tallied 41 steelhead and 2 spring Chinook for 199 boats on the weekend creel check. Flows remain high but late season steelheading is peaking and catches are proving it.

The Cowlitz should remain strong for steelhead, but spring Chinook should start to bump up as well. Once flows begin to subside, action should pick up, especially as we enter April.

Several lakes received healthy trout plants this week, in anticipation of spring break. Check out the WDF&W web site for trout plant details.

from Oregon Fishing http://ift.tt/2nv8i6i

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Willamette Valley/Metro – Although far from impressive fishing, spring Chinook are more than a dream! Of course only a handful have been caught, but trollers working upstream of Davis Bar have been netting a rare, but nice sized spring Chinook. Catches are still too sparse to call the fishery viable, that’s how slow it remains, but there is hope on the horizon! Cold, high water will persist, and that won’t help anglers boat any better numbers of salmon, but there’s no better tasting fish than a March spring Chinook, and you won’t catch one on the couch!

Lower Willamette anglers should steer clear for a while as the water is too high, muddy and swift to fish. Debris washing downstream can and will take down a boat. Conditions will be improving and spring Chinook fishing will improve, eventually.

While the McKenzie River can be a fly fishers heaven, there’s gonna be nothing heavenly about the Mack over the next several days.

As has been the case with the Santiams lately, there’s too much water and not enough fish.

As the Clackamas River will be too high to fish for a while, Dave Neels of Oregon City Fisherman’s Marine (503-557-3313), sagely advises steelheaders to wait it out. Once conditions improve and springer fishing starts up again, it’ll thin out the competition on the Clack.

Sandy River levels are high and murky, but pro fishing guide Jeff Stoeger (http://guideoregon.com/) tells TGF that once conditions improve, winter steelhead will be scattered throughout.

Northwest – Two significant storm systems kept Tillamook area steelheaders largely off the water, especially in the larger, hatchery steelhead streams this week. That looks to be changing for the upcoming week.

Small stream steelheaders have been yielding mediocre results, with the Kilchis remaining one of the better options, but largely only for wild fish.

Bank anglers working the Necanicum are catching a few, and even fewer on the North Fork Nehalem and Three Rivers.

If dropping river trends continue as predicted, the weekend should fish fairly and only fairly, despite being in peak season.

East winds are predicted for early next week. That’s a long ways off for an ocean prediction however. When seas do calm, bottomfishing will be terrific.

Southwest – Author, publisher and prolific blogger, Pete Heley (peteheley.com) sends us some pretty cool information. Like where and how to catch the next record-breaking yellow perch, inside info about springers on the Umpqua, all that stuff. We don’t usually quote him here, but this week he seemed eminently quotable.

Mr. Heley wrote, “I find it reprehensible that the commissioners have not only reneged on the CRE Plan, but are attempting to convince the WDFW commissioners to do likewise. It seems that the entire amount of money collected on Columbia River Enhancement fishing license surcharges is at risk of being refunded via a class action suit.

There is a ODFW Commission meeting in Salem this week that will address the controversy – and hopefully do something about it.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet Friday, March 17 at the Benton County Fairgrounds (Guerber Hall, 110 SE 53rd Street, Corvallis) to reconsider their rules on Columbia River Fisheries Reform adopted Jan. 20. Friday’s meeting starts at 8 a.m. and follows this agenda http://ift.tt/2mU2dhD”

Ocean crabbing remains open but has slowed. Crab may also be taken in bays and estuaries but results are poor following rain.

Bottom fishing has been good whenever boats can get out. Rockfish and ling cod limits are common in winter.

Oh, what a shame, the springer season hasn’t amounted to much on the lower Rogue but it’s blown out with more high water in the forecast. It’s the same for the middle and upper Rogue, unfortunately.

Chetco River levels are high (no surprise) and rising with the levels yo-yo-ing through the coming week. Plunkers should watch for opportunity windows.

