Portland Oregon Fishing Report – The mainstem Columbia is starting to slow as fish make their final push over Bonneville Dam. Fresh-run Chinook are still falling around the mouth of the Lewis, Washougal and near Bonneville Dam, but catches will slow precipitously in the coming weeks.
Fresh fish are becoming harder to come by, most are starting to exhibit their freshwater characteristics, meaning the quality of their flesh is deteriorating as well.
Coho counts at Willamette Falls are finally starting to taper, but it’s been a good run over the barrier. Catches upstream rarely impressed anglers, but the presence of jumping fish sure did. These coho are notorious reluctant to bite in fresh water, some years more than others. This has been one of those years.
Clackamas River Fishing Report – Coho are present in good numbers, but hatchery fish have made their upstream to their respective facilities. The longer they reside in fresh water, the more challenging they are to get to bite.
Coho are still being taken around the mouth of Eagle Creek, at Dog Creek and in Eagle Creek itself. Over 5,000 adults have made their way to Eagle Creek National Fish Hatchery as of the 12th of October. More are sure to come.
Wild coho will dominate the Clackamas catches from here on out, and from the counts at PGE’s North Fork Facility, we’re in for a big return.
Sandy River Fishing Report – Avid angler Jeff Stoeger reports, “Well, this week the river climbed to 8.5 ft and then dropped into good color which caused the fish to fly up the river. Then the lower snow fall we had started to melt and caused the river to go off color and will take a day or two to go back into shape.
The forecast is for more rain over the first part of the week which should bring the river up again and the snow level will be below three thousand feet and then it should be ideal conditions.
The combat zone is still the Cedar Creek area and will stay that way until season’s end. Dodge Park and Oxbow Park have fish scattered throughout those areas and fishing can become very productive if you’re willing to hike in.
The fish counts over Bonneville have dropped, an indicator the season is slowly winding down.
Check out the lake stocking schedule. Go HERE to see if your favorite is on the list this week.Find the full report and forecast for Members on this page here for the Clackamas and Sandy Rivers.
North Coast Fishing Report – The fishing has been tough for those pursuing Chinook on our north coast systems. That’s not a surprise to many, but to make matters more challenging, opportunity for wild fish along our coastal estuaries is largely over for the season. Many of those consumptive opportunities ceased this week. Check local regulations for more defined details.
Tillamook and Nehalem Bays remain challenging, but fish made their way upstream with recent rains, even though rivers didn’t bump significantly. Hatchery coho returns to the Trask and North Fork Nehalem systems has been slow to start, but since this year’s returning brood is coming from wild broostock, it would stand to reason that it will more closely mimic the natural run timing of wild fish in their respective basins. In simpler terms, we should start to see these numbers build in the coming weeks.
The Nestucca has put out fair numbers of fish lately, with those working the upper tidewater reaches finding some of the better biters.
The Siletz is in peak season and although the action varies day to day, it has remained one of the more reliable systems on the entire coast in recent years. It’s much the same this season too, with fair tides for both trollers and anchor angler this week.
The Alsea River has picked up in the recent week with both trollers and bobber tossers taking fish most recently. The Salmon River is on the ropes.
The ocean has been a bit too rough to recreate on recently, but that could change over the weekend. Nearshore Chinook remain a fair-at-best option but bottomfishing should be good. Ocean crabbing is closed.
Estuary crabbing is good coast-wide, as crustaceans likely migrate to the estuary in search of dying salmon.
TGF wants you to STAY SAFE OUT THERE! Have you seen our FREE webinar on ocean and bar safety? Check it out HERE!
See the full North Coast Report and Forecast for Members right here.
SW Oregon Fishing Report – Contributor Jeff Rome reports:
The Chetco estuary got hot for Chinook last weekend after the rain got lots of fish moving. The Coos and lower Umpqua systems saw similar results. The Rogue Bay fishery is pretty much a wrap with anglers attention moving up river towards Huntley Park where anglers are catching coho, and a few more Chinook. Upriver on the Rogue, summer steelhead catches have been good to excellent with half pounders in the mix. The ocean that was great last weekend looks to be a bit iffy for this weekend. If you can get out, the bottom fish and lings are still on the bite. Lakes that still have decent water are providing good catches of trout and bass. The weekend should provide various good fishing options.
The Chetco estuary should continue to provide some good opportunity for Chinook catches along with a few coho. There’s a good number of fish- Chinook, coho and jacks in the river.
The Coquille and Coos river systems are seeing increased salmon action.
The Rogue bay action has moved up river towards Huntley Park where anglers are targeting coho with fair success. Some Chinook are still being taken and half pounder numbers have also increased on up to Agnes.
The mid and upper Rogue has been good to excellent for summer steelhead. Anglers targeting Chinook below Hog creek have had slow action. A good number of half pounders have shown up as well….. I even caught one! Some coho are starting to show and anglers should start to target them after this next rain.
Even though there might be a shower or two this weekend, it’s a good time to get out for some great Fall fishing.🎣
Be safe, be nice and enjoy! Go Beaves! 🏈
Tight Lines 🎣 – Romer
Read this week’s SW Washington fishing report.