Portland/Metro Fishing Report – Despite rocketing Fall Chinook counts at Bonneville Dam, fishing in the Portland/Metro area, in the Columbia of course, has yet to set off. The Portland reach is often dubbed “The Dead Zone,” by experienced anglers, but every once in a while, catches of large fall Chinook can shine here. That is not the case to date but can change at a moment’s notice.
Tides are more conducive to anchor fishing with wobblers this week, but trollers often take fish more consistently day to day.
Summer steelhead counts at Bonneville Dam are also surprising biologists and anglers alike, and in a good way.
The Willamette is done for Chinook, but anglers looking for freshwater coho opportunities won’t have to wait much longer. Catches start improving after mid-September, and it’s likely to be a good return this season.
Clackamas and Sandy are dropping, and migration is slowing
Clackamas River Fishing Report – Anglers are anxiously awaiting what may be a good return of adult coho back to the Clackamas River. There’s only rumors so far, and for some reason, counts over Willamette Falls stalled out a bit, even though it’s very early in the migration period.
We’ll write more about the coho in the forecast section, but anglers have largely given up on spring Chinook and summer steelhead in the system, even though there are some of each, still in good condition, mostly in the upper reaches of the river.
The upcoming heat won’t help anglers for more than one reason.
Sandy River Fishing Report – Provided by avid angler, Jeff Stoeger – The recent week saw the Sandy River turn brown as the snow melted, with temperatures climbing into the mid and upper 90s and even reaching 100 degrees for a possible three-day stretch. Despite these challenging water conditions, some impressive fish have been caught in the lower river. Notably, a few summer steelhead and both springers and springer jacks have made appearances. For example, Rob Gibbs landed a bright 22-inch jack using “steelhead candy”, Keith Archer’s egg cure paired with shrimp. The current river level is at 7.8 feet, and the water temperature measures 65 degrees. The river is expected to be crowded with swimmers and rafters due to the heat, and the water will likely remain off-color and dirty.
North & Central Coast Fishing Report – The Buoy 10 fishery is well underway, but stronger tides this week has slowed the bite. Coho are beginning to show in better number, most likely due to strong tides that such feeding fish adjacent to the river mouth vs. adults that are ready to commit to their fall migration. The problem is, with these stronger tides comes jellyfish and seaweed, which has been a problem this week.
Coinciding with the peak Buoy 10 season is peak season on Nehalem Bay for fall Chinook. Catches have been good but returning numbers have been diminishing in recent years. None-the-less, tides were ideal for lower bay trollers earlier this week but stronger tides will shift the effort up-bay to Wheeler or the town of Nehalem itself.
Ocean coho fishing closes after Sunday the 24th south of Cape Falcon. It’s been a good season although a rough ocean has tempered the effort in recent days. The fishery will fire back up again on September 1st, with an 2 fish bag limit, of which 1 may be a Chinook. The real prize however is the whopper wild coho which will be available to anglers, these are a high quality fish.
Fall Chinook runs in other coastal estuaries have yet to fire off. Returns aren’t expected to be all that good so it’s a constrained season. Wild coho fisheries inland have been expanded however; coho will once again save the day for fragile coastal economies.
High winds will squash ocean opportunity into next week; albacore tops the interest list when seas calm, but halibut, bottomfish and crab are also options.
SW Oregon Fishing Report – Contributor Jeff Rome reports
Another hot 100+ degree weekend is in store for inland Southern Oregon😓 It will be busy on most lakes and rivers for people to cool off, and before kids get back to school soon. The coast would be the best option, although it might be iffy with wind issues depending on where you wanna go out of. That said, I’d maybe head to Gold Beach to fish the Rogue Bay for Chinook. It’s not spectacular, but around 60 fish/ day are steadily taken this week. The mid and upper sections of the Rogue do have summer steelhead, but the hot weather will have 1000s of river floaters, making it difficult to fish. The main Umpqua is now closed for Chinook. The higher lakes and the Rogue River above the dam would also be good cooler options for anglers.
The Rogue Bay has been steady this week, with boaters working from the lower bay on up to Indian Creek. 50+ fish have been caught daily this week, including a 47-pound hawg! I’m thinking this weekend could be good since it will be a bit cooler.
Lost Creek, Diamond, Hyatt, Howard Prairie, and Fish lakes are still my best bets for good lake fishing. Fish early before it gets too hot. Lost Creek and Diamond have been good lately.
The upper Rogue has a bit more summer steelhead action despite the number of river floaters. The middle Rogue has a few more anglers pursuing Chinook at Finley Bend and other popular holes with slow success. There has been a slight improvement in summer steelhead, mostly during the week and early before it gets too hot and all the river floaters are out. The Rogue River above the dam, out towards Union Creek, gets stocked weekly and has been good for trout and a cool option.
The main Umpqua is now closed for Chinook due to reaching the quota. However, good striped bass angling can be had for it, and the South Ump has lots of smallmouth bass that need to be caught.