SW Washington fishing

NSIA’s 13^th Annual Banquet is this Saturday, December 1^st. We’ll get to revel in huge successes this year as NSIA’s participation in discussion have helped bring a significant change about how the states of Oregon and Washington manage the Columbia River. Join us in this fun-filled event by checking out details here: www.nsiafishing.org.

 

SW Washington- Winter steelhead are starting to show on some district streams with the Cowlitz likely to produce the best early run catches of the big 3. The Kalama, Lewis and Washougal are all winter steelhead options too but don’t receive the same hatchery returns as the Cowlitz.

 

The Lewis remains the best bet for late run chinook when the flows become fishable. Although many of the fish are dark, some fresh run fish should still be available through mid-month.

 

Check the WDF&W web site for razor clam openings; they are scheduled through December 1^st.

SW Washington fishing report

SW Washington- With the exception of the Lewis River, most tributary systems are done for salmon for the year. Several regulation changes occur at the end of November/December 1^stso study them before departure.

The Lewis should remain a fair to good option for chinook for another few weeks. Fresh fish will continue to arrive.

Winter steelhead have already been taken in several district tributaries this week. The Washougal, Cowlitz and Lewis are top options for motivated anglers.

 

Willamette Valley/Metro- With the Portland area rivers swollen and dirty, few anglers will make the effort this week. Sturgeon can still be caught (and released) in the Willamette and Columbia Rivers despite the less than desirable conditions. Look to shallower water than normal and stay out of the heaviest current and present your offering in lanes that are out of the path of floating debris. Remember to offer a bait that has a lot of scent to it, so it may easily be found by the nearly blind sturgeon. Whole squid is the ideal bait as it is durable and has a very strong odor that many sturgeon will not pass up. Try squid, garlic, sardine, anchovy or earthworm oil. Other baits such as smelt, sand shrimp or roll-mop herring will work as well, either alone or in tandem.

 

Early this week, the McKenzie water level shot nearly off the chart - literally. It was 11,000 cfs and rising on November 20th, which means it's unlikely to fish by the weekend.

 

The Santiams are predictably blown out this week and will be slow to recover. Chase steelhead elsewhere over the holiday weekend.

 

The Sandy and Clackamas Rivers should begin to drop by the weekend and might be worth the effort for anglers looking to catch the season's first steelhead. Plunking the lower stretches with spin-n-glows and sand shrimp or coon shrimp will be the ticket. On the

Clack, Riverside Park just below the boat ramp is a great plunking spot. On the Sandy try Lewis and Clark or Dabney for good plunking access. Until the water clears, keep your presentation close to shore as the steelhead will travel in two to five feet of water. They also will travel along the path of least resistance, so inside corners, current breaks and seams will be the preferred water to fish.

Northwest – Prior to the deluge, chinook fishing was fair at best on the lower Wilson River. With the river flooding early in the week, conditions may be ideal again by the weekend. The Kilchis should fish first, maybe as early as Friday, but chinook numbers on this system have been sub-par this season. Driftboats will likely be out in force over the weekend however with the Wilson, Kilchis, Trask and Nestucca most likely to produce in that order.

Tillamook Bay itself may present the earliest option with early morning incoming tides producing the best opportunity for trollers working the Ghost Hole and Bay City for late run chinook. Tillamook Bay should also have some sturgeon available although tides don’t improve until the weekend for this species.

 

The season’s first steelhead have been caught with the Kilchis and North Fork Nehalem producing the first confirmed catches. Given the absence of wild coho to the region, it’s surprising to see productive fishing this early in the season for winter steelhead. Thirty-five steelhead have already been collected at the North Fork hatchery. It should fish well by Thanksgiving Day.

 

Crabbing will be a poor option for most north coast systems except for the lower Columbia, where it’s white hot and Netarts Bay which is mildly productive. The early morning high tide will produce the best results.

 

Southwest- On Tuesday this week, southwest Oregon was still getting hammered by rain storms. Fortunately, the weather is forecast to moderate on Wednesday with a dry day forecast for Thanksgiving.

 

On November 20, the ODFW is reporting all wild coho fisheries except the Alsea, which closed in October, remain open. The Siuslaw has been near quota fulfillment for weeks, however.

 

Ocean crabbing remains closed until Saturday, December 1st. Crabbing in bays had been good but has been negatively affected by freshets this week, particularly in smaller estuaries.

