03-14-2002, 11:39 PM
This is Dennis Dobson at Oregon Outdoors with your north coast fishing report for the week beginning Thursday, March 14, 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 (Silcver) 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>Heavy rains, some snow and hail have all local rivers running high and dirty. With luck the Nestucca, North Fork Nehalem, Necanicum and upper Trask will be fishable by Saturday. Three Rivers is in decent condition today and will probably remain fishable through the weekend. Some good catches of hatchery fish are still showing up.<br>Salmon<br>Closed until springer season opens on April 1.<br>Steelhead<br>Those few anglers braving the weather this week did manage to catch a few steelhead on Three Rivers and the upper Trask. Bait presented slowly, usually with added scent, appeared to work best.<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.<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 p[oor as they were this week few boats were able to get out to fish. Once weather improves expect good fishing to resume.<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>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>