03-03-2002, 11:03 PM
Fisheries Update<br> <br>March 1st - March 7th, 2002<br><br> Sturgeon have eluded many and rewarded others in the Kelly Point and Columbia City area. While smelt remains a preferred bait, don't hesitate to experiment, especially if there are several rods in the water. Try sand shrimp or even clam neck for variety. Give 'em what they're in the mood for and hang on! Fishing has lowed for sturgeon in the Gorge. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has increased the daily bag limit of smelt from 10 to 20 pounds per dipper and is allowing dipping seven days a week. They're thick in the Cowlitz now. Willamette Falls winter steelhead counts have soared over the last week as mostly natives continue their upstream migration. This puts lots of fish into the North Santiam for angler's cat-and-release pleasure. Clackamas and Sandy River fishermen continue to catch steelhead daily as the numbers of hatchery fish in the mix continues to dwindle. Not much is going on in the Clack for springers, yet. Spring chinook are being taken daily in the lower Willamette and in the Multnomah Channel. Coastal Rivers have very good populations of wild fish, although the levels have dropped and many are quite clear. The late run of hatchery fish on the Siletz have been mostly uncooperative. The Siuslaw, Cowlitz and Umpqua Rivers are fishing well. Henry Hagg Lake (near Forest Grove) opens this Saturday, March 2nd, and has been stocked heavily with hatchery trout. Although tides are favorable, crabbing has been slow in Tillamook, Netarts and Yaquina Bays. Herring are available from the docks in Newport, however. Coffenbury, Cullaby and Sunset Lakes have been planted this week with adult steelhead. <br><br> Subscribe to TGF at http://www.theguidesforecast.com<br><br>Get more Oregon fishing information at<br>http://www.theguidesforecast.com