 

While offshore bottom fishing is usually excellent, it won't be on the holiday menu as ocean conditions are predicted to remain rough through the coming weekend.

 

Chinook and coho catches were slow prior to the storms on the Coos and Coquille, drawing little interest from anglers. Rain this week is likely to wrap up chinook fishing for the season.

 

The lower and middle stretches of the Rogue are running high this week but may fish by the coming weekend. Prior to the deluge, a 57-pound chinook was caught on the lower Rogue by a bait angler. Steelheading on the upper Rogue would be a logical option over the long holiday weekend. The water level will be dropping and the freshet this week will have enticed fresh summers upstream.

 

The Chetco River was low and clear until storms hit over the past weekend. It is well above fishing levels this week but is forecast to drop to decent levels by the coming weekend when it should fish well with fresh chinook available. It may be possible to plunk effectively on Thanksgiving Day but almost certainly by Friday this week.

 

High and muddy on Tuesday this week, the Elk and Sixes respond rapidly to changes in weather and are expected to fish later this week with fresh chinook in the systems.

 

Eastern – Steelheading has been fair on the lower Deschutes. Runs are cyclical but this year, observers believe numbers are the lowest since the mid-80s. It's still quite possible to take a fish or two in a day. Fly fishing for redsides has remained worthwhile.

 

Steelheading has been fair to good on the Grande Ronde near Troy. While the run numbers are off this year, summers taken this week have been big ones.

 

Soapbox Update: Save the date! One more commission meeting to go until Columbia River management reform is on the books! Mark your calendars NOW for the December 7^th ODF&W commission meeting in Salem. It’ll be a good one and sport anglers should show up!

 

SW Washington fishing report

SW Washington- The Lewis River remains the best bet for late season chinook. Dark chinook are still being caught on the Cowlitz.

 

Late season returns of coho continue to disappoint anglers and managers. Hopefully, this won’t translate into a poor steelhead return. Steelhead should begin to show on the Cowlitz pretty soon.

 

Klickitat casters are still taking an occasional coho. Effort and success will likely wind down in the coming week.

SW Washington fishing

SW Washington- Following the high flows of last week, boaters did see a slight spike in success for both chinook and coho. Overall however, coho numbers remain fair at best.

 

Chinook will remain the best option on the Lewis River with a dwindling opportunity on the Cowlitz.

 

The Klickitat River adjacent to the Columbia will remain a fair option for late-run coho for another few weeks but given this year’s lower return, anglers are often going away empty handed.

SW Washington fishing reports

Willamette Valley/Metro- All the local rivers are swollen from the rains, leaving few options for fishing this week.  Last week a handful of anglers reported good catch and release sturgeon fishing in the Portland Harbor. Most are undersize and barely legal size with the occasional larger fish. Even with the rise in water levels, these fish will likely still be hanging around and may offer some action. Barbless hooks are required and bait is legal. Smelt is the top bait if you can find them but herring, squid, sand shrimp, anchovies and good old earthworms will catch sturgeon any day. Most action happens just above and below the St Johns Bridge so launching at Cathedral Park or Swan Island would be the norm. Anchor in water from 30-80 feet of depth and use 4-12 ounces of lead. Steer clear of the shipping channel as ship traffic will remain steady.

McKenzie River levels should start to drop late this week as precipitation moderates. Caddis will remain the predominant pattern, whether nymphs, emergers or dries.

The Santiams are high and muddy, with conditions forecast to remain that way into the first full week of November.

When the rain begins to subside and the Sandy and Clackamas begin to drop, look for a few remnant silvers and expect the first winter steelhead to be caught from Meldrum Bar. Regulations change for salmon and trout on these systems beginning November 1^st.

Northwest – Although effort has been light at mid-week, chinook remain available for the few willing to brave torrent conditions on Tillamook Bay. Rivers remain high, contributing to a stained estuary but chinook often stage at Bay City, the Ghost Hole and at the mouths of these rivers until river flows subside. Herring will take fish in turbid conditions but employ the use of scents for further attraction.

 

Dick’s Sporting Goods in Lake Oswego will host a fall chinook seminar on November 8^th, detailing the best methods to employ when pursuing these fish in fresh water. The event runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

 

Tillamook area rivers are currently blown out, forcing a cancellation of the North Coast Rendezvous. Rivers, especially smaller tributaries such as the Necanicum and Kilchis, should provide some opportunity as early as Friday although leafy debris will likely hamper success for several more days. Watch for dangerous sweeper logs however as drenched stream banks and high winds certainly caused hazardous blow-downs for driftboaters.

