Fishing report 9-18
The Columbia River had been nothing short of phenomenal before the closure and it looks like redemption is on its way! ODFW just announced the reopening of the Columbia River in three different sections of river in The 20th of September, all with slightly different rules. So head over to their website to get the low down on whatever section of the Columbia you plan to fish. Tolling 360 flashers and small spinners has been the key to the success of many northwest anglers. Pro, Josiah Darr, had been finding boat limits for nearly every trip he had. Spindawgs, Spin-n-fish, Superbaits and Super Cutplugs have all been working super well also. Other folks, like Pro, Brian Campbell, had been finding success hover fishing eggs and sand shrimp. This technique can be super fun as you feel the fish take the bait right out of your hand!
The bays that make up the Oregon coast have been really good lately. Bays like Tillamook and Nehalem have been kicking out some really nice Chinook as well as a pile of fresh Coho! Pro, Ted Teufel, has been finding quality Chinook on nearly every trip lately with Coho mixed in to keep his clients guessing. Pro, Terry Mulkey, has also been finding some great success. Terry has been finding his success trolling 360 flashers with small Mini Mulkey spinners behind them.
Tributary Coho and Chinook fishing has been good all across the northwest. The A Run Coho have been flying into tributaries all across Southwest Washington and the Portland Metro area. Spinners, plugs, twitching jigs, beads and eggs have all been working really well. As the weather starts to cool, so will the water temps. This will typically mean that the bite will pick up big time. Look for the fish to to get way more active and willing to bite.
Crabbing has been good and anglers have reported some quality Crab making their way into their Crab traps. As we get closer to October look for the Crabbing to get even better!
Bottom fishing has been good and should remain good as long as the ocean allows folks to get over the bar. Vertical jigs, swim baits, shrimp flies, farallon feathers and large curly tail grubs have all been working very well.
Trout fishing around the Northwest still remains a great option. As we enter into the fall/winter months, ODFW typically will slow down their stocking efforts as far as numbers of fish go. However, they will still be stocking Trout and typically stocking legal to trophy size trout. At Henry Hagg Lake there will be over 1,000
Trophy size Trout getting stocked next week as well as 3,000 legal Trout. Look for lakes to continue to get stocked with Trout over the next couple months.
Walleye fishing remains an option that many anglers don’t take advantage of during this time of year. Trolling bottom walkers and worm harness Riggs has been and will continue to be an effective technique for folks.