Fishing Report 03-04-2022
Tyler from our Oregon City store was on a roll last week, catching many winter steelhead locally before all of the rain hit and temporarily blew-out rivers at the coast and in the valley. But some rivers are currently dropping back into shape, promising another surge of fresh fish as we head into the weekend. Go get ‘em, folks!
Fishing Report
Well, it’s rained. And it has rained a lot. We have gone from super low and gin clear to high, muddy and blown out. But there is a silver lining. Rivers are forecasted to drop drastically and many of them fishable by this weekend. Winter Steelhead will undoubtedly be on the move and with the lack of rain this month, these fish should be flooding in with reckless abandon. Green water means aggressive fish and many tactics will work well. Bobberdogging eggs, beads or yarn all are great options when looking to cover lots of water in search of fresh pods of fish. Bobber and jig, beads or worms are also great options. And never count out good old drift fishing. There is something about being able to get your gear down to probe the deeper sections of runs that is just darn effective.
Well, just as we thought that Spring Chinook were starting to show up in better numbers, the rain came. It came with a vengeance and while we needed the precipitation, it caused the Willamette to turn to mud. The river will undoubtedly be unfishable for a few days but the old adage on the Willamette goes “that if you can see your prop, you can catch a Springer”. Once the Willamette crests, it will be several days before it starts its slow decent giving anglers yet another crack at chasing some brand new Spring Chinook. Most anglers will start by trolling Herring or Prawn spinners down in the Portland Harbor or Multnomah Channel. Followed up by folks trolling in the Milwaukie area and back trolling in Oregon City with eggs, sand shrimp, prawns or plugs. The beginning of March also marks the beginning of chasing Columbia River Spring Chinook. This is a toss up between folks anchor fishing with plugs, or, trolling with herring and a flasher. This will become a much more productive fishery as we move later into the month.
Bottom fishing is a good option this time of year, especially when we get some nice coastal weather. The wide variety of bottom fish species make for a fun day on the water and gives a fun surprise when your catch finally reaches the surface. This fishery will only get better as we move into a nicer weather pattern. Vertical jigs and shrimp flies have been two of the best techniques lately.
Razor Clamming in Long Beach has been great and WDFW has continued to allow digs throughout this month and into March. Keep an eye out for the next round of digs to get approved for later this month. For those that would prefer to stay in Oregon, Gearhart and Seaside have both been pretty good. Fisherman’s Pro, Ted Teufel, found success last week in Gearhart with limits of nice, healthy size Razor Clams.
Trout stocking around the region is starting to ramp up with quite a few lakes being stocked every week. Again, Henry Hagg Lake is receiving 12,000 Trout in the next few days which will give anglers a great opportunity to get the family outside to try their hand at Trout fishing. Powerbait, Nightcrawlers, Salmon Eggs and Shrimp are all great bait options. Whether fished off of the bottom or under a bobber, you are sure to find success in lakes that have been freshly stocked.
Kokanee fishing at Lake Merwin has continued to be good and should stay that way for quite awhile. As the weather gets nicer and more Spring Chinook start showing up, you may find yourself only one of a few boats chasing Kokanee. But that has nothing to do with lack of fish. Trolling will be your best option until the lakes really warm up in the early summer. Dodgers with hoochies, small spinner blades, wedding rings or even small Spin-n-Glos are all good tackle choices.
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.
