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Willamette Valley – Steelhead passage at Bonneville continue to climb but success rates in the area for summer steelhead have slowed. Closer to Longview however, summer steelhead action produced just over a 1 fish per boat average. Chinook action continues to be slow but that’s to be expected as we transition from the summer to fall run of Chinook.

Fish counts at Willamette Falls are nearly up to date and indicate passage of salmon and steelhead has slowed. The water temperature, 74 at the Falls, does not make for productive fishing.

Sparkling waters of the McKenzie harbor rainbow trout, only the flick of a fly away from becoming your adversary. But which fly? Summer steelhead are also in the river now.

Despite the Santiam system dropping to lower levels and running crystal clear, steelheaders are finding some summers to catch.

We remarked this week that we are growing weary of the terms, “low and clear.” Tired of reading it, tired of writing it, but it’s that time of year and the Clackamas reflects just that, making it a tough nut for summer steelheaders. The splash and giggle crowd don’t help either.

An exception to the ‘low and clear’ refrain is the Sandy River, where hot temperatures send milky, glacial water into the river from the flanks of Mt. Hood to create a situation of low but not so clear.

Northwest Oregon – By all counts, fishing on the north coast remains challenging. Ocean salmon fishing for coho, traditionally at peak catch periods right now, remains slow. Coho have either been incredibly elusive or non-existent but anglers are having a hard time finding them.

Bottomfishing remains good but lingcod catches have slowed even further. Black seabass remain abundant and should continue to produce well into August.

Tuna chasers still have to go far offshore to find consistent action but the weekend ocean forecast does not look favorable for a far offshore foray.

The nearshore halibut fishery remains mediocre for success but the halibut are averaging larger than 20 pounds. Another all-depth is planned for August 5 – 6, hopefully, the weather cooperates.

Summer steelhead anglers remain predictably challenged by the low water conditions currently witnessed on the Nestucca, Wilson and Siletz River systems. There are fair numbers of fish present however.

The fin-clipped only requirement in Tillamook Bay and adjacent ocean areas lifts on August 1st but success is likely to remain fair at best for most of the month of August.

Central & South Coast Reports – A fishery bound to get the attention of many offshore anglers, that of the the popular non-hatchery, wild ocean coho may be kept starting September 3rd will continue through September 30th unless the quota of 7,500 fish is caught first.

Although most anglers think summer steelhead when the Siletz River is mentioned, and rightly so, another fishery has just started up, that for sea-run cutthroat trout. Fishing will get better into the fall.

Albacore tuna fishing is hot. It seems those who do it are enraptured with it while those who have never done it want to. An extremely exciting experience wrestling with these critters, which are born swimming and never stop, and doing so in the fishes’ own element.

In his report this week, Fishing sage and author of numerous books on the subject, Pete Heley (peteheley.com) reports that the pinkfin surf perch fishery in the Umpqua River above Winchester Bay has slowed way down this week although there are still some around..

Trollers in Rogue Bay have had some good days with a mix of early fall Chinook mingling with late-season springers. Summer steelhead are entering the low, clear waters of the lower Rogue. Steelheaders on the middle river have been catching a few fish over the past week while fishing on the upper Rogue remains fair to good.

Bottom fishing out of the Port of Brookings has been stellar when winds have allowed boats to launch. Good numbers of rockfish are being landed along with large lingcod. Offshore salmon fishing has improved a little with Chinook and coho being landed. Halibut is open south of Humbug Mountain to the California line seven days a week.

Trout fishing has been good and remains so at Diamond Lake.

Central & Eastern – The big news on the Deschutes River, unfortunastely, isn’t about the fishing but rather the fire actively burning on the west bank from Warm Springs to Trout Creek. While the river is open at this writing, that may change.

East Lake has been producing decent numbers of trout to fly fishers who know which pattern to offer and when.

Timothy Lake is well-known as one of the most productive locations for crawfish in Oregon. There are good-sized trout here as well. What do you suppose they eat to grow so large?

