Fishing Report 10-10

Oregon Coast – Chinook 

Chinook fishing along the Oregon coast has been excellent. From Tillamook to the Chetco, anglers have been finding some large fish. Pro John Klar has been working the mouth of the Chetco in Southern Oregon, where big Chinook have been on the menu. 

Techniques: Trolling herring, trolling flashers, bait presentations 

 Tillamook & Nehalem Bays – Chinook & Coho 

Both Tillamook and Nehalem Bays continue to produce great catches of Chinook and Coho. On Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, anglers are allowed to retain wild Coho, and Fisherman’s Pro David Johnson reports that the fish boxes are filling on these days in particular. Herring with triangle flashers remain productive, but more anglers are also switching over to 360 flashers. Pro Terry Mulkey has been finding success using 3.5 Minnie Mulkey Spinners behind 360s. 

Techniques: Trolling herring with triangle flashers, trolling 360 flashers with 3.5 spinners 

 Garibaldi – Bottomfish & Chinook 

Pro Ted Teufel has been splitting his trips between the ocean and the bay, with great success. Offshore, he’s been consistently finding limits of Lingcod while crabbing has been stellar. In the bay, Fall Chinook fishing has been strong. 

Techniques: Bottom fishing with jigs, crab pots, trolling for Chinook 

 Crabbing – Coastwide 

Crabbing continues to improve weekly, with October kicking off the prime season. Dungeness have recently filled out, and many crabbers are finding limits within the first few pot pulls. 

Techniques: Crab pots with fresh bait 

 Columbia River – Coho & Crab 

The Columbia remains open for Coho retention. Pro Chris Nordling has been limiting out on Coho in Astoria and also taking home coolers full of Dungeness Crab. 

Techniques: Trolling flashers/spinners for Coho, crabbing 

 Rivers & Tributaries – Rain Effect 

With rain in the forecast, anglers should watch for rivers to rise and drop back into shape. These windows after high water often provide some of the best fishing of the year. 

Techniques: Backbouncing bait, back trolling plugs (Mag Lips, Killerfish, Kwikfish), bobber fishing bait 

 Tributary Coho – Oregon & Washington 

Coho have been showing up in tributaries for weeks now, and the action will continue through fall. Locally, the Sandy and Clackamas have been producing fish, while in SW Washington, the Kalama, Lewis, and Cowlitz are also producing, with B-Run Coho expected to carry the fishery through Thanksgiving. 

Techniques: Twitching jigs, casting plugs, fishing eggs, beads, spinners