155.0 Alsea Bay North Wayside is located just north of the Alsea Bay Bridge.  Turn west into access road from Highway 101.  There is limited parking.  Take the trail on the south side of the wayside to the north shore of the bay to dig for clams or fish from the bank for Chinook salmon and perch.

155.4                           Alsea Bay

  The City of Waldport is located on the south shore of Alsea Bay.  Old Town Waldport was built on the site of an Indian burial ground.  Deceased Alsi Indians were interred in wooden canoes above ground.  The early white settlers piled the canoes together and burned them. 

Access to the bay? The City of Waldport set an example that other coastal communities should follow by building easy access steps over the riprap to the bay.  The low and high salt marsh of the large island that separates the North Channel from the main channel is the most prominent tidal area in Alsea Bay.  The large island becomes three smaller islands during high incoming spring tides.

  The bar at the entrance to Oregon's seventh largest bay is dangerous to cross.  Not at anytime should the small boater attempt to cross the bar.  You have to use caution when crabbing or fishing in Alsea Bay.  You should only crab or fish in the lower bay during the incoming tide because the high current velocity of the outgoing spring tide reaches five to seven knots at the entrance and is strong enough to pull an underpowered vessel or one having engine failure over the bar into the surf jeopardizing the lives of all aboard. Loss of life from boats capsizing in the surf at the entrance to Alsea Bay occurs annually.  

Chinook salmon return to Alsea Bay in small numbers in some years as early as the last week of August but usually during the first week of September.  The run peaks in late September to early October running into November.  The average catch rate is 2780 fish per year.  The best fishing for newly arriving fall Chinook salmon occurs in the lower bay during the incoming tide of the major tidal exchange of spring tides or neap tides especially when the incoming tide coincides with sunrise or sunset.  The next most productive fishing period occurs at sunrise or sunset during the incoming tide of the minor tidal exchange in the daily tidal cycle.  Daybreak is that magical time of day when Chinook salmon bite the best.  Be sure to have the bait in the water one half hour before sunrise.  Fishing is most productive from ½ hour before sunrise to midmorning and from late afternoon until ½ hour after sunset.  Trolling a plug cut herring with the incoming tide through high slack tide in the lower bay from the bar to the Port Docks is the most productive method to catch early returning fall Chinook salmon.  The velocity of the tidal current in Alsea Bay requires the use of heavy sinkers up to 16 plus ounces to keep the bait in the Chinook’s strike zone; so be prepared if need be.  Most anglers concentrate fishing in the upper bay from the Port Docks to the confluence of Drift Creek to avoid the dangerous tidal conditions of the outgoing tide in the lower bay.  Chinook salmon move into the upper bay above the Port Docks to avoid the high velocity of the current in the lower bay.  The color of the water in Alsea Bay varies from clear to off colored and stained depending on the amount of rainfall runoff especially the runoff from Drift Creek.  Fish in the upper bay in the main or north channels from the confluence of Drift Creek to the Port Docks by trolling with or incoming or outgoing tide using a plug cut herring or spinners equipped with genuine silver, matte silver or rainbow colored blades when the water is clearer and spinners with green accents and rainbow colored spinner blades or with 50–50 green or chartreuse hammered brass spinner blades in dingy stained water.  Back trolling or back bouncing with a plug cut herring or spinners during the outgoing tide are options that produce fish.  Trolling a plug cut herring or spinners on the tidal flats above and between the Port Docks and North Island during a last hour of the incoming tide through high slack tide is an option that can be productive.  Remember when buying herring buy the largest herring available. 

  Fish in the lower tidal reach of the river channel from Taylor's landing to the confluence of Drift Creek or in the tidal reach of Drift Creek using the following baits.  Troll with the incoming tide with spinners equipped with genuine silver, matte silver or rainbow colored spinner blade or bait wrapped Flatfish lures with a silver body and chartreuse or green accents.  Back bounce or back troll with the outgoing tide fishing with a walnut sized gob of salmon eggs, spinners or with bait wrapped Flatfish lures.  Drift with the tidal current using a free sliding bobber to fish a walnut sized gob of salmon eggs topped with a sand shrimp just off of the bottom.  Bobber fishing with walnut sized gob of salmon eggs topped with a sand shrimp while drifting with the tidal current is the most popular method used to fish for salmon in the upper tidal reach of the river channel. 