Despite a significant algae bloom, thick and soupy in places, hearty Odell Lake kokanee anglers carry on. While the algae blooms, anglers are catching fish..

Wickiup kokanee fishers have continued to do well for large fish. There is a little algae in the water but nothing major.

SW Washington – The Cowlitz River remains productive for summer steelhead. About a 1/2 fish per rod was tallied for boat anglers last weekend. It should remain productive but will likely taper in the coming weeks. Salmon interest will alleviate some of the crowds here.

Drano Lake is posting impressive catches, especially for boat anglers. Boat anglers produced better than 1 fish per rod in the recent creel data. The majority of the fish were hatchery fish. This fishery is peaking right now.

Most anglers remain focused on mainstem Columbia summer steelhead opportunities. That will also change as salmon become more prevalent and water temperatures continue to rise.

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Willamette Valley – Chinook passage at Bonneville is starting to taper but catches were fair to good for gorge boats participating in the fishery. The run is over here so catch rates won’t improve again for at least another month. Summer steelhead anglers working the mainstem remain pleased with their catches and although passage numbers are above last year at this time, they remain below the 10-year average.

Lower Willamette water temperatures are in the 70s with little change over the past week. Fish counts at the Falls,
while good for the most part, are backed up to the 8th of the month. Fish shad as the run winds down or catch-and-release sturgeon.

Water level and flows on the McKenzie are expected to settle down and stabilize over the coming weekend and fish well for fly casters.

With a majority of the fish being counted heading for the Santiam system, it’s a decent destination for anglers targeting summer steelhead or spring Chinook.

Clackamas water levels are low and clear, having been uneffaced by recent showers. It has summer steelhead in good number and spring Chinook to a lesser number so fishing is expected to be good for stealthy anglers.

Despite summer weather triggering a glacial event on the Sandy, turning the water gray green, there are good numbers of steelhead of the summer variety and Chinook of the late spring vintage.

Northwest Oregon – Offshore salmon anglers are still scratching their heads, wondering if any number of coho will show in the fishery this year. Catch rates remain low but improving, with little time left to fill the quota. The next 3 weeks is peak season for most northern ports.

Thankfully, albacore action is keeping anglers busy out of most ports with no one port consistently producing more than another. Tuna are still taking trolled tuna clones but are becoming more receptive to live bait.

Ocean crabbing is good but crabbers are still talking about a high percentage of softshells in the catch.

The Nehalem fishery is becoming a better option but it’s far from limit fishing. Stronger tides have anglers focused on the Wheeler fishery but we’re still weeks away from peak season here.

Cool, cloudy weather is keeping summer steelhead anglers on the Wilson, Nestucca and Siletz systems interested. Anglers still have to stealthily approach their favorite holes, flows remain very low.

Central & South Coast Reports – During the past week, offshore winds prevented ocean launches for many boats. By the look of offshore
forecasts, launching will be a pleasure for the next several days.

Winchester Bay anglers are trolling around the town of Reedsport and catching Chinook on occasion.

Ocean fishers a catching good numbers of albacore out of every port from Newport south with some of the best catches
and shortest trips offshore occuring out of Charleston.

Professional angling author, publisher and blogger of all things fishy, Reedsport’s Pete Heley (peteheley.com) reveals this week some of the most likely State Fishing Records are to be broken in the Pacific Northwest.

Rogue Bay trollers are catching a mix of late spring and early fall fish. With better flow and cooler water temperatures, these fish will move upriver. Fishing has been slow to fair in the lower Rogue, better in the middle river as steelhead move upstream. The upper Rogue remains productive.

Bottom fishing has been fair to excellent out of the Port of Brookings. Tuna are being caught but they’re more offshore.

Trout fishing continues to produce plenty of rainbows at Diamond Lake.

Central & Eastern – Trout fishing has been fair but steady on the lower Deschutes River for those who know what to use and where to fish. Summer steelhead have started to enter the river.

The fishery that almost didn’t happen, that for spring Chinook on the Wallowa River, will close on July 24th according to an announcement from the ODFW.

