Outdoor Report 2/22

Winter steelhead fishing has been productive from the coast to the valley, with most of the rivers having a good mix of hatchery and wild steelhead. At the coast a lot of the rivers have dropped to the point of becoming low and clear. This doesn’t mean the fish stop entering the river, it just means that you need to change your technique slightly. Most of the valley rivers started to get clear as well and many anglers changed their techniques to suit the conditions. Float fishing becomes one of the most predominant techniques as you can be stealthy and get your presentation to whatever depth you want. Beads, jigs and bait are just a few of the options that work well under clear conditions. However, with this week’s snow and forecasted rain, things will change once again. The rivers are predicted to get back to that steelhead green color and it will become a dealer’s choice. Drift fishing, side drifting, bobberdoggin’, float fishing and casting hardware will all be viable options. This is also the time of year that we start to see an influx of bigger wild steelhead, so always keep that in the back of your mind, your next bite could be that infamous 20 lb. steelhead. There have been spring chinook caught this last week and it will only continue to get better as time progresses. Trolling herring and a flasher will be the most widely used technique, especially in the Portland harbor area, farther up the Willamette people switch to prawns or eggs. In the Columbia a lot of the early fish are caught either on anchor with plugs or by trolling a flasher and herring. If you use an anchor, focus on choke points that will funnel fish right to your plugs. If you prefer trolling you will do well finding flats that have consistent depths or choke points that don’t have anchored boats already taking up the real estate. The two-rod endorsement for the Clackamas and lower Willamette has been approved again this season. It begins March 1st and lasts through August 15th. It is legal for all species except Sturgeon. Kokanee reports are coming in and people are doing well already this spring. This time of year, “flat lining” is the way to go as the kokanee are usually found shallow until water temperatures rise later in the spring. Flashers and hoochies are continuing to grow in popularity although the seasoned angler who is fishing lake trolls and wedding rings will still pile the fish in the boat. Of course, any lure used for kokanee is far more effective when tipped with Green Giant Shoepeg Corn and Berkley Gulp Maggots. Offshore fishing for rockfish and lingcod has been seeing increased effort and, when the ocean conditions are good, there have been good reports coming in. Surf perch anglers are getting anxious to get out, weather and tides permitting. Although surf perch are available year-round, this growing fishery is typically best in the spring. As always make sure you check the local regulations before heading out. Tight lines, shoot straight and most of all, be safe out there.