01-28-2012, 04:51 PM
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Willamette Valley/Metro- Inclement weather kept most anglersat home instead of pursuing Bonneville Pool sturgeon last week. With betterweather in the forecast for the weekend and a possible warming trend on theway, the bite should stay consistent through the weekend. Sturgeon anglersdownstream will be biding their time until the spring.
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Smeltnumbers are expected to improve this year although no harvest will be allowedby the sport or commercial interests. A healthy run however could focus keepersturgeon in the Portland to Longview stretch although fresh bait far out-fishesfrozen. Anglers may be able to take advantage of higher concentrations of fishhowever.
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Wintersteelhead passage, stalled in high water, will resume as the level drops. The2012 sturgeon retention season on the lower Willamette and Multnomah Channelwill consist of two Friday/Saturday periods, February 17th & 18th andFebruary 24th & 25th.
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AlthoughFebruary is often the first month that a spring chinook is caught in theWillamette system, that won’t happen anytime soon as high, colored water willkeep effort and catch to a minimum. The hot-spot in February is SellwoodBridge, trolling herring on the bottom, just upstream of the bridgeabutments.
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TheMcKenzie River is expected to be out of shape for several days.
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TheSantiams will not be an option this week due to high water.
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Clackamaslevels dropped earlier this week but have shot back up again. Level and floware forecast to drop through the coming weekend but may still be off-color.Most anglers will be looking to late February/March for a stronger showing ofbroodstock fish.
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Sandyflows were moderating early this week but the water is likely to be roiled witha high freezing level forecast for the week to come. Steelhead were beginningto show in fair numbers prior to the high flow.
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Northwest – Steelheaders onlyhad a brief window of opportunity late in the weekend, on smaller streams suchas the Necanicum and North Fork Nehalem. Action was fair with a few fresh fishstill in the catch. After flows subside, the remaining early run will bespawning in tributaries with plenty of kelts in the catch, especially for thoseusing bait. The Highway 30 streams, Necanicum, North Fork Nehalem and ThreeRivers may be the only options over the weekend. The dam Hole on the Trask mayproduce some limited catches for bank anglers.
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It willlikely be after the weekend before the larger systems come back into shape. TheWilson and Nestucca will be the main targets of serious steelheaders, withbroodstock fish available for the rest of the winter season. March is peakmonth for that return.
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[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
Fair tidesfor sturgeon anglers through the weekend but it’s questionable as to whetherwinds will cooperate with anglers. Windy conditions create too much rocking,not allowing anglers to detect the sensitive bites that often occur using sandshrimp for bait.
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Crabbingremains poor and offshore excursions won’t be an option for a while.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
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Southwest – As weather conditionsmoderate, offshore conditions are forecast to improve for the coming weekend.If predictions hold accurate, boats should be able to make bottom fishingtrips.
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Crabbingin bays and estuaries will remain poor through the weekend to come. As rainfallmoderates and salinity levels improve, Dungeness catches will pick up as well.
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TheUmpqua system is forecast to be out of shape for the weekend to come with thenext round of storms pushing up water levels. As precipitation moderates andwater conditions improve, steelheading in the upper mainstem and South Umpquawill become worthwhile.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
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TheCoos and Coquille Rivers will be productive for winter steelhead once waterlevels drop and clear.
Winter steelhead, which seem to have vaporized from the lower Rogue, have beendrawn upstream to Grants Pass where they will entertain anglers as the riverrecovers, perhaps as early as the coming weekend. On the other hand, the summersteelhead fishery on the upper Rogue is history with tributaries beckoningthese fish to spawn.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
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Droppingbut still muddy on Monday this week, the Elk River blew out again as heavy rainreturned to the south coast on Tuesday. With a dry day forecast on Friday andonly light showers to follow, both the Elk and Sixes will produce wintersteelhead as conditions improve.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
Eastern –The Crooked River should provide some fly fishing opportunities this week as itis fairly low and very clear. Midges are hatching so take smaller offerings forwhitefish and rainbows.
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Trollers working The Dalles and John Day Pools maystill find a few steelhead if the weather calms down but fish will be close tothe spawning stage and most will be wild, requiring release.