Often certain bodies of water are associated with a certain type of fishing. Paulina, usually associated with kokanee fishing, has been producing good catches of trout this week.

Wind, which can sometimes cause the worst problems for fly casters on a lake, has been no problem at all at Cultus Lake where deep trollers are taking Lake Trout.

While this is not the best time of year for trophy bass on the John Day, it a great time to catch a lot of them.

SW Washington – The Cowlitz River remains the best option for tributary summer steelhead anglers and catches can be good at times. Still, most anglers remain focused on a productive mainstem Columbia steelhead fishery and the tides are ripe for good action this weekend. Summer Chinook are becoming scarce however.

Drano Lake steelhead anglers are doing well, especially from boats. Good fishing should remain through mid-August.

Merwin Reservoir received a fair planting of larger rainbow trout last week, action should be good.

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Willamette Valley – Salmon anglers working the mainstem Columbia are not that impressed with results above Longview. Catchable numbers remain present but it’s clear the run is not living up to expectations. Some anglers are reporting good success however, especially for summer steelhead fishing, which is peaking right now. Shad and sockeye action is also quickly fading.

This week, the ODFW contacted TGF to ensure us that spring Chinook were indeed being caught in the lower Willamette and report over 20 in a day.

McKenzie fly fishers should do fine over the coming weekend despite a few showers.

The Santiams will remain in good condition through the weekend with summer steelhead and spring Chinook available.

Steelheading on the Clackamas may get a little boost from precipitation this weekend even though flows won’t change much.

According to Pro Guide Jeff Stoeger of O2BFISHN Guide Service (503-704-7920), the water on the Sandy River will be clear until the weather turns hot again.

Northwest Oregon – With most anglers focused on ocean opportunity, it hasn’t been a great week for those that prefer nicer weather. Furthermore, action has slowed for offshore coho and Chinook seem to be scarce out of the mouth of the Columbia. Bottomfish remain an option on the sunken jetty during soft tide exchanges and calm seas, which hasn’t been recently.

Furthermore, the catch and release sturgeon fishing has become a bit more sporadic recently. Action remains best above the Astoria/Megler Bridge, using fresh anchovies for bait but 50 fish days are a bit more challenging to come by, especially with the recent winds the area has been experiencing.

The river fishery for salmon near Astoria is far from impressive. Although a rare Chinook is coming from the above Astoria/Megler Bridge, it is a rare occurrence and won’t change anytime soon.

Estuary crabbing in the lower Columbia is also fair at best.

South of Cape Falcon, again, calm seas have been all too rare lately. Most boats are sticking to estuary opportunity and the Nehalem fishery should be improving in the coming weeks. Effort has yet to ramp up however.

Tillamook County rivers remain low and clear and spring Chinook are deteriorating. Summer steelhead are in the Wilson and Nestucca/Three Rivers systems but you have to be sneaky to target them.

Crabbing has been good in Netarts Bay, especially if you have quality bait. Tillamook and Nehalem are a distant second.

Central & South Coast Reports – Tuna have been caught out of most Oregon ports but fishing has been better generally for those launching further south.

Bottom fishing has been good out of central coast ports. Crabbing is producing good numbers, but they still show signs of summer molting.

Trolling herring and spinners cast from the bank have taken Chinook at Winchester Bay over the past week. The pinkfin surf perch fishery is still producing here.

While the lower Rogue River is slow, trolling in the bay has been effective for a few Chinook. Middle river anglers are catching summer steelhead occasionally while winter steelhead are being caught on the upper Rogue along with some springers.

Boats launching out of Brookings can catch halibut seven days a week. Some salmon have been landed this week.

Trout fishing remains good at Diamond Lake where large trout are taken on occasion.

Central & Eastern – Metolius trout fishing has been good for those familiar with this tricky river.

East Lake has been productive for fly anglers targeting trout with Caddis imitations and large streamers.

Wickiup has been fishing well for kokanee and has delivered some large ones to anglers over the past week.

