Shad fishing has slowed down on the Coquille. 

Striped bass fishing has been slow the past few weeks but should start to pick up again soon in the lower Coquille River. There is no size limit or daily bag limit on striped bass.

Smallmouth bass anglers are catching good numbers of bass in the South Fork Coquille below the mouth of the Middle Fork and in the mainstem Coquille River. There is no size limit or daily bag limit on smallmouth bass in the Coquille River. Smallmouth bass fishing in the South Fork Coquille River above the confluence of the Middle Fork Coquille, opened on Saturday, May 22. Water temperatures are in the mid-60s and the larger smallmouth bass will be looking to spawn. As the water temperatures warm up the smaller bass will become more active.

A temporary regulation started on May 22 allowing anglers in Coquille River system to use spears and spear guns to harvest smallmouth bass. Traditional rod and reel anglers can also use bait throughout the river system. This unique fishing opportunity is one of many efforts to reduce the impact of illegally introduced bass on Chinook populations.   

Trout fishing in streams and rivers opened on Saturday, May 22. Water temperatures are still fairly cool in the smaller streams but are already well into the 70s in the mainstem Coquille River. Trout anglers are reporting decent catches of cutthroat trout especially in river sections that are little harder to get to.