Volume 11 Issue Number 21 Northwest Oregon and Washington’S Most Complete and Accurate Fishing Forecast
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The Guide's Forecast - volume 11 issue number 21 Northwest Oregon and Washington’s most complete and accurate fishing forecast Forecasting for the fishing week of May 22nd – May 28th, 2009 Oregon Fisheries Update: Willamette Valley/Metro- The red-hot sturgeon fishery in the gorge has slowed dramatically indicating keeper sized fish are moving downstream in anticipation of summer feeding opportunities near the estuary. Catches remained respectable however with 30 keepers landed for 70 boats below the Marker 85 deadline. Smelt remains a top bait. Shad fishing is still open on the mainstem Columbia but catches are slow. Jack counts continue to set a record pace at Bonneville with jacks outnumbering adults every day now. If run models become reliable again, 2010 is likely to be a record return. Steelhead fishing remains closed until further notice. A few shad are being caught at Oregon City. Sturgeon fishing is producing keepers in the lower Willamette to those who seek them out with a variety of bait. Spring chinook are being hooked on plugs below Leaburg Dam. Those targeting summer steelhead are also taking a few. Look for Green McKenzie Caddis hatching on the lower river where water conditions are good for fishing. The North Santiam has summer steelhead scattered throughout the system. Fishing will improve once the water level and temperature stabilize. Some springers have been caught on the South Santiam around Sweet Home and Waterloo. The Clackamas has springers and summers available with anglers taking a few here and there. The Sandy River is still running high but prospects should improve over the weekend. Chinook and steelhead are well distributed throughout the system with consistent summer steelhead reports coming from Cedar Creek. Scheduled for trout planting are Estacada Lake, Faraday Lake, Henry Hagg Lake, Huddleston Pond, North Fork Reservoir, Silver Creek Reservoir, Small Fry Lake, South Yamhill River, Timothy Meadows, Trillium Lake, West Salish Pond, Big Cliff Reservoir, Breitenbush River, Carmen Reservoir, Clear Lake, Detroit Reservoir, E. E. Wilson Pond, Foster Reservoir, Junction City Pond, Leaburg Lake, McKenzie River above Leaburg Lake, Quartzville Creek, Salmon Creek, Santiam River NF above Detroit Lake Willamette River Coast Fork and Willamette R MF above Hills Creek Reservoir. Northwest – Spring chinook have arrived in Tillamook Bay with consistent catches coming from inside the bay along the north jetty early in the week. Novice angler John Robinson of West Linn took first place in the Bounty on the Bay tournament out of Garibaldi on Saturday; landing a 24 and 14.5 pounder in just under an hour near low slack on trolled herring. Action should switch to the upper bay on the minus tide series beginning on Friday. Driftboaters did fair on the Trask River last weekend but flows have since dropped and low tide exchanges are likely to keep fish in the salt water, at least until the next rain freshet which may be many days away. The Wilson, Nestucca and Three Rivers also have chinook present. Ocean fishers scored great catches of halibut in the all-depth fishery last week and are likely to do so http://www.TheGuidesForecast.com (c) Page 1 of 15 May 22, 2009 again this week. The open days are Thursday through Saturday. Bottomfishers also did well in the nearshore with good catches of black rockfish available along most reefs. Lingcod catches have declined and likely will continue to do so into the summer months. Ocean crabbing was fair out of Garibaldi but will likely decline as summer traffic increases. After many years of closure, trout fishing on many north coast streams opens up again for consumptive harvest beginning May 23rd. Check local regulations and identification charts to properly ID cutthroat trout as juvenile salmon and steelhead smolts are often mis-interpreted for trout this time of year. The daily bag limit is 2 fish with an 8-inch minimum size limit. Bait restrictions apply on many waterways upstream of tidewater. Big Creek Reservoirs 2 and 2 and Olalla Creek Reservoir are scheduled for trout stocking. Southwest – Nine out of 10 anglers trying all-depth halibut during last week's first-of-season opener returned to port with a fish. The mainstem and North Umpqua are fishing fairly well for spring chinook now with fish well distributed. Baits of sand shrimp and cured salmon eggs are most successful. Reports indicate fishing is better this season than last. Several springers have been caught in the mid-20-pound range, and a few over 30. Shad are being taken in fair to good numbers now. Sturgeon fishing is poor in the estuary. Last week's freshet has