Eastern – With Deschutes flows rising as they assume a muddy hue, we kindly recommend fly anglers look elsewhere for a few days.

A common situation, rising water, has been evident on the Metolius River for over a week. Runoff will make it muddy. Not the best fishing destination this weekend.

Fly fishers fond of the Fall River may soon be able to fish it as improving weather has brought warmer temperatures, which is just about keeping ahead of the snowfall.

Due to a new-ish regulation for Detroit Lake which dropped the ‘under 24 in Chinook are trout’ rule, there will no longer be a landlocked Chinook fishery. No flames; we know.

SW Washington – SW Washington anglers are starting to pick up some spring Chinook. Although lower Columbia anglers tallied just one springer for every 70 rods, by comparison, Cowlitz River anglers caught one springer for every 23 rods. Steelhead are falling in fair numbers on the Cowlitz as well.

The Kalama is still putting out some steelhead, and should continue to improve when water conditions do, but the Lewis remains exceptionally slow, and that likely won’t change until water conditions do.

from Oregon Fishing http://ift.tt/2mU2OQq

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Willamette Valley/Metro – Another week of high water and low probability for spring Chinook in the Portland metro area. A lone Chinook remains the sole celebrity on the Columbia River system at Bonneville to date. Water forecasts on the Willamette, where the bulk of the early running springers tend to return to, is calling for another rise this weekend.

At two feet of visibility, the lower Willamette may just be as clear as it’s been all winter. Still, this has done little to boost fish counts and no harvest cards were defaced with lower Willamette springers.

McKenzie River conditions are fair but levels will increase with rain over the next several days.

The Santiam system will be increasing in level and flow over the weekend. A rising river is the least productive, generally.

While this has not been a banner year for Clackamas winter steelhead, the water has been high much of the time.

Sandy River level, flow and even clarity are less subject to change from rainfall and far more effected by the freezing level, which is high and forecast to remain that way. The Sandy should fish and there are fish in the Sandy.

Northwest – The Hook, Line and Sinker tournament happens this weekend in Tillamook. There’s still time to sign up by calling the Hook, Line and Sinker Tavern in Tillamook at (503) 322-2020. You can register through Friday night (3/3). More info can be found here.

Tillamook fishing itself has been fair. With good water conditions and peak season upon us, it’s time to fish! Boaters that fished the Wilson, Trask and Nestucca have been producing results and big fish are fairly common this winter. There have been several fish in the high teens and a handful over 20 pounds, including one that tipped the scales at an estimated 26 pounds! The other item of interest that anglers are talking about is that there are a lot of people working the water. Interest is running high these days, must be peak season for winter steelhead!

Smaller systems have been low and clear, and not producing all that well, but not surprisingly, there are fish present and willing if you approach stealthily. The Kilchis, Necanicum and North Fork Nehalem are fair options this time of year, especially if you catch one of these systems on a moderate rise, or just after a high water event.

Bottom line, it’s peak steelhead season, you won’t have much more of a chance than now, through the 3rd week of March.

Other, more salty options will remain limited this weekend. Rough seas and strong early morning run-outs won’t make for good bay crabbing or bar crossings. Desperate crabbers do have a nice soft incoming tide in the afternoons that they can explore however.

Still no sign of a razor clam opener. You can check the toxicity status by clicking here.

Southwest – The entire Oregon coast is closed to harvesting razor clams. Oceans and bays coast-wide are open for crabbing.

Living in Roseburg, Pete Heley has first-hand knowledge of the Umpqua and tells us the entire river below Roseburg and the South Umpqua to above Canyonville have been high and muddy and fishing has been terrible. A few spring Chinook should be entering the river, but there will be no way to know for certain until the river drops into shape and people start fishing it.

Heley also tells a story about three people from Eugene who dealt with muddy water in the Lower Umpqua by dragging their small boat into the “Triangle”. When they quit an hour later, they had 22 legal crabs and said the only reason they quit was the wind.

