What's this rain going to do to estuaries and fishing?

Weather service is predicting 1.5 to 2 inches on the coast, and a half inch or more in the Willamette Valley. I have to think it is going to stir things up, even though it is just the first round in loosening the grip of the drought. Still, will it be enough to get fish moving and spread them upriver, and get fish that have been staging off river mouths in the ocean to enter the estuaries? Should be an interesting week ahead!

Down here on the coast, one day's rainfall won't do much.  We'd need sustained rainfall - several days to a week of gentle rain - to begin to cool the water and try to rinse away the algae.

I'm a glass half full kind of guy by nature.

I'm betting that this flush of scent from the spawning grounds will draw a bunch of fish in to take a look around.  I don't think it'll do much to draw them upstream but there should be a bunch of curious chrome moving in and out of the bays.

-Mark-

Next week=Lights Out!  White Hot! En Fuego!!

This morning our rain gauge shows we had 1-1/2 inches in the past 24 hours.  The small coastal rivers down here have hardly changed depth or flow rate (eye-balling them), or clarity.

There's hardly any runoff right now and I'm thinking it'll take quite a bit more rain to saturate the ground and start the rivers rising.

Mark may have a point about it being enough rain to carry scent further downstream - he's smarter than me.   

Tinker, I have been watching rain totals and agree that 1.5 inches is barely "loading the sponge." But I would not be surprised if the whiff of sweet water coming into the estuaries makes some of the salmonids restless.

2 Wednesdays ago B11 water Temps were 68 degrees.  On Friday they were 57, on the outgoing tide.

I'm hoping for the best. Going to try Nehalem bay tomorrow. High tides around 3:00 so About 1:00 launch.

Tinker, I have been watching rain totals and agree that 1.5 inches is barely "loading the sponge." But I would not be surprised if the whiff of sweet water coming into the estuaries makes some of the salmonids restless.

If you go, have the best of days!  And if something's going on in the estuaries, let us know.

For those interested, I'm going to try the Alsea River this mornings on the incoming tide.  The Waldport bay had a collection of boats and bank fishermen tossing lures along the south depression yesterday.  I didn't spend a great deal of time there and I suspect only a few were caught but the stage is set.  A few have been landed in the Yaquina River last weekend.  Two lime green Yaks were on the Waldport bay yesterday around high tide fishing near the hotel.  I'll be using Herring caught a couple of months ago behind a short bus flasher near the bottom.  I'll report what if anything happens.
Snow

I'm a glass half full kind of guy by nature.

I'm betting that this flush of scent from the spawning grounds will draw a bunch of fish in to take a look around.  I don't think it'll do much to draw them upstream but there should be a bunch of curious chrome moving in and out of the bays.

-Mark-

I was wrong....  In the area I was fishing yesterday, the Chinook shot straight thru tidewater and into the river.  If you had the right color spinner, it was lights out fishing.  My fishing buddy had that lure and landed 3 Chinook.  I didn't and wound up with 1 jack.....

-Mark-

...If you had the right color spinner, it was lights out fishing. 

I've just gotta know....What was the "right color"?

I spent 5 hours on a coastal stream yesterday. 0 fish caught (kayaks and powerboats) but a few were rolling and my buddy with electronics could see a few holed up here or there. They seemed to be moving quickly where I was at as well, because a hole would have a few in it one minute and then ((poof)) gone.

...If you had the right color spinner, it was lights out fishing. 

I've just gotta know....What was the "right color"?

Chartreuse/Orange......  WTF?  Chartreuse/Orange?  Who the heck fishes Chartreuse/Orange spinners?

....Gotta hit the tackle shop and pick up some Chartreuse/Orange blades! 

-Mark-

That bit of rain really turned on Drano and the Bonneville pool yesterday.  I think we might see some record for the day Chinook numbers coming over the wall this week.