Fall chinook fishing on the north coast remain bleak

[The Guides Forecast]

Thursday, only the Kilchis was in good enough shape for the driftboat fleet to deploy upon and most anglers came up short while pursuing Chinook. A lot of incidental chum salmon were caught and released however, a good sign that there’s a good return of those challenged fish.

Most north coast rivers remained too high for productive fishing much of this week, and inclement weather kept anglers from getting motivated on Tillamook Bay itself. It’s been a challenging month on one of Oregon’s favorite November systems, and other nearby watersheds have suffered the same depressed returns.

The ocean has been upside down as well with a possible window of opportunity over the weekend although it still doesn’t look comfortable.

Bay crabbing has slowed with the exception of the lower Columbia, where weekend tides look favorable for success. Watch that east wind however, it can creep up at any time.

 

[jamisonace]

Different area than your report but there are a few fish kicking around. My boat found 21 kings, 1 coho, 3 cutthroat and 4 tree snags between Monday and Friday. Water is going down fast and doesn't look like anything will fish until more rain.