When you’re in Winchester Bay on a weekend, stop in at Stockade Market and Tackle where Pete Heley will be delighted to swap fishing stories.

Rogue River winter steelheaders have been challenged. It’s difficult enough to figure out which part of the river will be most productive (but not for TGF readers, of course) but high water has been a problem much of the season. And it ain’t over as the next storm front will hit over the coming weekend.

Winter steelheaders have been reporting decent action on the Chetco this season although the report is academic as the water level will start to rise on Friday this week.

According to late reports this week, the surface at Diamond Lake is safe for ice fishers but don’t take our word – call the resort to be certain!

The Fly Tying and Fly Fishing Expo will be held on March 10th and 11th at the Linn County Expo Center in Reedsport. It bills itself as the largest fly tying event west of the Mississippi. Admission is free for adults and for youngsters accompanied by an adult.

Eastern – When heading to Oregon, even in March, it’s common to run into snow. Check the road conditions before you launch, er, drive.

Conditions are such on the Deschutes River that the trout fishing is expected to be quite good over the weekend to come and beyond.

Winter rivers are those which fish well in what might be considered the ‘off season.’ So it is with the Metolius, a spring-fed stream providing habitat for both fish and abundant insect life.

Another of the Rivers which will continue to fish well through cold weather is the Fall River. Fishing here has been decent for fly anglers.

SW Washington – Winter steelhead are starting to show with more regularity. The Cowlitz is putting out a few more fish, and of quality size. We’re still a few weeks away from peak period, but this system is finally worthy of putting some effort into it. Some spring Chinook are also falling, albeit a bit of a rare catch still. That too should change, as the Cowlitz is expecting a good return this year.

The Kalama is closed to spring Chinook fishing, but anglers can still pursue and retain hatchery steelhead. It’s go so bad here, that there is an extensive safe zone at the mouth of the Kalama for mainstem Columbia trollers. You can find the closed river section at the bottom of this web page.

As most people have heard by now, the smelt dipping season was a bust. It’s unknown if there will be another sport opportunity in the near future. Much of it depends on how the commercial catch fares. Does anyone else NOT get that?

Always more fishing information on The Guide’s Forecast‘s site.

from Oregon Fishing http://ift.tt/2lC4pYG

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Willamette Valley/Metro – The season’s first spring Chinook has been claimed, and a few others reportedly fell after the initial “ice was broken.” That said, the only newsworthy story on spring Chinook is that the season has been set. As expected, the fishery will go from now until a modeled closure of April 6th. I say modeled because it’s a moving target, based on how catch rates perform under a high snow-pack and cold water temperatures. Do you see where I’m going with that? I’ll go out on a limb and say that the fishery will last longer than April 6th, but that’s just me. For all the details on the Columbia River spring salmon run, go here.

One new feature in the mainstem Columbia spring Chinook fishery, there is no proposed commercial gillnet fishery and no Tuesday closures. I guess progress is being made!

Despite water that looks threatening, high, rising and muddy, the Willamette is forecast to start dropping on Friday this week. There have been no reports of spring Chinook landed recently, but the upcoming week looks promising.

Most McKenzie fly fishers are used to action slowing for trout in the wintertime. These well-prepared anglers will not be disappointed!

Santiams, sweet Santiams, your siren song is alluring. But of fish, you know naught, nor will you for weeks to come. Waiting is, for fishy fullness.

Clackamas winter steelheaders speak in one voice when they say, “Gimme a break!” As the waters drop and clear, conditions will be optimum for steelhead slaying this coming weekend. Let’s hope the fish show up for it.

Sandy steelheaders have had it best of any inland river fishers this season with steelhead showing up early this season and catches fairly steady (with a few exceptions) following. This weekend looks promising.

Northwest – Steelheaders longing for opportunity on the north coast saw some following another weekend high water event. Larger systems such as the Wilson started fishing the best early this week, and quality sized fish are still coming from these systems, but most wouldn’t call the steelheading phenomenal.

