Outdoor Report 2/1

Locally steelhead fishing has started to take off. This last high water brought in a decent amount of fish, both wild and hatchery. We had good reports from the Sandy, Clackamas, Wilson and Trask. Some of the Southwest Washington rivers have been kicking out fish as well specifically, the Kalama and Cowlitz. Those that are targeting the lower sections of the rivers, typically out of boats, are going to find their best success side drifting, bobberdoggin’ or backtrolling plugs. With the water still high these fish will be moving all day long and will typically be great biters as they haven’t seen much gear yet. Soft beads, hard beads, corkies, yarnies, eggs, shrimp, pink worms and shrimp scampi tails are all great offerings to entice these early fish to snap. Find your favorite run or drift and spend some time in it as fish can show up at any point throughout the day. For those that are bank bound the above offerings still apply to you. However, having a boat at your disposal will allow you to cover a lot of water and find exactly where the fish are in the system. Sometimes you may find them miles apart, so don’t be afraid to cover several miles if necessary. With the water being high, good old drift fishing can be a deadly technique. Especially if some of your favorite runs are still moving a little fast for float fishing. Banging some bait along the bottom or dragging a Spin-n-Glo and shrimp tail through a promising spot can be awfully productive. Hardware is another great option when searching for fish you will get some of the most aggressive fish in the river. Spoons and spinners provide a distinct advantage at times when you are wanting to move fast and cover a lot of water. There have been reports from last weekend of good Kokanee fishing in Merwin Reservoir. This time of year, the Kokes will be found in the upper column of water. When the Kokes are shallow, you want to make sure you have lots of distance between your offering and the boat. Line counter reels are a great way to find the optimum distance. Although many successful anglers still use large trolls, the recent trend has been for smaller dodgers and small hootchies tipped with white shoepeg corn and Berkley maggots. Walleye in the Columbia around Hood River and The Dalles are on tap and, when there isn’t too much wind, anglers have had good success. Slow presentations are important this time of year so jigging is the go to method. Also in the area, a reminder that there is a White Sturgeon retention season between Bonneville and the state line until the quota is reached. The limit is 1 per day and 2 for the season. It’s February and that means that we will be hearing about a springer or two caught any day. The early, early fish are far and few between but can be oh so worth it to that lucky angler that finds one. Typically, the earliest fish are caught trolling herring in the Portland harbor area or plunking on the Columbia. There are clam digs for the evening low tides in Long Beach, Washington now through Saturday, Feb 3rd. Make sure to get out there for this short but usually very productive clam dig. On the hunting front, Duck Season closed on Monday but the NW Permit Goose season third period opens this weekend (Feb 3rd) and runs through March 10th. As always, be sure to check local regulations before heading out. Tight lines, shoot straight and, most of all, be safe.