Fishing Report 03-19-2021
Fisherman’s own, Kevin Duncan, teamed up with his friend Eric Baird of Play ‘N’ Hooky Guide Service to catch this gorgeous Spring Chinook this morning from the Willamette River near Oregon City. The tasty chromer slammed a plug-cut herring fished behind a Yakima Bait Fish Flash. Nice job, fellas!
(Play ‘N’ Hooky Guide Service: 503-504-1822.)
Fishing report 3-19
Winter Steelhead fishing is still going on and many consider March to be the best month of the year to chase them. The big fish theme has continued, and many anglers have reported catching their personal best Steelhead this year. Large profile baits are what anglers like to use to target these beasts. Plugs, pink worms, spinners, spoons and rags are all large fish baits. Look for the fishing to stay decent through the rest of the month.
Spring Chinook fishing on the Willamette is improving daily as the run continues to build. Anglers have reported success trolling cutplug herring and prawn spinners. Folks fishing up near Oregon City are finding success backtrolling or anchor fishing Kwikfish, Mag Lips, salmon eggs, sand shrimp or prawns. The Columbia has seen a bite that has been a bit more finicky. We have seen a good smelt run and lots of sea lions following them up river, which has meant lots of competition. In the next week we should see the smelt run die off and more Springers being caught. Anchor fishing Kwikfish, Mag Lips or Brad’s KillerFish are all good options when targeting these delicious fish. Anglers will also find success trolling along any number of the long flats that make up the lower Columbia River.
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing has been decent in the lower Willamette with anglers finding success in the slow waters of the Portland Harbor. Herring, smelt, sand shrimp and squid have all been productive baits. Look for the bite to get even better as the river temperature rises.
Kokanee fishing has continued to be good up at Merwin Lake. These delicious landlocked Salmon have continued to stay near the surface and many anglers are reporting great success flat lining just a dodger and bait. Even though we are early in the season we are getting reports of plump Kokanee that put on some nice weight over this past winter.
Trout fishing is a great option this time of year as lakes continue to get stocked. These freshly stocked planter Trout are typically eager biters and will attack a number of different baits. Fishing bait off of the bottom or under a bobber has always been a standard go-to technique. Casting spinners, spoons or even jigs will all drive Trout nuts at times. Boat anglers will find great success trolling small Flatfish or Mag Lips as well as nightcrawler tipped-wedding rings.
Bottom fishing has been good for anglers along the coast with reports of a variety of bottom fish being caught. Good size Lingcod have been in the mix, and anglers are finding success using vertical jigs, swimbaits, shrimp flies and large curly tail grubs. Always check the wind and wave predictions before planning your next trip.
Crabbing has still been decent with folks finding success in most of the bays that make up the Oregon Coast.
Surf Perch fishing is improving and should continue to get better as the weather gets nicer. These pan- sized, buttery fish are best to target on the incoming tide. Sand shrimp, clam necks and a Berkley Gulp Sandworms have all been producing well .
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.
