fishing

Willamette Valley – With Chinook fishing back open on the mainstem Columbia, interest is likely to grow as the summer run Chinook numbers start to improve. Over 2,000 Chinook a day are starting to pass Bonneville Dam with peak passage for summer Chinook at Bonneville likely to happen early to mid-July. Another good run is in the forecast. Fishery managers decided on Thursday, to allow boat angling for salmon above Beacon Rock starting Friday, June 10th. The river will then shift from spring to summer Chinook season starting June 16th with an even greater expansion of opportunity to the Astoria/Megler Bridge.

There are few trying for spring Chinook in the warm waters of the lower Willamette but a few may still be seen. Passage of both summer steelhead and spring Chinook have been good at Willamette Falls over the past week. Shad are being caught in good number at Oregon City and the catch-and-release sturgeon fishing is ongoing, although there is little pressure.

McKenzie River fly anglers won’t be disappointed in river conditions over the coming weekend. In addition, plenty of bugs will be hatching.

Anglers will find water level and flow of the North and South Santiam Rivers quite stable. Thanks to good daily counts at Willamette Falls, the numbers of summer steelhead and spring Chinook available have improved.

Expect to find decent water conditions at the Clackamas River despite somewhat low water. The level is forecast to remain stable, then start to drop on Sunday, June 12th, with that trend continuing for a couple of days. There are summer steelhead and a precious few springers in the river so try to fish it before or following the predicted drop in water level.

Hot temperatures put the Sandy out of shape for a while, melting the glacier at the headwaters and causing the river to run milky. It’s recovering now with summer steelhead available.

Northwest Oregon – Tillamook spring Chinook fishing is disappointing. Catches remain sporadic with the best action coming from the ocean fishery as of late. Action typically tapers by mid-June, especially on a sub-par run like we’re witnessing this season.

Springers are present in the river systems with the Trask offering up the best chance and the Wilson, Nestucca and Three Rivers also options.

The halibut season out of Astoria is now closed and managers are looking at the central coast quota but only 17% remains.

Ocean crabbing is improving and bottomfishing, especially for sea bass, is excellent. Lingcod success remains marginal.

Catch and release sturgeon fishing in Astoria is good with few anglers participating. Local bait remains hard to find.

Central & South Coast Reports – Ocean crabbing has experienced a welcome improvement over the past week with most of those seeking Dungeness offshore taking about half-limits.

Speaking of crabbing, most bays are poor to slow now while the area just outside the bay in the ocean can be quite productive for those with boats capable of crossing the bar.

Following the last all-depth halibut fishery, about 22,000 pounds remain in the quota, so two more days, Friday, June17th and Saturday, June 18th will be open for fishing. Nearshore halibut is open seven days a week but follows all-depth rules during those fisheries.

According to regular contributor, author, blogger and all-around good guy Pete Heley of Reedsport, it’s not a case of “you should a been here yesterday” but rather last week as that’s when fishing for pinkfin on the Umpqua was best this season. There are more to be caught and fishing for males in the surf is always an option!

Ocean charters out of Gold Beach report good catches of rockfish and lingcod but are also taking halibut periodically.

The lower Rogue River is running low while water temperatures are higher than normal. These situations have slowed spring Chinook fishing although a few are being caught daily. It would seem the better fishing is up high on the river.

Sea-run cutthroat trout have been caught recently on the lower Chetco River.

Despite a lack of results and even activity that would belie the fact, ocean waters off Southern Oregon are open to Chinook salmon fishing.

Sometimes warmer weather can be a blessing, as it’s been at Diamond Lake where improved water temperatures have created a better trout bite.

Central & Eastern – Trout anglers at Trillium Lake have been making decent catches. The ODFW has planted trout here several times this year.

Lake Billy Chinook took a one-two punch from recent hot weather. Not only did it raise the water temperature but also spawned and algae bloom.

Kokanee fishing has been good at Paulina Reservoir, a productive and popular destination for these fish. Stay versatile to determine whether trolling or jigging is more effective.

Green Peter has continued to produce good numbers of small kokanee. The most recent reports indicate that while still smaller, the overall size is improving. Perhaps there’s hope after all.

