04-23-2005, 02:20 PM
Oregon Fisheries Update
April 22nd – April 28th, 2005
The Columbia is CLOSED once again! A gross mis-prediction of the spring run is calling for drastic restrictions in the sport and commercial fisheries beginning midnight 4/20. Although mixed reports showed some improvement early in the week, poor catches overall are a good indicator that the run is simply not going to materialize.
"This is either the latest run in recorded history, or the smallest run in recorded history, or both," said Steve Williams, deputy director of fisheries for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Sturgeon fishing on the Columbia remains mostly a shaker show. Effort was light due to the springer interest but that will likely change now. Some keepers are being reported from the lower river near Astoria and the retention rule changes on 5/1 where the minimum size increases to 45 inches and re-opens to retention on the 15th of May.
Springer fishing remains slow on the Willamette but a handful are being taken daily. Improvement is expected if the water warms four or five degrees.
Fishing is slow to dead on the Clackamas. It's worse on the Sandy. On the other hand (or fin), summer steelheading is pretty darned good at the Santiams with some specimens taken recently over 10 pounds.
Recent improvements in the weather have the ocean fishable for bottomfish! Keep your eyes open for the NW winds that are occurring in the late morning!
Smallmouth fishing in the Columbia and Willamette Rivers slowed with the last rain and consequent drop in water temperature. With the warmer weather, expect these feisty cichlids to be on the prowl. Smaller lakes and ponds should be the target for anglers looking for largemouth action.
Pro guide Jesse Zalonis (503-392-5808) reports steelheading on the North Oregon Coast is beginning to slow. Jesse states we are in a transition period where an angler can catch some spawned out steelhead, have a chance at a fresh late winter run, summer run or spring Chinook. The North Coast streams that remain open should fish decent over the weekend.
South coast streams are cranking up with the springer run gaining momentum. Decent catches are a regularity on the lower Rogue and some large fish have been taken on the Umpqua including a 53-pounder this week!
Crabbing is surprisingly good in Tillamook Bay for those strategically placing their pots. A good minus tide series this weekend could hamper crabbing success but sturgeon fishing could be a good option!
Additional opportunities for trout anglers will occur starting Saturday, April 23rd. The lakes which are closed seasonally open on that date which is now considered the opening of trout season. Fishing at Lemolo Reservoir at the opener for naturally occurring brown trout and stocked rainbows should be good from boat or bank. With the ice off Diamond Lake, large holdovers and 11,000 stocked trout await anglers.
For the 'opener,' stocking of lakes, ponds and reservoirs open year-around has kept the tank trucks busy this week. Big Creek Reservoirs 1 and 2, Alder, Buck, Dune, Elbow, Georgia, Hebo, Mercer and Lost Lakes in both Clatsop and Lane Counties, Mt. Hood, Bethany, Canby, Haldeman, Dorman, Hartman, Roaring River Park, Huddleston, E. E. Wilson, Junction City, Walling and Trojan Ponds, Alton Baker Canal, Harriet, Henry Hagg, Roslyn, Salmonberry, Freeway Lake East, Clear, Leaburg, Timber Linn, Commonwealth and Walter Wirth Lakes, Blue River, Cottage Grove, Carmen, Detroit, Dorena, Green Peter, Foster And Dexter Reservoirs, Blue River, Coast Fork Willamette, Fall Creek, Upper McKenzie River, Mid Fork Willamette Rivers and Salmon Creek Fall River, Shevlin Pond and Simtustus Lake were all planted earlier this week.
Full length subscribers will note a significant section on Washington fishing this week. The Guide's Forecast- Washington edition is coming to fruition as requested by our numerous readers and pro guide Kevin Newell (360-430-2521) is doing a bang-up job of making it happen. Enjoy the fruits of his labor and for our free version subscribers, here is a re-cap of the Washington report:
Pro Guide Jeff Knots (509) 366-4052 tells us that there is not much to report on the Mid Columbia but “The lower Yakima River from the Highway 240 bridge up to Horn Rapids (Wannawish)Dam is filled with big trophy sized small mouth!”, says Jeff.
