The Nehalem gets an early component of the fall Chinook run sometimes referred to as "summer Chinook" and those fish are in the bay. Fishing has been fair but the "good bites" have been sporadic. The freshet we received over the weekend should trigger some fish movement and hopefully bring in some fresh Chinook.

Trolling with flashers and spinners seems to be the go-to technique for this fishery, but trolling herring is always a good option for Chinook as well. The bag limit for wild adult Chinook is 1/day and 5 for the season from July 1 to Nov. 30. See the regulation updates for more details.

There are cutthroat trout throughout the Nehalem basin. Most of the sea-run cutthroat should be up in the rivers and tributaries by this time of year.