Fishing report 10-2
Salmon fishing is still as good as it was last week. It seems this years run isn’t showing any signs of slowing down! Folks are doing well all throughout the lower Columbia chasing Fall Chinook and Coho. Below Bonneville especially, the fish have really been filling coolers. Trolling has been the most popular option with 360 flashers and small spinners, Spin -n-Fish, Spindawgs and Brad’s Superbaits being among the top producing bait combos. The amount of Coho should start to ramp up and the Chinook population should start to dwindle some. But ultimately they almost cancel eachother so there should still be great fishing for weeks to come.
Up the Columbia gorge the fishing also remains great. Anglers are finding great success at the mouth of the white salmon, klickitat, Drano and Deschutes. These fisheries are dominated by trolling fishermen and hover fisherman. Its always is a good idea to have both techniques aboard as you never know which one will be more productive then the other on that day.
At the coast the fishing has been really proactive for anglers. From Russ Morrow in Nehalem Bay to John Klar in Northern California, our Pro Staff are doing and hearing great things. Russ has been plenty of Chinook limits and some clipped Coho in the mix as well! In Tillamook we have quite a few Pro’s fishing including Chris Vertopoulos, Tim Juarez and David Johnson. They have been reporting that the success is split down the middle between triangle flashers and herring and 360 flashers with 3.5 size spinners. Again, having both on hand can be the difference maker.
Bottom fishing remains a stellar option for folks. It sounds as though there has been a good mix of big Lingcod in the mix for anglers. This just means that you really don’t know what you might hook every time you drop your gear down. Large curly tail grubs. Shrimp flies and vertical jigs have all been good baits. If you find yourself in an area where the bottom fish have pulled up off of the bottom you would be wise to through some swimbaits. Especially if you can narrow down the color and size to match the bait fish they are feeding on.
Crabbing has been good and will just continue to get better and better! The Crab have really been starting to fill out and in the next month or so is when we typically start to see the biggest Crab of the year!
Razor Clamming season is just getting going! The first day of the fall season is set for October 3rd and without anybody bothering the clams for the past few months, it should be good.
Trout fishing is a great fall-time activity as the Trout are feverishly trying to stock their fat reserves for the winter. Fall is also when ODFW will do stock some really big numbers of Trout in certain lakes and reservoirs. A prime example of this is that Dexter Reservoir and Lost Creek Reservoir are both set to receive over 5,000 Trout each over this next week! Henry Hagg Lake is soon to follow and many others. Check back with the ODFW trout stocking webpage for additional info.
Fall is also a time of year when many outdoor enthusiasts get to hunt Deer and Elk. The general rifle seasons are right around the corner so make sure you have all of your gear in tip-top shape to make the most of these short seasons. Also, mushroom picking has quickly become a fall favorite for many. Grab your favorite mushroom id book and head to the woods in search of edible fungi. The walk in the woods is worth the price of admission and the mushrooms are just a bonus as leaves begin to turn and days get shorter.