Thanks to a release of adult spring Chinook into the Powder River, that waterbody opened to fishing for them on June 8th and is scheduled to continue through the 1st of September. Check the regulations on this one; they’re special.

SW Washington – Spring Chinook catches are ramping down, with a fairly disappointing season on most tributaries. The Cowlitz remains the obvious bright spot but success rates are slowing for springers and slightly improving for summer steelhead.

The Kalama and Lewis Rivers remain slow

The Wind River and Drano Lake fisheries are not producing well.

Plunkers and boaters fishing for summer steelhead are doing fair on the mainstem Columbia with some nice 3-salt fish showing in the catches. These fish are ranging over 12 pounds.

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Willamette Valley – The Columbia River reopens for likely the remainder of the year on Friday, first to target the remaining allocation of spring Chinook, followed by the summer Chinook opener on June 15th. Counts at Bonneville eclipsed 2,000 fish again on June 1st but we’re still weeks away from the peak passage of summer Chinook at Bonneville Dam. Action isn’t likely to be explosive but it remains one of the best games in town. The May 24th press release can be found here.

Summer steelhead counts are beginning to grow on the mainstem Columbia where weekend anglers can take advantage of good tides for beach plunkers.

Very few trollers can be seen working the lower Willamette for spring Chinook. Fishing is slow but is that because of the note or that so few are trying to catch them? In less philosophic news, the shad are in at Oregon City.

McKenzie level ad flow are conducive to an enjoyable weekend for fly fishers as long as they’re prepared to fish in hot weather.

Both the North Santiam and South Santiam are in good shape and very gradually dropping. There has been enough steelhead counted at Willamette Falls to create a fishery here.

Clackamas River water conditions are good but will be dropping and getting clearer during the sunny weekend ahead. It’s probably better to target summers here than springers.

Keep an eye on water color at the Sandy River as hot weather can sometimes turn the water milky gray. Summer steelhead are available here.

NW Oregon – Tillamook Bay anglers continue to witness hit-or-miss fishing. The extreme tide series may make bar crossings challenging, in the morning at least. Anglers typically focus their efforts in the upper estuary on a tide series such as what we’ll witness this weekend but moss continues to be a common problem, largely coming from the Tillamook River.

Bank anglers and river boaters remain challenged in the low flows but early morning bobber tossers are seeing slight opportunity each morning at the crowded hatchery holes on the Trask River as well as Three Rivers.

This weekend is likely the last opportunity for all-depth halibut. The Columbia River sub-area closes on Friday (6/3), Garibaldi remains sub-par, and Newport is productive.

Bottomfishing remains excellent, especially for sea bass. Consistent lingcod action is not happening.

Ocean crabbing is picking up from Newport to Garibaldi, but larger softshells are starting to make up a heavier portion of the catch.

The razor clam digging this weekend should again be phenomenal, such as it was on the larger minus tide series a few weeks ago. Since you’ll be down there anyway, surf perch fishing can be a nice combo option, after easily digging your limit of razor clams north of Tillamook Head.

Southwest – Bottom fishing has been excellent out of Depoe Bay whenever ocean conditions have been decent. High winds have often been a problem here.

Central Oregon Coast halibut fisher is open this coming weekend. After two earlier openers, 55% of the quota remains to be caught.

While the all-salmon-except-coho season opened June 28th for the area from Humbug Mountain south to the Oregon/California border, fishing has been slow.

Spring Chinook catches have been slow to spotty on the lower Rogue River. There’s almost no effort on the middle river which upper Rogue anglers are catching fish.

Bottom fishing has been producing good catches and often limits out of the Port of Brookings although ocean crabbing has been slow.

The halibut fishing sub-area from Humbug Mountain to the Oregon/California border opened only June 1st, almost 400 pounds have been landed.

As the weather warms, so does the water temperature at Diamond Lake The trout have responded in kind,, warming up to offerings of bait.

Eastern – Salmon flies and Golden Stones can still be found on the lower Deschutes River with imitations remaining effective for trout.

The channels are producing best for trout at Crane Prairie.

