03-22-2002, 09:44 PM
This is Dennis Dobson at Oregon Outdoors with your north coast fishing report for the week beginning Thursday, March 21, 2002.<br>Although we have already begun booking seats for this summer’s sturgeon and salmon fishing on the lower Columbia River, seats are filling fast. In an attempt to fill the remaining seats as soon as possible we are offering the following discount: Fill all four seats for just $125 per seat. This is a $25 per seat savings over the regular price. This discount only applies if you fill all four seats and you must book your seats and pay the deposit before May 1. Sturgeon season: June 1 through August 1 (primetime is June 1 through July 15). Chinook and Coho (Silver) season at Buoy 10: August 1 through the second or third week of September (we don’t know yet when ODFW will close the season). Primetime is the second week of August through the middle of September. Remember, the sooner you email or call us the better your chances of getting the date(s) you want.<br>Our new subscription-only website, Oregon Outdoors Fishing Report is now up and running. Simply go to www.oregonoutdoors.org and click on the appropriate hotlink. You will find a sample publication, complete with a weekly report, monthly forecast, an “Ask The Pro’s” section and discounts on bait, tackle, guides, charters and motels. To subscribe, simply fill out the subscription form and email it to us or call 503-815-2766.<br>General Conditions<br>Every river in the area blew out earlier this week as rain and melting snow flushed downstream. With more rain in the forecast fishing is going to be iffy for several days. If we get a lot of rain expect rivers to blow out again. If we get just showers I expect to see all area streams fishable by the weekend.<br>Salmon<br>Closed until springer season opens on April 1.<br>Steelhead<br>Steelie catch numbers will hold steady through the week as long as rivers remain in good enough condition to fish. Best bets are the Wilson and Nestucca. Expect Three Rivers to produce a day or two before the larger rivers. I have also had reliable reports of good numbers of late steelies in the Kilchis.<br>The Trask, Wilson, Nestucca and North Fork Nehalem will all produce steady catches well into March, weather and water conditions permitting.<br>Due to larger than expected winter steelhead returns this season ODFW has increased the daily bag limit to three fin-clipped fish on most area streams. The increased bag limit is expected to stay in place until July 11.<br>Sturgeon<br>Bad weather kept sturgeon angling on the north coast to almost nil this week. Improved weather conditions will encourage more anglers to set out after sturgeon. Once the weather does inprove expect good to excellent catches in both Tillamook and Nehalem bays. Sturgeon have already started congregating in the bays, gorging themselves on food as they prepare to make their spawning runs later this spring and early summer. Best time to catch sturgeon is the couple of hours bracketing a low tide. Your best baits are mud and sand shrimp and smelt. West Channel has been the go-to spot for the last several weeks.<br>If you want to wet a line this coming week I’d suggest you call either Ron Byrd at Nestucca Valley Sporting Goods (503-392-4269) for up-to-date info on the Nestucca and Three Rivers or Dennis and Marie Will at Tillamook Bait Company (503-842-5031) for the latest word on the Trask, Wilson and Tillamook Bay. Kelly and Janice at The Jetty Fishery can give you all of the up-to-date info you need on the fishing at Nehalem. They can be reached at 503-368-5746.<br>Trout<br>Trout fishing in most coastal streams will open on the third Saturday of April. <br>The stocking schedule is now available on the internet at www.dfw.or.us. AND at www.localfishermannews.com.<br>Ocean <br>With weather conditions as poor as they were this week few boats were able to get out to fish. Once weather improves expect good fishing to resume. Jetty fishing in Tillamook Bay for lings and rock bass as well as greenling has been excellent. Two and three-ounce lead head jigs with a spiral tail soft plastic body jigged among the rocks and along the drop off on North Jetty have been producing well. Black or dark purple have the been the colors of choice.<br>Crabbing and Shellfish<br>Crabbing dropped off this week with windy, rainy conditions on the bays. Best bet for next week, with more bad weather in the forecast, is either Nehalem or Netarts bays. Both are small enough that you can launch or rent boats close enough to the best crabbing grounds to retreat to shelter in hurry if need be. For the latest info on beach closures, call the Shellfish Hotline at 503-986-4728 or go to www.oda.state.or.us on the web for updates.<br>Winter steelheading is now in full swing. This means you can realisitically expect to catch at least a couple of these beauties on any given day. These are full-day driftboat trips. I am discounting my regular driftboat price from $150 to $125 per person through the end of February. You must fill both seats and book a minimum of one week in advance. <br>Spring Chinook season is coming. As in past years we are offering our annual sturgeon and springer special on Tillamook Bay. Book all four seats for just $125 per person per day and fish for both sturgeon and springers at no additional cost. March, April and May are the best months on the bay for sturgeon while springers will be congregating in bay as they stage to head upstream with the first good rains of April. One way or another, one species or the other, just about everyone goes home with a fish.<br>Ask Us<br>If you’d like to ask about local river conditions or book a trip you can reach us by phone at 503-815-2766 or via e-mail at oreoutdd@pacifier.com<br> And be sure to visit our web site at oregonoutdoors.org. Just follow the link to the homepage. Please sign our Guest Book … we always enjoy seeing who is visiting us.<br>GIFT CERTIFICATES for the angler in your life (you?) are always available.<br>CREDIT AND DEBIT CARDS: We can now accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express credit cards and any major bank debit card for payment. Please call us to complete the transaction. We choose to do this over the phone so you won’t have to send important personal financial information over the internet. <br> Until next week, have a great time and go catch some fish. <br><br>