It was the lead story on every televised newscast leading up to the Christmas holiday. A dead pond Koi had been spotted in the McKenzie River at Armitage Park. The fish was bright orange, a bit tattered, and weighed about 3-4 pounds. Of course, the fish stood out like a[Read More…]
Author: FRANK ARMENDARIZ for The Chronicle
Column: An early-season gift for winter steelheaders
Winter steelhead appeared in a handful of streams on the far north portion of the Oregon coast a few days before Thanksgiving. Gnat Creek and the Klaskanine River are both lower Columbia River tributaries. Also, the Necanicum River and the North Fork Nehalem, which drain directly into the Pacific, all[Read More…]
Final chance for ‘free fishing’ and time for salmon watching
The final Free Fishing Days of the year are the weekend of Nov. 29-30. On these days, folks do not need a fishing license or harvest tags to retain salmon, steelhead, or shellfish. This is an excellent opportunity to introduce family and friends to the sport. If, by chance, you[Read More…]
Angler’s Log: Without a plan, you’re just fishing …
The heavy rainfall on my roof reminds me of an old saying that goes something like this, “Even the worst day on the river is better than being anywhere else.” I’m pretty sure that the saying originated from some angler sitting out in the freezing rain on some western Oregon[Read More…]
Willamette Valley fishing forecast: Lots of silver and chrome
After an enjoyable period of early fall weather, things are about to change. The possibility of an extended period of rain, generated by a building atmospheric river out over the Pacific, has popped up in our forecast. If it continues to build, the moderate storm, with predicted periods of heavy[Read More…]
The Angler’s Log: Biologist shares fish forecast for Willamette Valley region
Jeremy Romer is the assistant managing fish biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s southern Willamette district, and the Office is in Springfield. A graduate of Eastern Oregon University, Romer, pictured at left, went on to achieve his Master’s in fisheries biology at Oregon State University in[Read More…]
The Angler’s Log: Waterborne illnesses on the rise in warmer weather
It was early in the summer that I shared an alert from the Oregon Health Authority that “blue green algae” cyanotoxins were confirmed in a number of Oregon waterways. That advisory has since been lifted but it was widely reported that the contamination was the result of the unseasonably high[Read More…]
Despite the heat and forest fires, angling remains strong throughout the area
Dry lightning limits access The brief cool-down from the scorching hundred-degree temperatures brought relief to many of our local fisheries. Also, the higher humidity that accompanied the weather shift has also been a blessing for the thousands of wildland fighters who have descended on our state and other western states[Read More…]
ODFW: Low returns prompt McKenzie salmon closure
It was no surprise when last week the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shut down spring Chinook fishing on the McKenzie River for the remainder of the season. The number of returning hatchery salmon, as expected, had been pitifully low and meeting the production quotas for next year’s run[Read More…]
Historic McKenzie Landing reopens
After a delay in part due to the rough weather that swept across western Oregon this spring, the McKenzie River Trust, owners of several parcels of land along the banks of the McKenzie River, recently announced that its Finn Rock boat landing is again open to the public. In past[Read More…]
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