The Nehalem Fall Chinook fishing slowed a little this week, and the heavy rains later this week will probably move fish into the river. There should still be some fresh fish coming in, but numbers in the bay will likely be much lower following the storm. The wild Chinook bag limit is one adult per day/two for the season (July 1 to November 30) as part of the overall daily bag limit.

Coho salmon fishing remained fair to good in Nehalem last week although fishing was sporadic depending on the day and location. Heavy rains predicted for late this week will likely push a lot of coho into the rivers and above the wild fisheries. (there is no wild coho retention above the Miami-Foley Road bridge on the mainstem nor above the Aldervale bridge on the North Fork). The wild coho retention fishery opened September 10th. Nehalem Bay is open for wild coho three days a week (Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays) through October 26th. The bag limit is 1 wild adult coho per day and 3 for the season as part of the daily salmon/steelhead bag limit. See regulation updates online for more details. There is no retention of wild coho allowed after October 26th.

Hatchery coho are starting to return to the North Fork Nehalem and I expect to see a good push of them following the rains. The hatchery run should continue well into December on the North Fork and will provide some excellent fishing opportunity.

The Nehalem Basin offers public access on the Nehalem and its tributaries and there should be resident coastal cutthroat trout throughout the basin. Sea-run cutthroats are in the rivers now as well. Concentrate on deep pools with cover, and you should find success. Many areas have bait restrictions in place so check the regulations for those and open areas before heading out