Fishing Report 03-11-2022
Customer Dave Chamberlin caught this awesome Spring Chinook on Wednesday just as the Willamette River was coming back into shape. The gorgeous fish hit a Kwikfish. Now more green than brown, the Willamette River is once again in fishable condition just in time for the weekend, and Springers are being caught daily!
Fishing Report 03-11-2022
Well the rain came down at the coast and in the valley fairly hard over the last few weeks and rivers blew out, some overnight. Then, it seemed as though they instantly got low again. This has made for challenging conditions, followed by great conditions, followed by challenging conditions again. Folks have been finding winter Steelhead success on many rivers around the Northwest while using many different techniques. Bobberdoggin has quickly become one of the most popular methods, followed by bobber and jig, sidedrifting, driftfishing, throwing hardware and backtrolling plugs. All of these techniques have caught fish in the last two weeks and can be counted on as trusted choices when trying to come up with a game plan for chasing March Winter Steelhead. Being that we are in the second week of March now, if there is a river that gets a run of Steelhead, there should be fish spread all through it. If you don’t find fish in your first few spots don’t hesitate to switch up tactics or locations.
The Willamette river is back in shape and Spring Chinook are being caught! Trolling plug-cut Herring, Prawn Spinners, 3.5 size spinners, Brad’s Cutplugs and Spinfish will all entice bites. Having several different scent options on board can also be helpful, especially when the pressure increases. The Columbia should start to kick out Springers any minute. As we near the middle of March there will definitely be more participation and in turn, more fish being caught. This fishery is dominated by two different groups. The folks trolling Herring and flashers and the folks anchor fishing with plugs. Finding a good travel lane is one key to success for both of these groups of fishermen, as having an idea of where the fish will be is imperative. Bends in the river, sudden depth changes, wing dams and islands are all great places to start to looking for fish.
Bottom fishing remains an excellent choice when conditions allow, with quality fish to be had up and down the coast. Lingcod have been on the menu for many anglers with some nice size fish being caught. Large curly tail grubs, shrimp flies and vertical jigs have all been producing.
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing on the Willamette was put on hold due to the high water and the amount debris that came down river. But as the turbidity and flow come down, the fishing should pick right back up. Herring, Smelt, Squid or Sand Shrimp are all good bait choices.
Trout fishing is starting to improve and the Trout Stocking is continuing to increase throughout the state. Lots of lakes receive small plantings throughout the year and many are getting their first plantings of the year. Including a larger plant of 4,000 legal size Trout put into Dorena Reservoir. Trolling is a great way to target these freshly-stocked fish and allows you to move around faster and find fish quicker. Those that are fishing from the bank can catch fish on many techniques, from bait off of the bottom or under a bobber, casting spinners or spoons, casting a bubble and fly as well as fly fishing.
Crabbing has been decent and with rivers dropping and bays having less freshwater in them the crabbing should improve.
Clamming in Long Beach has been good and we just got another 7 day dig approved for March 16-22. In Oregon, most all of the Razor Clam digging is done from Seaside North to the Columbia. Fisherman’s Pro, Ted Teufel, spent some time in Gearhart recently and reported great success. So, there are many locations for clammers to choose from.
Kokanee fishing is still going strong at Lake Merwin, and, while many anglers are focusing their efforts on Winter Steelhead or Springers, those that are in the know have the Kokanee all to themselves. The lake is huge and gives anglers plenty of room to spread out. Trolling is the name of the game. Kokanee are still high in the water column, so varying your depths is a great way to zero in on the exact location they are running that day.
Always be sure to check local regulations at ODFW and WDFW before heading out. Find reports and two most widely used baits, information on the Fisherman's Community page.
