April 16, 2008 - Oregon Fishing Update
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008April 16, 2008
Winter is refusing to let go and cold weather is expected for this weekend. The cold should keep the fair weather anglers indoors; so, go fish as you’ll be more likely to have your favorite spot all to yourself. There will be a work party at the North Santiam River site on April 26, (10am-2pm). We will be spreading some rock on the road, improving the campsite and working on the trails. Afterwards we’ll head into Mehama for lunch and a beer. Last week’s ‘after work party’ beer will be tough to top (Fearless Brewing Co. in Estacada), but we’ll see what we can find. Thanks go to Daniel, Bruce, Bill, Connie & Randy for helping out at the Clackamas River work party. We ended up walking 3 1/2 miles and cleared both the upper and lower end trails. The work parties are a great opportunity to learn more about the place where we work in terms of both fishing and history of the site. Plus, you get a real taste of what it’s like to maintain the properties.
* Wine dinner at Brookside Inn – On Sunday, June 15, we are hosting a unique ‘Catch and Cook’ dinner here at the Inn. Guests are invited – but not required – to spend the afternoon fishing Brookside Pond for trout and bass. That evening, Chef Paul Bachand of Hunters Ridge Bistro and Lange Vineyard on Dundee Hill will collaborate in a dinner showcasing trout and other local bounty of the Northwest and Lange’s unique approach to wine making. The details are (or will be shortly) on our website - http://www.brooksideinn-oregon.com. Please contact me if you are interested. Seating is VERY LIMITED and I like to give OFC members first chance.
The Chef - Executive Chef Paul Bachand has over 15 years of progressive culinary experience with focus on regional American cuisine deeply rooted in Classical European cooking methods and techniques. As an avid supporter of SLOWFOODUSA, all products are made in house to assure the finest quality and care going into each dish. With an agricultural playground virtually at his back door, Paul and his culinary team can be found in pursuit of the finest locally grown produce, wild game, mushrooms and seafood while supporting our local dedicated farmers.
The Wine - Lange crafts beautifully balanced wines from fruit grown on the Winery Estate, located in the heart of the prestigious Dundee Hills appellation. Lange also purchases additional fruit from the best vineyards in the surrounding area. Long-standing relationships with these talented and dedicated growers have helped the winery establish a well-deserved reputation for consistency and complexity in the wines. Currently, Lange bottles six different Pinot Noirs, Tempranillo, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.
Given the self proclaimed fishing prowess of both the chef and the wine makers, this should be a very interesting experience. We are looking for OFC members to challenge these two.
Contact: Bruce Bandstra, Brookside Inn on Abbey Road, 8243 Abbey Road, Carlton OR 97111, 503-852-4433, www.Brooksideinn-oregon.com
May 2 - Kings for the Kids salmon fishing derby … call Rick King 503.709.6603. http://kingsforthekids.org/
May 10 - Work Party at Trask #3/Burdick Pond…10am-2pm.
May 17 - Kid’s Day at Lake Margaret … call Bob Jackson 503.372.8933 to volunteer. http://kidsdayoregon.com/
June 14 - Oregon Fishing Club annual picnic at Lake Margaret
June 15 - ‘Catch and Cook’ Wine dinner at Brookside Inn
June 19 - 26 - OFC goes to Loreto, Mexico. Want to go? Call us 877.521.8947. DVD slideshow available! Mexico week #1 is almost full …1 villa still open. Great fishing, food and friends. Alaska Air canceled there Friday flights into Loreto and this trip had been shuffled back in time one day from the original schedule. Airfare is still reasonable at $653 roundtrip and seats are available.
June 26 - July 3 - OFC goes to Loreto, Mexico one more week. The moon will be dark and the water should be the warmest we’ve yet to fish. Could get very exciting. Dorado, marlin, sailfish and more. DVD slideshow available!
