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+--- Thread: Fishing report for Oregon and SW Washington (/showthread.php?tid=606293)
Fishing report for Oregon and SW Washington - TGF - 08-10-2010
Willamette Valley/Metro - Steelhead fishing remains the best option for both boat and bank anglers downstream of Bonneville Dam. Spinners remain a top producer and will likely remain so with water temperatures on the increase.
Fall Chinook on the mainstem Columbia are now on deck but catches aren't likely to improve for a few more weeks. Anglers that do intercept chinook no longer have to look for an adipose fin-clip. With such a large run in the forecast, anglers should get their wobblers in advance as they will be hard to find when the fish start biting.
Water temperature at Willamette Falls and the lower river remains in the 70-degree range, which means warmwater gamefish is the only option.
Fishing is fair to good on the upper McKenzie for hatchery and native trout.
Level and flow on the North Santiam is stable. Steelheading is fair but steady.
Fish the upper Clackamas at first light for the best chance at a steelhead. There are large numbers of steelhead holding near River Mill Dam, both upstream and down where anglers can have good access to them depending on their migration patterns. Trout fishing is fair above Estacada.
Warm weather has the low waters of the Sandy periodically turning glacial gray. Fishing is slow although flashy spinners have gotten a few strikes. Observers were witnessing fresh spring chinook still making their way upstream from the lower river but rafters typically dominate the waterways this time of year.
Northwest - Offshore catches of salmon have typically frustrated anglers seeking coho this time of year. Out of Garibaldi, limits are attainable on some days with a rare keeper the next. Hatchery coho destined for the Columbia are typically available in good numbers out of mid-coast ports this time of year.
Anglers pursuing salmon out of the mouth of the Columbia are also finding sporadic results. Catches seem to be more consistent to the north of the mouth with more chinook beginning to show in the catches. Anglers are still finding a large percentage of wild coho and undersized chinook in the catch but higher ratios of keeper salmon are just a week or two away.
The catch and keep sturgeon fishery on the lower Columbia is now closed but ended with anglers finding some of the best fishing of the season taking place. Catch and release fishing remains open and the action can be great, especially for those using anchovies for bait.
Crabbing has picked up for those soaking pots in the ocean. Fresh salmon or tuna carcasses will produce the best result but cage your baits to keep seals and sealions from stealing your baits.
The Buoy 10 fishery opened with fair catches although any flurries of activity were short-lived. Quality chinook were taken at the mouth of Young's Bay at first light and a few chinook were taken on the red buoy line on the first part of outgoing tide. The commercial fleet will fish downstream of Tongue Point 2 more nights; tonight and Sunday night. Plan your trip accordingly. Don't forget to sign up for the Buoy 10 challenge this year. With a $1000.00 and $500.00 big fish prize at stake, it's really something to get busy with! Go here for details: http://www.theguidesforecast.com/2010Buoy10Registration.pdf
Although chinook season is now open in many coastal estuaries, the action isn't likely to pick up until early September. Early run coho may become available later in August on the Tillamook and Nehalem systems although all wild coho must be released this year.
Southwest - A series of early morning minus tides start this weekend. Clamming in estuaries should be worthwhile early Sunday morning.
Water deeper than 120 feet (20 fathoms) will remain closed to bottom fishing for the remainder of the year.
Albacore were boated offshore over the past weekend off the central Oregon coast but warm water is still a long trip to reach.
Winchester Bay has continued to produce limits of surf perch as have area beaches. South jetty anglers are doing well although pressure is light. Chinook are entering on the incoming tides. Salmon fishing has been fair around Reedsport while ocean fishing is slow.
Chinook have started nosing into the lower Coquille with anglers taking a few recently.
Cold ocean temperatures have hampered salmon fishing out of Charleston. Coos Bay anglers are making decent catches of rockfish and greenling along the jetties.
High winds and numerous baitfish in Rogue Bay combined over the past weekend to slow Chinook fishing slightly on the lower river but large fish are slamming hooks whenever conditions allow. Best results are occurring evenings on an outgoing tide. Run forecasts indicate good numbers this season.
The 20-fathom depth restriction hasn't prevented boats launching out of Brookings Harbor from taking limits of rockfish although wind has been problematic at times. The weekend prediction is more favorable however. Offshore coho catches have been fair but Chinook takes are slow. The Chetco closed August 1st upstream of the BPA powerlines at River Mile 2.2.
No fall Chinook fishing is allowed on the Sixes River through the end of 2010.
Eastern - Steelheading has been fair near the mouth of the Deschutes although high water temps endure. Cooler releases upstream should help to alleviate the problem soon. Steelhead are also being taken from Beavertail to Mack's Canyon and passage at Sherars Falls is good for this time of year. Redsides are responding to spent mayflies.
SW Washington - In a time when steelhead fishing should be peaking, most district streams are producing poorly for no apparent reason. The Cowlitz and Lewis Rivers are poor in the upstream areas and even the mouth of the Cowlitz is poor, even though thousands of fish per day are likely passing by. An encroaching sandbar has changed the hydro-dynamics here.
The Drano Lake fishery is producing good catches of steelhead. Nearly 80% of the anglers fishing here reported catch here last week although a significant number of the fish being caught are wild, requiring release.
The White Salmon and Klickitat Rivers are also fair options this time of year with fair numbers of returning hatchery steelhead expected back to these watersheds.
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