Portland/Metro Fishing Report – They’re coming!
It’s go time for mainstem fall Chinook and anglers are ready for action. Lee Richey of the Portland area tangled with this nice upriver bright at Davis Bar this morning (8/28), taking the fish with a Mexican Hat Spinfish stuffed with tuna at 30 feet on the line counter.
Bonneville action remains challenging, but that is likely to change in the near future.
Fall Chinook counts at Bonneville are tracking about 1/2 of what it was last year at this time. With water temperatures still quite high, the Chinook may not be all that anxious to head upriver given the cooler water in the estuary right now. There seems to be plenty of Chinook holding in the lower river right now.
Upper Willamette Valley Fishing Report by Terry Otto
Trout, warm water species good. Chinook and steelhead mostly finished in rivers. High country trout lakes fishing peaks in Fall.
Best Bets this weekend
- Several steams were stocked earlier this month with rainbow trout
- Detroit Lake kokes, trout good.
- Upper McKenzie, Santiam Rivers, and Middle Fork Willamette fishing fair to good for trout
- High elevation trout lakes heating up for fall
Trout stocking
Stocked the week of Aug 11-15: McKenzie River R-1 below Leaburg Dam, McKenzie River R-2 above Leaburg Dam, Salmon Creek, Alton Baker Canal, Leaburg Lake
Stocked Aug 18-22: Alton Baker Canal, McKenzie River 2 above Leaburg Dam.
You can check out the trout stocking schedule here.
Cascade Mountain lakes trout
Fall is a great time to fish the high Cascade Mountain lakes. There are hundreds of lakes of all sizes that offer beautiful scenery, seclusion and excellent fishing. These small, backcountry lakes will remain fishable until they get snowed in this fall. Check with the U.S Forest Service Willamette National Forest for the latest info on wildfire-related closures. To see a map of high mountain lakes where fish are available, and the species stocked, click here. Zoom in on the map to see the lake name. Click on the lake to find the information. Learn more about fishing in the high lakes.
North and South Santiam Rivers
Mike Ferris of Fishermen Mike’s Guide Service reports that the spring Chinook and summer steelhead fishing is done for the year in the Santiam Rivers. The Chinook are getting too beat up to take home, and the steelhead, which never came back well, have mostly disappeared.
Ferris has had some success fly fishing for the trout, but for the best action, look to the upper reaches of the systems where trout are stocked. His best bites have come by fishing a hopper dropper as a strike indicator, followed by a bead fly.
He also reports that the river is too low for good drift boat fishing. You can check the river gauge at Mahama here
McKenzie River
The river was stocked with 2,000 hatchery rainbow trout in mid-August. All non-adipose clipped trout must be released.
Hatches improved steadily with overcast days before the heat arrived. Pale Evening Duns, Blue Winged Olives, Mahogany Duns and smaller caddis have been around in the evening. Nocturnal stones have already been seen on the lower Mckenzie. The river level recently saw a reservoir release that improved the fishing.
The river above Leaburg Dam was well stocked in August with 3,300 rainbow trout.
Detroit Reservoir
Guide Mike Ferris reports that the kokanee action has been consistent, with the fish usually holding at 50 feet or deeper. However, some early mornings have seen the schools moving up towards the 25-foot depth for an hour or two. Trout action has been fairly consistent, and those trophy-sized rainbows continue to show in the catch. Anglers can keep 5 kokanee and an additional 5 trout or kokanee. For those anglers without a boat, there are recreation areas in both upper arms of the reservoir that allow for easy bank angling. The trout will bite readily on Powerbait.
Foster Reservoir
Besides trout, anglers can find smallmouth bass and yellow perch near underwater structure and drop-offs. Please remember that only kokanee and adipose fin-clipped trout may be kept as part of the 5-trout bag limit, but there are no limits on size or number of bass.
The retention of warmwater fish species such as bluegill, catfish, crappie, and yellow perch is allowed with no limit on size or number. Anglers report good success in the two arms of the reservoir, as well as the shoreline in between.
The reservoir is now full and all three boat ramps are available to launch boats, including Caulkins. There is good bank access at several rest stops and campgrounds, and three seasonal boat ramps.
