03-06-2005, 03:13 PM
Oregon Fisheries Update
March 4th – March 10th, 2005
Columbia River sturgeon fishing remains poor below Bonneville and good in the Bonneville Pool (upstream of Bonneville Dam). Smelt are still a no-show so good bait is hard to come by. The water is still cold and even the gillnet fleet is having a tough time getting into targeted species.
Smelt dipping on the Cowlitz has been curtailed to Saturdays only. Other Washington rivers have been closed to this activity with the run apparently a non-event this year.
The north coast continues to improve for steelhead and those employing low water tactics are finding good success. A mix of broodstock and wild fish are available to salvage the season.
Bottom fishing has been good. Surf perch angling is improving coast-wide when conditions allow.
Good tides for sturgeon have paid dividends for the few anglers working Tillamook Bay. A minus tide series will likely bring out a few more folks over the weekend and clamming on the Clatsop Beaches may also produce well. Crabbing in most estuaries is challenging.
There are fish available in the Alsea but like the north coast streams, a stealth approach is the only option.
Most South coast rivers are extremely low and steelheading has stalled. The Umpqua seems to be one of the few fisheries which is holding up in the drought.
Steelhead fishing in the water stricken east part of the state remains surprisingly good. The Wallowa and Grande Ronde Rivers are producing well for this time of year. It is however getting close to the spawning time of those fish so action may begin to taper off.
SW Washington streams like the Lewis are producing consistent numbers of wild steelhead. The Cowlitz River should start to pick up for second run steelhead.
Puget Sound anglers are finding consistent success keeping hardware close to the bottom. Downriggers are the only way to go when fishing here.
Steelheading on the Clackamas and Sandy Rivers has shown some improvement as time, rather thank conducive conditions, drives the fish to run. Summer steelhead and spring chinook are now being counted at Willamette Falls
Cape Meares, Coffenbury, Cullaby, Hebo, Lost (in Clatsop County), Lytle, North Lake, Smith, South, Spring, Sunset, Town, Hagg and Vernonia Lakes, Huddleston, St. Louis, E. E. Wilson Pond and Junction City Ponds, Alton Baker Canal and Cottage Grove Reservoir. There's a free trout derby at Hagg lake this Saturday, March 5th.
Have you noticed our upgrade? We now are including SW Washington and some Puget Sound reports for our readers! Great thanks goes to Kevin Newell, Erik Brigham, Mike Jamboretz and Pete Grace for helping out with this great information. These are great guides so we hope you will give them a chance to show you around the wonderful state of Washington!
Always more at the website: http://www.theguidesforecast.com/
March 4th – March 10th, 2005
Columbia River sturgeon fishing remains poor below Bonneville and good in the Bonneville Pool (upstream of Bonneville Dam). Smelt are still a no-show so good bait is hard to come by. The water is still cold and even the gillnet fleet is having a tough time getting into targeted species.
Smelt dipping on the Cowlitz has been curtailed to Saturdays only. Other Washington rivers have been closed to this activity with the run apparently a non-event this year.
The north coast continues to improve for steelhead and those employing low water tactics are finding good success. A mix of broodstock and wild fish are available to salvage the season.
Bottom fishing has been good. Surf perch angling is improving coast-wide when conditions allow.
Good tides for sturgeon have paid dividends for the few anglers working Tillamook Bay. A minus tide series will likely bring out a few more folks over the weekend and clamming on the Clatsop Beaches may also produce well. Crabbing in most estuaries is challenging.
There are fish available in the Alsea but like the north coast streams, a stealth approach is the only option.
Most South coast rivers are extremely low and steelheading has stalled. The Umpqua seems to be one of the few fisheries which is holding up in the drought.
Steelhead fishing in the water stricken east part of the state remains surprisingly good. The Wallowa and Grande Ronde Rivers are producing well for this time of year. It is however getting close to the spawning time of those fish so action may begin to taper off.
SW Washington streams like the Lewis are producing consistent numbers of wild steelhead. The Cowlitz River should start to pick up for second run steelhead.
Puget Sound anglers are finding consistent success keeping hardware close to the bottom. Downriggers are the only way to go when fishing here.
Steelheading on the Clackamas and Sandy Rivers has shown some improvement as time, rather thank conducive conditions, drives the fish to run. Summer steelhead and spring chinook are now being counted at Willamette Falls
Cape Meares, Coffenbury, Cullaby, Hebo, Lost (in Clatsop County), Lytle, North Lake, Smith, South, Spring, Sunset, Town, Hagg and Vernonia Lakes, Huddleston, St. Louis, E. E. Wilson Pond and Junction City Ponds, Alton Baker Canal and Cottage Grove Reservoir. There's a free trout derby at Hagg lake this Saturday, March 5th.
Have you noticed our upgrade? We now are including SW Washington and some Puget Sound reports for our readers! Great thanks goes to Kevin Newell, Erik Brigham, Mike Jamboretz and Pete Grace for helping out with this great information. These are great guides so we hope you will give them a chance to show you around the wonderful state of Washington!
Always more at the website: http://www.theguidesforecast.com/