Trollers are doing well for kokanee at Wickiup. While limits are unusual here, the kokanee that come out of here are often large.

Trout fishing is expected to be good in the coming week and beyond as the ODFW has stocked plenty of legal-sized trout here as well as some larger ones.

Smallmouth bass fishing is good on the John Day River with many anglers landing over 100 in a day and occasionally hooking a big one.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the spring Chinook fishery on the Snake River below Hells Canyon Dam will close at today, June 2nd at sundown (8:30 p.m.).

SW Washington – Although the Cowlitz remains the best option, the bite here is quickly fading. As we’ve seen in the Willamette, there seems to have been a gross over-prediction of adults to this system. Summer steelhead should start to show in better numbers in two to three weeks from now.

The other district streams continue to produce pathetic results.

The Wind and Drano Lake fisheries are fading as well but bank anglers upstream are in their peak season. Regardless of season status, fishing isn’t all that great. Summer steelhead should start in better numbers later this month.

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Willamette Valley – The Columbia River will reopen for another Memorial Day weekend opportunity. Here is the press release detailing the opportunity:
May 24, 2016

CLACKAMAS, Ore. – Fishery managers from Oregon and Washington today reopened a Chinook salmon fishery and closed a recreational sturgeon fishery on the Columbia River.

Chinook fishing on the lower Columbia River will be open Friday May 27 through Monday May 30, then reopen again on June 3 and continue through June 15 when the summer Chinook fishing season begins.
According to Tucker Jones, ODFW’s Columbia River Program manager, the joint state action is based on the remaining allowable catch and a projected run size of 180,000 to the river mouth.

“We’re excited that we can open Chinook fishing over Memorial Day weekend, he said, “And by closing the fishery for a few days in middle of next week we hope to provide some stability to our constituents, and avoid emergency closures for the duration of the season.” The states did leave open the possibility of shortening the season if catch rates are higher than expected over Memorial Weekend.

The daily bag limit is two fin-clipped adult salmonids per day of which only one may be a Chinook. Only adipose fin-clipped fish may be kept. Retention of fin-clipped Chinook jacks is also allowed. Sockeye salmon must be released. Permanent regulations for steelhead and jack Chinook apply when adult Chinook seasons are closed. All other permanent regulations apply.

The states also opted to close the recreational white sturgeon fishery in the John Day Pool where the season has been under way since the beginning of the year and anglers have nearly met their annual harvest guideline of 500 fish. The closure is effective Sunday May 29.

For more information, visit <a href=”http://ift.tt/1WqAkf2; target=”_blank”>ODFW’s website</a>.

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Willamette River spring Chinook anglers continue to struggle for results. Some fish are still being taken in Multnomah Channel and Oregon City. Falls counts remain depressing as it appears the run will fall way short of its prediction this year.

The big news story has the appearance of shad Oregon City. Anglers were reporting incredible action this week as it’s clear the run is well underway.

The Clackamas River has good numbers of summer steelhead available although some say they’re kegged up in specific locations. Spring Chinook are slow to show.

The Sandy River is also starting to see some summer steelhead. Spring Chinook numbers should climb in the coming weeks.

Northwest Oregon – Anglers plying the waters near Astoria are reporting good numbers of sturgeon around. Catch and release opportunities are open but few are participating.

Spring Chinook fishing in Tillamook Bay remains stable. Catches are far from explosive, but anglers are finding fair success from top to bottom.

The Trask, Wilson and Nestucca Rivers are still low so fish remain concentrated in the lower reaches.

Salt water anglers remain tentative about the offshore halibut option. The swell is shrinking but wind waves are cause for concern.

Bottomfishing remains excellent but lingcod action is becoming more inconsistent.

Ocean and bay crabbing remains fairly disappointing.

Another minor minus tide series produced productive razor clam digging this week. That minus tide series has since disappeared however.

Southwest Washington – It is clear now that the Cowlitz River is not going to get the whopper return that was originally predicted. Spring Chinook numbers at the hatchery remain unremarkable. Success rates for spring Chinook are parallel. Summer steelhead are starting to show but the peak is still weeks away.

