Outdoor Report 11/9

Coastal fall Chinook is still going and this week’s rain and large tides should bring in another wave of fresh fish. Tillamook Bay is still producing some Chinook, but this late in the season the fish are feeling the urgency to get to the gravel and are moving quickly to the rivers. It is possible to catch chrome Chinook in the bay clear into December, though numbers normally start to dwindle from here on out. Herring, either with or without a Fish Flash, has still been producing fish at the jaws, Ghost Hole and Bay City, though the bay fishes best near the jaws on smaller tides. The Pro Troll/small spinner phenomenon has also taken off on coastal bays and tidewater, where great success was realized this fall by anglers switching over from more traditional techniques. While the color of flasher has not seemed to matter much on the coast, the Simon 3.5 spinners in “Mexican Hat” and “Rotten Banana” have been killers, and the Hildebrandt 3.5 Hoochie Spinners have also produced well in a variety of color schemes. North Coast streams are still producing some bright fish, but at this point you might have to release a few dark ones before striking chrome. Back-trolling Kwikfish, Mag Lips, Flatfish or Brad’s Killerfish will produce strikes, especially when the rivers are up and green and the fish are on the move. Wrapping your plugs with sardine is standard procedure when fishing plugs on coastal rivers, but sometimes it pays to be different and fish them “naked.” Same goes for bobber fishing or back-bouncing bait: adding sand shrimp, chunks of sardine, herring or anchovies along with your eggs can sometimes tip the scale in your favor. If the above doesn’t work, then try juicing-up your bait with your favorite scent to see if that turns on the fish. Anise, krill, garlic, shrimp, anchovy, herring and bloody tuna scents can all be very effective at times, and Fisherman’s has a huge selection of scents to choose from. Locally the Sandy and Clackamas are still putting out a very few hatchery coho, but things are definitely winding down and anglers are starting to think of winter steelhead, which, considering the recent winter-like weather, could be showing up any day now. Southwest Washington streams are still producing B-run coho, and fish are being caught on twitching jigs, roe, plugs, spinners and spoons. These large, aggressive coho can be vicious when conditions are right, so pick your favorite technique and give it a whirl! The Kalama, Lewis and Cowlitz have been fishing well. Chum salmon are currently available on some Oregon and Washington coastal rivers for catch and release fishing, but be sure to check the regulations for the river you intend to fish before heading out. While chum are not good eating once they return to the rivers, they are a hard-fighting and aggressive salmon that will strike a variety of lures. Chum are a great catch and release species for kids both young and old, and a pink or cerise Steelhead Scampi from B n R Tackle rigged under a float on a ¼-ounce jig head is usually all you will need to catch some. Pink and chartreuse jigs are also effective. We continue to hear rumors of a few winter steelhead being caught, but so far no hard evidence. With the traditional kickoff to winter steelhead season falling on Thanksgiving, it shouldn’t be long before we start to see some in local streams. The Clackamas always seems to produce some early fish, and the North Fork Nehalem is also a good bet for November steelhead. Sturgeon continue their seasonal migration into the Willamette River, and catch and release fishing for them has been very reliable of late. This is a great winter time local fishery for those suffering from cabin fever, where you can go pull on some really cool fish right in the backyard. Squid, sand shrimp, night crawlers, smelt and roll mop herring are all reliable baits, but it’s best to have two or three on hand to see what the fish prefer on any given day. As expected, last weekend’s storm riled up the ducks and hunters in western Oregon fared well. The Sauvie Island Wildlife Area harvest statistics over the last couple of hunt days, jumped to 2.6 and 3.1 birds per hunter average. The scaup opener was timely as there are a lot of blue bills using the lower Columbia. Reports from that area and coastal bays are indicating that there are also lot of widgeon in the bag limits. Hunters are expecting more mallards in the bag limits as there have been many days with single digit temperatures just north of us in Calgary Alberta. Always check local regulations before heading out. Tight lines, shoot straight, and most of all, be safe!