Fishing Reports and Articles

Portland/Metro Fishing Report – With the mainstem Columbia closed after nearly attaining the entire allocation for sport anglers, spring Chinook anglers will now focus on the Willamette to meet the needs of the springer addicted! Theoretically, more springers should be pouring into the Multnomah Channel, Portland Harbor and eventually Oregon City, to justify more effort.Oregon City…

Steelhead still being caught despite low and clear Rogue Rogue river conditions are back to fall time flows in the upper 1200’s (cfs) at Grants Pass. Local guides along with avid steelhead fishermen are catching a mixed bag of adults, ½ pounders and down runners…. all except me😏 As mentioned in my first couple reports,…

Biters & Fighters (Building a Better Hatchery Steelhead) by Don Roberts Frank Moore, who lives and breathes the North Umpqua, claims he can distinguish between a wild steelhead and a hatchery fish by feel alone. There have been instances when he put cash behind his castigation—betting the local ODFW biologist that upon hooking a steelhead…

Sea lion management took a step forward with new permits to expand trapping and lethal removal of both California and Steller sea lions. But while the permission extends into all lower Columbia tributaries, trapping the animals where they haul out can be problematic. How about those sea lions? Or, rather: Now, about those sea lions!…

Low Water Persists, Steelheaders Are Challenged. Bottomfishing Is Good North Coast Fishing Report – With persistent low water on the north coast, steelheaders remain challenged, at least the few steelheaders that remain in the region. Most effort remains concentrated in the lower reaches of the Wilson and Nestucca systems. They are the only hatchery options…

Reserviors Remain Low, But Fish Are Stirring In The Warming Temperatures Weather Outlook Across Central and Eastern Oregon:  This coming week’s weather outlook has an incoming cold front that will be with us at the start the weekend, with a warmup later in the weekend and especially into next week.   Warm in Central Oregon, seasonal…

Nymping Deschutes Waters Is Producing, Lakes Heating Up Too! Weather Outlook Across Central and Eastern Oregon:  This coming week’s weather outlook has an incoming cold front that will be with us at the start the weekend, with a warmup later in the weekend and especially into next week.   Warm in Central Oregon, seasonal in the…

Buzz Ramsey took this spring chinook recently by plunking below Bonneville Dam. Photo courtesy Buzz Ramsey Columbia springers closed, not likely to reopen anytime soon. A few spring chinook showing up in tributaries along with the last of the steelhead. Vancouver Metro Area Fishing in the lower Columbia River was beginning to get good before…

Willamette Catches Improving, Nearing Peak Season Willamette River Fishing Report – Let’s start with the anecdotal information first. The Sultan of Sellwood (John Shmilenko) seems to always have his finger on the pulse of this fishery. John reported to me this morning (Thursday, 4/8) that this is his slowest season EVER, feeling quite disappointed in…

Wild Steelhead Still Showing, No Sign Of Spring Chinook Clackamas River Fishing Report – Clackamas River reports are about as scarce as hatchery fish on this system. Some fair numbers of wild steelhead are showing and those in the know are doing fairly well fishing for them. Fishing upstream of Carver is the wiser choice…

Spring Chinook Season Closes, Sportfleet Nearly Meets Its Allocation Columbia River Fishing Report – The 2021 Columbia River spring Chinook season closed with a thud. For most anglers, it seems hard to believe that the sportfleet nearly attained the 2,200 spring Chinook that we were allowed to harvest. Here is four bullet points that tell…

2021-Col-River-NOF2-Handout-04-01-21_FinalDownload