The Kalama River has some summer steelhead available but spring Chinook catches remain poor.

Anglers are starting to gain interest on the main stem Columbia. Summer steelhead catches are off to a fair start.

The Wind River and Drano Lake fisheries effort have shifted to their respective river systems. Action in those systems remains fair to good but the boat troll fishery is waning.

More Oregon fishing reports and information on our site.

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Willamette Valley – Lower Willamette spring Chinook fishing has been slow built sturgeon fishing has remained a solid bet. The shad season, which is just starting, will produce thousands of fish once it gets rolling.

Waters of the McKenzie River will increase in level and flow with the rain that’s currently falling but this will be short-lived with the river looking beautiful and fishing well this weekend.

Even anglers with sights set on the Santiams have reason for optimism as numbers of summer steelhead and even spring Chinook are improving daily.

The Clackamas level and flow are sharply increasing but the impact will be slight and short-lived with the river dropping over the coming weekend. Summers and springers are in the water here.

Pro guide Jeff Stoeger of O2Bfishin Guide Service (503-704-7920), reporting on the Sandy River, tells us that downsizing baits and lures as well as fishing light, short leaders will improve odds of a summer steelhead hookup this coming weekend.

Northwest Oregon- Spring Chinook fishing is underway on Tillamook Bay. and last week was quite good. Most anglers stuck to the salt where south jetty troller’s did quite well for most of the week. There are seals and sea lions to contend with however. It just seems we can’t shake these things this year. The upper Bay fished well for spinner trollers on the incoming tide and the jetties fished well for the few boats trolling herring close to low slack on Thursday.

Following last weeks drizzle, river levels only came up a fraction of the foot. The Trask remains a top bet but rivers remain very low so conditions will be challenging.

The Nestucca and Wilson Rivers are also options but the lower reaches will remain the best bet since levels remain very low.

Offshore halibut anglers fared well out of Newport in depoe bay, but Garibaldi was mediocre. Bottom fishing remains excellent, and the fleet is starting to utilize the bottom fishing grounds off of arch Cape and Cannon Beach.

Another good set of razor clam tides are coming this weekend. The last series proved quite remarkable. If the swell lies down, it should be another great dig.

Columbia river – as expected, last weekends opener was less than impressive. Of course some boaters scored fair numbers of fish, but overall the fishing was quite slow. Chinook continue to pass and fair numbers and the run looks like it is tracking as predicted.

The best fishing was up towards the Dalles dam, But that reach of river will not reopen, unlike downstream of Bonneville dam where anglers will get an additional three days starting this Friday.

Central & South Coast Reports – All-depth halibut will be open again this week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There will be additional opportunities in the near future as it is highly unlikely the quota will fill this early in the season.

All-salmon-except-coho ocean salmon season will open on May 28 in the Oregon Klamath Management Zone, which is an area from Humbug Mountain south to the Oregon/California border.

Ocean crabbing has been slow on the southern coast but better for central coast crabbers. Bays and estuaries have been poor producers, however.

Spring Chinook fishing improved this week on the lower Rogue River around Agness but the action has died on the middle river. Anglers on the upper Rogue have been doing well for springers and there seems to be no slowing here.

Bottom fishing has been excellent out of the Port of Brookings with anglers taking limits of ling cod as well as a variety of colorful rockfish.

Trout fishing has been improving on Diamond Lake as the water warms. Bait fishing worms or Power Bait is more effective than trolling,

While the Applegate, Chetco, Coos, Illinois, Rogue, and Umpqua rivers will open for trout fishing on Sunday, May 22nd, the Chetco and Elk rivers are closed for the season.

Central & Eastern – Golden Stones and Salmon Flies are still hatching on the Deschutes but it’s important to track them down for the best fishing.

With many thousands of trout already planted, Timothy Lake fishing should only improveas the IDFW is stocking trophy-sized trout this week.

Wickiup Reservoir has been fishing well for kokanee and is producing some very large fish.

John Day River smallmouth fishing remains excellent while area lake are producing jumboa largemouth bass.