 

The Trask and Wilson may fish by the weekend but plan on clearing lures and baits of leafy debris constantly to fish effectively. Both plugs and bait should be effective and fish should be plentiful when flows subside.

 

The Nehalem fishery is effectively over. This system will take a long time to clear and with fall rains underway, ideal conditions may not be witnessed for a long while.   

 

Southwest- Offshore conditions have kept recreational and charter craft inshore over the past week. Forecasts indicate un-friendly ocean conditions off the central coast this week.

 

The Siuslaw wild coho fishery may be closing in the near future, depending on river conditions. As of October 28th, 1,590 or 93.5% of the 1,700-fish quota had been taken. The Alsea closed earlier but the Siletz, Yaquina Umpqua Coos and Coquille will fish for a while.

 

The wild coho troll fishery at Siltcoos has been producing for a few weeks while Tahkenitch and Tenmile will start putting out fish in the next week or two.

 

Chinook and coho catches have slowed in Winchester Bay and the Umpqua mainstem. Smallmouth bass fishing is slowing as water temperatures drop in the Elkton stretch. Summer steelheading is fair on the North Umpqua where chinook fishing is disallowed.

 

Catches of coho and chinook have slowed on the lower Coquille and in Coos Bay and River.

 

Trollers in the Rogue estuary have been experiencing fair results for chinook and coho. Rogue levels are forecast to spike over the coming weekend, and then drop in the week to come. Freshets are luring salmon upstream where anglers are intercepting them. A combination of chinook, adult steelhead and half-pounders are being caught around Agness. Steelheading has improved on the middle Rogue with eggs or egg imitations effective. Gear fishing will once again be allowed on the upper Rogue as the flies-only restriction ends November 1st. Fishing is expected to be quite good as upper river summers have seen only feathery offerings and egg imitations for months.

 

Chetco estuary trollers have been taking fair but steady numbers of chinook on anchovies or herring with best results occurring on an incoming tide. The Chetco, scheduled to open above River Mile 2.2 on Saturday, November 2nd, opens today thanks to decent river volume and should provide chinook opportunities as rain continues to fall in the southwest. Following an increase to roughly 5,000 cfs, long range projections have the water dropping shortly after the opener but plunking will probably be the technique of choice at first. Last season, salmon to 40 pounds or better were landed.

 

Eastern – Fishing has been slow to fair on the Deschutes as anglers deal with periodic turbidity as a result of periodic rainfall and a mobilization of glacial sediment.

 

While northwest Oregon has endured a deluge recently, the Crooked River has remained low and stable. It is fishing well. Clouds and rain will trigger BWO hatches.

 

SW Washington- With most lower Columbia tributaries on a steady rise, anglers will have some additional opportunity for coho and chinook following the drop. That drop however may not take place until late in the weekend.

District rivers are far from the coho counts of 2011 confirming a downturn in returning trends this year. None-the-less, fair action can still be anticipated on the Cowlitz with limited opportunity on the other systems.

 

Anglers may want to look to the more controlled reservoirs upstream of The Dalles and the Bonneville Pool. Coho catches at the mouth of the Klickitat should remain consistent.

 

Soapbox Update: Two noteworthy events coming up this week:

 

Dick’s Sporting Goods in Lake Oswego will host a fall chinook seminar on November 8^th, detailing the best methods to employ when pursuing these fish in fresh water. The event runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Pro guide and publisher of The Guide’s Forecast Bob Rees will deliver this critical information to help you catch more fish. North Coast State Forest Coalition organizer Chris Smith will co-present with Bob on actions the coalition are doing in order to  fully protect sensitive spawning and rearing grounds for wild salmon on state forest lands. More info can be found at the coalition’s web site and check out the other outings we’re offering in the following weeks: www.forestlegacy.org

 

The other big upcoming event is the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife commission meeting in Salem on November 9^th. At this meeting the public will get an opportunity to testify on behalf of Governor Kitzhaber’s initiative for a sportfishing priority for the Columbia River. This is an unprecedented opportunity for anglers to advocate for drastic changes on allocation, thus meaningful fishing time for spring chinook, summer chinook, sturgeon and coho on the river that produces more angler trips than any other body of water in Oregon. For more information on how you can join this effort most effectively, contact Bob Rees at brees@pacifier.com