02-08-2004, 10:35 PM
Oregon Fisheries Update
February 6th – February 12th , 2004
Get prepared for some of the 470,000 spring chinook that will be returning to the Columbia and Willamette Rivers this spring by ordering your supply of Bob's Bait Wraps RIGHT HERE.
Guide packs CAN ONLY BE ORDERED THROUGH OUR WEB SITE and should be ordered before the glut hits in the middle of the season. We guarantee your order will be shipped within 3 days of its receipt so you receive it BEFORE the season starts. So get your orders filled now or risk going without!
Get 'em while they're cold! Fresh smelt are available in quantity and quality. Commercial gillnetter Gary Soderstrom has fresh netted (pre-spawn) smelt for sale for $2.00/lb. To get yours, call Gary at (360) 430-3317. These smelt fish better than the dipped ones because most of them haven't spawned yet. They are worth their price! Tell Gary that Bob Rees sent you and he'll give you the pick of the litter!
The Columbia continues to be less-than-impressive for sturgeon and not so much an option for salmon as well. Commercial gillnetters are getting many more smelt than either sturgeon or salmon on the mainstem. Despite staging numbers of smelt at the mouth of the Cowlitz River, sturgeon fishing is not great until you get close to the mouth of the Willamette River.
And speaking of smelt…. Some quick limits came from the Cowlitz near the Carnival Market. It is certainly the beginning of the run but by what most folks are saying, dippable numbers of fish should be in the river by the time this report hits the presses.
The Willamette kicked out a few springers in the only hole that is fishing at these water heights - the mouth of the Clackamas. Hogliners and plunkers are taking a few, and I mean a few springers in this area. Be prepared for high intensity fishing if you plan on participating in this fishery!
Sandy River fishing showed signs of life this week with the help of a dropping snow level. Broodstock steelhead were taken throughout the river system and a 20 pounder was reported mid-week.
The Clackamas also perked up in action for most anglers working its waters. All drifts produced good results but the Barton to Carver drift has the potential of holding fish longer than the lower drifts due to the hydrology of the river. Eagle Creek has yet to produce any great quantities of fish and that will likely continue to be the case. However the bite should improve slightly from what we have witnessed the last several weeks.
The coastal systems saw a good shot of steelhead after flood influenced waters receded. The Kilchis and Necanicum Rivers both produced well in the early part of the week followed up by the bigger systems like the Wilson, Trask and Nestucca Rivers. These rivers will begin to taper in action after the initial shot they received but still remain good options for the weekend.
Fortunately, many of the coastal rivers did not reach the flood levels forecasted by the NOAA. the Siletz was predicted to rise several feet above flood stage but stayed within its banks. It's returning to fishable levels now and should provide steelhead action. Plunkers on the Umpqua are scoring steelhead this week in higher-than-normal water of fishable clarity.
The Grande Ronde River in Eastern Oregon fell victim to the inclement weather conditions as well as catch rates proved it over the weekend. With temperatures stabilizing and water levels tapering, fishing will once again improve for those willing to go the extra distance for these steelhead.
Trout have been planted this week in Huddleston, E.E. Wilson, and Walling Ponds in addition to Walter Wirth Lake in Cascade Gateway Park. Extensive stocking will occur the week of February 9th, details of which will appear in the next TGF.
More on the site:
[url "http://www.TheGuidesForecast.com/"]http://www.TheGuidesForecast.com/[/url]
Go to -
[url "http://www.TheGuidesForecast.com/"]http://www.TheGuidesForecast.com/[/url] and sign up to have this report e-mailed to you every Thursday night for FREE.
You can also subscribe to the full version of the TGF report giving you much more detail and access to professional guide's tips and tricks.
The Guide's Forecast
Helping you catch more fish!
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February 6th – February 12th , 2004
Get prepared for some of the 470,000 spring chinook that will be returning to the Columbia and Willamette Rivers this spring by ordering your supply of Bob's Bait Wraps RIGHT HERE.
Guide packs CAN ONLY BE ORDERED THROUGH OUR WEB SITE and should be ordered before the glut hits in the middle of the season. We guarantee your order will be shipped within 3 days of its receipt so you receive it BEFORE the season starts. So get your orders filled now or risk going without!
Get 'em while they're cold! Fresh smelt are available in quantity and quality. Commercial gillnetter Gary Soderstrom has fresh netted (pre-spawn) smelt for sale for $2.00/lb. To get yours, call Gary at (360) 430-3317. These smelt fish better than the dipped ones because most of them haven't spawned yet. They are worth their price! Tell Gary that Bob Rees sent you and he'll give you the pick of the litter!
The Columbia continues to be less-than-impressive for sturgeon and not so much an option for salmon as well. Commercial gillnetters are getting many more smelt than either sturgeon or salmon on the mainstem. Despite staging numbers of smelt at the mouth of the Cowlitz River, sturgeon fishing is not great until you get close to the mouth of the Willamette River.
And speaking of smelt…. Some quick limits came from the Cowlitz near the Carnival Market. It is certainly the beginning of the run but by what most folks are saying, dippable numbers of fish should be in the river by the time this report hits the presses.
The Willamette kicked out a few springers in the only hole that is fishing at these water heights - the mouth of the Clackamas. Hogliners and plunkers are taking a few, and I mean a few springers in this area. Be prepared for high intensity fishing if you plan on participating in this fishery!
Sandy River fishing showed signs of life this week with the help of a dropping snow level. Broodstock steelhead were taken throughout the river system and a 20 pounder was reported mid-week.
The Clackamas also perked up in action for most anglers working its waters. All drifts produced good results but the Barton to Carver drift has the potential of holding fish longer than the lower drifts due to the hydrology of the river. Eagle Creek has yet to produce any great quantities of fish and that will likely continue to be the case. However the bite should improve slightly from what we have witnessed the last several weeks.
The coastal systems saw a good shot of steelhead after flood influenced waters receded. The Kilchis and Necanicum Rivers both produced well in the early part of the week followed up by the bigger systems like the Wilson, Trask and Nestucca Rivers. These rivers will begin to taper in action after the initial shot they received but still remain good options for the weekend.
Fortunately, many of the coastal rivers did not reach the flood levels forecasted by the NOAA. the Siletz was predicted to rise several feet above flood stage but stayed within its banks. It's returning to fishable levels now and should provide steelhead action. Plunkers on the Umpqua are scoring steelhead this week in higher-than-normal water of fishable clarity.
The Grande Ronde River in Eastern Oregon fell victim to the inclement weather conditions as well as catch rates proved it over the weekend. With temperatures stabilizing and water levels tapering, fishing will once again improve for those willing to go the extra distance for these steelhead.
Trout have been planted this week in Huddleston, E.E. Wilson, and Walling Ponds in addition to Walter Wirth Lake in Cascade Gateway Park. Extensive stocking will occur the week of February 9th, details of which will appear in the next TGF.
More on the site:
[url "http://www.TheGuidesForecast.com/"]http://www.TheGuidesForecast.com/[/url]
Go to -
[url "http://www.TheGuidesForecast.com/"]http://www.TheGuidesForecast.com/[/url] and sign up to have this report e-mailed to you every Thursday night for FREE.
You can also subscribe to the full version of the TGF report giving you much more detail and access to professional guide's tips and tricks.
The Guide's Forecast
Helping you catch more fish!
[signature]