A free fishing day provided by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will take place on Saturday, May 21 at Pine Nursery Pond, located at Pine Nursery Community Park in Bend.

SW Washington – although the Cowlitz River remains king for spring Chinook, action is tapering in the room size was clearly overestimated.

Some summer steelhead are starting to show but it will be several more weeks before this fishery peaks.

The Kalama and Lewis rivers remain poor prospects.

The wind River and Drano lake fisheries are still worthwhile but catch rates are starting to taper. Effort will start to shift to the upper reaches of these systems as fish prepare to enter their respective hatcheries.

Razor clam diggers will have one more three day opportunity starting Friday to harvest the tasty shellfish. After Sunday, the season will close for the summer months.

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Willamette Valley – Anticipation is running high for the Friday the 13th opener of nearly the entire Columbia River. Anglers need to realize however that the bulk of the returning adults is upriver of Bonneville Dam and the 2nd half of the run is focused on upstream migration, not biting. None-the-less. there are some quality fish to be had and a May opener is a welcome chance at them. All reaches of the river will likely offer up equal opportunity but Friday is likely to be the best day.

Spring Chinook are in the lower Willamette and with double digit daily counts since the 1st of the month, there seems to be quite a few. Finding biters has been a challenge, though, but persistent anglers are getting a few.

McKenzie level and flow are excellent for fly fishers. While rain is in the forecast for the first of the coming week, it should have little effect on water conditions here.

Summer steelhead are available in the Santiam system and with good numbers of springers crossing at the Falls, catches will be reflected here soon.

Clackamas River level and flow are low and the water is quite clear. Fishing has been slow but it is hoped the freshet due in a few days will improve prospects here.

Springer fishing has been slow on the Sandy but there are many weeks ahead, during which these fish will continue to enter.

Northwest Oregon – Spring Chinook fishing is about to enter peak season on the north coast with Tillamook Bay offering up the best opportunity. Catches to date however have been slow. It’s due to break open however and with a calm ocean, lower bay options are the best.

Rivers remain low and unproductive for spring Chinook but there remains a few fish to be had nearly every morning up at the hatchery hole on the Trask River. The Wilson and Nestucca have isolated pockets of springers as well but the low water will keep them spooked.

The halibut opener out of Garibaldi wasn’t all that impressive. It likely won’t get much better either but there are some quality fish coming to the dock. Calm seas will make for a great experience, whether or not you catch your single keeper.

Razor clam digging was excellent last week but softer tides this weekend will be more conducive to crabbing; too bad that’s not all that productive.

Central & South Coast Reports – The first all-depth, three day fishery opens May 12th through 14th off the central Oregon coast with more openings scheduled as the quota allows.

Blogger, author and self-publisher of numerous Oregon fishing books, Pete Heley (peteheley.com) reports that spring Chinook catches slowed a bit this week but will bounce back.

Clamming was great in bays along the coast during the last minus tide. The next chance for extra-low tides will come in the third week of May.

Central & Eastern – Trout fishing has been good on the Deschutes this week as large Salmon Flies and Stoneflies are hatching now. This is a once-a-year event.

O’Dell has remained good for kokanee fishers. Jigging is a favorite technique here but if it’s too windy to jig, try trolling for them.

Smallmouth bass fishing remains good on the John Day both for number of fish and extra-large smallies.

A Free Family Fishing Event at Howard Prairie Reservoir will take place on Saturday, May 14, 9 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Two 30-minute talks are also offered in a covered area at the marina.

McNary Channel Ponds near Hermiston will also have a free fishing event on Saturday, May 14 from 10 a.m. to noon. The event is co-sponsored by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

Surf perch fishing gas been ongoing off beaches u and down the coast. Many beach casters are taking limits of these tasty fish.

Bottom fishing has been yielding good catches of rockfish and ling cod for most ocean-worthy vessels launching out of central Oregon ports.

Rogue River has been slow for spring Chinook fishing ut best for those who know what stretch to fish. Summer steelhead are also available here.

SW Washington – The Cowlitz remains the best prospect in the district but catches are not living up to the 25,000 returning adults predicted. None-the-less, we’re in peak season here and some summer steelhead are starting to show. The winter run is fading.