Smaller systems fished well early this week too with one 20+ pound brute reported from the Kilchis River. Most smaller, early season streams however produced mediocre results at best.

The Nestucca is a favorite this time of year and is starting to yield both broodstock and fair numbers of wild fish. It’ll be game on well into March for this system.

The mainstem Nehalem may also come into reach over the weekend. Dropping snow levels and a dry Saturday should allow for anglers to start tossing hardware of bait at big brutes on this system as we near peak season.

Ocean weather may offer up some saltwater opportunity this weekend. An east wind may knock down the swell for Saturday, so if you’re equipped, you may want to weigh your options. There should be a hungry batch of bottomfish out there. Commercial crabbing is still underway mind you. The afternoon outgoing tide may be a screamer however, so watch post-effort bar crossings.

Bay crabbing will likely be fair at best.

Southwest – With heavy rain still effecting bays and estuaries all along the Oregon coast, it will likely take several days for salinity, reduced by fresh water, to return to levels which Dungeness find acceptable. Until then, bay crabbing will be slow.

As is often the case at this time of year, the most difficult part of ocean bottom fishing is getting there. When wind, wave and weather come together in a cosmic convergence to create a day when it’s possible to cross out into the ocean, it goes without saying that fishing will be good. But we say it anyway. Weekly.

Another reminder from Pete albeit lamenting the date conflict, is of the Frostbite Open bass tournament held annually on Tenmile Lakes is the same day as the Lower Umpqua’s Flyfishing Expo. Now, we know the majority of bass fishers don’t fly fish so ….

There have been herring reported out of Newport this week but there’s no guarantee one day to the next if they’ll remain. These are mostly females at this time of year.

Blogger and Author of several fishing books, Pete Heley (peteheley.com) send his reports to us from Reedsport. This week, he reminds us that this Saturday, Feb. 25th, the 26th annual Flyfishing Expo put on by the Lower Umpqua Flycasters will take place between 9 am and 3 pm at the Reedsport Community Center and admission is free.

Also from Heley – Upcoming Fishing Shows
KDRV JACKSON COUNTY SPORTSMEN’S and OUTDOOR RECREATION SHOW at the Jackson county fairgrounds IN MEDFORD.
TIME: FRIDAY – NOON – 9pm; Saturday – 10 am – 8 pm; Sunday – 10 am – 5 pm.
Admission: $7.00 (adults); $1.00 (ages 5-11); FREE (children under 5)

FEB. 25TH
LOWER UMPQUA FLYCASTERS FLYFISHING EXPO AT THE COMMUNITY BUILDING IN REEDSPORT
TIME: 9 am – 3 pm
ADMISSION: FREE TO EVERYONE

MARCH 2ND – 5TH
CENTRAL OREGON SPORTSMEN’S SHOW AT THE DESCHUTES COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS IN REDMOND..
TIME: THURSDAY & FRIDAY: NOON – 8 PM; SATURDAY: 10 am – 8 pm and Sunday 10 am – 4 pm
admission: $10.00 (adults – 2-day pass for $15.00); $5.00 (ages 6 – 16) FREE ( children under 5)

“Outrage among anglers fishing the lower Deschutes River regarding increased numbers of smallmouth bass has decreased recently when it was revealed that the photo posted online by the Deschutes River Alliance was not a smallmouth bass, but instead a northern pikeminnow – a fish native to the Deschutes and Columbia Rivers. It appears that a slight reduction in water temperatures in the lower Deschutes would go a long way towards slowing down the rate of increase in the river’s smallmouth population.” – Pete Heley

The Saltwater Sportsmen’s Show is This Weekend at the Expo Center
HERE”S THE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH – CASCADE HALL

