Willamette Valley/Metro – The doldrums of summer are setting in for metro area rivers. The Willamette continues to produce mediocre late-season spring Chinook fishing in the Portland Harbor and effort for salmon saw a jump at Willamette Falls as well. Counts at Willamette Falls remain depressed, not even half of what the predicted pre-season prediction has…
Willamette Valley/Metro – Spring Chinook trollers fishing the Portland Harbor and the Multnomah Channel are averaging a salmon for nearly every 10 rods days of effort. The mark rate remains around 70% with fish falling to Pro-Trolls and size 3.5 spinners in the warming Willamette. Herring remain an option as well, but fish seem most responsive…
Willamette Valley/Metro – The Willamette River continues to produce fair-at-best results for spring Chinook, but trollers working the river downstream of the St. Johns Bridge have been doing fair recently. No matter how poorly the overall spring Chinook season has performed through the traditional peak season period (late April – May), there seems to be…
This weekend is Free Fishing Weekend, which means you don’t need a license, tag or endorsement to fish, crab or clam anywhere in the state (all other regulations still apply). So call your kid, friend, co-worker or spouse and make a date to take them fishing! Willamette Valley/Metro – Although spring Chinook fishing remains slow…
Willamette Valley/Metro – It appears as if the spring Chinook run on the Willamette River is not over. Throughout the river, from the Portland Harbor to Oregon City, anglers witnessed improved catches from the previous weeks, when hot, sunny weather seemed to quell the bite. We’re still in stable flows and water clarity, while still…
Willamette Valley/Metro – Spring Chinook fishing in the Willamette River has nosedived. Creel numbers show the worst week 19 of the season in more than a decade. Despite fair water conditions, warm weather and a high pressure system has caused the bite to tank. The water temperature has eclipsed 62 degrees and spring Chinook should…
Willamette Valley/Metro – With all systems go for Willamette Valley rivers, catch rates remained robust for the week, but the catch per angler dropped from the previous week, while effort increased. The most productive reach remained the mainstem Willamette from St. Johns Bridge to the mouth and the entire Multnomah Channel where just over 4,600…
Willamette Valley/Metro – With the mainstem Willamette dropping and clearing into ideal shape, effort and catch has been good during this peak season. It’s back to more sporadic results, but great catches were experienced throughout the river last Wednesday and Thursday, and action remains consistent from the Portland Harbor to Oregon City. Last week, Willamette…
Willamette Valley/Metro – With Portland area rivers on the high side all week, spring Chinook fishing as well as steelheading has come to a screeching halt. Anglers have been side-lined with the exception of the mainstem Columbia, where fishers had a weekend opportunity to once again try for the region’s most prized fish. Success rates…
Willamette Valley/Metro – Fish and wildlife managers met on Wednesday, extending the Columbia River spring Chinook season two extra days, beginning on Saturday and Sunday, April 13th and 14th. On the last day of the closure, catch rates were poor as the river was on a sharp rise. The river is forecast to start dropping,…
Willamette Valley/Metro –Unprecedented opportunity for spring Chinook has yielded high effort and fair results in the recent week. Catches are tracking ahead of the 5-year average and in the lower (Multnomah Channel) and middle (Portland Harbor) reaches of the Willamette, catches almost tripled from the previous week. Realistically however, catches are still only averaging a…
Willamette Valley/Metro – With consistent flows on the Willamette River, spring Chinook anglers have been enjoying good water conditions as we approach peak season for the fishery. Traditionally, the spring Chinook fishery peaked in the third week of April, but most recently, catches have been sporadic throughout the months of April, May and even June as…
Willamette Valley/Metro – Although two spring Chinook have now crossed Bonneville Dam, the bulk of the run is still months away. Peak passage at Bonneville used to happen around the 3rd week of April, but in recent years, has pushed back to mid-May or later, giving biologists an added challenge in managing the fishery. The Columbia…
Willamette Valley/Metro – Continued cold, dry weather is still hampering steelhead success on the Clackamas and Sandy Rivers. It’s a bit past peak on the Sandy, but hatchery fish should still be available, and Clackamas River anglers are still struggling for consistent success, but we’re just now entering peak season. Sandy River anglers are catching…
Willamette Valley/Metro – Following the long dry spell, Portland area rivers, even the mighty Willamette, are putting out salmon and steelhead to savvy anglers. The Willamette started fishing again early this week, with the “Sultan of Sellwood” taking a 2-fish limit at Sellwood Bridge on Monday. John Shmilenko (“The Sultan”) is the temperature gauge for…