The Kalama remains slow but some summer steelhead are showing here as well.

The Drano Lake and Wind River fisheries are still producing fair to good catches. Bank angling at time is as good, if not better than boat angling.

The Klickitat and Yakima Rivers are coming on line too.

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Willamette Valley – Spring Chinook passage at Bonneville is dismal. Peak passage is supposed to happen during the first week of May and if that’s when the peak happens this year, it’s likely to be a bust of a run. Keep your fingers crossed, a lot is at stake.

Spring Chinook fishing is slow on the lower Willamette although catch-and-release sturgeon fishing remains good. There has been reports of better action at Oregon City but with the sea lions awaiting you to hook up, anglers are becoming quickly discouraged. A really good day is 2 or 3 fish, and we’re in peak season. Can you say mis-prediction?

McKenzie fly fishers may expect good and improving water conditions over the coming weekend with fair to good results for trout. Although the Santiam system will be gradually dropping over the coming week, there are too few fish in the system to expect great results here.

Fishing on the Clackamas has been slow not that winter steelheading is all but over and summer steelhead and spring season has barely started.

Pro guide Jeff Stoeger of O2Bfishin Guide Service (503-704-7920), reporting on the Sandy River, tells us that fishing is slow but more summer steelhead will be coming into the river in coming weeks.

Northwest Oregon – It’s early for good numbers of spring Chinook in Tillamook Bay but given the poor results in the Willamette and tributary fisheries, you still may want to consider it. It’s late for steelhead as most of the winter run is spawning although there are some summer runs available in the Wilson and Nestucca systems.

Bottom fishing is excellent however, especially for sea bass. Garibaldi Charters writes, “Garibaldi Charters 1-800-900-HOOK . The weather pattern has prevented us from doing much ocean fishing this last week, but when it was nice enough to get out we were able to get easy limits of rockfish on the nearshore reefs around Three Arch Rocks.”

Razor clam digging has been good on the minus tides. Unfortunately, we don’t have those this weekend. Crabbing has been fair at best.

There are some spring Chinook available in Clatsop County, on Big Creek and the Klaskanine Rivers.

Central & South Coast Reports – Surf perch fishing has been producing many limits for anglers fishing off most of the south coast beaches.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife announced regulations for offshore salmon and halibut for 2016. It looks a little bleak for coho fishing this season.

In his regular weekly report, author of several books on fishing, Pete Heley (PeteHeley.com) reports that pinkfin perch have yet to make their annual appearance in Winchester Bay although spring Chinook catches have been decent on the Umpqua. Warmwater fishing is really picking up and trout are available in most area lakes and ponds

Bottomfishing has been outstanding out of most south coast ports. With lingcod spawning now, they are aggressive and anxious to cooperate with anglers.

The spring Chinook season on the lower Rogue is just getting underway, although there are a few springers clear up to the hatchery. Fishing on the middle river has been spotty with upper Rogue results being fair to good.

Now clear of ice, Diamond Lake trout fishing is slow to fair but is expected to improve.

Central & Eastern – Deschutes conditions are decent with some fly anglers catching redsides, although they aren’t in good shape now. They are just coming off of the spawn.

Owyhee River is receiving a great deal of pressure now on the stretch below the dam.

With Timothy Lake open and accessible now, this is another opportunity for eastside stillwater fly fishers.

Fishing has been fair to good and very good at times at Wickiup Reservoir. The opener over the past weekend was a hottie.

Odell Lake has been very productive, producing fairly consistent limits of kokanee.

SW Washington – The Cowlitz is still clicking along but spring Chinook are now starting to make up a more significant amount of the catch. The run is tracking well with about double the number returning to date to the hatchery as they had last year at this time. The overall forecast is for 25,000 returning adults, which may be a bit of a stretch but it seems the fishery is performing well and may be the best bet in town. Don’t forget to bring your own rock however, it’s crowded!

The Lewis and Kalama remain petty and not likely to change.

