Willamette Valley/Metro - Although catch and keep sturgeon season has re-opened from Wauna Powerlines to Bonneville Dam, effort remained low but boaters in the gorge averaged a keeper for every 4 boats with high shaker action. Bank anglers averaged nearly a keeper for every 5 rods.

Steelheaders recorded good catches in the gorge this week with boat anglers taking nearly a keeper for every 2 boats, bank anglers a keeper for every 3 anglers. The run is pouring over Bonneville but slow to migrate over the Dalles Dam. Fall chinook numbers are beginning to climb but temperatures are too warm for productive fishing.

Catches of chinook are beginning to climb at the mouths of the Cowlitz and Kalama Rivers. Consistent catches will climb in coming weeks with wobblers taking the lion's share for anglers anchored in the deeper water of the mainstem Columbia.

Willamette water temperatures have held steady at 72 degrees over the past week as 20 to 30 summer steelhead cross daily. Sturgeon fishing is very slow.

The Clackamas has been fair for steelheading from Rivermill Dam down to Dog Creek.

Despite strong numbers of steelhead in the Columbia, trollers at the mouth of the Sandy are blanking. There are a few summers around the mouth of Cedar Creek.

Steelheading has finally picked up on the North Santiam. Historically, the next five weeks will offer the best summer steelheading of the year.

Faraday Lake and North Fork Reservoir are scheduled to be planted with hatchery trout.

Northwest ??? Anglers are concentrated near the mouth of the Columbia where the offshore coho catch continues to produce easy limits of coho. Action continues great 3 to 5 miles of south of the CR Buoy but the buoy itself is producing nicely. Blue sharks are prevalent on the salmon grounds and anglers are losing an occasional fish to them. The ocean off of the mouth of the Columbia River will close to the pursuit of salmon beginning on Sunday, August 26th. The last day to keep ocean salmon (coho and chinook) is Saturday the 25th.

Chinook retention opened on Wednesday in the Buoy 10 fishery and catches have been good on the afternoon incoming tide. By Saturday, an early morning low slack will likely produce good catches of chinook throughout the day. Coho are beginning to show in the catches although chinook are dominating the catch. Although the overall coho forecast is about the same as last year, the bulk of the return is forecasted to return in the early season. Most of these fish will pass through the estuary by late September.

The all-depth halibut fishery from Cape Falcon to Leadbetter Point will re-open on August 24th for 3 days after biologists determined the quota had not been reached. More days may be added if anglers keep their focus on salmon instead of fighting a forecasted westerly swell to reach the offshore grounds.

The hatchery coho bite out of Garibaldi has slowed but tuna chasers are still finding good numbers of fish 28 to 40 miles offshore. The first fall chinook are due back to the estuary later this month. Crabbing has picked up in the bay but is closed offshore.

Tuna were very close to the port of Depoe Bay over the weekend. Coho limits were taken over the weekend and the fish are larger with some pushing 15 pounds.

Crabbing is fair to good at Newport, poor at Waldport.

Southwest ??? Wave action in the ocean off the southwest coast is forecast to be mild but will be building into the weekend. The onshore wind, pushing strong and steady, will probably make a trip across the bar in recreational craft a no-go. Check conditions later this week, however.

During the periods of precipitation earlier this week, the southwest coast welcomed a couple of inches of cooling rain.

A series of mild tides minus will begin mornings over the weekend with the greatest exchange of water occurring on Tuesday next week.

Boats launching out of Florence over the weekend experienced fair to good coho results fishing 20 to 25 feet deep over about 160 feet of water.

Following hot mid-week fishing, action slowed out of Reedsport last weekend. Coho fishing was spotty out of Winchester Bay last Saturday with trollers encountering numerous sharks offshore. Fish are being taken at the 25-foot level over 250 to 300 feet of water on Sunday. Halibut action slowed over the weekend. Boats stayed close to the jaws on Monday this week due to dicey conditions, but experienced better coho action than did weekend anglers.

Fishing has been good for anglers launching out of Coos Bay for those able to locate schools of coho. Hoochie and herring have been effective.

Bottom fishing has remained excellent out of Brookings, with a wide variety of fish returning to port on anglers' boats. Tuna were 29 miles offshore last week and fishing was good. Salmon fishing has been fair.

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

Eastern ??? Nymphs have taken fair to good numbers of trout on the lower Deschutes with cloudy days most productive. Steelhead numbers continue to improve although it's been slow for trollers at the mouth.

Scheduled for trout stocking this week are Badger Lake, Fall River, Rouge River, Shevlin Pond and Spring Creek.