Oregon Outdoor Report: Anglers catching salmon limits
Salmon fishing on all local rivers remains some of the best we’ve seen in years.
Folks who used to be happy with catching a single fish are now talking about limits. Leading the way in the number of fish caught is the Coos River. Salmon are being taken from the mouth of the river and up as far as Daniel’s Creek, with the best bites between the North Bend Bridge and Marshfield Channel.
Last week, fresh fish moved into the lower bay and trolling near the jetties produced limits
. Bank anglers off the north end of the boardwalk in Coos Bay are also catching fish that are returning to the Blossom Gulch release area. It was not unusual to see folks walking through downtown Coos Bay with some nice salmon and very large smiles.
The Coquille River is also experiencing good Chinook and coho angling on the lower river. Salmon are spread throughout the system with very good fishing from the mouth of the river up to the Sturdivant Park Bridge.
Last week, a larger number of coho had entered the system and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has reported that 15.2 percent of our 1,200 fish quota of wild coho has been taken. We are seeing many jacks in both the Coos and Coquille systems. Coho jack salmon are between 15 to 20 inches in length and all other salmon are considered jacks at 15 to 24 inches. These lengths only apply in fresh water or bays.
The Umpqua River is still having a magnificent catch rate. Last week, a 49.2-pound Chinook was weighed in at Turman Tackle in Reedsport. There are a many wild coho that must be released.
Empire Lakes is reporting that the trout fishing has slowed and most anglers have turned their attention to largemouth bass. Bass fishing has been good over the past few weeks, and the most successful anglers are using spinner baits and top-water plugs.
The first week of October, the ODFW is scheduled to release 4,000 two-pound or larger trophy-sized rainbows into Empire Lakes. Bradley Lake near Bandon is scheduled to receive 1,000 trophy trout as well.
The South Coast is having some of the finest sport crab fishing in the past 20 years. Limits of crab are the norm, and they are large and full of meat. The hot spots are Coos Bay for boaters and Bandon at Weber’s Pier.
Ocean fishing for rock cod remains very good. Last week, anglers out of Bandon reported lots of black rock cod feeding on the surface. Casting light tackle, using one- or two-ounce chrome jigs or lead-headed jigs with twist tails was a very effective and fun way to fish. The grade of fish was also large, and they were very feisty on the surface.
Recent cool weather and rains have helped the archery elk hunters be more successful. I had a report that some very good black bears have been taken from the Rogue River area. They are out feeding to get ready for winter.
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife commission meeting could be very interesting, as two of the most highly contested proposals will be on the agenda. (See Outdoors Digest on this page for location details.) The Commission will consider the options regarding the mandatory wearing of hunter orange, and will also be asked to approve the updated 2010 Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. Do we really need more wolves?
Good luck fishing and hunting!
Listen to the Oregon Outdoors Radio Show Thursdays from 2-5 p.m. on KWRO 630 AM and rebroadcast on Friday mornings from 7-10 a.m. on ESPN 1230 AM. Oregon Outdoors can now be heard on KDUN 1030 AM from Eugene to Port Orford on Friday evenings from 3-5 p.m. and on Saturday mornings from 6-8 a.m.
Sure, you guys are catching fish like crazy, while up here on Puget Sound everyone is scratching their heads wondering what happened to all the Coho that were supposed to be here by now.