8:15 am – 9:15 am
Fishing Buoy 10 – Fishing AND Catching.
Presented by Steve Lynch (Pro-Cure) and Josh Cooper (Cousins Tackle)
9:20 am – 10:30 am
Chinook Salmon Workshop and Panel Discussion
Presented by a select panel of experts including Steve Lynch, Josh Cooper, and Mark McCulloch
10:45 am – 12:15 pm
Introduction to Jigging: What you need to know to start jigging for albacore tuna off the NW Pacific coast.
Presented by Dave (Teton) Phillips
1:45 pm – 3:45 pm
Sea Conditions & Bar Crossings – Knowing when to go and when to stay
Presented by Charles Loos (Tinman) & Capt. Dan Shipman (USCG)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH – CASCADE HALL

8:15 am – 9:15 am
Halibut Hooking Behavior
Presented by Halibut Steve Kaimmer
9:30 am – 11:00 am
Maximize Your Electronics
Presented by Capt. John Keizer of Salt Patrol
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Tuna Workshop and Panel Discussion
With a select panel of experts
1:45 pm – 3:45 pm
Sea Conditions & Bar Crossings – Knowing when to go and when to stay
Presented by Charles Loos (Tinman) & Capt. Dan Shipman (USCG

With the Rogue well into recovery from rain storms of last week, the best stretch will be the Middle Rogue, which is the number one producer at this time of year. Side drifting roe has been most effective with a little pink shrimp kicker while tossing bait or drifting corkies will take fish from the bank. Be aware of spawned out steelhead which appear bright but have soft bellies. They’re not worth keeping, hatchery or not.

Eastern – There has been no explanation for the gathering of anglers at the mouth of the Hood River this week. Please send a report if you have one!

With heavy snowfall forcing anglers to use snowmobiles to access Odell Lake, a thing of the past week, it’s just frozen now, all around the lake.

When the sun shines and the wind doesn’t blow too hard – wait, this is a Lake Billy Chinook report, not Odell. The wind hasn’t been much of a problem and the weather periodically pleasant. The fishing’s good, too.

Many lakes and reservoirs are used for flood control so following the heavy rains of late, and changes in water level may negatively effect the bite. Check if possible before you fish.

Kokanee have been absent in catches recently according to trollers who fished there this week. There have been a few trout taken.

SW Washington – Steelhead are starting to show in better numbers on the Cowlitz River. Catch rates remain relatively unimpressive however. That should change in the coming weeks.

The Lewis is producing a few winter steelhead and action should only improve in the coming weeks.

The big news is the smelt opportunity this weekend. Fishery managers report:

State fishery managers approved a limited sport fishery for smelt on the Cowlitz River for Saturday, Feb. 25. Under this year’s rules, a portion of the Cowlitz River will be open to recreational dip netting along the shore from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. for one day only. (see map on this page.)

The area open to sport dipping stretches from the Highway 432 Bridge upstream to the Al Helenberg Memorial Boat Ramp, located approximately 1,300 feet upstream from the Highway 411/A Street Bridge in Castle Rock. Each dip-netter may retain 10 pounds of smelt per day, with no more than one day’s limit in possession.

Ten pounds is about a quarter of a five-gallon bucket. No fishing license is required to dip for smelt in Washington state.

from Oregon Fishing http://ift.tt/2lQlceg

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Willamette Valley/Metro – Although the first spring Chinook of the season has passed Bonneville Dam (2/11), there still hasn’t been a confirmed sport harvest of one. I don’t expect that to change this week, especially given the weather forecast and river conditions. I might even be so brave as to say it’ll be a waste of time to even try.

While waters of the lower Willamette are on the rise, it’s a gentle increase, it’s a gentle relatively gentle rise. With most debris washed out into the Columbia now, boating will be safer for anglers.

Fly fishers might give a nod to the McKenzie River where water levels will be dropping over the weekend but light showers are forecast to continue.

Once again, the North Santiam is high and rising with a prediction it’ll start to drop on Sunday. With just over 35- winter steelhead over the Falls at the latest count. We gotta say, that’s still too few to populate the Santiams.