The Wind River and Drano Lake fisheries are nothing to write home about either. You can’t expect much however, when Bonneville Dam is only passing about 1,000 adults per day. This fishery should really be turning on now but anglers won’t get too excited until about 3,000 adults or better per day are passing the facility.

The Guide’s Forecast

 

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Willamette Valley – Spring Chinook passage at Bonneville Dam is now concerning. It’s understandable that we’re lagging behind last years under-predicted run, but to lag behind the 10-year average by more than double, it makes you wonder. Regardless, either a late returning run or diminished returns will spell lower opportunity for sportanglers when that peak passage date actually does come, commonly, in the first week of May. We’ll need a strong uptick in passage really soon to remain optimistic.

Willamette River water levels and flow are good, Trollers are catching spring Chinook daily in the lower Willamette but not a great many of them although there was an 18 Chinook for 24 boat check on the lower Channel on Thursday. Catch-and release sturgeon fishing is still producing many fish.

McKenzie fly fishers will face a little challenge with rising water over the next few days but as the river comes into shape, trout fishing will be good.

North Santiam river levels are rising and will pit the river out of shape through much of the coming week. After recovery, there should be some steelhead available.

Sandy water conditions are good although it remains to be seen what effect rainfall over the next several will have. Up to now, steelheading and springer fishing have been slow. Much the same on the Clackamas River.

Northwest Oregon – Steelheaders have hung it up for the season on the north coast. There should be some summer steelhead available in the Wilson and Nestucca systems but anglers are starting to focus on spring Chinook in the region. Although it’s still a bit early, there have been reports from a few locations in Tillamook Bay and the Nestucca system. Peak season is still 3 weeks away.

Bottomfishing has been off the hook but consistent catches of lingcod are hard to come by. The mouth of the Columbia and the Port of Garibaldi have both been putting out easy limits of sea bass.

Low tides through the weekend could prove productive for razor clam diggers but if the ocean swell prediction comes through with the low pressure system, all bets are off.

Central & South Coast Reports – Fishery managers set salmon fishing seasons this week. Chinook on the central coast will last through Oct. 31. An un-marked coho season Sept. 3-30, or quota of 7,500 fish.The Oregon commission will be asked to approve an Elk/Sixes River ocean bubble fishery the same as last year, but reduce the Chetco bubble fishery to two weekends, Oct. 1-3 and 8-9.

Rockfish and lingcod catches are excellent off the central Oregon coast with ocean crabbing picking up slightly.

The lower Umpqua has produced a few spring Chinook and will be steadily picking up in the coming weeks as we move into the season. Crabbing is poor in Winchester Bay.

Spring Chinook will be entering the lower Rogue but anglers should be aware of fluctuating water levels and fish accordingly. The Grants Pass stretches have been producing some winter steelhead. Prospects for steelheaders are fair to good on the upper Rogue. The chance to keep one wild winter steelhead 24 inches or longer per day and five per year is over at the end of April.

Boats launching out of the Port of Brookings have been doing well for rockfish and lingcod. Anglers are reminded that the Chetco River is closed for now.

Fishing is closed for now on the Elk River.

Diamond Lake is nearly ice-free although trout fishing has been slow in the cold water here.

Central & Eastern – Trout fishing on the Deschutes has been fair to good although prospects look to be improving over the week to come.

Kokanee fishing has remained good all week at Odell Lake with jigs most effective.

Among other high lakes, Lava Lake will be accessible for the coming weekend.

The John Day River has been producing good catches of large smallmouth.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will open the upper Snake River for spring Chinook fishing on Saturday, April 23rd. Be certain to check the regulations for this fishery.

SW Washington – The Cowlitz River continues to boot out fantastic catches of steelhead for boaters and spring Chinook fishing is good too. It may not be 25,000 returning adults good however. This writer is starting to speculate that the prediction of springers to the mouth may have been over-estimated. Bank anglers are doing well too, with both steelhead and springers hitting the bank.

There are some fish coming from the Kalama and pressure is much lighter here than on the Cowlitz.

The Wind and Drano Lake fisheries are under-performing, not unexpected given passage over Bonneville Dam. We should start to see numbers climb to 1,000 to 2,000 adults per day if this prediction is going to come through.

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