Spill At Last for the Columbia...Lance Fisher
    Court orders the spilling of large amounts of water over Columbia River dams to aid Salmon....
Columbia River Hog Hunting...Lance Fisher
    Great oversize sturgeon fishing opportunities in the Columbia River Gorge....
Astoria is Saving Grace: Light Tackle Sturgeon Fishing...Lance Fisher
    After a dismal Spring Chinook season, anglers everywhere are looking for a little healing...
Depoe Bay, Crab And Lingcod Combo ...Richard Alves
    I could see a huge lingcod following a black rockfish being reeled in....
Early Columbia River Springer Action Sluggish...Richard Alves
    A little luck and a lot of skill made for a successful day's fishing, for us...
Garibaldi, Wide Open Rockfishin' Off Cape Falcon...Richard Alves
    Within a half an hour the B & B was only nine fish short of limiting out....
Red Hot Steelheading on the Siletz... The Mystery Of The Exploding Leader...Richard Alves
    I set the hook and the steelhead came out of the water, then took off down river.....

UMPQUA RIVER SPRINGERS... There are still steelhead in the Umpqua River, but the big news is that fishable numbers of spring chinooks have now invaded the lower river and anglers are enjoying good results while targeting them.

According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, anglers have been catching good numbers of springers while fishing the area between Scottsburg and Elkton. The water temperature in the river is still low, but rising. Warmer water will cause the kings to push up the river.

On the North Umpqua conditions have remained good over the past week. Most of the action on the North Umpqua comes in the form of steelhead, since good numbers of springers have yet to move that far up the river. To date, 9,100 steelhead have passed Winchester Dam. Anglers are reminded that all wild steelhead must be released and that only fin clipped hatchery fish may be retained.

Few anglers are fishing the South Umpqua, but those that do make the effort are catching steelhead and some of them are dime bright fresh run fish. Drift boaters should focus on the area between Canyonville and Roseburg, while bank anglers will find the best opportunities at Templeton Beach, the Myrtle Creek Bridge, Stanton Park and behind the Seven Feathers Casino.

Scott Wolfe of the Big K Guest Ranch has been spending most of his time targeting springers on the Lower Umpqua with good success as well as traveling up to the North Umpqua in search of steelhead.

Wolfe has encountered some early season smallmouth bass, but that bite is just starting. The bass bite should be very good within 3 or 4 weeks, once the water temperature has a chance to come up into the comfort zone of the bronzebacks.