Fishing report for the week of Don't forget our e-mailed fisheries update, soapbox updates, photos and more are on our home page at http://www.theguidesforecast.com/ volume 3 issue number 32 Columbia River Fishing Report- Not a whole lot of enthusiasm here as the bitter east wind has kept anglers from fishing in the gorge. The mouth of the Willamette, Sauvies Island and Troutdale areas have been booting out some keepers but success for keepers has become a hit and miss proposition. ODF&W checks showed Portland to Longview Boats with 17 legal white sturgeon kept, plus 2 legal, and 206 sublegals released for 50 boats. Troutdale boats showed 2 legal white sturgeon kept, plus 47 sublegals released for 5 boats. Gorge boats had 2 legal white sturgeon retained, plus 46 sublegals released for 6 boats. Gorge bank checking showed 3 legal white sturgeon kept, plus 1 oversize released for 24 bank rods. Pro guide Dan Ponciano reported that fresh smelt were in the river but not readily available to sport anglers. Some commercial gillnetters caught some but did not sell to the bait market. Dan also stated, even with fresh smelt, keepers can be hard to target this time of year as food is relatively scarce in any concentrations, spreading the fish around. Pro guide Jody Mather reports fishing in Goble as slow and needing much lead to keep your baits down- 48 ounces in fact! It's just that time of year- you may have to search for them and hope for a little luck as well The Guide's Forecast- It will be the luck factor that dictates your angler success for a short while. Fresh smelt (when available) will be a good ticket but sand shrimp is a steady producer this time of year. The Kelly Point area is usually a go-to spot this time of year but it too has been hit or miss. Best areas to focus efforts on are the Kelly Point area to Longview. Heavy run-off coupled with heavy tide exchanges this week will not bode well for sturgeon anglers so don't have high expectations.
 Willamette River and Santiam Rivers Fishing Report- The fish counts at Willamette Falls have took a nose dive during the rain storms, but with visibility returning, so are the steelies in great number. The latest reports show a visibility 2.2 feet, up from less than a foot as recently as December 21st. Plunkers at Meldrum Bar on the Willamette are taking steelhead fishing very close to the bank in the heavy flow, much of which is carrying a good deal of debris and creating a hazard for boaters. The North Fork Santiam remains high as Detroit Reservoir is still several feet above the necessary flood control level. If the rain holds off, allowing the reservoir to drop, the Santiam will become a desirable destination with the bridge at Swiss Village and North Fork Park prime destinations. The Guide's Forecast- Anglers plunking at Meldrum Bar should see continued success with the winter steelhead on the move now. The Santiam will probably not fish well this coming week, but a solid dry spell will create some opportunities.
Clackamas and Sandy River Fishing Reports- Finally a metro river worth fishing! Traffic has been busy on the Sandy and Clackamas Rivers. Everyone has been suffering the steelhead blues knowing that the fish are there but not having the water conditions to take advantage of it! Good news coming from the Clackamas River as pro guide Chuck Thomas took out the John Cooney group on 12/26 getting them into 4 chances, landing 3 fish. One of the fish they landed easily went 15 pounds Chuck said. Chuck stated the river wasn't so busy on the 26th but traffic had certainly picked up on the 27th! Chuck already had 3 fish in the boat on the morning of the 27th when I talked to him! The Clackamas has been dropping fast, quickly becoming a boondogglers paradise. Chuck, however, has been taking most of his fish on eggs as shrimp have not been available for a number of days. The shrimp shortage will likely not be a problem by the time this newsletter "hits the stands" as the pumpers will have been able to get after them by now. The less dense shrimp are easier to backtroll but the heavier clusters of eggs have been hard to keep off of the bottom. Chuck has been spending most of his time of the Carver to Riverside float but did Barton to Riverside on the 26th anticipating heavy crowds and nowhere to fish. Adjust accordingly. Most of his fish have been running in the 6 to 8 pound range. On the Sandy, Shelly from Jack's Snack and Tackle (503) 665-2257, reports good action for steelhead. The bank anglers have been doing well. One angler reported hooking 7 and landing 5 at Oxbow Park on 12/26 using bobber and jigs! Sand shrimp has also been working well for the plunkers. Some recycling of fish has taken place from Eagle Creek fish hatchery as workers brought down about 20 fish on the 17th. Some natives are beginning to show in the catches but the hatchery run still has several more weeks to go. Shelly stated her biggest fish of the season so far has been a 16 pounder! The Guide's Forecast- The Sandy and Clackamas Rivers have dropped dramatically as freezing levels have dropped. A weather change is in the making and that should spell better success for many anglers. Bank anglers should concentrate their efforts from Dodge Park to Lewis and Clark Park while boaters should be working from Oxbow downstream. The new tide series coming this weekend will certainly stimulate the bite in the lower river after the weekend. On the Clackamas, boaters will do best from Barton downstream while bank anglers will have the best access downstream towards the High Rocks area. Like the Sandy, this may become more productive later in the week. Bankers might have better luck targeting steelhead in the Clear Creek area around Carver. Sand shrimp will likely become available by the weekend but you may have to plan on fishing eggs and certainly bobber and jigs will take fish in the deeper pools.
