Willamette Valley/Metro - Spring Chinook and summer steelhead counts at Willamette rose to double digits as the water temperatures fell to below the mid-70s, but these runs are about over in this stretch of the river. The upper and lower Willamette is providing decent fishing for smallmouth bass, however. The lower Willamette and Multnomah Channel are open for sturgeon retention Thursdays through Sundays until July 31st but it's been spotty with keeper-sized fish rare.

Mainstem Columbia steelheaders are reporting the best action in the Bonneville area. Despite the fact that twice as many hatchery fish are passing Bonneville than wild, the bulk of the catch is made up of native steelhead. These fish must be released unharmed.

Walleye action in the lower Columbia is proving to be worthwhile for anglers with most fish averaging 4 to 7 pounds.

Steelheading has been fair in the North Santiam from Mehama to Fishermen's Bend, but catch rates are better in the South Santiam where about 380 summers were recycled Monday of this week.

The crowds below Leaburg Dam on the McKenzie have been catching a few steelhead. Recycling from the hatchery is also taking place here.

The Clackamas River has slowed for steelhead although a few are being hooked early mornings at Dog Creek.

The better steelheading on the Sandy has been below Cedar Creek but it has also been slow. Glacial runoff and removal work at Marmot have combined to roil the water.

On the schedule to be planted with hatchery trout this week are Breitenbush River, Carmen Reservoir, Leaburg Lake, McKenzie above Leaburg Lake and Quartzville Creek.

Northwest ??? The famed Buoy 10 fishery is scheduled to open on August 1st but catches are expected to be poor and effort light. Chinook may not be retained until August 22nd from Buoy 10 to the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line.

Recent winds have kept most ocean boats in port. Previously, ocean salmon anglers were taking limits of hatchery coho near the mouth of the Columbia River. Boats fishing the traditional depths greater than 200 feet were not drawing strikes- 150 to 180 foot depths were drawing the best action. Good numbers of albacore are beginning to show offshore of the Columbia.

Tuna were reported closer inshore out of Garibaldi with rumors of 7 to 13 miles producing over the weekend. Very few people are pursuing salmon out of Garibaldi and action remains poor for hatchery fish.

Motivated anglers showed up in force when a couple of chinook were reported from the Wheeler area of Nehalem Bay. Although the summer run should begin to show signs of improvement, chinook numbers coastwide are less than impressive. Anglers shouldn't count on great fishing until at least next month.

Weekend precipitation improved steelhead conditions on the north coast but rivers will quickly drop back into summer low levels rapidly. Sea-run cutthroat trout should also be more accessible to bank anglers but regulations remain in place on most north coast streams requiring catch and release only.

Tuna were caught 20 to 30 miles to the northwest out of Depoe Bay on Tuesday this week. Salmon have been close to port with coho limits common.

Southwest ??? About 36% of the coho quota has been taken offshore from Cape Falcon to the California border with Winchester Bay emerging as the most productive port where coho limits were taken over the weekend and earlier this week. Chinook catches remain a rarity. Umpqua River anglers found smallmouth bass action slowing but still worthwhile. A few small Chinook have been taken in the lower river. Boaters accessing a rough ocean on Saturday, July 21st encountered warm water and mackerel. Most of the coho that were hooked were wild, requiring release. Catch rates of hatchery coho improved this week with anglers returning to port with limits. Ocean crabbing is also producing limits. Although still reported as slow, trollers are seeing a gradual improvement in chinook angling in the Rogue River estuary as the fall season gets underway. A surprising number of surf perch are being hooked on anchovy/spinner rigs.

If ocean conditions cooperate, the prime time to go out for albacore will be July 28th through August 3rd. Historically, fishing is best a few days prior to and again following a full moon.

Albacore have been accessible to anglers out of Brookings as boaters found tuna over the weekend. Last week, several flat ocean days allowed for more consecutive tuna runs than any time in the history of this sports fishery. Albacore were within 10 miles of port on one of those days. The downside is that tuna tackle and lures have been difficult to find in the heat of this fishing frenzy. Bottom fishing has been excellent with a greater number of larger lingcod showing up in catches. Anglers casting from the jetty are taking rockfish to five pounds.

Section 5 of the Rogue River is scheduled to be stocked again this week.

Eastern ??? A few steelhead have entered the lower Deschutes but not enough to satisfy anglers. Pressure has been unusually high on the Deschutes so far this season. Insect activity is low, with caddis remaining the primary pattern.

Central Oregon anglers are focusing on kokanee and brown trout. Although catches are down this season, kokanee on Lake Billy Chinook are larger than average. Odell Lake is producing good catches but Crescent Lake is only fair. Brown trout are ranging between 3 and 6 pounds out of East Lake and Wickiup Reservoir.

Carlon Mill Pond Devils Lake, Fall River, Shevlin Pond, Spring Creek and Three Creeks Lake are scheduled to be planted with trout.