Outdoor Report 11/14
Along the coast the Fall Chinook fishing continues to go well. The lack of rain has kept the bays and bubble fisheries going later and better than usual. These fisheries are dominated by trolling fishermen and a good portion of the fleet is using 360° flashers with small spinners. However, the closer to the jaws that you get, you will start to see more people trolling lead and cut-plug herring. The fish that they are catching there are still feeding and having good quality bait will pay dividends. Farther up the bay you will see folks trolling in shallower water with just a small lead and spinner. These folks are targeting fish that are staging, waiting for the rain to draw them into their respective tributary. Tributary Coho fishing continues, and this next batch of rain will surely bring in more fresh fish. Specifically, in southwest Washington where rivers get a B run of Coho, the fishing will get better as the month progresses. Twitching jigs, wiggle warts, 3.5 Mag Lips, spinners, spoons and eggs are all great choices when looking for these acrobatic fish. With late run Coho, when you find one you can typically expect to find quite a few of them. If you can stay on the school of biters, then you can sometimes get the boat limit before breakfast! Bottom fishing has been very consistent this past week with good ocean conditions and plenty of willing biters. There has been a nice mix of Lingcod and Rockfish with a few of the Lingcod being way above average size. Vertical jigs and large curly tail grubs have been working well for a lot of fishermen while there are other folks that have been finding success with P-Line Rock Cod Rigs and Shrimp Flies. Crabbing continues to be killer as the lack of rain has made for stellar crabbing in most local bays. Big, healthy crab have been filling pots in Tillamook and at Nehalem bay. Make sure you watch the tides though, as we have had large swings which can cause some fishermen to lose crab pots if placed in the wrong location. This time of year fishing off of a jetty can be so much fun! Bring a rod to throw out some folding crab traps and while they soak try your hand at fishing for Rockfish, Perch and Lingcod. At times, the fishing can be off the charts good! Couple that with half a dozen keeper crab and you have yourself a feast! White curly tail grubs work very well for the Rockfish or Lingcod and sand shrimp are a great choice when trying to catch Greenling or Perch. Trout fishing is a great option this time of year as most all lakes have been stocked already and a lot of angling attention gets shifted towards Salmon, thus creating great opportunities with less pressure than in the spring or summer. Trout are getting fatter by the day and with less angling pressure they become increasingly aggressive. Spinners, Kastmasters, jigs, flies and plugs have all been working well. Clamming is another option for those looking to get the family outdoors for a day and having a good chance at taking home dinner! Bay clamming is a great way to get the younger generations outside as you can give them a shovel and let them dig their little hearts out. They will be able to see rewards for their efforts and it will get them excited for their next adventure. Razor clamming has been stellar at Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Copalis this past week. Fast limits were the norm for most folks. Be on the lookout for the next Razor Clam opener from WDFW. Always be sure to check local regulations at ODFW and WDFW before heading out. Find reports and two most widely used baits, information on the Fisherman's Community page.