Sept. 13 - Oct. 4 - OFC goes to Prince of Wales, Alaska. A DVD slideshow is available! Thought we were full, but we now have two openings for the third week. $1498 for 7 nights lodging, 6 days fishing, everything but airfare, gear and booze included. Get on board while you can. Call us toll free 877.521.8947
The Stillwaters:
Trout fishing in the ponds is getting more real. The fish are hungry and active; especially on warmer days, but they’ve definitely gotten more selective. Big hatches of midges have spoiled our fish and anything less than that particular midge in matching color and form is looked on with far less interest. Most midges are small (#18 -22) generally dark, but sometimes w/ a little red or olive, others (Rainier) are a bit larger, black and known to bite. The fish love ‘em and can be seen sipping the emerging adults off the surface. Dragon and damselfly larva are getting fat and more active as they prepare to emerge. Scuds, tiny shrimplike crustaceans, are thick in the weeds at the Trees, and the trout will cruise the edges of the mats looking for stray morsels. The fish are feeding, for the most part, in the upper 2 feet of the water column. You need to stay in the zone to be seen. Bugs will be most active on sunny afternoons. Report any damage or issues you may encounter.
The Rivers:
Winter steelhead fishing has slowed on the coast, but summer steelhead should soon be arriving. Bright hatchery fish are still available, but are more scarce. The Wilson, is still producing the occasional fish. Trask, wild fish predominate. Trask #1 and Trask #3 are good, and Trask #2 can be awesome this time of year (The road was blocked by fallen trees just the other side of second gate, but was cleared by an enterprising Club member…thanks Miguel). No springer reports, yet … still a little early. The Nestucca is also still producing the occasional bright hatchery steelhead. #1 is easiest to fish below the Hwy 101 bridge, but two sets of cable stairs exist above Hwy. 101. Nestucca #2 is good beneath 3rd Bridge and at the ‘Red House Drift’ on the upper end, but is difficult access. Stop in Hebo at ’the Original Nestucca Valley Sporting Goods’ and ask Pat Gefre what’s going on in the river. Call after hours for Pat’s daily? report (503) 392-4269. http://www.nestuccariveroutfitters.com/ The Washougal, is closed to all fishing from March 15 until April 16. From April 16 to June 1 it is open only downstream of the Mt. Norway Bridge and for selective gear only. Fishing at the Club property is closed until June 1. Eagle Creek might receive it’s first hatchery spring Chinook returns this year. Conditions were poor when the fish went in, but we might see as many as 3,000 fish return to the creek this year. The Clackamas has been getting better for steelhead and will continue to improve as more fish enter the system. The Sandy - Member Report “Fished the Sandy this morning. Water was high and great color. On the first cast had a fish on. Then nothing for the rest of the morning. Been a fun year for me with those steelie. I’m ready for the springers!” Posted By: Tony Jacobs - Date Posted: 4/14/2008 . The Molalla, the ‘House Hole’ is the deepest hole for quite a stretch, and a good place for stray summers & springers or smallmouth bass when things warm up a little. Big Creek continues to return the occasional spring Chinook. Call Howard Kem at 503.318.4804 or 503.397.0213 to make a reservation. $10/OFC angler … $20/guest … kids 12 and under free. Lodging available at $45/night/person … $20/kids 12 and under. Santiams, both the North and South got easier to fish this winter. Summers and springers take a week or so to get from the falls at Oregon City to these sites. (see link below under Fishing for counts). Willamette, can be a super smallmouth fishery in the spring. The road down to the river is torn up by the recent passage of a large tractor. Best to park at the top of the hill and then walk down the hill or you might get stuck. There is rock all the way to the launch, but turning around and then getting back up the hill will be extremely difficult. Launch a small boat, one you can drag up a hill, and fish the seam where the river enters the slough. (1/4oz -1/2oz jigheads w/ 2 inch white doubletail rubber grubs are a known fish catcher.)
Go fish
Brian
Oregon Fishing Club
877.521.8947
Referrals: Do you know someone who’d like to join OFC? Send us their name and phone number. You’ll earn a $50 reward for your efforts.
Links: Oregon Fishing Club Member’s Bulletin Board http://members.ofc.org/
I was asked to represent the sports fishermen of
The day was mostly background regarding the status of the various salmon stocks and the sea lion population. Also, a good deal of time was spent on the legal requirements of the Marine Mammal Act, and the states’ request for lethal take. The request asks that up to 85 sea lions be killed from the population in the 5 miles below Bonneville. Each sea lion would be impossible to track, so if the animal is in the vicinity it is assumed to be part of the “rogue” group feeding primarily on the endangered salmon and steelhead. There are 5 more scheduled meeting days in the next 2 months. It should prove interesting!
