ODFW Recreation Report
May 1, 2019
Take aim at fish – bow fishing event on May 19
ODFW will be hosting a free Family Bow Fishing Event on Sunday, May 19 at Fern Ridge Lake. This unique style of fishing offers anglers a new take on fishing and archers a new way to put their skills to work. Gear and instruction will be available. Or, bring your own gear if you have it.
Ladd Marsh Bird Festival May 17-19
Catch the height of spring migration and nesting in the Grande Ronde Valley
With an exceptionally diverse bird population, Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area is hosting the 14thannual Ladd Marsh Bird Festival May 17-19, 2019. The festival offers an uncrowded, family friendly birding opportunity for expert and novice birders.
Best bets for GREAT weekend fishing
If you’re not jazzed about going fishing this weekend, you’d better check to make sure you’ve still got a pulse! Spring offers some of the best and most diverse fishing of the year, and there are lots of good reasons (too many to list) to hit the water this weekend, including:• Spring Chinook fishing on the Willamette and Rogue rivers has been hot.• This is one of the best times of the year to target surfperch along the coast.• After a few weeks of warmer weather, bass and other warmwater fishing is picking up in waterbodies throughout the state.• There are trout everywhere (well, practically). Dozens of waterbodies have been stocked with thousands of trout this spring and the warmer spring temperatures have put them on the bite. • The weather! As if great fishing isn’t enough, the forecast is calling for warm temps and plenty of sunshine.
Find more details about all the weekend opportunities in the zone reports.
Family fishing events for May 4 & 5
There will free Family Fishing Events this Saturday at Vernonia Lake, Sheridan Pond and Bikini Pond (Mosier) and on Sunday at the Alton Baker Canoe Canal (Eugne). At each event, ODFW staff and volunteers will show you everything you need to know to go fishing – from baiting the hook to landing your catch. Heck, we’ll even loan you the gear you need. No pre-registration is required.
Find details for each event here.
Apply for a premium hunt
A chance to draw an additional tag on top of your controlled hunt or general season tag
Premium hunt tags also offer a long hunting season during the peak of the rut, and no preference point advantage. All applicants have an equal chance of drawing a tag. Even if you’ve already applied for your 2019 controlled hunts, it’s not too late to apply for a premium hunt.
NW FISHING
RECREATION REPORT
Weekend fishing opportunities:• The first summer steelhead of the season are being caught on the Siletz. Look for this fishery to improve through May and peak in June and July.• A few spring Chinook have been caught on the Trask, which also means some are coming through Tillamook Bay.• Summer steelhead will be showing up on the Nestucca and Wilson Rivers this month.• Along with the water temperatures, fishing for trout, bass and other warmwaterspecies also is heating up.
2019 STOCKING SCHEDULE AND STOCKING MAP
NORTH COAST LAKES
North Coast trout stockings began the middle of March and will continue this month; all of the North Coast lakes have been stocked with most receiving multiple stockings. South Lake has been stocked, but is still behind schedule for numbers. Conditions for trout are pretty good, and these fish should be hungry, so go catch them!
Warmwater fisheries should start picking up this month as water temperatures have come up just a little. Cape Mears Lake, Coffenbury Lake, Cullaby Lake, Lake Lytle, Town Lake, and Vernonia pond all have bass and other warmwater species available.
Surplus hatchery steelhead were stocked in Town Lake, Vernonia Pond, and Coffenbury Lake earlier this winter. These fish get fairly active once in the lake, and can create a unique fishing experience. Almost 200 have been released into Town Lake, 60 have been released in Vernonia Pond, 120 went into Coffenbury and 100 went into Lost Lake last winter.
Check the 2019 trout stocking schedules for these north coast lakes: CAPE MEARES LAKE | COFFENBURY LAKE | CULLABY LAKE | HEBO LAKE | LAKE LYTLE | LOREN’S POND | LOST LAKE | NEDONNA POND | SMITH LAKE | SPRING LAKE | SOUTH LAKE | TAHOE LAKE | TOWN LAKE | VERNONIA LAKE
MID COAST LAKES
Stocking of the mid-coast lakes will begin the first week of February. Check the stocking schedule online for dates and locations of stockings. These early stockings include: Alder and Dune Lake, Cleawox, Lost Lake, Munsel Lake, Thissel Pond, Mercer Lake, Big Creek Reservoirs, Ollala Reservoir and Devils Lake.
Note: Ollala Resevoir has been re-opened and stocked. Check the stocking schedule for future stockings.
Check the 2019 trout stocking schedules for these mid coast lakes: ALDER LAKE | BIGCREEK RESERVOIR #1 | BIG CREEK RESERVOIR #2 | BUCK LAKE | CARTER LAKE | CLEAWOX LAKE | DEVIL’S LAKE | DUNE LAKE | ECKMAN LAKE | ELBOW LAKE | ERHART LAKE | GEORGIA LAKE | LOST LAKE (Lane County) | MERCER LAKE | MUNSEL LAKE | NORTH GEORGIA LAKE | OLALLA CREEK RESERVOIR | PERKINS LAKE | SILTCOOS LAGOON| SILTCOOS LAKE | SUTTON LAKE | THISSELL POND | WOAHINK LAKE
ALSEA RIVER:
Winter steelhead fishing closed for the season on April 30. Trout fishing will reopen on May 22.
