Portland Fishing Report: The Salmon Have Arrived
This time of year, an angler’s focus is typically on steelhead. But with the snow melting and the waters rising quickly, most systems will be blown out and unfishable this weekend
However, if you just cannot wait to get out onto the water in search of some winter chrome, look to the smaller coastal streams and rivers. These smaller systems tend to clear out quicker than the larger rivers like the Sandy, Clackamas or Umpqua. Suggestions range from the Nehalem, to the Wilson, trask, alsea and siletz. These all have the potential to be fishable on Saturday or Sunday… but it may be for only part of the day. Pay attention to those river levels!
As the water begins to stabilize and drop, keep your focus along the shorelines. Steelhead will travel in the slower moving water against the bank during high water conditions. Plunkers from the bank will see the best success using big Spin Glo’s and sandshrimp. As the waters begin to clear, the fish will move upstream quickly, so switch your techniques to side-drifting from a boat with small corkies and eggs. Bank anglers will do well with bobber and jig or bait setups!
Sturgeon
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing has been excellent in the Portland harbor on the Willamette River as of late. However, the high water will slow efforts and catch rates for the next week or so. Plunkers at Meldrum bar should see some success with steelhead, and possibly even early spring chinook after this weekend as the waters drop.
Spring Chinook
Yes, it is early, but here they come!
Sea lions have been spotted along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, which inevitably means the salmon have arrived! Bonneville Dam counts are still very low, but a few hardcore anglers have had some success already on the Lower Columbia near Saint Helens.
For most anglers, this will be a weekend of preparation. Beginning the middle of next week, we should hopefully begin to see a substantial increase in catchable numbers of Steelhead…and a few more Spring Chinook moving up stream!
