Outdoor Report 4/25
The Willamette has been clearing up throughout the last week and the bite has been getting better every day. The whole river has been fishing well and it will really depend on what type of fishing you want to do as to where you should focus your efforts. For those wanting to troll flashers and Herring or Prawns, you will want to focus your time from the Milwaukie area all throughout the Lower Willamette and Multnomah Channel. These areas will be where the freshest fish must go through first, so expect willing biters. Those wanting to back bounce, backtroll or anchor, should spend their time all around the Oregon City area. Springerswill congregate in this area before they migrate over the falls, so fishing can be amazing, and tricky at times. Once the fish have been around for a few days, you may need to play around with scents and different baits to get fish to turn on. But stay at it, as the bite can turn on at any time. The Columbia will be open again this coming weekend for those wanting to chase big, purple back upriver Springers. The water has been dirty but those putting in the effort have been getting a few fish on the previous openers. Anchor fishing has been the most productive technique for those fishing in the lower river. For bank fishermen, plunking at Bonneville Dam will be your best bet. Spin-N-Glo’s, Prawns and even Tuna balls are the go-to baits for these bank anglers. Drano Lake and the mouth of the Wind River have started to kick out some fish this last week and will continue to get better as the water clears and warms. The fisheries are unique in that they allow anglers to target Spring Chinook in almost any way possible. There will be fishermen trolling Herring, Prawns, Superbaits, spinners and Anchovies. Others will also be trolling Triangle Flashers, or any variation of a 360 Flasher and bank anglers will be casting plugs or spinners from the shoreline. And the best part is they all catch fish! Pick your favorite technique, put your time in and you can be rewarded with delicious upriver Spring Chinook. Trout fishing has really picked up around the local area. Trojan Lake, Haldeman Pond and Huddleston Pond all have been stocked this week and should provide great Trout fishing opportunities over the weekend. Bobber fishing bait is always a go-to when chasing freshly stocked Trout. However, don’t count out casting hardware or flies as these techniques can really get the bite going. Kokanee fishing continues to be great on Merwin and Yale Reservoirs. These aggressive Kokanee have been keeping plenty of anglers busy lately. Dodgers with either a Wedding Ring, Wiggle Hoochie, Kokanee Cut-Plug or small Spin-N’-Glo have been the most popular options when choosing what to use. Bottom fishing and crabbing has been good along the coast with many fishermen reporting decent numbers of quality Lingcod as well as plenty of rock fish to keep anglers on their toes. Surf Perch fishing has been great all up and down the Oregon and Washington coast. These delicious fish really start to get aggressive this time of year and can be a super fun way to spend a few hours at the coast. Catch and release Sturgeon fishing has been great throughout the Lower Willamette and Columbia River. A lot of anglers that spend the morning targeting Spring Chinook find that, if chinook fishing is slow that day, catch and release Sturgeon fishing is a great way to use their excess Herring. Walleye fishing has continued to be good throughout the Columbia River Gorge with lots of anglers focusing their time east of Bonneville Dam. Bottom Walkers and worm harness’s have been the go-to for a lot of Walleye fishermen. Always be sure to check local regulations at ODFW and WDFW before heading out. Find reports and information on the Fisherman's Community page.
