THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019
THE CHRONICLE — 25
ANGLER’S
LOG
COMMUNITY
Fall storms sink any fishing success
bout every condition
that works against
angling is at the top of
this week’s fi shing report.
No way to fl ower this up,
folks, but a series of fall
storms that began to reach
FRANK
the Lane County coast early ARMENDARIZ
last week fl at-out shut down ANGLER'S LOG
most of the fi shing opportu-
nities from west to east. The wind and rain
at the coast and in the valley, plus snow in
the Cascades, made fi shing and travel diffi -
cult at best. But the bad weather has passed
and a forecasted dry spell is on the way.
Last week, a 20-foot sea and waves to 25 feet
crashed onto central Oregon beaches and jetties,
making beach fi shing and bar crossings impossi-
ble for several days. This weekend could see the
trend change and this time of year the ocean is
rich with possibilities. If by chance that prediction
holds, the south of Cape Falcon zone is open to
the most species of bottom fi sh, including halibut.
Dependably, the bottom fi shery has been consis-
tently productive whenever accessible this season.
Also, any break in the seas could present the last
opportunity to fi sh for tuna this year. Ocean water
in the 60-degree range still persists offshore, but
the warm-water bubble that brings the tuna close
enough to the Oregon coast to fi sh for them has
begun to drift southward.
Winchester is still a good bet for captains who
can boat far offshore (30 to 40 miles), or seek a
charter operator for a guided trip.
More than eight inches of rain fell in the Siuslaw
drainage in September and the Siuslaw River
has been running higher and at levels more like
November since then. The average rainfall for
September is 2.5 inches.
The wet trend continued into October and the
lower river above tidewater has been navigable on
many days since mid-September, too.
For folks still trolling the bay, the Chinook
salmon fi shing pressure has shifted far up the
estuary this week, much earlier than in past
seasons. The trollers are still working around
Tiernan Landing, but a lot of anglers are focusing
their attention on the lower river from Mapleton
upstream to the deadline at Lake Creek.
The good news here is that the heavy rains
that fell last week pushed fresh fi sh up the river
A
and most of those
fish are still very
bright. The river
downstream from
Rain Rock is easily
run in a pontoon
or drift boat, and
they have hit the
lower Siuslaw in
fair numbers. For
bank anglers, there
are several points to
access the river on
foot; with a couple
of landings and a
short hike, plenty of other salmon holes are reach-
able.
The chinook are in the river and should be
around into November, though the quality of the
meat will decline much sooner as the fi sh begin to
spawn. Bobber and salmon eggs or sand shrimp
account for the most number of hookups on fresh
fall chinook in the river.
For anglers with limited mobility, reaching the
water is always a challenge, and I like sharing if it
gets more folks a chance at overcoming obstacles
and catching a good fi sh. There are modest excep-
tions: Junction City ponds and the Alton Baker
canal are reasonably accessible for trout fi shers,
but they are highly urbanized fi sheries and offer
little of the aesthetics that anglers love.
Bender Landing and County Park, on the North
Fork Siuslaw, is another one of those diamonds.
About fi ve miles up the North Fork Siuslaw River
Road from Highway 126.
Bender has a boat landing and an accessible fi sh-
ing dock for folks with mobility issues. Restrooms,
a large parking lot that accommodates both single
vehicles and trailers, and picnic benches add to the
convenience in a beautiful setting.
Chinook salmon return to the North Fork in
late October and November and the fi shing dock
is the perfect place to cast a line. In January and
February, it’s also an idea location to plunk for
winter steelhead.
Now go fi shing. Take your kids or a friend. Those
will become some of the best memories of your
life.
Chronicle news services
Changes for Columbia
f i s h i n g: O r ego n a n d
Washington fi sheries manag-
ers have reopened the main-
stem Columbia to retention of
coho salmon through Oct. 31,
from the Tongue Point/Rocky
Point line upstream to The
Dalles Dam. The daily adult
bag limit is two coho.
Only hatchery coho may be
retained downstream of the
Hood River Bridge. All steel-
head and all salmon except
coho must be released. All
other permanent regulations
remain in effect, including
retention rules for coho jacks.
Also
PHOTOS BY FRANK ARMENDARIZ/
THE CHRONICLE
From top: Fifteen-foot waves were breaking
across the Siuslaw River bar last week, forcing a
mandatory closure of boats crossing the Siuslaw
and most other river bars in the state. Bar closures
will be more common as we move toward winter.
Jacob King of Eugene enjoys surf fi shing, a year-
round opportunity in Oregon. Here, a 2.5-foot surf
was good enough to turn out a few surf anglers;
the next day, the surf grew to near seven feet.
The quality of bait can make all the difference for
fall chinook. These salmon eggs were cured by
Matt Danz, of Danz Outdoors in Springfi eld. I trust
Matt to always have fresh baits.
Open Tues.-Sat. • 10am-6pm
147 W. Oregon Ave. • 541-895-2666
Visit our website
www.emeraldvalleyarmory.com
From helping the ag industry get
their equipment up and running
to working with families who
love to ride.
Royce and
his team can
work on about
everything!
Bobcat
released
into wild
Oregon Department of
Fish & Wildlife officials
safely released a male juve-
nile bobcat into the wild last
week. Based on its teeth, the
bobcat was at least six months
old; it was released on BLM
land in Lane County.
ODFW’s evaluation of
the bobcat showed it to be
healthy. It had no signs of
active infection or injury.
It is not known if two
bobcats found earlier in the
week at Oak Hill School were
orphaned, abandoned by their
mother, or naturally dispers-
ing. Young bobcats may start
to disperse away from their
mother as early as six months
old, so a bobcat born early
in the spring could naturally
disperse in the fall.
You can reach Frank Armendariz at frank@
rivertrailoutfi tters.com.
The number
of fi shermen
trolling the bays
dropped off
considerably
this last
weekend. A few
fi sh were caught
but early rains
pushed most
salmon upriver.
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Hunting seasons are in full
swing and the recent cold, wet
weather should improve many
hunts. General season coast buck
and Cascade buck are open; the
cool, wet weather should have
bucks moving around more. Cold
and wet are preferred conditions
for duck hunting, which is open
statewide. Goose hunters also
can plan to spend a day in the
fi eld this weekend. Upland bird
seasons – pheasant, quail, forest
grouse, chukar and partridge –
are open across the state. The
number of grouse tails and
wings being deposited in west-
side collection barrels suggest a
strong season is underway.
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