Fishing Report 9-16-2022
Abel Gonzalez caught this awesome Coho this morning from the lower Clackamas River and promptly entered it into our Coho Derby, on now through October 28th! Nice catch, Abel!
Fishing Report:
Fall Chinook fishing has been rock solid in the Columbia River Gorge. Many folks have been finding fish above Bonneville Dam at many of the cold-water influences like the Klickitat or White Salmon. With that said, ODFW and WDFW just released that they will be reopening several parts of the lower Columbia to hatchery Coho retention, one of those areas is in Astoria. From Buoy 10 all the way up to Tongue Point the limit will be 3 hatchery Coho; all other Salmon must be released. They also opened the Eastern tip of Reed Island up to Bonneville Dam, this part of the river will be open to Chinook and Coho retention, of which you are allowed to keep only one Chinook. Both fisheries are smack-dab in the middle of the run. In Astoria, the Coho fishing should be lights out. Fishing bait with triangle flashers, 360 flashers with spinners, Superbaits, Spinfish or Spin Dawgs as well as Dipsy Divers and Delta Divers will all work. For those heading for the Reed Island to Bonneville fishery, look for 360 flashers to be a go-to method, as well as anchor fishing with Kwikfish, Maglips, or Killerfish in fast water seams. There are still plenty of Chinook around as well as new waves of Coho flying up the river every day.
Ocean fishing has been great for Coho and Chinook. As a matter of fact, Fisherman’s Pro, Eric Baird, reported that just this morning he limited his boat full of clients and got back to the dock well before lunchtime. This fishery will stay good for a few more weeks and the inside of Nehalem or Tillamook Bay will both be places to shift your efforts as the fish start moving towards their respective tributaries. Fishing just a lead sinker and plug cut green or blue label herring has been a long-standing technique that continually hammers fish. Trolling 360 flashers with small 3.5 size spinners or Spinfish has also been the other go-to option.
Ocean bottom fishing remains stellar for many anglers and tends to take a back seat to Salmon fishing this time of year. Fisherman’s Pro, Ted Teufel knows how good the bottom fishing can be, and has routinely been getting his clients their limit of Salmon as well as bottom fish. Vertical jigs, shrimp flies, and curly tail grubs have been go-to options for folks.
Tributary Coho fishing has started up and we have had reports of fresh fish in many local tributaries like the Lewis, Cowlitz, Sandy, and Clackamas Rivers. These early fish can be a bit more finicky, mainly due to water temps, but if you stay persistent and try to use different techniques you can find a few biters. Casting Wiggle Warts, spoons, spinners or twitching jigs are all great ways to try and intercept these delicious creatures.
Tuna fishing this time of year can be some of the best action you may see all year. Plus, the average size is usually bigger as the fish have packed on weight over the summer. Trolling is always one of the most widely used techniques as it allows you to cover water quickly and gives you the opportunity to hook up multiple fish at once. Vertical jigging, casting swimbaits, and fishing live bait are all great technique choices as well.
Crabbing has been good and the Crab themselves are really starting to fill out. We have had reports of quick limits in both Nehalem and Tillamook Bays.
Trout fishing is going well as we have started to finally cool down a bit more during the evening. Fall can be one of the best times to catch some of the biggest fish of the year. These larger fish have likely already spent a year in the lake and know that it takes a high level of fat to last through the winter. Thus, they will be starting to feed quite heavily leading into the cooler months ahead. Casting spinners or Kastmasters can work exceptionally well for bank anglers, while boat anglers can find success trolling Maglips, Flatfish or wedding rings tipped with a nightcrawler.
General season archery Elk hunting has 10 days left and we have heard reports of quite a few bulls killed this last week. It seems that there has been a bit more rut activity as the weather has started to cool down.
