Idaho Fish Report

Spring Chinook fishing has peaked and both effort and catch have declined significantly in the past several weeks. Most Chinook fishing is around the St. Johns Bridge downstream to the head of the Multnomah Channel.

Most of the effort on the Willamette right now is directed at shad, primarily around Oregon City.

The week of June 3, anglers caught and kept 112 hatchery spring Chinook and just 8 hatchery steelhead between Willamette Falls and the river mouth.

Shad fishermen did much better, reeling in 8,953 shad for the week.

Warmwater fishing can be another option for anglers in the lower Willamette, Multnomah Channel and surrounding sloughs during the spring and on into the summer. Successful warmwater anglers tend to fish around bridges, pilings, wing dams, and other structures, which can be good spots to find warmwater fish, including walleye, crappie, and bass, which are plentiful in the Willamette.

Further upstream, the section between Albany and Harrisburg is open year-round for trout fishing, which can be very good when flows are cooperating. Anglers are allowed to keep two trout per day. Smallmouth bass fishing can be excellent between Salem and Albany starting in May.

Hydrological data for the Willamette at Willamette Falls on June 11 showed flows declining to 12,500 cfs, visibility holding at around 7 ft., and a water temperature of around 64 degrees.