Outdoor Report 5/3
Spring Chinook fishing continues to be good throughout the Willamette River and Multnomah Channel. Kim Bourgeois recently joined Fisherman’s Pro Guide, Dan Dieter, to catch this awesome Springer from the channel. The fish took a plug-cut herring trolled behind a BYO Flasher. Nice catch! Spring Chinook fishing has been in full swing now for a few weeks and folks are really starting to dial in their fisheries. In the Portland Harbor on the<strong "> Willamette, fishermen have been finding success trolling Herring with Triangle Flashers at a suspended depth, as the bottom varies greatly and is quite snaggy in spots. There are also fishermen that are starting to troll 360 Flashers and small spinners. As the water starts to warm up this will become the go-to technique. Oregon City has been putting out Spring Chinook as well as a few summer steelhead. This fishery is either an anchor or backtrolling fishery. The anchor fishermen will be using a variety of techniques such as Prawns, Sand Shrimp, plugs and spinners. While the backtrolling crowd will be typically fishing some sort of bait. Eggs, Shrimp, Prawns, Coon Shrimp and plugs make up most of their bait choices. As far as the smaller tributaries are concerned, we are in an in between stage. There have been reports of a few Spring Chinook caught and some Summer Steelhead poking around. In the next few weeks, look for most tributaries to start seeing more Chinook and Steelhead entering them. Making them a viable option, especially for the drift boat and bank fishermen. Catch and release Sturgeon fishing has been great for those taking advantage of this local fishery. Herring, Squid, Sand Shrimp and Anchovies have all been a producing fish. There is a lower river retention starting May 13th. Check with ODFW for all the details click here. Crabbing has been great in Tillamook and Nehalem Bay. Folks that have been heading down to bottom fish have been dropping their pots on their way out in the morning and have been returning to nice full pots, with a good grade of keepers in the mix. Bottom fishing has also been good all along the coast as ocean conditions allow. Fishermen from Astoria all the way down to Coos Bay have been taking advantage of the nice weather and have been making the run out to the bottom fish grounds. They have been finding nice quality bottom fish and great Lingcod in the mix. You never know what you will hook when dropping your gear to the bottom, that’s part of what makes this fishery so fun. Trout fishing remains a great option this time of year. Most local lakes have already received most of their stocked Trout for the year and there are always hold over Trout from last season. Trolling is a great way to find the schools of fish that get spread throughout the lakes. Once you find them there are several ways to target them. You can cast hardware such as spinners, spoons or Kastmasters. You can also fish bait under a bobber or cast flies to them. All of these are tried and true techniques, you just never know which one will be the ticket that day. Smallmouth Bass fishing along the Columbia and Willamette has been good and will only get better over the coming weeks. These fish are moving up shallow to spawn and become extremely aggressive the shallower they get. Soft plastics are always a great option as are Spinnerbaits and Lipless Crankbaits. Targeting large flats this time of the year can put you on large schools of hard fighting Smallmouth. Kokanee fishing has been stellar for those wanting to make the trek up to Merwin or Yale lake. The fish have been fairly spread out, so you usually can find your own spot in the lake to fish. Dodgers with a small Spin-N-Glo, Wiggle Hoochie, Smile Blade or Wedding Ring will all entice biters. Make sure you have some corn with you and a few extra scents. Changing up scent can, at times, make all the difference in the world. Surf perch fishing has been great for those heading down to the coast looking for them. Some of our reports are that the perch are quite big already and have seemed to be caught in schools. Meaning once you find a biter, often you will find quite a few more. Sandshrimp and Berkley Gulp Sandworms have been the top two baits. Always be sure to check local regulations at ODFW and WDFW before heading out. Find reports and information on the Fisherman's Community page.