Green Peter Reservoir
The water level in the reservoir has been slowly drawing down. The boat ramp at Thistle Creek remains available to launch boats, but Whitcomb boat ramp is now high and dry.
Also, as a reminder to anglers, fishing for and harvesting Chinook in the lake and the rivers above is prohibited. Any Chinook caught in Green Peter reservoir must be released unharmed. Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good. Look for them near drop-offs, ledges, and large wood.
Clackamas and Sandy are dropping, and migration is slowing
Clackamas River Fishing Report – There are some coho starting to show in the lower reaches of the Clackamas River with some anglers finding rare success in the first riffle upstream of the Hwy. 99 Bridge near the 24-hour fitness in Gladstone. It’ll be another few weeks before better numbers show and with more warm, dry weather in the forecast, they won’t be all that excited to bite.
Sandy River Fishing Report – Provided by avid angler, Jeff Stoeger – Good afternoon, all. This week saw the first coho appearing in both the lower and mid sections of the river, while bright chinook continue to enter the system, especially in the lower stretches. However, many of the chinook in the mid and upper river are already turning dark. There are still some dark summer steelhead holding at the mouth of Cedar Creek. If you catch a wild coho or fall chinook, please handle them with care—having a pair of pliers handy makes hook removal easier and safer for the fish.
Current conditions show the water level at 7.77 feet and a temperature of 71.5 degrees. We are now eagerly anticipating the first good rainfall, which will push more coho and fall fish up into the upper sections of the river.Find the full report and forecast for Members on this page here for the Clackamas and Sandy Rivers.
North & Central Coast Fishing Report – It’s full on Buoy 10 right now, copious amounts of coho and Chinook are falling to sport anglers in the Astoria area. The ocean opens up for one more day north of Cape Falcon on Saturday, August 30th. The weather is forecasted to be nice!
Following the closure of the south of Falcon fishery earlier this week, the ocean opens back up for any coho and Chinook on September 1st. Anglers are allowed 2 salmon, of which 1 may be a Chinook but check regulations carefully as they are subject to change.
It wasn’t a great week for Nehalem Bay anglers but there were fish caught. Softer tides this week should promote good action at the jaws of the bay, where herring trollers are likely to pick up both Chinook and coho.
Other north and central coast estuaries should also start to see some early returning fall Chinook start to enter; the Salmon, Alsea, Tillamook and Nestucca systems might be some of the better options but given the overall outlook, fishing will most certainly be challenging.
With the ocean forecast, there’s going to be some very motivated tuna anglers this weekend. Distance to success varies by port, but some boats went 50 miles out of Astoria on Wednesday.
Crabbing is picking up in both north/central bays and as well as the ocean.
Central-Eastern Oregon Fishing Report by Terry Otto
Columbia Gorge fall Chinook taking off, summer trout patterns continue in local streams. Kokanee good ahead of the spawn.
*Note*: Wildfires and smoke are affecting many areas in central Oregon.
ODFW’s Best bets for weekend fishing
- Steelhead fishing on the lower Deschutes has been great so far this summer
- Following recent stockings anglers report good fishing on the Fall River.
- Anglers continue to report excellent kokanee and trout fishing at East, Paulina, and Odell lakes. Kokanee are beginning to darken in preparation for spawning, but quality fish can be caught for the next week or two.
- Bull Trout have entered the Metolius River to prepare for spawning and anglers report aggressive takes on streamers.
- Anglers report excellent summer bass opportunities at Crane Prairie Reservoir
- Anglers report good trout fishing at Hosmer and Little Lava Lakes.
- Devils Lake was recently stocked with rainbow trout providing great opportunity for paddleboard, kayak, or float tube fishing.
- Anglers report excellent crappie fishing at Ochoco Reservoir.
Trout stocking in the Central zone will resume in September. You can check out the trout stocking schedule here.
Before you go: Several wildfires are burning in central and eastern Oregon. Check the statewide wildfire incident maps: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/pages/firestats.aspx
Jeff, from of The Fly Fishers Place in Sisters reports that a wildfire has erupted near Sisters.
“Many of you know that a fire started about 3 days ago towards Lake Billy Chinook and yesterday things got a little hairy around here. The City of Sisters is not currently in the path of the fire, but the areas to the NE of the city just about 4 or 5 miles away are indeed in danger and continue to be so for the time being. I got home last night to the news of a level 3 evacuation.