Conditions are deteriorating on the Sandy at last look, the afternoon of Wednesday, February 15th. There are fresh winter steelhead, which will be far more cooperative when the river is dropping.

Walloped once again by rain storms, the Clackamas River is currently on the rise but predicted to crest late Friday, February 17th. It’s unlikely to fish well until late in the coming week.

If your river isn’t producing, the ODFW reminds anglers, “It’s not too early to be thinking about trout fishing – in fact, in several North Coast and Willamette Valley fisheries, stocking is well underway. Check out the 2017 stocking schedules for west side lakes/ponds and start planning your next fishing trip.”

Northwest – Steelheaders had a good crack at fair fishing this week, following a whopper of a rain system that took out Tillamook area streams through last weekend. Steelhead fishing may have not been as good as most had anticipated, but it was good enough for those that put in the time.

The smaller systems are done for the year: Big and Gnat Creek, Klaskanine River, Three Rivers, the North Fork Nehalem and the Necanicum, although small runs of wild fish may be present on some of these systems.

The Wilson and Nestucca are just ramping up for hatchery opportunities but another wild ride of wind and rain will likely put out the big Tillamook 3 (Trask included) until Sunday, maybe Monday. There are still some sizeable brutes coming from these systems, hatchery fish pushing 17 and 18 pounds.

The Nehalem won’t fish anytime soon but there are good numbers of wild steelhead present.

It doesn’t look like big blue will fish anytime soon either. Rough seas ahead.

Bay crabbing may be feasible over the weekend. A soft tide exchange and calming weather may produce fair catches. Estuary crabbers will have to deal with another influx of fresh water however.

Southwest – With the February 10th lifting of the crabbing closure, which shut down activity from Coos Bay’s North Jetty to Heceta Head, once again, the entire Oregon coast is open to recreational and commercial crabbing.

Author, publisher and prolific blogger, Pete Heley (peteheley.com) reminds us that Saturday, Feb. 25th is the annual Expo put on by the Lower Umpqua Fly casters and will take place between 9 am and 3 pm at the Reedsport Community Center. Admission is free and 26 fly tiers are expected to demonstrate their skills.

Coos River steelheaders reported decent action on about a 50/50 split of hatchery to wild winters earlier in the week but it’ll be several days before fishing will be a possibility here.

Prior to the latest deluge which has the Umpqua River system doing a fast rise, catches of winter steelhead were good river-wide.

Winter steelheaders on the lower Rogue have been reporting improving success as additional fish move into the system. It’ won’t be happening this weekend as the Rogue, along with most south coast rivers, will be blown out. As it comes back into shape, the upper river will be worth a try.

The Chetco has been producing good catches of winter steelhead at times. Those ‘times’ would be between freshets, and there have been plenty of ‘em. High water will plague anglers once again this weekend.

Ice fishing remains an option at Diamond Lake where fishing is reported as fair to good.

Don’t forget, Feb. 25 & 26 there will be a Saltwater Sportsmen’s Show at the fairgrounds in Salem put on by the Oregon Coalition for Educating Anglers (OCEAN). Lots of good information about fishing for salmon, tuna, bottomfish, and halibut.

Eastern – Those with a long rod and a desire for wintertime redside trout have been fulfilling this need on the Deschutes River. They report their secret weapons of late has been a Stonefly Nymph.

There have been decent reports from fly fishers who have tried the Metolius this week. Hatches are occurring here during afternoons.

Trout fishing has been fair one day, slow the next on the Fall River. One thing seems to be consistent regarding slow days being those without hatches.

SW Washington – There’s still more coho showing up on the Cowlitz than steelhead. Hopefully that changes in a few weeks. It’s been grim.