“Kokanee have been small, but numerous at Green Peter to the point of a running gag. This week it has been slow.

SW Washington – The Cowlitz remains the best option for summer steelhead but effort is slowing. The Kalama and Lewis are poor.

The mainstem Columbia remains the main focus for most anglers. Catches remain good for both boaters and bank anglers, even during this time when tides are not strong.

The Drano Lake steelhead fishery is improving and should produce good catches for the next 4 weeks, especially if water temperatures remain subdued.

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Willamette Valley – During a time when summer Chinook abundance at Bonneville should be peaking, numbers seem to be lagging right now. Catches mimic passage, in that action for both boat and bank anglers has been fair at best in the Columbia River Gorge. Action typically starts to taper after the 1st week of July but only time will tell. Summer steelhead numbers are starting to climb and action should begin to pick up dramatically, especially if water temperatures remain in check. Sockeye numbers remain good.

The ODFW is confident that springers are still being caught on the lower Willamette River although TGF has been unable to confirm. Shad and sturgeon? That’s a different story. Those you can catch.

McKenzie level and flow will be little affected by rainfall which is forecast to fall over the next several days. It is expected to fish well.

The Santiams are stable, and. With the exception of the slightest bump in levels on the North Santiam, will not rise due to rainfall. Fishing is fair to good.

While there will be little physical effect from showers, the Clackamas is expected to benefit from cooler weather and a bit of fresh water. It is expected to produce steelhead.

Pro Guide Jeff Stoeger (503-704-7920) of O2BFISHN Guide Service reports that the sandy has fish with room on the lower river if the rain shows up as predicted for the sunbathers won’t show up!

Northwest Oregon – Columbia River in-river salmon trollers continue to come back to the dock disappointed. You shoulda been here last year. Offshore trollers however are producing good catches SW of the river mouth, mostly for coho. Chinook are scarce, even along the historically productive Long Beach Peninsula. It seems more like a normal year this year.

Tuna is all the rage out of northern ports with most anglers reporting the best catches in years. Good numbers of tuna were reported 28 to 35 miles west of Astoria on Wednesday, it’s going to be a banner albacore year.

Bottomfishing is slowing along the south jetty out of Hammond

Sturgeon fishing remains productive in the lower Columbia estuary, they are a bit more spread out however. Fresh anchovies remain the bait of choice but reserve by 2:00 p.m. by calling World Class Fishing at (503) 741-1407.

Sport boats out of Garibaldi reported good catches of Chinook in the ocean near the mouth of Nehalem Bay. Nehalem itself should start to see some returning adults with the peak closer to the end of the month. Coho are a bit scarce but the few that anglers are finding, appear to be in great shape.

Nearshore halibut is predictably hit-or-miss. Sport angler Ed Hoelz of Oregon City reported a 35 pounder in about 90 foot of water off of the mouth of the Nehalem. Ed reported that crabbing was also productive and a good percentage of the keepers were in hard-shell shape.

Precipitation and cloud cover this weekend may bolster salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout fishing on north Oregon streams. Only slight river rises are in the forecast however.

Central & South Coast Reports – The Annual Oregon Rockfish Classic takes place at Depoe Bay on Saturday, July 9th, when anglers will be fishing from kayaks.

It’s time and the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast is the place! Tuna are being caught out of most south coast ports with many choosing Charleston. This is a sport requiring special 3equipment and knowledge. Know before you go.

Pete Heley, an Oregon author, publisher and blogger (peteheley,com) reports from Reedsport that Salmon fishing has been improving for anglers launching out of Winchester Bay. Limits of salmon have been taken by boats this week with Chinook up to 20 pounds.

As waters in the lower Rogue River are running quite low, clear and warm, trollers are taking the first fall Chinook in the bay. Fishing on the middle Rogue is poor but somewhat better in the upper river.

Boats launching out of the Port of Brookings have been making good catches of rockfish, ling cod and salmon.

Trout fishing has been good at Diamond Lake for those using bait. It’s been slower for trollers.