A house across the road from where I am living burned down, less than a quarter mile away, along with other outbuildings near us that were sadly lost last night.”
Columbia River Gorge
The friendly folks at the Gorge Outfitters Supply in Rufus report that the fall Chinook bite has really kicked in, now that the numbers coming over the dams are getting better. They report an excellent bite at the mouth of the Deschutes River, and elsewhere. Most anglers are getting them by trolling, but bank anglers are also scoring by plunking. They report that anglers are getting some really nice, bright Chinook from 15 to 30 pounds. Anglers have been putting in orders for fresh sand shrimp, implying that the shrimp are getting takers.
Walleye are still being taken, especially around dusk in shallow water. They are also getting the fish in deeper water, around 50 feet, in the channels.
Lower Deschutes River
Amy Hazel at the Deschutes Angler Fly Shop in Maupin reports that steelheading down near the mouth slowed a bit this week. “We’ve seen the first big push and now were seeing a slower pulse. They are kind of spreading out and slowing down.” She reports that there are only a few scattered around the Maupin area, with the best action happening down near the mouth. Spinners are what most anglers are tossing, but other steelhead methods will also work.
Trout fishing has been pretty good, she reports, but anglers need to fish deep. “Trout fishing has been really good if you can get your fly down deep,” she said. “They are down in deeper, colder water. We should see water temperatures cooling down as we see air temperatures cooling down. That will be good for the fish. Sculpins and streamers are good. Also, they are fishing a lot of bead head nymphs”.
Crane Prairie Reservoir
Anglers report improved trout fishing and excellent bass fishing at Crane Prairie. Bass anglers report excellent fishing in the northeast end of the reservoir. The Quinn and Cultus channels have been most productive for trout. Catch-and-release anglers are encouraged to check surface water temperatures throughout the day and follow best practices for angling and fish handling in hot water. Balanced leeches, damsels, chironomids, and callibaetis fly patterns are always a good bet for Crane Prairie.
Eastern Oregon
Best bets for weekend fishing
- Trout fishing on the Wallowa River can be good throughout the summer.
- Large kokanee > 16 inches have been caught in Wallowa Lake this year.
- Bass fishing is good on McKay Reservoir.
- Nice sized bass and perch can be found on Willow Creek Reservoir.
Grande Ronde River
Flows have dropped substantially on the Grande Ronde River. Smallmouth bass can be caught in the lower portions of the Grande Ronde near the town of Troy upstream to Rondowa and in the Grande Ronde Valley between Elgin and La Grande.
Trout and whitefish will be hard to catch during the warmer months. Fishing for those species will improve later in the year.
SW Oregon Fishing Report – Contributor Jeff Rome reports
It’s Labor Day Weekend already, “how time flies by”! There are plenty of good fishing opportunities, starting with Rogue Bay Chinook. Catches have still been fair, but not yet great, for the near peak of the season. It would be a cooler choice for a Chinook, as opposed to trying on the middle section of the Rogue River, where it will remain in the mid-90s and have way fewer catches.
Summer steelhead on the mid and upper sections have been poor so far. Ocean goers also have another great opportunity to stay cool and catch some halibut, big lings, bottom fish, and tuna from Brookings on up to Winchester Bay.
A lot of lakes still have plenty of stocked trout and would be a nice choice for a last big camping trip with the family. The main Umpqua is now closed for Chinook. However, there are lots of bass to catch on the main and both forks of the Ump. Whatever you do, wherever you wanna fish, have a great, safe, and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. 🎣😎
The Rogue Bay has been steady again this week, with boaters working from the lower bay on up to Indian Creek. Expect increased amounts of angler pressure for the long weekend.
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 some sea-run cutthroat trout (must be released) and some trout. Summer steelhead are far and few in between. The number of river floaters will be numerous for the long and hot weekend. The middle Rogue has more anglers pursuing Chinook at Finley Bend and other popular holes with slow success.
Get out early before it gets too hot and all the river floaters are out. The Rogue River above the dam, out towards Union Creek, has been stocked weekly and is good for trout.
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.