Fishing Report 04-22-2021
JP from our Oregon City store, and Bob and Steve from our Tigard store, scored some nice Columbia River Walleye earlier this week while fishing with Phil Mattson. Worm harnesses fished along the bottom were the deal on this day. (Phil Wildman Outdoor Adventures: 971-221-9363)
Fishing report 4-22
Spring Chinook fishing is rockin' and rolling throughout the Willamette River. Now, there have been good days and slow days, but that is what you get with Spring Chinook fishing. Anglers are finding success from Oregon City all the way down to the lower end of Multnomah Channel. With the lack of rain, a lot of fish are staging in the deep, slow water of the lower Willamette, biding their time waiting for a bump in the river levels. These fish are targeted by trolling up or down river and using herring, prawns, spinners, Brad’s Cut Plug Superbaits and even Mag Lips. There are still plenty of Springers up in the Milwaukie and Oregon City area as well. These fish are caught many different ways with anglers trolling and backbouncing in the Milwaukie area. Anglers that are fishing in Oregon City will find success fishing salmon eggs, sand shrimp, prawns, herring, small plugs and even spinners. Folks will backbounce, backtroll, anchor fish and even vertically jig.
Spring Chinook fishing up near the Wind River and Drano Lake has been improving with folks finding success trolling in both areas with flashers and herring, 360 flashers and prawn spinners as well as flat lining Mag Lips. These fish can be very finicky at times, so having several techniques on board can make the difference between catching fish or not.
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing has been good on the Willamette with anglers finding the best success in the slow and deep water of the Portland Harbor. These fish love to hang out in the deep drop offs that make up these areas. Herring, sand shrimp, smelt and squid are all good bait choices.
Smallmouth Bass fishing is starting to pick up with anglers spending their time fishing the ledges that lead into deeper water. These Bass are making their way up from the depths and will start to shift into the shallow bays and inlets that line the Columbia and Willamette rivers. Soft plastics, deep-diving crankbaits and jigs have all been good bait choices.
Walleye fishing through the middle to upper Columbia River Gorge has been good and will get better as the water temps rise a little bit more. Trolling bottom walkers with worm harnesses is a good option to cover some ground and find some biters.
Trout fishing has been good and will continue to get better as lake temperatures continues to rise and more fish get planted. Freshly planted trout can be a really fun time and anglers of all skill levels can find success, especially the first few days after a lake has been stocked. Trolling Mag Lips, Flatfish, spinners and Wedding Rings are all good choices to locate where the fish are. Once you find them you can cast spinners, Kastmasters, bubble and fly or bobber and bait.
Bottom fishing is heating up and with weather getting nicer and the ocean sometimes calm, look for this fishery to really take off. Folks are finding success vertically jigging, fishing shrimp flies, large curly tail grubs and Rock Cod Rigs.
Surf Perch fishing has been getting better and will continue to improve as the fish move inshore. These delicious pan sized fish can be quite abundant at times, and a really fun way to spend a few hours during an incoming tide.
Sand shrimp, clam necks and Berkley Gulp Sandworms are all great bait 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.