Central & Eastern – Lower Deschutes trout anglers have been hooking fair numbers of redsides with fish responding well to certain fly patterns.

Trout anglers on Fall River are expected to do well as the ODFW has been planting here regularly.

Paulina has been producing fine numbers of kokanee with best results coming to those who fish early in the day.

Kokanee catches have remained good at popular Odell Lake. Both trolling and jigging have been producing recently.|

Green Peter has continued to produce lots and lots of small kokanee. Then again, it we don’t catch the little ones, we’ll never have big ones.

SW Washington – District anglers are most likely to continue to focus on the mainstem Columbia River, especially as we enter peak season for summer steelhead. Cooler air and water temperatures are likely to keep them on the bite.

Both bank and boat anglers working the Cowlitz River are scoring better numbers of summer steelhead. Some spring Chinook remain available but the quality will begin to degrade.

The Kalama remains poor for summer steelhead and won’t likely improve.

The Drano Lake fishery is not producing good numbers either, despite improving passage at Bonneville Dam.

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Willamette Valley – The summer Chinook run is underway on the mainstem Columbia, but in consistent fashion, the action is inconsistent. There have been some flurries of action at Davis Bar for trollers but gorge anchor anglers are coming up with more consistent results. Spinners are the key, no matter if you’re trolling or anchor fishing. Peak passage often happens the first week of July so we’re nearing peak. Summer steelhead are also starting to show in greater numbers as well and some sockeye, falling to smaller gear too.

No one has shared the end of the spring Chinook season with the couple of boats still trolling on the lower Willamette. It’s really slow but they’re catching occasionally. Better fishing is available for shad or catch-and-release for sturgeon.

Recent rainfall had little effect on water conditions on the McKenzie River, but this one fishes well over most seasons and many different conditions. It’s expected to fish well for trout.

The Santiams will be dropping slowly over the coming week. The greatest percentage of fish counted at Willamette Falls are headed here. Fishing has been slow, however.

Rainfall over the past week did little on the Clackamas other than prevent it from dropping; water levels changed very little. Expect to see it drop in the coming dry week. Summer steelhead and spring Chinook are available here.

Water conditions have been good this week thanks to lower temperatures and a little rainfall. This is likely to change with the water getting some color as the weather turns hot. Steelhead and springers are scattered throughout the river.

Northwest Oregon – Summer Chinook fishing in the Astoria area remains surprisingly disappointing, especially after last years success. Action may pick up but it doesn’t look hopeful in the near future. Last year’s thermal block may have had a lot to do with estuary success. Water temperatures are much more tolerable at this point.

Sturgeon fishing in the estuary is off the hook. Action is intense for those using fresh anchovies and World Class Fishing has the highest quality bait. Call (503) 741-1407 at least a day in advance of your trip to secure your bait reservation. Taylor Sands above the Astoria bridge remains the best bet as crabs are stealing bait frequently downstream, although there are sturgeon present.

Clam diggers along Clatsop Beaches remain plenty happy with their results. Although action is likely to slow on the 2nd half of this minus tide series, limits can still be attained by those most experienced.

Tillamook Bay is still putting out brief flurries of action. It’s towards the end of the season for sure so action should continue to taper. Stronger tides this week should produce results in the upper bay, especially during high tide.

Although we’re experiencing needed rainfall in NW Oregon right now, only a slight bump in river levels is expected. None-the-less, that’s all desperate spring Chinook need in water-starved Tillamook County streams. It should provide a fresh batch of Chinook to the Trask, Wilson, Nestucca and Three Rivers systems. Summer steelhead action should also bolster.

The ocean swell looks quite tolerable this week but wind waves will inspire offshore anglers to make quick work of a bottomfish limit. Garibaldi Charters (503-322-0007) is reporting excellent success for sea bass and they’re recently spotted orca’s and grey whales inside of Tillamook Bay! Ocean crabbing is also picking up but there are a fair percentage of soft shells in the catch.

Central & South Coast Reports – Surf perch fishing off Oregon’s south coast beaches continues to yield lots of fish. The limit is 15 but take only what you need, please.

