Having entered the final month of winter steelhead fishing on most of our coastal streams, fishermen have a few more weeks to search for steelies and consider new options. To the south, the Sixes River produced nicely for several days after the last freshet. S.F. Coquille anglers reported slow fishing during the same period. Both legs of the Umpqua continue to kick out some fish and the main stem may well drop to a very fishable and boatable level by the weekend. Locally, a few fish are being caught on both sides of the Siuslaw system. Run back steelhead, that should be released, are increasingly in the mix. To the north, the Siletz River saw a small push of fish move through this past week. Those fish are now at Moonshine Park and up above. The Wilson River was the star this past week, reporting 3 days of excellent steelhead fishing during the early week.
Fishermen in the Portland area trying for an early Spring Chinook on the lower Willamette are having to put their time in on a very hit and miss fishery. Folks working the Sellwood part of the Multnomah Channel saw next to no action on trolled herring Thursday while 20 plus Springers came to the net at the same spot on Friday. This illustrates how fast these migratory fish can move through an area. If current projections for an excellent Spring Chinook run prove correct, the fishing should become far more consistent by late March and April. Lower Willamette sturgeon fishing (permitted on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays) is rated as good, though a majority of the catch is undersized "shakers." With the recent warmer weather, McKenzie fly fishermen are starting to look for afternoon March Brown hatches as they try to raise up an aggressive native Rainbow or Cutthroat.