Clackamas River Fish Report 11-02-07

Clackamas River - Estacada, OR (Clackamas County)


by Kaufman Streamborn
11-2-2007
(800) 442-4359
Website

The Estacada gauge is reading 11.24. And the water is back in shape for fishing scentless bait, aka flies! Most summers are starting to look a little tired, but we have still seen a few bright fish. A Most of the Steelhead are concentrated between the dam and Feldheimers. ????Any radio tagged fish should be released and the number on the dorsal tag should be reported to ODFW.

Even with low water we recommend fishing with larger flies when swinging down and across. Purple, Blue, and Black are always solid producers, with fire engine red being a sleeper color. With water temps being in the 40's, you most slow down your swing. T-14 custom mini tips and sink tips in type 2 thru 6 should be in your mix. Your 8 weight floating line and orange skaters might have to rest until next July, or you could head east to the John Day or the GR! Should you be limited to a floater and want an easy fix, check out the Airflo sinking Poly leaders. It's a tapered leader, drenched in tungsten powder. It makes a great alternative to a sink tip.?? Glo Bug's in pink shades are the best bet should you favor the "nymph" game.?? In clear and low water use white colored indicators, or high stick using long leaders and heavy shot.??

You can no longer target Coho in the main Clackamas. You can only fish for them in Eagle Creek. Low and clear (and cold) water has slowed the fishing. 8000 Coho have been collected as of Nov 1st.. ??The run has not been as good as last years numbers. ??Halloween 2006 recorded over 12,000 collected Coho. ??Expect another push of fish with the next splash of rain.

You will have little luck trying to fish for moving fish. Walk the trails and fish in deeper pools or back eddies. Coho are much different than Steelhead in that regard, as they seldom bite in faster currents. We like 12-15 pound test tippets, ??your giant Alaska Salmon flies do not work here, as smaller flashy patterns in Hot Pink, Purple and Cerise are favored. Coho are tail biters, and will chase your fly from behind, so retrieve your fly using fast 12-18 inch strips. If you see fish chasing your flies but not biting, your offering is too large.

Trout fishing has now closed and will be open again in April 2008.




More Reports

Kaufman Streamborn Reports
for Friday, October 19th, 2007
Eastern Seep Lakes: Eastern Seep Lakes Fish Report 10-19-07
Yakima River: Yakima River Fish Report 10-19-07
Westside Lakes: Westside Lakes Fish Report 10-19-07
Rocky Ford: Rocky Ford Fish Report 10-19-07

10-18-2007
Although the Caddis bonanza is tapering off, it's still wise to keep a few stacked in your box. The saddle Caddis is small in size and best imitated with an Elk Hair Caddis in olive or the E/C Caddis # 16-20.?? The Pupa will hatch throughout the day with the majority hatching at dusk. The female are divers and deposits their eggs on the bottom. Take note again, that a Soft Hackle can imitate either the Pupa or the egg...... Read More