  Anchor above the deeper holes from Taylor's landing to the head of tidewater above Kozy Kove in the community of Tidewater.  Fish with a bobber during the last half of the outgoing tide through low slack tide using a walnut sized gob of salmon eggs topped with a sand shrimp.  Fishing with bait sweetened Spin–N–Glos, spinners, spinner bait combinations, bait wrapped Flatfish lures, wobblers or bait while anchored above the deeper holes during an outgoing tide are also productive methods for catching Chinook salmon in the Alsea River.

Coho salmon begin returning to Alsea Bay in September peaking in October and running through November.  Troll a plug cut herring, hoochies or streamer flies behind a diver or wire spreader in the lower bay with the incoming tide in the upper half of the water column from the bar to the Port Docks trolling.  Fish in the upper bay from the Port Docks to the confluence with Taylor’s Landing trolling plug cut herring, chartreuse hoochies, streamer flies, rainbow, chartreuse or pink colored spinners.  Remember coho salmon prefer bait trolled at a speed of 3 to 5 knots.

Cutthroat trout return to the Alsea River early in July and run through August.  Fish from the first week of July through the first week of August trolling Doc Shelton spinners rigged with night crawlers from Eckman Slough upstream to Canal Creek.  Troll with Doc Shelton spinners rigged with night crawlers or cast spinners in the upper tidal reach of the Alsea River above the community of Tidewater through the end of August.          

Pileperch, walleye surfperch, redtail surfperch, white seaperch and striped seaperch enter the bay in late spring.  Striped perch are the dominant perch species found in the bay.  Schools of perch move onto the tidal flats feeding heavily on intertidal animals upstream from the entrance to the bay to McKinney's slough.  The fishing ranges from fair to excellent through fall depending on the tides and the weather conditions.  Fish for perch in the channel adjacent to the Port of Alsea, at the entrance to Lint Slough and along the channels that drains the tidal flats of northern half of the bay to McKinney's Slough. 

Starry Flounder fishing ranges from nonexistent for most of the year to fair in the spring.  The best fishing occurs from the Highway 101 Bridge to the North Channel that drains the tidal flats of the upper bay.

White sturgeon enter Alsea Bay in small numbers for most of the year.  The best fishing occurs from May through August.  Fish in the holes downstream from McKinny's Slough and Eckman Slough or from the confluence of Drift Creek upstream to Taylor's landing.  The best time to fish for sturgeon is two hours before low tide.  Mud and sand shrimp are the most productive bait.  The sturgeon fishery is a small one ranking 6^th overall when compared to more productive bays averaging 45 fish per year with low and high yearly catch of 12 and 116 fish respectively. 

Bank Fishing at the entrance to Alsea Bay is under utilized to say the least.  Fish along the north shore for perch, starry flounder and salmon from the Highway 101 Bridge seaward and along the south shore for salmon from the trail to the William P. Keady Wayside seaward and for perch and starry flounder from the Port Docks located in Waldport seaward.  Bank Access is limited in the upper bay and the lower tidal reach of the river channel is limited by private property.

As shown the most productive fishing for Chinook salmon occurs in the lower bay from bank behind the Interpretive Center and from bank along the north shore and south shore just inside of the entrance of the bay.

Alsea Bay boat launches are located on the south shore off of Highway 34.  Follow the signs to the public boat launch at the Port of Alsea and to McKinley's Marina to access the lower bay.  There are a number of private boat launches in the upper bay along Hwy 34.  Launch at the Kozy Kove Marina in the community of Tidewater to fish in the tidal reach of the river channel. 

155.9 Alsea Bay South Shore access is gained by turning west into the beach access parking lot at the intersection of Highway 34 and Highway 101.  The parking area is located behind the Historic Alsea Interpretive Center. Take the stairway to the bay and fish for Chinook salmon in season, pump for sand shrimp or dig clams in this section of the bay. Pump for the sand shrimp from the large tidal flat located east of the Hwy 101 bridge.

156.6 William P. Keady Wayside access to the southeast shore of Alsea Bay is from the stairs built by the City of Waldport.  Pump for sand shrimp or rake for cockles in this section of the bay.

Current status for Crabbing, Clam Digging and Fishing: