Fishing Report 05-06-2021
Trout fishing is starting to heat up across our region, so be sure to check out our awesome selection of Trout gear at each Fisherman’s Marine and Outdoor location, where we have everything from Powerbait to Rooster Tails to bulk flies to get your Trout on!
Fishing report 5-7
Spring Chinook fishing has continued to be a solid option for local Portland area anglers. It seems like most of the reports are from the Portland Harbor and Multnomah Channel. These fish are milling around in the deep, slow water common to these areas, and trolling seems to be the go-to technique. 360 flashers with spinners or herring has been one of the more popular options with trolling triangle flashers and herring being a close second. Anglers are also finding these fish as they make their way up into the Oregon City area. Again, trolling seems to be the predominant technique being used. Suspending up off of the bottom and trolling either up or down stream has been yielding chrome results.
We have had several reports of very sporadic summer steelhead fishing taking place across Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington.These highly acrobatic and aggressive fish are always a treat to catch, as they usually make their presence known by their high-flying antics and blistering runs. Spinners, spoons, plugs, bait and jigs all will work when pursuing these fish.
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing has continued to be a great option throughout the Willamette River. Smelt, herring, squid and sand shrimp have all been working well.
Bottom fishing has been good for many anglers and folks are reporting great success all along the Oregon Coast. It’s hard to beat a sunny day at the coast chasing all sorts of delicious Rockfish! If you couple that with dropping a few Crab pots in the bay before heading out, you are likely to come back to the dock with a nice mix of Shellfish and Bottomfish to take home. Rock cod rigs, shrimp flies, curly tail grubs and vertical jigs have all been producing well.
Smallmouth Bass fishing has really began to heat up and anglers are reporting that quite a few fish have already moved up shallow and began the spawn. This marks one of the best times of the year to chase these fish as they are concentrated in shallow water and are highly aggressive. Shallow diving crankbaits, spinnerbaits, soft plastics and even top water will all grab the attention of an aggressive Smallmouth Bass.
Trout fishing is happening all across the Northwest as fisheries managers continue to stock most of the low elevation and valley lakes. These freshly-planted Trout make for a very fun day on a lake and can be a great time for the family and getting new anglers into the sport. Spinners, plugs, bubble and fly, Powerbait, nightcrawlers and single Salmon eggs all work very well. Be sure to have several of these options with you as you never know when the fish might change their minds on what they want that day.
Kokanee fishing has also be good. Anglers that are fishing Merwin have reported good numbers of Kokanee being caught. They are slowly starting to go deeper in the water, column but many anglers are still finding them near the surface. Trolling wedding rings, small spinner blades, hoochies and small Spin-N-Glos all work well.
A few Shad were caught recently from the Willamette River near Oregon City, and this run will continue to build over the next few weeks on both the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.
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.
