Fishing Report 09-03-2021
Coho are starting to show up in the tributaries and can be caught on a variety of gear including bait where legal, hardware like spinners and spoons, and twitching jigs like the “old reliable” #7 Aerojig that this chromer crushed.
Fishing Report - September 3rd, 2021
Astoria has been fishing really well for Coho and will continue to be really good with the amount of fish that are still in the ocean. Many of our Pro Staff guides that are fishing in Astoria are reporting quick limits of quality size Coho. As matter of fact, Fisherman’s Pro, Steve Leonard, has been limiting almost every day and using a lot of Brad’s Superbaits behind 360 flashers to find success. Right now the limit is 2 hatchery Coho but it will move to a 3 hatchery Coho, limit on the 7th of September below Tongue Point. These fish love to flood in on large incoming tides and when they really start coming into the river you may see fish on all around you. Anchovies, herring, Superbaits, Spinfish, smaller 3.5 size spinners and even large spinners have all been producing well.
Tillamook and Nehalem bay are starting to show signs of life with Coho and Chinook both starting to be caught. These fisheries are both starting to be dominated by 360 flashers and 3.5 size spinners but that doesn’t mean that good ol’ herring and triangle flashers aren’t going to produce as well. Look for both of these fisheries to really start getting good in the coming weeks.
Crabbing is improving every day and folks are taking advantage of the nice weather and crabbing in both Tillamook and Nehalem. Again, as September rolls on, look for the crab to continue to fill out and increase in numbers.
The Columbia River above Tongue Point has been good for Chinook the past few days, but sadly, ODFW has closed the Columbia River from Tongue Point to Warrior Rock to all fishing for Salmon and Steelhead. Effective 12:01 a.m. Saturday, September 4th. ODFW will also be closing the Columbia to Salmon and Steelhead from Warrior Rock to Bonneville Dam effective Tuesday, September 7th.
Tributaries are starting to see their first shots of A run Coho, and anglers are having some success. These early fish are caught on a wide variety of techniques like spinners, jigs, plugs, eggs, shrimp and even beads. Definitely bring several techniques with you as early run Coho can be notoriously finicky biters.
Tuna are being caught and sometimes they take a back seat to world renowned Astoria/Buoy 10 Salmon fishery. Tuna are fish that tend to really school up, so when you find one, you typically find many. Trolling is a widely used technique to locate fish and stay on them. While some folks like to troll all day long, a popular choice is to bring along vertical jigs, swimbaits and live bait. These techniques give you a good assortment to choose from a give the Tuna a few different choices to eat.
Bottom fishing remains good and this is another fishery that can take a back seat to the Salmon fishing. These delicious and plentiful fish can be very easy to catch at times and anglers can quickly fill their kill bags when you find where the schools are. Vertical jigs, swimbaits, shrimp flies and at times, top water plugs can all work well.
Trout fishing is still a viable option for anglers and ODFW will continue stocking Trout throughout the fall. Locally there are still lakes being stocked, with Trillium Lake and North Fork Reservoir both being stocked with over 2,000 fish apiece this week. Trolling for freshly stocked Trout early in the morning can be extremely effective, especially right after they are introduced into the lake. Once the sun comes up, look for the Trout to sulk to the bottom of the lake and wait out the heat. This is when fishing bait off of the bottom becomes the go-to option.
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.