Pro Guide Rob Orzel (360) 673-3557 and Wayne Orzel of Prichards Western Anglers report, “Yesterday was the best day so far for this spring salmon season. The river was hot with several anglers bringing in limits of fish with the largest fish being around 20 pounds.
Pro Guide Bob Barthlow (509) 952-9694 reports on the Cowlitz River, “Fishing has been a little slow lately. There was a nice push of fish that came through last week and we are basically fishing for the remnants and stragglers from that batch of fish.
Mike Jamboretz (425) 788-5955 or (206) 595-9526 says halibut fishing in Puget Sound started off well on April 14. Calm weather conditions allowed anglers to get out on the water and off Port Angeles, about 162 anglers reeled in 53 halibut during the first four days of the season.
Pro Guide Pat Long (509) 751-0410 tells us that the Snake is fishing very well for smallmouth bass and sturgeon with some nice fish coming to the boat. Sturgeon fishing in the catch and release area has been great for the past week with several fish in the 7 to 10 ft range and good numbers of smaller fish.
Pro Guide David Child (509) 962-5523 says that on his most recent Yakima River trip on April 19, “We saw a great caddis emergence from 10am to 1pm with fish rising to the hatching caddis. We boated around 20 fish yesterday from 10 to 17 inches including 2 cutthroat.” Currently the WDFW is planning to allow razor clam digging at all five of Washington's razor clam beaches. These digs are scheduled for April 23-25.
Soapbox Update:
Please join us for our second annual Bounty on the Bay fundraiser to support salmon restoration efforts in the Tillamook area. Last years event was a smashing success and we think the fishing will be even better this year! We will start off the event with a seminar by pro guide Bob Rees on how to catch Tillamook Chinook using herring trolling techniques. Follow this with a great tournament and win yourself some great prizes for biggest and most spring Chinook landed on the bay that day!
The biggest catch of the day is the opportunity to fish with NW legend Buzz Ramsey! The current high bid of $200 holds this seat but hopefully you will drive the price up- all in the name of salmon recovery!
Go to www.tbnep.org to register or call the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership at (503) 322-2222 for any questions. You won't want to miss this event!
Always more at the website: http://www.theguidesforecast.com/
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April 22nd – April 28th, 2005
The Columbia is CLOSED once again! A gross mis-prediction of the spring run is calling for drastic restrictions in the sport and commercial fisheries beginning midnight 4/20. Although mixed reports showed some improvement early in the week, poor catches overall are a good indicator that the run is simply not going to materialize.
"This is either the latest run in recorded history, or the smallest run in recorded history, or both," said Steve Williams, deputy director of fisheries for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Sturgeon fishing on the Columbia remains mostly a shaker show. Effort was light due to the springer interest but that will likely change now. Some keepers are being reported from the lower river near Astoria and the retention rule changes on 5/1 where the minimum size increases to 45 inches and re-opens to retention on the 15th of May.
Springer fishing remains slow on the Willamette but a handful are being taken daily. Improvement is expected if the water warms four or five degrees.
Fishing is slow to dead on the Clackamas. It's worse on the Sandy. On the other hand (or fin), summer steelheading is pretty darned good at the Santiams with some specimens taken recently over 10 pounds.
Recent improvements in the weather have the ocean fishable for bottomfish! Keep your eyes open for the NW winds that are occurring in the late morning!
Smallmouth fishing in the Columbia and Willamette Rivers slowed with the last rain and consequent drop in water temperature. With the warmer weather, expect these feisty cichlids to be on the prowl. Smaller lakes and ponds should be the target for anglers looking for largemouth action.
Pro guide Jesse Zalonis (503-392-5808) reports steelheading on the North Oregon Coast is beginning to slow. Jesse states we are in a transition period where an angler can catch some spawned out steelhead, have a chance at a fresh late winter run, summer run or spring Chinook. The North Coast streams that remain open should fish decent over the weekend.
South coast streams are cranking up with the springer run gaining momentum. Decent catches are a regularity on the lower Rogue and some large fish have been taken on the Umpqua including a 53-pounder this week!
Crabbing is surprisingly good in Tillamook Bay for those strategically placing their pots. A good minus tide series this weekend could hamper crabbing success but sturgeon fishing could be a good option!
