Oregon Fly Fishing Report – Small Stream Outfitters & Guides

Summer steelhead continue to fish well on the Clackamas. Concentrations of fish can be found around the hatchery and fair numbers of fish are spread throughout the rest of the system. We had good fishing last week from first light until late morning until the high sun put the fish down. Early mornings have been best, although fish can be found in shaded areas and covered pools throughout the day. You can check out pictures from last week in our Photo Gallery. A drop in river temperature is sure to put fish on the move and it looks like a significant system is headed our way and slated to hit August 19-20.

We’re really looking forward to this system as it should increase river flows and drop river temperatures across the area. We expect to see a push of coastal chinook and steelhead off this system as well as increased numbers of Bluebacks or Sea-run cutthroat trout. We don’t plan on missing out on this opportunity for a mid-summer storm. Call us at 503-515-3533 to book a trip. You can read a weather report from the National Weather Service below.

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COMPUTER MODELS AGREE ON BRINGING AN UNSEASONABLY STRONG STORM INTO SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON BY THE MIDDLE OF THIS WEEK. THIS STORM IS ACTUALLY MODERATELY STRONG EVEN FOR WINTER TIME…AND WILL LIKELY PRODUCE UNUSUALLY STRONG WINDS FOR SUMMER ALONG THE COAST AND AN UNSEASONABLY HIGH AMOUNT OF RAINFALL.

THIS SYSTEM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE GALE FORCE WINDS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS BEGINNING LATE TUESDAY AND CONTINUING TUESDAY NIGHT. WIND GUSTS ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST COULD REACH 50 MPH OR MORE. THIS STORM ALSO IS FORECAST TO HAVE A VERY HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT…AND WILL LIKELY PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RAINFALL THROUGHOUT MUCH OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING…

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Tight lines and we’ll see you on the water!
Small Stream Outfitters guide staff

The last week of February leading into the first week of March was unseasonably cold and wet. Heavy precipitation dropped lots of rain in the elevations below 1500 feet, but fell mostly as snow in the cascade foothills and coast range. So while the majority of coast streams ran high and dirty throughout the week, the Sandy River outside of Portland dropped steadily.

Temperatures began to warm towards the end of the week triggering some mild snow melt and predictable rise to the Sandy River.

Anglers fishing around the Cedar Creek hatchery area just outside of Sandy found the river in prime shape early in the week and then slightly high over the weekend. Clarity remained excellent at 3-4 feet even with the rise in water.

Fishing over the weekend was fair to slow. Anglers that were able to cross to the North side of the river were rewarded with a few bright hatchery fish from 6-9 lbs. Anglers fishing above the hatchery from the South side found just a few big native fish, but action was generally slow.

As of Thursday March 8, the Sandy remains around 11ft. Clarity is still good, but anglers will find the river moving very quickly. Crossing the stream is not recommended. Concentrate efforts above Cedar Creek.

Tight Lines,
Small Stream Outfitters

With the continued clear, cold and sunny weather we didn’t expect much today. However, a bad day of fishing is always better than any day of work. So our intrepid anglers set off to the Clackamas River today to have a look. We floated from Barton Park to Carver.

The second cast of the morning produced your run of the mill, everyday average mountain whitefish and well… that was the highlight. We charged through the drift and were off the water by lunch. We spotted 1 fish and talked to zero anglers with fish. Angling pressure is light.

Visibility – 10 plus feet
Level – Low, but not scary low
Temp – 28 to start and low 40’s when we hopped off the water.
Angling Pressure – light, 50% sleds and 50% drift boats

Rain would be helpful.

Tight Lines,
Small Stream Outfitters