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SW Washington – Accumulated snow, mixed with the current warm front, will likelycause flooding conditions on most district streams. Not that it matters much, asthese systems transition from early returning fish to later returningbroodstock steelhead. Wild fish should also make an appearance but no onesystem is expected to get a great run.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
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If smelt enter theCowlitz system, anglers may have a viable target fishery for sturgeon in thelower Cowlitz as that is where the smelt are surely destined for.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[signature]
Willamette Valley/Metro- Inclement weather kept most anglersat home instead of pursuing Bonneville Pool sturgeon last week. With betterweather in the forecast for the weekend and a possible warming trend on theway, the bite should stay consistent through the weekend. Sturgeon anglersdownstream will be biding their time until the spring.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
Smeltnumbers are expected to improve this year although no harvest will be allowedby the sport or commercial interests. A healthy run however could focus keepersturgeon in the Portland to Longview stretch although fresh bait far out-fishesfrozen. Anglers may be able to take advantage of higher concentrations of fishhowever.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
Wintersteelhead passage, stalled in high water, will resume as the level drops. The2012 sturgeon retention season on the lower Willamette and Multnomah Channelwill consist of two Friday/Saturday periods, February 17th & 18th andFebruary 24th & 25th.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
AlthoughFebruary is often the first month that a spring chinook is caught in theWillamette system, that won’t happen anytime soon as high, colored water willkeep effort and catch to a minimum. The hot-spot in February is SellwoodBridge, trolling herring on the bottom, just upstream of the bridgeabutments.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
TheMcKenzie River is expected to be out of shape for several days.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
TheSantiams will not be an option this week due to high water.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
Clackamaslevels dropped earlier this week but have shot back up again. Level and floware forecast to drop through the coming weekend but may still be off-color.Most anglers will be looking to late February/March for a stronger showing ofbroodstock fish.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
Sandyflows were moderating early this week but the water is likely to be roiled witha high freezing level forecast for the week to come. Steelhead were beginningto show in fair numbers prior to the high flow.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
Northwest – Steelheaders onlyhad a brief window of opportunity late in the weekend, on smaller streams suchas the Necanicum and North Fork Nehalem. Action was fair with a few fresh fishstill in the catch. After flows subside, the remaining early run will bespawning in tributaries with plenty of kelts in the catch, especially for thoseusing bait. The Highway 30 streams, Necanicum, North Fork Nehalem and ThreeRivers may be the only options over the weekend. The dam Hole on the Trask mayproduce some limited catches for bank anglers.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
It willlikely be after the weekend before the larger systems come back into shape. TheWilson and Nestucca will be the main targets of serious steelheaders, withbroodstock fish available for the rest of the winter season. March is peakmonth for that return.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
Fair tidesfor sturgeon anglers through the weekend but it’s questionable as to whetherwinds will cooperate with anglers. Windy conditions create too much rocking,not allowing anglers to detect the sensitive bites that often occur using sandshrimp for bait.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
Crabbingremains poor and offshore excursions won’t be an option for a while.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
Southwest – As weather conditionsmoderate, offshore conditions are forecast to improve for the coming weekend.If predictions hold accurate, boats should be able to make bottom fishingtrips.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
Crabbingin bays and estuaries will remain poor through the weekend to come. As rainfallmoderates and salinity levels improve, Dungeness catches will pick up as well.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
TheUmpqua system is forecast to be out of shape for the weekend to come with thenext round of storms pushing up water levels. As precipitation moderates andwater conditions improve, steelheading in the upper mainstem and South Umpquawill become worthwhile.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
TheCoos and Coquille Rivers will be productive for winter steelhead once waterlevels drop and clear.
Winter steelhead, which seem to have vaporized from the lower Rogue, have beendrawn upstream to Grants Pass where they will entertain anglers as the riverrecovers, perhaps as early as the coming weekend. On the other hand, the summersteelhead fishery on the upper Rogue is history with tributaries beckoningthese fish to spawn.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
Droppingbut still muddy on Monday this week, the Elk River blew out again as heavy rainreturned to the south coast on Tuesday. With a dry day forecast on Friday andonly light showers to follow, both the Elk and Sixes will produce wintersteelhead as conditions improve.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
Eastern –The Crooked River should provide some fly fishing opportunities this week as itis fairly low and very clear. Midges are hatching so take smaller offerings forwhitefish and rainbows.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
Trollers working The Dalles and John Day Pools maystill find a few steelhead if the weather calms down but fish will be close tothe spawning stage and most will be wild, requiring release.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
SW Washington – Accumulated snow, mixed with the current warm front, will likelycause flooding conditions on most district streams. Not that it matters much, asthese systems transition from early returning fish to later returningbroodstock steelhead. Wild fish should also make an appearance but no onesystem is expected to get a great run.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
If smelt enter theCowlitz system, anglers may have a viable target fishery for sturgeon in thelower Cowlitz as that is where the smelt are surely destined for.
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[signature]