Portland/Metro Oregon Fishing Report – More spring Chinook are being reported from the Willamette River, an indication that indeed, a robust return is on the horizon for metro anglers.
Catches seem most robust from Sellwood to Milwaukie with anglers using herring for bait.
Precipitation now falling is forecast to have an impact on Willamette River water quality, putting the blossoming fishery in jeopardy over the weekend and into next week. It should return to good fishing when it clears however.
Commercial smelt netters came across better catches this week, a good sign for a possible (with an emphasis on “possible”) sport dipping season in the near future.
Clackamas River Fishing Report – Steelhead catches continue to be fair for Clackamas River anglers. We’re in peak season here with more wild fish due to show versus hatchery broodstock fish, which are now in the river in fair number.
The reach upstream of Eagle Creek will become more consistent in the coming weeks, as higher concentrations of steelhead utilize that section of the river for spawning, as well as the hatchery and the upper Clackamas itself.
Sandy River Fishing Report – Avid angler Jeff Stoeger reported, “Hello All. Well, it’s been a tough time finding fish. There has been some sporadic bites over the last week. The river is ideal color but on the low side for I floated the river on Wednesday and the river was running at 8.8 ft and the river is forecasted to climb to 12 ft by the middle of next week. We hooked 3 and landed one native and one brood stock hatchery that went 9lbs on 3.5 mag lips.
This rain storm will hopefully raise the water temp and help get these fish to bite. So wishing you all the best of luck and tight lines.
Find the full report and forecast for Members on the Sandy and the Clackamas from this page here.
North Coast Fishing Report – Steelheaders started off the week good, but action quickly faded as the week wore on. The Nestucca, Siletz and Wilson all had flashes of good action this week, but rivers are now on the rise with fish likely to go off the bite.
More wild fish are starting to show, but the theme of bigger 3-salt fish is still making dreams come true for many steelheaders, in what is still peak season for coastal winter steelhead.
With the sub-par showing of winter steelhead, interest is likely to shift to spring Chinook for many fishing enthusiasts, which will leave coastal systems more sparsely populated for the last few weeks of the season.
Offshore weather continues to be dangerous, a bevy of rockfish species is awaiting your offerings when seas calm down.
Coastal crabbing is fair at best and there are no signs of toxicity levels coming into shape for spring razor clam diggers.
Don’t overlook winter opportunities on the coast, the north coast stocking schedule can be found HERE.
See the full North Coast Report and Forecast for Members right here.
SW Oregon Fishing Report – Contributor Jeff Rome reports:
Winter conditions persisted to the latter week making comfortable fishing conditions rather tough. Those who did brave the snow and cold did have a few “lottery” winners with some nice winter and even still, some summer steelhead.
The best successes (while not great) have been on the Chetco, mid Rogue and South Umpqua this week. Blustery conditions and gale warnings continue through the weekend making the ocean a no go again. Big rain and snow melt is forecasted latter weekend so best bets for steelhead success is the Chetco and mid to upper Rogue Friday/ Saturday. March is typically great and will hopefully be such when the river systems warm up a bit. The various lakes and ponds are slowly filling and will soon be viable options that I’ll report on soon.
The Chetco has continued to fish with low angler pressure and slow catches. Some have been rewarded with a mix of both kelts and fresh fish. Friday and Saturday before the forecasted big rain might be worth it for both boaters and bank anglers.
The mid to upper Rogue continued to be boatable and fishable with slow catches this week.
There are fish scattered throughout but the cold water has fish sluggish (like me) so working lots of water with smaller baits and slower presentation is essential. Weekend best bets here are from Chinook Park to the mouth of the Applegate pulling plugs and side drifting soft beads. For bank anglers it’s Gold Hill on down to Galice where the further down the water might be a touch warmer.
The upper Rogue is fishable but still very cold. Anglers side drifting worms, soft beads, and pulling plugs in the deeper holes and seams from Dodge Park on up through Casey Park could find some fresh fish. Only 11 new winter steelhead have been counted for a total of 24 so far this season.
The Umpqua River systems have been fishable with only slow to fair success with the South Umpqua being the best around the casino. Anglers have started targeting Chinook in the lower main Umpqua but none of been confirmed yet.
The ocean is off the option list due to yet another winter storm of cold and blustery conditions.
Be safe, be nice and enjoy!
Tight Lines 🎣 – Romer
Jeff’s expanded report, multiple lake updates, and forecast in this week’s version for Members!
Catch our SW Washington fishing report.
Why’s this report always say “the fishing is plentiful” or “strong numbers coming ” when in reality it’s the worst year ever….. We get it the guides and industry needs money but you don’t need to keep pretending it’s a good year
We tell it like it is Randy. Our readers get plenty of bad news. TGF is NOT a platform for booking fishing trips for guides, it’s about helping anglers catch more fish! And in all seriousness, activate our community for better fishing and policy to keep our sport alive!
We appreciate your comments however, thanks for being a TGF subscriber!
Your comment, Randy Johnson, on the Guides Forecast is off, way off, I have been a subscriber for 25 years and know Bob Rees. I have never seen any indication in the Guides Forecast of promotion of the guide industry, He has always been true to describing the fishing conditions good or bad the way they are.
Thanks for the kind words Gordon, and for being such a long-time TGF supporter!
We go back to the old say that Fishing has nothing to do with catching.. it is absolutely a pleasure, at least for myself, to be out FISHING, I have never complained about the reports or the way anyone explain what they do or how they do it. I look at it this way, regardless of what the reports say, you have to think like a fish….
Wow the comment from Randy makes absolutely no sense, did you even read it?