Fall Chinook are coming into the Nehalem and fishing has remained fair to good with fish being caught daily, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s weekly fishing report for the Northwest Zone. Most of the Chinook are in the bay, where trolling spinners or herring are the go-to techniques.
The wild Chinook bag limit is one adult per day and five for the season from July 1 to Nov. 30, as part of the overall daily bag limit. Wild Chinook jacks may be kept under the permanent regulations, up to five per day.
The wild coho fishery in Nehalem Bay opened Sept. 9, and fishing is “fair to good”. The season runs Sept. 9 to Oct. 28 and is open Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays only.
Of the two adult salmon or steelhead an angler may keep per day, only one can be a wild adult coho, according to the report. No more than three wild adult coho may be kept per season from the Nehalem basin, and no more than five wild adult coho per year in the Northwest and Southwest zones. Hatchery coho are also in the Nehalem basin and may be kept seven days a week.
Cutthroat trout are found throughout the Nehalem basin, and fishing for them has been good recently, the report says. It reminds anglers to check for bait restrictions before fishing.
The Nehalem River above the Highway 26 bridge at Elsie is closed to all angling Sept. 1 to Nov. 30.
Warm water fishing for bass and sunfish is slowing as water temperatures drop and the fish become less active, according to the report. It lists Vernonia pond among the waters with decent populations of warm water species.