Portland, Oregon Metro Fishing Report – It’s been a muddy week for metro anglers.
With the Willamette just now coming into shape, and the mainstem Columbia clogged with smelt and somewhat void of spring Chinook, the fishing has been challenging in the Portland area. It’s set to improve, however, in both systems with a looming April 6th closure close at hand for Columbia anglers.
Although adult counts are sparse at Willamette Falls (ZERO to be exact), there has been recent activity under the improving water conditions. And despite fair passage for this early in the run at Bonneville Dam, mainstem Columbia anglers are struggling for success.
Managers may meet next week to discuss a potential extension, based on stakeholder feedback and counts at Bonneville Dam.
Meanwhile, the Willamette should improve for spring Chinook catches over the weekend, with all reaches of the river from the Multnomah Channel at St. Helens to Oregon City likely to produce some improving catches.
Clackamas River Fishing Report – Well, the Clackamas doesn’t get smelt like the Sandy does, but anglers didn’t have much to report from the Clackamas this last week, despite good water conditions to pursue fish in. Clackamas County anglers get much more focused on spring Chinook this time of year and leave the catch-and-release steelhead fishing to the real sport fishing enthusiasts. For that reason, the Clackamas has been fairly quiet this week.
This time of year, there are good numbers of wild steelhead throughout the system, but they don’t tend to slow down until they reach the upper stretch of the Clackamas, making them more susceptible to catching as the season progresses. That would be in the McIver Park (Dog Creek) to Feldheimers reach of the river. Again, effort has been low as rumors (and desires) of spring Chinook have reared in the mainstem Willamette. The river came into great shape early this week, but with the bulk of the hatchery steelhead knocking at the gates in Dog Creek, motivation for fishing drops dramatically, especially with spring Chinook in the adjacent Willamette River.
Sandy River fishing, avid angler Jeff Stoeger reports – The smelt run was huge, and limits were by the scoop. There were so many dippers that they plugged up the off-ramp at Lewis and Clark State Park. The state police and game enforcement had issued tons of tickets and confiscated tons of smelt that were over-harvested by anglers’ daily limits.
Now let’s focus on this week’s fishing report. I have some positive news about steelhead fishing. This week there were a couple of good days of bright winter fish being caught. My son was fly fishing at Oxbow, and he hooked a couple of very bright and nice-sized fish.
He had a couple of buddies that were just a little ways upriver and they went 4 for 5 with 2 natives and 2 hatchery fish that were all landed and were in the low to mid-teens, all nickel bright. I also have a report of a springer being hooked below Dabney on a spinner and busting the 15 lb. leader.
North & Central Coast Fishing Report – The steelheader crowd has largely left the building. After a sub-par steelhead season, and spring Chinook on the mind, folks that made the annual pilgrimage to the coast for coastal steelhead have found other avenues to quench their thirst.
Steelhead catching is still an option, however, but April catches are often dictated by how the main season performed, and it wasn’t all that well. Needless to say, with less competition, comes better opportunity.
The Wilson and Nestucca remain primary targets for steelheaders, with wild fish still entering a number of tributaries as well. It’s all a possibility, well, much of it is as some systems are now closed to even attempting to angle for steelhead after March 31st.
On a brighter note, coastal spring Chinook that are fin-clipped are now legal to retain, if you can find one. To be real, that would be very unlikely this time of year.
Bottomfish are still on the minds of many and there may be a window on Saturday. The rest of the week doesn’t look too promising, however.
Razor clam diggers start to get really serious about opportunity in April, but the next set of tides is still over a week away.
Ocean crab are in “The Clutch,” much more interested in making the next generation of crustaceans that feed on food in your crab cages. It won’t come back on for a few weeks from now.
Upper Willamette River System Report
High water still vexing river anglers, but relief may be on the way. Melting snow may slow recovery. The best bets this weekend are for kokes in Detroit Lake and local trout.
The rivers are still high in the upper Willamette Valley, and although they may not be fishable this weekend, the forecast allows for some warmer and drier conditions, and the systems may be fishable sometime this week. However, that is just a guess. Fishing Guide Matt Halseth of Matt Halseth Guide Service said releases from the dams could change that equation.
