What’s Fishin’ In Oregon

Here’s the latest fishing roundup from around Oregon, courtesy of ODFW’s weekly Recreation Report:

SOUTHWEST ZONE

• Spring chinook fishing on the upper Rogue has been good above Shady Cove.
• Spring chinook fishing has also been good on the North Umpqua from Amacher up to Swiftwater.
• Fishing for resident cutthroat trout is picking up in many rivers and streams. Flies or small spinners are the best bets.
• Warmwater fishing is improving in several area lakes and ponds. Bluegill are staging in shallow water preparing to spawn and the males are very aggressive. Largemouth bass fishing at Hyatt Lake and Tenmile Lakes has been very good and a 7-pound bass was recently caught in Cooper Creek Reservoir.

NORTHWEST ZONE

• Nestucca & Three Rivers: Water levels continue to be good for this time of year. Forecasted dry weather will allow the river to drop this week. Spring chinook and summer steelhead angling has been fair to good. Bobber and eggs will produce for chinook. Try spinners or bobber and jigs for steelhead as the water clears, especially in the upper river. With the good flows, boaters should find success with diving plugs or diver and bait. Fishing for cutthroat trout has been fair, with fish spread throughout the river.
• Tillamook Bay; Fishing for adipose fin-clipped spring chinook has been consistently good, but is winding down as the month goes on. Fish are available throughout the bay and tidewater. Try trolling herring along the jetties (but stay out for the construction safety zone) or near the coast guard station, especially on softer tide series. Spinners or plugs usually produce best in the upper bay, with bobber and eggs/shrimp productive in tidewater areas. Fishing for sturgeon has been slow. Fish were reported to be jumping in the upper bay recently. Best catches generally come from the upper bay and Tillamook River tidewater during the summer time. Check baits frequently as small fish and crabs can clean your hooks quickly.
• Trask River: Fishing for adipose fin-clipped spring chinook has been good. Fish are being caught throughout the lower river and up to the Dam Hole, with some fish available up to the county park. A few summer steelhead are available throughout the river. The season at the hatchery hole at Trask Hatchery closed to angling June 15.
• Yaquina River: Angling for cutthroat trout is now open for the season. The Yaquina basin has a good population of cutthroat trout and can offer anglers great fishing opportunities. Generally using small spinners, spoons or other lures can be very effective. Fly fishing is also very productive. Use of bait is restricted above tidewater until September 1.

WILLAMETTE ZONE

• Spring chinook and summer steelhead are being landed in good numbers on the Clackamas and Sandy rivers. The bag limit has been increased to three adult salmon/steelhead in combination on these two rivers as well as on the the Willamette below Willamette Falls.
• Steelhead and spring chinook are being caught in the McKenzie and Middle Fork of the Willamette Rivers.
• More than 46,000 spring chinook and 18,000 summer steelhead have crossed Willamette Falls and are moving into the upper Willamette and its tributaries. Try fishing at San Salvador and Wheatland Ferry on the Willamette and around the mouths of the Tualatin, Molalla, and Santiam rivers.
• Spring chinook are moving into the Santiam and McKenzie systems.

CENTRAL ZONE

• Fishing on Crane Prairie is the best it’s been in years with anglers catching fish up to 5 and 6 pounds.
• Trout fishing on the Crooked River has been good, and the recent population survey found larger trout this year compared to recent years.

SOUTHEAST ZONE

• Fishing has been good in several area lakes and reservoirs including Krumbo and Pilcher reservoirs and Highway 203 and Burns ponds.
• Trout fishing is picking up on the Chewaucan Rivera above Paisley.
• The Powder River is open for spring chinook with a daily bag limit of two fish.

NORTHEAST ZONE

• Fishing for 8 to 10-inch crappie continues to be good on McKay Reservoir.
• Trout fishing has been good on Kinney, Magone and Wallowa lakes.
• Shad fishing on the Columbia River below McNary Dam is heating up.
• There will be a free fishing event Saturday, June 26 at the Umatilla National Forest pond 5412.  The event begins at 9 a.m. and a hotdog lunch will be served at noon. The event is open to the public with special invitation to anglers under age 14. Sponsored by the Blue Mountain Flycasters and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. For information and directions please contact Bill Duke at the ODFW Pendleton office 541-276-2344.

COLUMBIA ZONE

• Effective June 16 angling is open for summer chinook and summer steelhead from Tongue Point to the Oregon/Washington border.  Angling is slow but should improve when water levels decrease.
• Shad fishing is good below Bonneville Dam.
• Sturgeon fishing is fair near Astoria.

MARINE ZONE

• Fishing for marked coho south of Cape Falcon to the Oregon/California border opens Saturday (June 26). Only marked coho (all coho must have a healed adipose fin clip) may be retained. That season will run through Sept. 6 or until the quota of 26,000 marked coho is met, which ever comes first. The bag limit is two salmon.
• Fishing for Chinook was slow again last week with fewer than one in seven anglers landing a fish. The “All Salmon Except Coho” salmon season from Cape Falcon to Oregon/California  border opened May 29 and runs through Sept. 6. Bag Limit: Two salmon.
• North of Cape Falcon to the Oregon/Washington border the “Selective Chinook Season” opened June 12 with few reports of fish landed. Fishing for chinook will continue through earlier of June 30 or 12,000 marked Chinook quota. Bag Limit: All salmon except coho. Two salmon per day, all retained Chinook must have a healed adipose fin clip.
• Fishing for halibut was good last weekend. Fishery managers will meet later this week to determine if there is sufficient quota for more all-depth open days. Three more openings – July 1-3, July 15-17, and July 29-31 – are available as long as the total catch does not exceed 105,948 pounds.
• Fishing for lingcod remained at about one fish for every two anglers targeting lingcod. Average catches of rockfish and greenling were about three to five per angler last week, depending on the port. Success in catching lings and most other bottom fish improves as waves moderate.
• Most crabbers had average catches between one and three crab. Crabbing in the ocean this time of year can be very productive, but also dangerous because of wind, sea and bar conditions.