Here’s the word from WDF&W on smelt:

“Commercial catches improved yesterday but still below the 150 pounds per delivery minimum goal. Lots of sea lions reported on the docks at the Port of Rainier. Stay tuned.”

from Oregon Fishing http://ift.tt/2lbfKk3

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Willamette Valley/Metro – Still nothing to fish for in the mainstem Columbia. There’s always rumors of spring Chinook here or there, just non substantiated just yet. It’ll be running a bit turbid downstream of Kelly Point Park for a while.

The lower Willamette is high and predicted to continue rising over the weekend. It is hazardous to boat in these conditions and fist-timers or novices shouldn’t try it. It will fish eventually but for now, no spring Chinook have been reported.

Waters of the McKenzie can be beautiful. The typical mountain stream, surprising with every bend. That’s not what it is now and will not be for a while due to high water.

The Santiam system has once again blown out but we wouldn’t bother if conditions were perfect. At least not for a while!

Clackamas water levels have been rising all week and are approaching Alert Level. Fortunately, the river should nearly be nearly at or just past cresting as you read this. Steelheading has improved prior to this mega-freshet. Our Man on the Sandy River, pro fishing guide Jeff Stoeger (http://guideoregon.com/) tells us that water levels are high, rising and unattractive, but there’s hope it’ll fish by mid-week.

Northwest – Trailers have been evacuated at the Wilson River RV Park if that’s any indication as to how our coastal streams are performing right now. They are already on the drop however and may fish as early as early as Saturday, depending on the size of the watershed. The Wilson and Nestucca may take until Sunday to clear.

Look to our full version for a more detailed forecast for each river system for the weekend drop.

Smaller systems will fish sooner, particularly the North Fork Nehalem, Necanicum and Three Rivers, which may have a mix of spent steelhead, along with a few bright wild fish. For the most part however, these systems will not produce abundant numbers of steelhead until next year.

A few boats skated into the ocean earlier this week, they were rewarded with good catches of lingcod, sea bass and crab. The ocean option doesn’t look feasible for the foreseeable future.

Southwest – Author and avid blogger, Pete Heley (peteheley.com) chimes in from Roseburg about crabbing closures along part of the Oregon coast. The reason is the same as for previous closures – elevated levels of domoic acid and expresses concern that such an emergency closure could happen at any time along a certain section of the Oregon coast.

The crabbing closure affects the recreational crabbing from the North Jetty of Coos Bay northward to Heceta Head, about 14 miles north of Florence. Word is that commercial crabbing is also getting shut down in this area.

While surf perch fishing doesn’t pop into mind from Februaries past, it’s certainly darned good now. Up and down the coast, anglers with mostly medium spinning gear are casting from beaches to catch these fish.

Be sure to check the sport fishing regulations pamphlet or look up the regulations online regarding new bottomfishing rules for 2017.

Proposed dates for halibut fishing were announced this week with an improvement in quota for all-depth anglers.

One new rule which can’t be overemphasized is the mandatory requirement to have a descending device onboard the vessel when fishing for Pacific halibut as well as bottomfish, and to use when releasing any rockfish species when fishing outside of 30 fathoms.

The lower Rogue really got walloped by the latest storm, raising levels near Agness to nearly 19 feet and pushing flows to 60,000 cfs. Yeah, it’s a mess tight now but winter steelheaders can anticipate improved action when the water drops and clear. Some long-time Rogue salmon fishers are hoping all this water will equate to a better spring Chinook season.

Fishing for winter steelhead was producing decent numbers and a few jumbos prior to the latest deluge. Waters are approaching 20,000 cfs at this writing, making the conditions unfishable at this time.

Anglers are still ice fishing at Diamond Lake where catches are said to be fair to good.

Eastern – Trout, kokanee and Chinook catches have been slow at Detroit Lake. Water temperatures are cold, however, with fishing expected to improve along with warmer temperatures.

SW Washington – I think the WDF&W district report sums it up best:

Cowlitz River – 8 boat and 51 bank anglers had no catch.

Smelt numbers appear to be down this year. Some folks are speculating that there will be no sport dipping season this spring.

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