Deschutes River- Steelheading has been only fair. Trout continue to be taken all day, with Baetis and midges producing best for fly fishers. The Deschutes is at a good level for fishing with water temperatures in the mid-forties and good visibility throughout.
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North Coast District Fishing Report - We have finally had a decent week of water conditions to fish some of our favorite streams this week. The Wilson, Trask, Kilchis, North Fork of the Nehalem, Necanicum and Nestucca are all currently fishing. The larger streams are now getting low and clear and if you can believe this, we could use some more rain to stimulate a better bite! Pro guides David Johnson and Lee Darby fished on the Wilson on 12/26. David hooked 6 fish, and Lee hooked 4. They both landed half of the fish they hooked. Most of the activity continues to be at the acclimation pond for drift anglers. Action has slowed with the dropping, clearing water. Regular reader Terry Luckett reported they his group landed 3 on Friday and Saturday, and one on Sunday indicating a drop in activity. You don't just have to fish the acclimation pond to get into fish but that's where the bulk of the activity is. Action downstream of the acclimation pond can be decent as well. Drift anglers at Donaldson's and the Chrome Patch were scoring some fish as well. There seems to be some fish rolling at the wing jetties as well but it can be more challenging to get those fish to bite in that deeper water. The North Fork of the Nehalem and the Necanicum River have both had great days but the two can be hit or miss in the lower water. Many people continue to talk about the woody obstacles on the Necanicum and they become more dangerous in the lower water. The Nestucca River still had steelhead green water on 12/27 as pro guide Kent Anderson was working the water from Farmer Creek to Cloverdale. Kent had 2 chances in the morning when I talked to him with a hand full of boats working the same stretch. Kent's bites came on #30 hot shots and he reported about 3 foot of visibility. There hasn't been much talk about late chinook but in the lower water, they have likely hunkered down in the more classic chinook water, where the steelhead anglers are not fishing. The season closes to the retention of chinook after the 31st of December. The Guide's Forecast - With the hit and miss rain in the forecast, it will be hard to predict which rivers will fish the best in the upcoming week. A change is certainly welcome as the east wind has been plaguing anglers for most of the week. It looks as if the serious rain will be on an every-other-day pattern suggesting the larger rivers will be the ones to still go to. We have a large tide series coming up as well which will likely bring in more waves of steelhead into our river systems. One guide indicated last week that although the fish were mint bright, many were devoid of sea-lice but has the parasitic leeches on their gill filaments suggesting they were hanging out in tidewater during the higher flows. With the lower flows and higher tide exchanges, fresh ocean fish will likely move right on upriver into fishable water. The smaller streams like the Necanicum and N. Fork Nehalem will likely remain hard to access as I don't think we will get significant rain to get those flows very high again this week. Those willing to push boats over gravel bars and dodge downed trees could find good success on these waterways, however. The Nestucca, Wilson, lower Kilchis and Trask Rivers will be the better bets for this week- assuming we don't get significant back to back systems hitting the coast. Crabbing has been fair in Netarts Bay (we got 15 on 12/21) and the larger bays like Tillamook and Nehalem should have a few keepers moving back in during this high tide series barring any high water events. Crab for all your New Year's parties? You would be a hit! Calming is once again open and the tide series should be good on Clatsop beaches. Evening minus' are the rule but calming should be productive if the surf stays calm. This will happen if we get the east winds we have been getting but with the precipitation forecasted, the wind usually switches from an east to a NW or southerly.
Central & South Coast Reports- Like the north coast, the central and south coast has been getting pounded as well. Pro guide Blake Payne reports, "look for the Siuslaw to start fishing today. Some fish being taken on Lake Creek already. If this weather holds together, the main Umpqua is at 7 feet, oh man would I ever like to get down there again! Look for that to start to fish at 6 ft. I have heard reports of the plunkers having 10-15 fish days already on the little big river."