KILCHIS RIVER: steelhead
The winter steelhead run is nearing its end, with most fish actively spawning or spawnedout. Please handle wild steelhead carefully.
Trout fishing in streams will reopen May 22, 2019.
NECANICUM RIVER: steelhead
Will reopen for trout fishing in streams May 22, 2019.
NEHALEM RIVER: steelhead
The winter steelhead run is nearing its end, with most fish actively spawning or spawnedout. Please handle wild steelhead carefully.
Trout fishing in streams will reopen May 22, 2019.
NORTH FORK NEHALEM RIVER: steelhead
Winter steelhead fishing is slow. Most fish are actively spawning or spawned out and headed back downstream.
Trout fishing in streams will reopen May 22, 2019.
NESTUCCA RIVER AND THREE RIVERS: steelhead, Chinook
It is still early for Spring Chinook, but there are undoubtedly a handful of fish in the river already.
Winter steelhead fishing is winding down as few fresh fish are still coming in. A few early summer steelhead are beginning to show up.
Anglers are reminded that the Nestucca River above Moon Creek (located at Blaine) closed to steelhead fishing on March 31 to protect wild spawning steelhead.
No reports of spring Chinook in Three Rivers, but they should be showing up anytime. Anglers are reminded that anti-snagging gear restrictions are in effect on Three Rivers from May 1 to July 15. See details on page 18 of the Sport Fishing Regulations.
Trout fishing in streams will reopen May 22, 2019.
SALMON RIVER:
Winter steelhead fishing closed on the Salmon River on March 31.
Trout fishing in streams will reopen May 22, 2019.
SILETZ RIVER: winter & summer steelhead
Winter steelhead fishing has slowed down on the Siletz and is winding down at the end of the season. Very few fish are being caught and soon anglers will focus on the summer steelhead. The Siletz River is open year-round for steelhead and we have reports of the first few summer steelhead being caught. The summer steelhead fishery will pick up in May and peak in June and July. Anglers are catching a good mix of hatchery and wild fish.
Summer steelhead in the Siletz River offer a great warm weather steelheading experience. Hatchery fish are released at Twin Bridges and Moonshine Park. Many anglers fish the upper “gorge” area for these hard fighting fish. Bobber fishing with jigs/bait, casting lures, and drift fishing are great techniques to catch a Siletz summer steelhead. Fishing will improve in May and peaks mid-June through July/August and then continues to produce fish until the heavy rains come in the fall.
The 4.0 mile bridge (aka Steel Bridge) in the Siletz gorge is open to motorized vehicles, but is only open to public vehicles on the weekend. Anglers can walk/bike in the road during the weekdays. If anglers do walk in they can park at the one mile gate and start from there.
SILTCOOS & TAHKENITCH LAKES: warmwater species
Warmwater fishing is starting to get going on Siltcoos and Tahkenitch lakes. The recent warm weather is warming up the water and getting the warmwater fish more active. These fish will start heading into the shallows for the spring spawn creating good fishing opportunities.
SIUSLAW RIVER: winter steelhead
Winter steelhead fishing closed on the Siuslaw and Lake Creek on March 31 for the remainder of the season.
Trout fishing in streams will reopen May 22, 2019.
TILLAMOOK BAY: Chinook
Fishing for Spring Chinook has been slow, and effort is light as it is still early, but there are a few fish coming though.
TRASK RIVER: steelhead, Chinook
Although it is still very early, a few spring Chinook have been caught on the Trask. Fishing for springers should improve as the month goes on. Anglers are reminded that fishing is restricted to fly-fishing or bobber fishing from the marker at Loren’s Drift (RM 9) up to Cedar Creek Boat slide (RM 10.9) from May 1 to July 31. See salmon/steelhead bobber fishing rule on page 18 of the Sport Fish Regulations for more detail.
The winter steelhead run is nearing its end, with most fish actively spawning or spawnedout. Please handle wild steelhead carefully.
Trout fishing in streams will reopen May 22, 2019.
WILSON RIVER: steelhead, Chinook
A few summer steelhead are showing up, and fishing should improve through the month.
The Wilson no longer has a hatchery spring Chinook release, although the occasional stray out of the Trask makes it up there. With a moderate run expected this year, the Wilson will probably be slow for springers.
A few winter steelhead are still available, although the run is definitley winding down with most fish either actively spawing or spawned out.
Trout fishing in streams will reopen May 22, 2019.
YAQUINA RIVER: winter steelhead
Winter steelhead closed on the Yaquina and Big Elk on March 31.
Trout fishing in streams will reopen May 22.