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Hooker_Sean · 04-23-2002, 04:56 PM

This is Dennis Dobson at Oregon Outdoors with your north coast fishing report for the week beginning Thursday, April 18, 2002. As you no doubt noticed there was no new column last week. I apologize. Unfortunately I was speared by a sequence of family emergencies that left me away from a computer and unable to update this weekly report. It was, to say the least, inconvenient. Although I suspect that inconvenience is one of the hallmarks of any emergency. I suppose if situations occur when they are expected - or at least planned for - they can’t, by definition, truly be emergencies. So, having made my mea culpa’s drop on down to the “Conditions” section and we’ll get on with this week’s report. 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. 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. General Conditions Due to recent rains river levels are up. The Nestucca was, at 7-feet and a milky green, just fishable today and will be in nearly perfect condition for the next three or four days. The Trask will fish tomorrow and the Wilson, at least above the Guide Shop, will be in good condition by Friday morning. All area rivers, from the Necanicum to the Nestucca will be in good to excellent shape for the weekend. Salmon Still no reports of springers taken in local rivers yet. However, springers are being caught occasionally in Tillamook Bay and Nestucca Bay. Bear in mind that among local anglers and guides the general consensus is that springer fishing in the bay doesn’t really kick off until the first of May. Your best chance is along Tillamook’s North Jetty during the four hours or so bracketing high tide. Trolled plug cut herring is the bait of choice. Steelhead There are still good numbers of steelies in local rivers. Both the Wilson and Nestucca are producing consistent catches. The lower Nestucca is seeing some summer fish headed for the Cedar Creek hatchery on Three Rivers. Your best bet for a chance to find a keeper steelie this time of year is the Wilson River. The Trask, Wilson, Nestucca and North Fork Nehalem will all produce steady catches well into April, weather and water conditions permitting. The Nestucca in particular sees a late run of large native fish that has just now started to show up. Expect better numbers of these 20-plus pound fish to show by mid-April. 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. Sturgeon Both Tillamook and Nehalem bays are producing good catches of sturgeon. Expect to see this fishery climb steadily in numbers caught as we get closer to summer. The highest hook-up numbers are coming out of Tillamook’s West Channel and the area around the Bay City dolphins. Go-to spots on Nehalem Bay include the confluence pool where the north and south forks of the Nehalem River come together and the flats opposite Paradise Cove Resort. 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. 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. Trout Trout fishing in most coastal streams will open on May 25, not April as I mistakenly indicated earlier. The stocking schedule is now available on the internet at www.dfw.or.us. AND at www.localfishermannews.com. Ocean Good weather this weekend points towards excellent bottom fishing while the ocean salmon catch remains spotty at best. 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. Crabbing and Shellfish Crabbing ranged from good to excellent all week. Wind and weather permitting all local bays should continue to produce good catches of crab. 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. 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. 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 late April or early May. One way or another, one species or the other, just about everyone goes home with a fish. Ask Us 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 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. GIFT CERTIFICATES for the angler in your life (you?) are always available. 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. Until next week, have a great time and go catch some fish.

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