03-08-2002, 10:21 PM
This is Dennis Dobson at Oregon Outdoors with your north coast fishing report for the week beginning Thursday, March 7, 2002.<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.<br>General Conditions<br>Modest amounts of melting snow, about two inches yesterday and again today, have brought rivers up a bit. River color is uniformly good and catches of steelies remain good to excellent.<br>Salmon<br>Closed until springer season opens on April 1.<br>Steelhead<br>Catch ratios remained steady this week on the Trask, Wilson, Nestucca, Kilchis, North Fork Nehalem and Necanicum rivers with anglers reporting consistent steelhead catches on each river. While the primary catch is native fish, which must be released unharmed, a few hatchery fish are still being taken. Your best bets for keeper steelies are the lower Nestucca and the Wilson.<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>The best, most consistent bite remains West Channel. Some fish are also being caught at the Dolphins and in the Sheep’s Corral. I have also heard that fish are being caught off the disabled dock on the lower Tillamook River and in the pool at Memaloose (Oyster House).<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 improvements over the last week offshore fishing has picked up. Good catches of bottom fish, including black bass and ling cod, have been reported off of both Depoe and Tillamook bays. Jetty fishing for greenling and bass also improved this week, especially off the North Jetty at Tillamook Bay. Time your jetty trip for the gentlest tides you can find and concentrate on high slack tide.<br>Crabbing and Shellfish<br>Crabbing has improved dramatically over the last several days in all area bays. Watch tide cycles and time your crabbing to coincide with minimum water movement. We also have a good set of clamming tides coming up this week. 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>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>Thanks, Sean - bigfishtackle.com