HUNTING & FISHING

This week’s fishing report

Statesman Journal

HOT SPOT

Salmon fishing has been red hot in the lower Columbia River and so have the number of of anglers with 1,590 Oregon boats counted at Buoy 10 the past Saturday.

ELSEWHERE

Sections of the report are compiled by district and regional offices of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The full report is available online via a link at www.StatesmanJournal.com/outdoors

WILLAMETTE ZONE

Stocking this week: Alton Baker Canal (965, 150 of those keeper-plus), Leaburg Lake (1,500), McKenzie River above Leaburg Dam (1,250), McKenzie River below Leaburg Dam (3,000), Salmon Creek (850, 150 of those keeper-plus), Estacada Lake (2,000), Faraday Lake (2,000), North Fork Reservoir (7,700) Small Fry Lake (300).

Clackamas River: With summer in full swing the recreational rafters have been out in big numbers so fishing should be done at first light in the morning or late evening around dusk. The small number of boat anglers out have had some limited success working the water from McIver to Barton. The warm water and low flows make it mostly a hardware fishery with spoons or spinners producing results. Bank anglers working around Cazadero and above Faraday are also landing a few fish.

Sandy River: Catch reports have been poor to fair, with morning fishing offering the best opportunity. The Oxbow-to-Dabney trip is a good choice by drift boat or pontoon boat and if you’re bank fishing try Oxbow Park, Dodge Park, the Cedar Creek area at the hatchery, Revenue Bridge, up around the old Marmot dam site, or near the mouth of the Salmon River.

North Santiam River: Summer steelhead are concentrated in the upper river. River levels best for fishing are less than 3,000 cfs at the Mehama gauge (currently the gauge is around 1,090 cfs). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the process of analyzing flow rates and may reduce the Detroit outflow to around 900 cfs through Sept. 1 and returning to normal in October.

South Santiam River: Flows below Foster dam have dropped to around 973 cfs as of Aug. 11 but should remain fairly stable for the next few weeks. As of Aug. 7 slightly less than 2,050 spring Chinook and slightly more than 2,500 summer steelhead have entered the fish ladder at the Foster trap, however the daily numbers are dropping rapidly.

Willamette River: Most of the serious salmon anglers have moved down to the lower Columbia and Buoy 10, but the best bet for the few remaining anglers on the lower Willamette above the West Linn Bridge closer to the falls. Anglers will also find there are plenty of warmwater fishing opportunities on the Willamette for bass and small pan fish, working the rocky shorelines and around areas with structure, particularly near Cedar Island and Milwaukie.

COLUMBIA ZONE

SALMON, STEELHEAD

Overall: On the lower river the past weekend there were 498 boats and 79 Oregon bank anglers counted from Bonneville Dam downstream to Tongue Point during Saturday’s flight; and 1,590 Oregon boats at Buoy 10. Anglers at Buoy 10 averaged 1.49 Chinook and 0.56 coho a boat. In the Portland-to-Westport area, boat anglers averaged 0.32 fall Chinook and 0.51 steelhead a boat. In Troutdale, boat anglers averaged 0.12 fall Chinook a boat. Bank anglers fishing in the Gorge averaged 0.10 steelhead a rod, while anglers fishing the Portland-to-Westport area averaged 0.03 steelhead a rod.

Gorge bank: Weekend checks recorded one steelhead kept, plus three unclipped steelhead released, for 42 bank anglers.

Gorge boats: Weekend checks recorded no catch for seven boats (17 anglers).

Troutdale boats: Weekend checks recorded five adult Chinook kept for 41 boats (75 anglers).

Portland-to-Westport bank: Weekend checks recorded one unclipped steelhead released for 38 bank anglers.

Portland-to-Westport boats: Weekend checks recorded 30 adult Chinook, six jack Chinook and 30 steelhead kept, plus one adult Chinook and 20 unclipped steelhead released, for 98 boats (215 anglers).

Estuary boats (Tongue Point to Buoy 10): Weekend checks recorded 313 Chinook and 79 coho kept, plus 67 Chinook, 65 unclipped coho and one unclipped steelhead released, for 255 boats (863 anglers).

STURGEON

Lower Columbia River: Catch and release only. Weekly checks recorded one legal, one oversize and 13 sublegals released for two boats (three anglers).

WALLEYE

Troutdale: Weekly checks recorded one walleye kept, plus two walleye released, for five boats (12 anglers).

MARINE ZONE

Tuna: As always, access to the albacore has been highly dependent on weather and ocean conditions. The past week, there was excellent albacore fishing from Astoria to Newport with average catch rates approaching seven tuna an angler. Many of the albacore being landed have been larger fish in the 25- to 35-pound class. Some central-coast anglers reported tuna around 30 miles offshore.

Halibut: The Central Coast Subarea (Cape Falcon to Humbug Mountain) near-shore Pacific halibut season in waters less than 240 feet deep (40 fathoms) is open seven days a week until the quota is taken or Oct. 31. Through Aug. 10, 50 percent of the quota remains for this fishery. Fish and Wildlife is crunching the numbers from the Aug. 15 and 16 all-depth fishing and is scheduled to announce before noon on Friday if enough pounds of fish are left in the total allowed catch to allow for more all-depth days.

Bottom fishing: Fishing for rockfish has been slow to moderate coast-wide when weather and ocean conditions allow boats to get out. Lingcod have been elusive on the central coast.

Shellfish: The annualconservation closure on digging razor clams on Clatsop beaches is in effect. Other than that the entire coast is open to clamming and mussel-collecting with the exception of the permanent closures listed on pages 102-103 and 106 in the “2014 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations,” that include the marine reserves at Redfish Rocks, Otter Rock, Cape Perpetua and Cascade Head.

Shellfish safety Hotlines: (800) 448-2474 or (503) 986-4728 in the Salem area.

Crabbing: Is still quite good in most Oregon bays and estuaries, with reports of good success in Tillamook and Alsea bays, and on the south coast. Shellfish biologists report that crabbing is much better this year than during 2013. The best months for bay crabbing in Oregon are August through November. A bay-by-bay breakdown of crabbing success by month is online at http://stjr.nl/Crabbing_pages