While ocean Chinook fishing has been open since mid-March, starting June 25th, hatchery (fin-clipped) coho maybe added to the salmon bag. It stands to reason that having more fish to catch means more fish in the boat, right?

More to enjoy offshore! Watch for Orcas and Grey Whales which have been sighted frequently by boats as they head to the fishing grounds.

Fishing for pinkfin surf perch has been quite good as they make their spawning run into Winchester Bay and or the lower Umpqua. Bay crabbing has improved to the point that bottom fishers in the bay have started complaining about the numbers.

Tuna fishing started early this season and has made a good showing right out of the gate, both in numbers and size of albacore. While they’re being caught out of almost every port now, Charleston has been one of the best.

Steelheaders and spring Chinook anglers have been struggling on the lower Rogue River where high water temperatures have combined with low water levels to create difficult conditions. A few are being taken by trollers in Rogue Bay. Use anchovy on a spinner rig to try this. Better fishing has been on the upper Rogue.

Trout seem to be scattered everywhere at Diamond Lake and anglers can attest to the good fishing as ‘most everybody is catching limits.

Central & Eastern – Results for redsides have been good over the past week on the lower Deschutes. Improvements have been made at Macks Canyon Campground, including a new boat ramp

Some river fish better than others in the summertime. So it is with the Metolius which is challenging to fish but has been productive this week.

Fly fishers have been taking good numbers of trout at East Lake where hatches have been occurring in the evenings.

While few trollers are taking limits at Wickiup Reservoir, these are some of the larger kokanee available to Oregon anglers.

SW Washington – District anglers remain focused on the Cowlitz River, where anglers are still finding success for spring Chinook and some summer steelhead. Action is likely to taper for Chinook and improve for steelhead in the coming weeks. Bank anglers are faring better than boaters.

The Lewis and Kalama remain poor.

The Drano Lake fishery will quickly convert to steelhead and regulations for Chinook change towards the end of the month. As we’ve stated in recent weeks, focus will change to the mainstem Columbia and the tides are right for successful beach plunking.

Trout have recently been stocked in good numbers in area lakes. Check the WDF&W web site for more details.

Bill Monroe of the Oregonian writes, “For the first time in two decades, anglers can keep up to two sturgeon per day. The sturgeon must be between 38 and 72 inches fork-length and do not have to be recorded on the state’s catch-record card (????)

“The state released several thousand hatchery sturgeon into the upper Columbia in 2003. Biologists now estimate 4,000 of them are in Wanapum Reservoir and another 2,000 are in Priest Rapids Reservoir.

“The hatchery fish weren’t marked. All within the legal-retention size window are considered hatchery origin sturgeon. The fishery is intended to reduce interaction and competition for food between the hatchery fish and larger native sturgeon.

“The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will closely monitor the season and decide later whether to repeat the fishery.”

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Willamette Valley – The Columbia River is coming on surprisingly strong in recent days. There have been reports of impressive bites for trollers in the Davis Bar area, not quite to the magnitude of the September fishery but for the amount of pressure and a mid-June fishery, it is worth your while. Furthermore, Chinook numbers crossing Bonneville Dam have also showed an impressive bump in recent days, eclipsing over 4,000 adults at mid-week. In addition, sockeye salmon, summer steelhead and shad are also entering the Columbia River system in fine fashion. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

While the ODFW stated in their fishing report that spring Chinook are still being caught in the lower Willamette, we’re pretty sure it’s not many. Shad fishing has been quite good as has catch-and-release sturgeon fishing. But you have to fish for springers in order to catch one.

McKenzie River fly anglers have been doing well with success expected to continue with weekend showers having little effect on excellent water conditions.

The Santiams are starting to show their stuff now that data at Willamette Falls shows good nubers of spring Chinook and summer steelhead moving upriver and heading for tributaries.

Fishing has been slow to fair on the Clackamas River. Levels will rise over the coming weekend to drop in the week to come. Catches of summer steelhead many times outnumber those of springers.

