Customer Erika Lantos took advantage of the last day of Spring Chinook fishing on the lower Columbia—for now—and caught this awesome black-faced Springer. Awesome fish, Erika!
Fishing Report
Spring Chinook were on the forefront of many anglers' minds last week fishing on both the Columbia and Willamette picked up. With the Columbia heating up on the days before the closure, it is a good indicator that the Willamette will start to pick up even more in the coming days. We have been getting reports every day of fish being caught from Scappoose to Willamette Falls, so it turns into more of a question on what techniques you prefer to use. In the Multnomah Channel, Portland Harbor and even up into Milwaukie, the vast majority of anglers will be trolling with either triangle flashers or 360 flashers. Using herring, prawn spinners, 3.5 size spinners, Brad’s Superbaits or Yakima Bait Spin Fish are all great choices when picking what to hang behind your flasher. As you move up into the Oregon City area you will start to see anglers using all types of techniques from anchor fishing, backtrolling, forward trolling, jigging and even bobber fishing. This area is where the fish tend to stack up and wait for water temps to trigger them to charge up river. All of these techniques work well and most of them usually include a bait like eggs, sand shrimp, prawns or herring. The vertical jigging technique has become increasingly popular in the last few years as it is a fun technique that keeps everyone involved. Jigs like Pline Lazer Minnows or Shimano Flatfall jigs are great choices when looking to purchase some jigs for the season.
Winter Steelhead fishing is wrapping up for the year, however, this past week we had some Pro Staff that were down at the coast and just can’t seem to put down the Steelhead rods. With the implementation of Broodstock programs we now get to experience quality Steelhead fishing into the first few weeks of April. Pro Guides, like Tim Juarez, know this and while many anglers start to chase springers at the end of March, Tim is quite content catching loads of bright Steelhead while everyone else has gone towards Salmon.
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing is still a great option right now and a number of anglers have been doing great. In the Portland Harbor, finding deep water spots on the edges of the current line is a great place to start when looking for these prehistoric creatures. herring, sand shrimp, squid and smelt are all top bait choices. Salmon eggs or Prawns make great sturgeon bait as well if you have some kicking around in your bait fridge.
Trout fishing is one of those fisheries that can be a year-long fishery, however, Spring is one time of year that the fish really start to get active. Couple that with the stocking efforts from ODFW and you will start to have lots of quality opportunities popping up. While there are lakes being stocked daily, there are several lakes that are getting a bigger shot of fish then others. Henry Hagg Lake, Foster Reservoir, Thompson Reservoir and Cottage Grove Reservoir all got plantings of over 2,000 fish each. Fishing bait on the bottom or under a bobber are both great ways to catch a limit of freshly planted Trout. Casting spinners or Kastmasters is another killer way to fish for them and gives the angler a much more active way to fish.
Kokanee fishing remains a very good choice for folks that are looking for a fun day on the water. These delicious fish have been active at Lake Merwin and can provide fast action to those that find the massive schools of fish. Once you find them be sure to try and get all your rods set at the same depth and stay in the school. This typically provides solid action and often quick limits.
Smallmouth Bass are on the move and will continually be going shallower as the weather improves and the water warms up. These fish are Spring spawners and provide great action for anglers that find them up shallow. Tube baits, spinnerbaits and crankbaits all will entice these bronzebacks.
Bottom fishing along the coast has continued to be productive. This past weekend we had a few days of beautiful weather which made fishing in the ocean that much more enjoyable. Rock Cod Rigs, Farallon Feathers and vertical jigs all produced fish.
WDFW opened up a short 6 day Razor Clam season this past week and with the tides being great morning tides, the folks that made it to the coast had no problem at all finding their limits. There are more tentative dates set during the rest of the month and we should see a press release very soon letting us know if it will be open or not.
With the weather getting nicer by the day, Spring marks the beginning of the hiking season for many Northwest natives. The sunshine is a welcomed sign after several months of rain, and folks are growing tired of being cooped up. Throughout the Columbia Gorge and Coast Range there are many trail systems to explore and hikes to take the family on. There is no better feeling then getting the whole family outdoors and exploring nature.
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.
