Fishing report 3-20
Winter Steelhead fishing has continued to be productive all across the northwest. We have had Pro Staff that are wanting to switch over to chasing Spring Chinook but just can’t put down the Steelhead rods. Pro, Tim Juarez, has continued his Steelhead terror along the coast using bobberdogging and backtrolling plugs as his two main techniques. Bobberdogging continues to be one of the most popular techniques with eggs, yarn, beads and corkies all being utilized. As we move towards April, don’t be surprised if your rod folds over and a Steelhead starts flying out of the water. And hardly spends anytime in the water. That will surely be a summer Steelhead. These absolutely blistering chrome Steelhead are so aggressive that they will literally spend more time out of the water trying to shake the hook, than in the water.
Summer Steelhead love spinners, spoons, plugs, eggs and jigs. So having multiple techniques aboard can make all the difference in a successful day.
Spring Chinook are definitely on the menu. As we near towards the beginning of April, the amount of Chinook in the system will increase daily. Anglers will start finding fish trolling triangle flashers and herring or prawn spinners as well as 360 flashers and small3.5 size spinners, Spin Dawgs, Superbaits or Spin Fish. Anchor fisherman will find success using Brad’s Killerfish, Mag Lips, Kwikfish and Flatfish. Some folks will actually anchor fish a triangle flasher and herring. Just to mix it up.
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing is a great option for anglers looking for a day of fun. These prehistoric dinosaurs are great biters and as the water warms up slowly the bite will get even better! Squid, herring, sand shrimp and smelt are all great bait choices.
Bottom fishing along the coast has continued to improve and with the addition of some sunny weather the saltwater fisherman were rejoicing. A sunny day of catching delicious bottomfish and Lingcod is about as much fun as you can have. Shrimp flies, farallon feathers, curly tail grubs, scampis and vertical jigs have all been producing well.
Razor Clamming at Long Beach has continued to be a productive option for folks looking for some seafood in their diet. WDFW has just announced yet another opener for Razor Clam digging starting March 26th through March 31st.
Trout fishing is picking up all across the state and this past week we had plants increase all around the Northwest/Tillamook area specifically. Vernonia Lake had
2,500 legal Trout planted, Hebo lake had 2,500 legal Trout planted and Cape Meres had 4,000 legal Trout planted to name a few. It’s always good to keep an eye on the stocking schedules put out by ODFW and WDFW to have a general idea of when there will be a surplus of fish at any given lake. Bait fished off of the bottom or under a bobber is always a great option as is casting spinners, kastmasters or bubble and fly. Trolling Mag Lips, flatfish, wedding rings or even small spinners are all great ways to get the bite going when chasing these first Trout.
Kokanee fishing at Merwin Lake has also been a fishery that has stayed consistent over the past several months. These delicious land locked salmon are a constant option at Merwin and are typically high in the water column all winter and into early spring. Trolling is the name of the game and using a dodger with a small wiggle Hoochie, brite colored spinner blade, Spin-n-glo or small brite colored Hoochies will all yield success for anglers. Tipping your offering with a Keenan of Shoepeg corn and a shot of your favorite scent and you will be headed in the right direction.