Ramblings and Musings This is the height of the steelhead run in most Oregon streams and rivers. With the break in rainfall, most coastal and inland tributaries have dropped into good shape and color. With only periods of rain and showers mixed with dry conditions forecast for the next 10 days or so, the rivers should remain quite fishable. The North Fork Nehalem, which is currently experiencing a record run of winter steelhead, is producing limits. Many anglers are taking advantage of the bounty on the Wilson River, which has a few broodstock fish showing in the mix. With the Wilson in prime condition, the pressure is off the little Kilchis River which continues to produce steelies. The Cedar Creek Hatchery on Three Rivers has trucked over 1,200 mint-bright steelhead down the Nestucca to Cloverdale where they have been released to run again. While there hasn't been much action above Three Rivers on the 'Tucker, the lower river is fishing well. Steelhead are in the Siletz and several have been brought to the bank at Moonshine Park. Use caution navigating the roadways over the Coast Range, especially in early morning hours. Icy conditions and freezing fog are causing hazardous driving conditions. Leave a little early, take your time and arrive safely. The Sandy is reported as low, with water temperatures in the low forties and visibility six to eight feet. There are lots of steelhead present and 'most everyone is hooking up. Anglers on the Clackamas River are finding good numbers of winter steelies, although a mix of hatchery and native fish along with some late silvers is reported. Use care in handling & releasing those unclipped steelhead and all silvers. Plunkers are taking fish at Oxbow Park and steady action is reported on Eagle Creek. Even though the Clackamas River broodstock fish are expected to run in January through March, there's a heckuva lot of fish present now. It's the last chance for a three-fish steelhead limit on the lower Willamette, Sandy, Clackamas and North Fork Santiam Rivers as the new regs go into effect January 1st. Fishing has been slow with only a few decent chinook being taken on the Elk and Sixes Rivers. The Coquille should drop into good shape and color in the next few days. Rogue River steelheaders are finding very good numbers of fish with many weighing well into the 'teens. The majority of the fish are natives, however, which may be taken on this stream starting January 1, 2002. On the Washington side, the North Fork Lewis River has been producing steelies to plug pullers and the Cowlitz is nearing fishable shape and color. East Fork and Washougal are high but clear and producing winter fish now. Fishermen have been scoring legal sturgeon at the Kelly Point/Terminal 6 areas as well as Frenchman's Bar. Action has slowed at Trojan and the effort has been very low up in the Gorge below Bonneville. Smelt, squid and sand shrimp are all producing fish. Sturgeon have also been caught in the Tillamook River on sand shrimp. These big fish seem to be more active and consequently bite better with the greater tidal flows, as will be the case this weekend. There are no shellfish closures or advisories for the North coast, so hearty souls with flashlights and clam guns will be able to find limits of razor clams during evening minus tides at Seaside Sunday through Tuesday next week. Many clam shooters set their sites on the productive beds at Long Beach on the Washington shores, claiming the success rate is worth the trip. Excess adult steelhead have been planted in Coffenbury Lake. While these fish don't have to be entered on a harvest card, only one fish over 20 inches may be taken per day. New licenses and tags are available now for the 2002 season. Don't leave home for that New Year's Day trip without yours!
SailCat's Inbox This week, Paul P. wrote with a request, "I live in Vancouver and it would be nice to see a little more Washington river info.....maybe just the ones that dump into the Columbia ???? Keep up the good work ...." Thanks for writing, Paul, and we are expanding coverage to the Washington side as reports come in on the Rivers and streams. Washington anglers ... send us some news! 'Matter of fact, readers! My inbox has been a little slow over the holidays. Please think of us when you go fishing (or if your buddy does) & fill us in on what's happening.
Random Links
ODFW wants angler's input regarding upcoming fisheries management policies. Here's a chance to be heard:
New fishing regulations go into effect January 1st, 2002. Here are those regs:
Weekly quote " [The Steelhead] can hurdle into the air a split second after he is hooked, and flash hugely out in the murk, like the sword Excalibur thrust up from the depths - at once a gleaming prize and a symbol of the battle." - Paul O'Neil, Excalibur: The Steelhead (1957) Send stories, pictures and comments to SailCat@TheGuidesForecast.com. GOOD LUCK! If there is a fishery in our northwest corner that you would like to see expanded coverage on, please let us know by emailing Bob Rees at brees@pacifier.com. The following guides have some availability for fishing in the mentioned fisheries: Bob Rees - North Coast steelhead |
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