improved results for spring chinook fishing in the lower and Middle Rogue. While action for anadromous fishes is slow in the fast, high water on the upper Rogue, trout fishing is good. Boaters launching out of the Port of Brookings last week were blessed with calm ocean conditions and phenomenal bottom fishing with rockfish limits for most. Surf fishers hitting south coast beaches are continuing to limit on pinkfin and striped perch in the two- pound range with a few specimens topping the four-pound mark. Diamond Lake will be ice-free or very nearly so for Memorial Day Weekend. Fishing is expected to be good for large trout. Willow Lake, Applegate Reservoir, Lost Creek Reservoir, Lake Selmac, Rogue above Lost Creek, Lake of the Woods and Hemlock Lake are all scheduled for stocking. Eastern – Trout fishing is improving on the Deschutes as adult stoneflies start to hatch below Maupin and with nymphs active upriver. SW Washington – The Kalama and Lewis Rivers remain closed for spring chinook but catches are being witnessed on the Cowlitz River. A few summer steelhead are available on all three streams. The Wind and Drano Lake fisheries are performing fair with jacks making up nearly half of the catch. Interest for chinook and steelhead is also growing on the Klickitat River. Columbia River Fishing Report – With the news of red-hot sturgeon fishing last week in the Columbia River Gorge, anglers flocked to the water in anticipation of limit fishing. As expected, http://www.TheGuidesForecast.com (c) Page 2 of 15 May 22, 2009 success rates dropped dramatically but action was still noteworthy with 70 boats landing 30 keepers in the weekend check. Anglers will be restricted to the water downstream of Marker 85 into July but it’s likely when the upper reach re-opens in August, most of the fish will be in the estuary that time of year. Spring fishing should remain good in this fishery and in the Portland to Longview stretch as well for the next few weeks. Smelt will always rule the roost in this fishery. The only other fishery open is shad and anglers targeting this favored oversize bait found an occasional fish for a fair amount of effort. Shad counts are ramping up fast at Bonneville Dam however and action should pick up dramatically in the coming days. Steelheaders will be forced to hold off on good opportunity until better numbers of salmon cross Bonneville Dam. Lower river users are in jeopardy of exceeding Snake River impact percentages until we get about 150,000 salmon over Bonneville Dam. Let’s hope they come or we’re in for some real restrictions next year when we try and take advantage of a run that’s likely to be very sizable. Jack counts have far exceeded the last record. Downriver, sturgeon anglers continue to struggle in the Columbia River estuary where high flows and cold water hamper success rates. Effort is spread far and wide in hopes of hitting the mother lode but results have been few. It won’t be long however when waters warm and anglers locate fishable schools of keepers to take advantage of. The recent creel check indicates fish are beginning to move into the area however. About 1 keeper for every 3 boats was tallied last weekend. There are better times ahead. Ocean fishers out of Astoria scored easy limits of black rockfish and a few ling cod along the south jetty in calm seas last weekend. Fish were quite receptive to feather jigs and lead-headed jigs as well. Lingcod to 20 pounds have been taken. The Guide’s Forecast – Sturgeon fishing in the gorge will likely continue to taper as keepers become more motivated to feed in the summer conditions of the lower river estuary. Knowledgeable anglers targeting oversized fish using fresh shad should do well and those using smelt should continue to find a few keepers. Flows are likely to subside slightly enabling anglers to take advantage of more areas. Catches in the Portland to Longview stretch will remain mediocre. Shad anglers both boat and bank should see a significant increase in action in the coming days. Numbers are beginning to climb and anglers will want to take advantage of the great crab and sturgeon bait. Last year, it wasn’t as easy as it normally is so you may want to be more serious about your effort if you rely on this resource for your other fisheries. Estuary anglers will likely have to wait another week or two before action picks up when the temperatures do. Sand shrimp is a top bait this time of year, in the shallows where water temperatures are often warmer than the deep. Don’t overlook 2 to 4 foot of water this time of year as it can oftentimes hold quality keepers. Watch your measurements carefully as guides are telling me it actually takes a 47-inch fish, in old measurement terms, to make a keeper under the new 41- inch fork length measurement scheme.