He reports that In April local systems should shift from winter steelhead to summer steelhead and spring Chinook. Halseth said that all the systems that get hatchery summer steelhead returns should start to fish well this month. These include the North and South Santiam Rivers, the McKenzie, and the Middle Fork Willamette.
Get them while you can. The state is considering ending all hatchery summer steelhead plants in the basin.
Trout stockings the week of March 24: Row River Nature Park Pond, Dorena Reservoir, Junction City Pond, Timber Linn Lake, Foster Reservoir, Dexter Reservoir.
ODFW trout stocking schedule: https://myodfw.com/fishing/species/trout/stocking-schedule
North Santiam River
North Santiam fishing guide Mike Ferris of Fishermen Mike’s Guide Service reports that the North Santiam is still high and muddy. “We are about 2 feet from what I would call ideal conditions,” said Ferris. “I usually like to have it about 5 feet or less when I go fishing in my drift boat, and it’s been right between 6 and 6 and a half feet.”
You can check the river gauge at Mehama here.
He has not been down the river in a while, and he does not think anyone else has. He reports the river is difficult to fish, even from the bank when it is this high. He will at times try a pink worm in tandem with a soft bead when it is high, but it would be tough to draw any strikes at all right now.
South Santiam River, Mainstem Santiam
Like the North Santiam, the South Santiam is still high and muddy, but it is on the drop. Fishing is generally best when flows are below 3,000 cfs, but at present, they are still over 4,000 cfs. Few anglers have been giving the river a try, and there are no fresh reports on fishing success.
You can check the gauge at Waterloo here.
McKenzie River
The freestone section and the tailwater are still well above a normal level. Below Leaburg Dam the discharge is over 9,000 cfs. There have been no recent reports, and few people are fishing. It will take some time for it to drop and clear.
You can check the river flows below Leaburg Dam Here.
Upper Willamette River
Poor river conditions last week and not much effort.
Detroit Reservoir
Fishing guide Mike Ferris made a trip to the lake recently. “We started trolling and started catching fish,” he said. “We ended up with 8 trout and 7 nice kokanee. We were finding them in pockets, and they were kind of scattered.”
He reports the fish were close to the surface, about 20 to 30 feet deep.
Ferris said the kokanee were nice sized. “We did not even get a limit of kokanee but we had enough for two dinners,” he said.
The reservoir is filling up fast. You can check the lake levels here.
Dexter Reservoir
The lake was stocked over the last two weeks of March with 6,000 rainbow trout. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass should start to show in the catch as they move shallow ahead of the spawn.
Fishing Guide Matt Halseth of Matt Halseth Guide Service reports that anglers are doing well in the river below Dexter Dam. The catch has consisted of steelhead, trout, and walleye.
“That’s turned into quite the walleye fishery there,” said Halseth.
Foster Reservoir
Over 28,000 trout will be stocked over the spring. Kokanee fishing has been severely affected by the recent drawdowns to help migrating wild spring Chinook. Smallmouth bass may begin moving toward rocky shoreline areas ahead of the spawn. Yellow perch are available over the lake structure.
SW Oregon Fishing Report – Contributor Jeff Rome reports:
The weather forecast at least through Saturday is looking beautiful for anglers wanting to get on the ocean for excellent ling cod and bottom fishing; lakes for some nice springtime trout and bass fishing; and rivers for spring Chinook and winter steelhead. Be aware that many coastal rivers such as the Chetco, Elk, and Sixes are now closed until May 22nd when they reopen for trout season.
That said, it leaves the Rogue River the best bet for Springers and winter steelhead. The mid-section is my best bet as the color and ntu is great and will even improve into the weekend. Boats bobber doggin soft beads and working plugs along the seams have a good chance at hooking steelhead and/ or salmon. Gold Hill down to Hog Creek looks good. Also, this afternoon, I saw that there was some good action over on the lower Rogue too.
The Umps are not nearly as good of an option. Higher water flows and getting toward the end of the season for steelhead are turning attention toward springers and even striped bass on the main. The best bet for the Umps would be the North for steelhead as it’s dropping now.
More and more lakes are getting stocked with trout and getting near full. Lost Creek, Applegate, Selmac, Galesville, and many of the coastal lakes would be good choices to get out and enjoy.
Read this week’s SW Washington fishing report.