Post Holiday Fishing Report

I hope everyone had a good Holiday season. Always a good time to catch up with family, friends and in some cases...fish.

It looks like rain is on the horizon for the rest of the week, though you never know quite how much or if it will really happen coming off a cold, clear stretch like we had for the holidays. If the gauge predictions are remotely correct we'll start off slow with a sharp increase in flows occurring thursday to friday.

In the meantime, you've got a short window to capitalize on the low flows. There's been some good fishing.If you find there's a steady theme in this brief update, pardon the repetition.

• The Clack has dropped to 12.4 on the gauge....a significant plummet from the 16 feet it was this time last week. The river is now clear, and it's cold...in the 35 degree range. There's been some increase in the amount of catch here and more rain should help...don't expect the Clack to jump nearly as much as some of the coastal rivers.

• The Sandy is now about 9.3. It's somewhat low and very clear and cold. Rising flows will help this late blossoming stock to enter the river. The Sandy should go out temporarily, but possibly not if the coming rain is slow to develop and the freezing level remains low. Should be a very good bet once it enters the drop.

• Southwest Washington is fishing. The E.F. Lewis will clear quickly after any rain. There have been good catches out of all the Columbia tribs, especially the Cowlitz.

• The North Coast is low and clear and ripe for a blow out. There are some mountains developing on the prediction gauge, but things are looking good for anglers going west. Especially after the New Year. Chrome Christmas fish were on the menu here.