Fishing report 11-8
The fishing along the coast has been good for anglers that have been willing to be flexible as all of the coast received some substantial precipitation. We started getting some serious rain at the end of last week and into the weekend which made the fishing tough. As most rivers blew out there is a silver lining that has emerged though. That big flush of fresh water helped flush the rivers of most of the leaves that can make fall time fishing really tough. Along with the big flush there were many rivers that received good shots of brand new Chinook and Coho. These fish are, for the most part, chrome bright and willing to bite many different offerings. Bank anglers will find success bobber fishing eggs in back eddys and also moving seems. Driftfishing eggs is a very under utilized technique that can be really good under the right conditions. Boat anglers will find success using quite a few different techniques. Back trolling plugs like kwikfish, Mag Lips, Flatfish and Killerfish is a very fun way to look for moving fish in high water. There isn’t a more exhilarating way to fish then when a big Fall Chinook grabs your k15 in fast moving water. Backbouncing eggs and bobberfishing eggs are two of the other main techniques that you will see on the river. Casting spinners or twitching jigs will also work well for both Chinook and Coho!
Tributary Coho fishing in the Southwest Washington area has been good and this is the time of year when the larger, more aggressive, B-Run Coho are dominating the catch rates. These hard fighting, large shouldered Coho love to aggressively attack spinners, spoons, plugs, twitching jigs and bait. Having a wide variety of techniques at your disposal will definitely up your odds on bringing home a limit of these bad boys.
Fall Crabbing can be some the most productive Crabbing that happens throughout the year. The water is cold, the Crab are full and typically you catch the largest Crab of the year right now. As Tillamook and Nehalem Bay continue to flush out the fresh water from last weeks storm, look for the Crabbing to get even better.
Razor Clamming was great at Long Beach last time we had an opener and WDFW has set another 4 day dig coming up this Monday! For four days, Clamming enthusiasts can get after the best tasting Clams on the coast. These are late evening digs so be sure to bring some good lighting options and plenty of warm gear.
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing is a fishery that is very underrated. Yes, you must practice catch and release, but you will be sure to make memories that last much longer than any fish fillet would. These prehistoric dinosaurs tend to hold up in the lower Willamette and wait out the cold months of winter. Finding a deep section in the Portland Harbor area is sure to provide constant Sturgeon action. Squid, sand shrimp, herring, anchovies and Shad all make great sturgeon bait.
Deer and Elk hunters have been having success this fall and this past week it seems we had many Pro Staff guides and their families chasing 4 legged critters in the Woods. Pro, Russ Morrow, harvested a beautiful Blacktail buck this week as did Fisherman’s Pro, David Johnson’s, wife Tesha. The coming weather should provide great opportunity for elk hunters the rest season.
Waterfowl hunters have been loving the nasty weather! It’s been keeping birds on the move and filling up a lot of low lying areas with water. This gives birds more opportunities for feeding and hunters more opportunities for ambushing.