Water conditions turned silty and off-color on the Sandy River during the heat wave but cleared with lower temperatures and rainfall. Fishing improved with this change.

Northwest Oregon – The Tillamook Bay spring Chinook fishery never gained great momentum this season. For the most part, action for estuary Chinook starts to wind down by mid-June. The fishery switches to a tidewater and river program and fair action should maintain the fishery through early July or later. Given the current water conditions however, action will remain challenging. A recent slight bump in water levels certainly brought in better numbers of adults into the Trask, Wilson, Nestucca and Three Rivers.

Summer steelhead numbers should be growing as well, the Nestucca, Three Rivers and Wilson will offer the best chance but use small baits or muted spinners to attract biters. They will likely be in the swifter, broken surfaced waters.

As the spring Chinook fishery fades, and the Pacific Ocean offers more friendly seas, anglers will switch focus westward, in pursuit of halibut, nearshore bottomfish, salmon and soon-to-be tuna. Peak action for salmon and albacore is still weeks away but bottomfishing and halibut opportunities are what to focus on this weekend, friendly seas are ahead.

To the north, Columbia River sturgeon anglers are having a great time with ample numbers of large fish, eagerly taking anchovies and sand shrimp in the estuary. The best fishing remains upstream of Tongue Point.

The soft tide series is producing good catches of bottomfish along the sunken and south jetty of the Columbia River estuary but lingcod remain scarce.

The estuary Chinook salmon fishery should begin to take off but anglers are restricted to fish upstream of the Astoria/Megler Bridge.

Central & South Coast Reports – Tuna were caught this week out of Charleston/Coos Bay in pretty good number and decent size for so early in the season. So it begins.

Deep water halibut fishers will have more opportunities on Friday, June 17 and Saturday, June 18 as sufficient quota remains for this opening. With 92% of the quota remaining to be caught, the inshore halibut fishery will continue seven days a week.

Regular weekly contributor Pete Heley (peteheley.com) reports that the pinkfin perch fishery caught fire this week, producing many limits for anglers in Winchester Bay and on the lower Umpqua. Heley also reminds us that the smallmouth bass fishery on the Umpqua is strong now.

Spring Chinook catches have been slow on the lower Rogue due to warm water but improved this week as rain provided fresh water but also served to lower water temps. Fishing has been poor on the middle Rogue while the upper river is producing some spring Chinook as summer steelhead start to show.

Surf fishing for pinkfin perch has been excellent off beaches in the Brookings and Gold Beach areas. These fish bite best during last two hours of the incoming tide.

Salmon trollers have finally started scoring out of the Port of Brookings. Now that they’ve broken the ice (so to speak) fishing is expected to improve. Hatchery coho may be taken starting June 25th, Halibut fishing, open seven days a week here, has been slow to fair.

Since the water temperature improved at Diamond Lake, trout fishing has remained pretty good. Be certain to release any tiger trout (they’ll be small).

Central & Eastern – The Stonefly hatch on the lower Deschutes has concluded for the year. Fly fishers continue to take trout on other patterns.

Trolling at Green Peter Reservoir has been producing great numbers and usually limits of kokanee but these fish are running small.

Trout fishing has been worthwhile at Lava Lake this week.

East Lake has been producing decent catches of trout to bait anglers.

This is a great time to fish almost any of the Cascade Lakes as the majority are fishing well.

While not totally resolved, the gate at Starvation Lane which is used for public access to Starvation Point on the John Day is now open.

SW Washington – As Chinook opportunity winds down, summer steelhead numbers are climbing, especially for Cowlitz River anglers although the Lewis and Kalama will also remain options.

Serious Chinook and steelhead anglers will begin to focus most of their effort on the mainstem Columbia, which should pay dividends given the large return size that’s in the forecast. Beach fishing is soon to peak and Washington beaches, especially on the stronger outgoing tide series, often pays dividends during this time of year.

The Drano Lake and Wind River steelhead fisheries should also begin to light up. The action is often best at night.

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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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