Additional opportunities for trout anglers will occur starting Saturday, April 23rd. The lakes which are closed seasonally open on that date which is now considered the opening of trout season. Fishing at Lemolo Reservoir at the opener for naturally occurring brown trout and stocked rainbows should be good from boat or bank. With the ice off Diamond Lake, large holdovers and 11,000 stocked trout await anglers.
For the 'opener,' stocking of lakes, ponds and reservoirs open year-around has kept the tank trucks busy this week. Big Creek Reservoirs 1 and 2, Alder, Buck, Dune, Elbow, Georgia, Hebo, Mercer and Lost Lakes in both Clatsop and Lane Counties, Mt. Hood, Bethany, Canby, Haldeman, Dorman, Hartman, Roaring River Park, Huddleston, E. E. Wilson, Junction City, Walling and Trojan Ponds, Alton Baker Canal, Harriet, Henry Hagg, Roslyn, Salmonberry, Freeway Lake East, Clear, Leaburg, Timber Linn, Commonwealth and Walter Wirth Lakes, Blue River, Cottage Grove, Carmen, Detroit, Dorena, Green Peter, Foster And Dexter Reservoirs, Blue River, Coast Fork Willamette, Fall Creek, Upper McKenzie River, Mid Fork Willamette Rivers and Salmon Creek Fall River, Shevlin Pond and Simtustus Lake were all planted earlier this week.
Full length subscribers will note a significant section on Washington fishing this week. The Guide's Forecast- Washington edition is coming to fruition as requested by our numerous readers and pro guide Kevin Newell (360-430-2521) is doing a bang-up job of making it happen. Enjoy the fruits of his labor and for our free version subscribers, here is a re-cap of the Washington report:
Pro Guide Jeff Knots (509) 366-4052 tells us that there is not much to report on the Mid Columbia but “The lower Yakima River from the Highway 240 bridge up to Horn Rapids (Wannawish)Dam is filled with big trophy sized small mouth!”, says Jeff.
Pro Guide Rob Orzel (360) 673-3557 and Wayne Orzel of Prichards Western Anglers report, “Yesterday was the best day so far for this spring salmon season. The river was hot with several anglers bringing in limits of fish with the largest fish being around 20 pounds.
Pro Guide Bob Barthlow (509) 952-9694 reports on the Cowlitz River, “Fishing has been a little slow lately. There was a nice push of fish that came through last week and we are basically fishing for the remnants and stragglers from that batch of fish.
Mike Jamboretz (425) 788-5955 or (206) 595-9526 says halibut fishing in Puget Sound started off well on April 14. Calm weather conditions allowed anglers to get out on the water and off Port Angeles, about 162 anglers reeled in 53 halibut during the first four days of the season.
Pro Guide Pat Long (509) 751-0410 tells us that the Snake is fishing very well for smallmouth bass and sturgeon with some nice fish coming to the boat. Sturgeon fishing in the catch and release area has been great for the past week with several fish in the 7 to 10 ft range and good numbers of smaller fish.
Pro Guide David Child (509) 962-5523 says that on his most recent Yakima River trip on April 19, “We saw a great caddis emergence from 10am to 1pm with fish rising to the hatching caddis. We boated around 20 fish yesterday from 10 to 17 inches including 2 cutthroat.” Currently the WDFW is planning to allow razor clam digging at all five of Washington's razor clam beaches. These digs are scheduled for April 23-25.
Soapbox Update:
Please join us for our second annual Bounty on the Bay fundraiser to support salmon restoration efforts in the Tillamook area. Last years event was a smashing success and we think the fishing will be even better this year! We will start off the event with a seminar by pro guide Bob Rees on how to catch Tillamook Chinook using herring trolling techniques. Follow this with a great tournament and win yourself some great prizes for biggest and most spring Chinook landed on the bay that day!
The biggest catch of the day is the opportunity to fish with NW legend Buzz Ramsey! The current high bid of $200 holds this seat but hopefully you will drive the price up- all in the name of salmon recovery!
Go to www.tbnep.org to register or call the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership at (503) 322-2222 for any questions. You won't want to miss this event!
Always more at the website: http://www.theguidesforecast.com/
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