Meanwhile I am serving as chair on the advisory board of the Oregon Hatchery Research Center, working on the Upper Willamette Recovery Plan ( Bruce Harpole is my alternate), and I have been asked to work on the allotments for the sport/ commercial fishing for the Columbia for the next few years. Oh well, never a dull moment!
I am just one of the dedicated volunteers working for protecting and improving our sport fisheries. We have a team of 4 working on the proposed “marine reserves” our Governor is still proposing to close down much of our state ocean waters to fishing.
We sure could use help. If you are interested in giving your time, or sending a contribution that is a TAX CREDIT contact:
Oregon Anglers
West
Oregon Anglers’ ALERT (3/29/08)
I just spent Thursday and Friday in Newport for the Marine Working Group (Marine Reserves) and OPAC (Ocean Policy Advisory Committee) meetings.
I joined OA’s ocean team members John Holloway, Walter Chuck, OA’s President Tony Meeker and Ron Mason. We fully expected to hear a standdown from the Governor’s office. OPAC had just spent $80,000 on a coast-wide outreach program in which a staff member from Sea Grant and a former ODFW Commissioner led the meetings and promised that “everyone will be heard”. The comments were generally against establishing marine reserves that are set to fail because of haste and a lack of science. The sentiment for reserves was about 1%. Much to their surprise, and ours, midway through the morning, and just before public comment, a decree from Kulongoski was read to all.
The Governor told OPAC, an advisory group, that they were to work with ODFW in moving along with the MR nomination process immediately, and have up to 9 reserves screened and ready by Jan. 2009. This siting process will be random, since we do not have the species assessments or mapping needed to make them work. It is nothing more than an attack on fishing to take areas out of access FOREVER.
Oregon Anglers is NOT against well planned marine reserves. But they must have:
1) Clear objectives- target species in need of help must be identified
2) Specifically selected for the target species- depth, structure, etc.
3) Pre-assessed as to number and size of the target species, and other occupants in the area
4) Research assessments must be conducted regularly
5) FUNDING
6) A sunset clause must be a part of the siting- if there is no difference, or funding is not available to continue, the NO TAKE designation must be removed.
7) MOST IMPORTANTLY control must be retained by the citizens of the state.
The Gov. obviously doesn’t care. After the extensive outreach he ahs given us all the finger and transferred the burden to ODFW. That way if it fails it is their fault. AND the cost, if not funded in other undetermined ways will come out of ODFW general funds- read that our license money for hatcheries and stream restoration for recovery.
The most important election in the history of sport fishing is upon us. We must elect, or re-elect, legislators aware of the impacts to fishing and the economy of not only the coast, but the whole state. Oregon Anglers is the lead on this once again. The Steelheaders will decide whether or not to join us next week. WE MUST build up our war chest. We will need at least $25,000 to make contributions, send letters of endorsement, and travel around the state to get the message out.
We will be getting a newsletter out very soon with more details, but invitations to speak to groups are very important at this point.
Dennis Richey, Oregon Anglers
Oregon Fishing Club Fishing Trip - POW Alaska - Three different weeks of hot coho action in small coastal streams. Bruce will handle the first 10 days or so and Brian the last 10 days. Sign up now for a week of adrenaline pumping excitement. Call us for details…877.521.8947. DVD slideshow available!
Weather - The NOAA home page http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ or http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/weather/10_day.cgi (A great 10 day look at the future with color pictures)
Tides - http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/oregonsites.html orhttp://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/sites_uswest.html River Levels -http://waterdata.usgs.gov/or/nwis/current/?type=flow (USGS Oregon River Levels)orhttp://ahps2.wrh.noaa.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=pqr (NOAA’s Advanced Hyrologic Prediction Service - NW OR)http://raws.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/roman/meso_base.cgi?stn=EGKO3&time=GMT Eagle Creek weather report.
Oregon Fishing Club Prostaff -http://home.comcast.net/~grantsnwguideservice/ (Grant Scheele) scheeleteam1@comcast.net (541)990-6358 http://www.fishonnw.com/ (Shane Groshong) shane@fishonnw.com (541)338-8362www.FishYFS.com (Jack LaFond) Jack@FishYFS.com (800)270-7962www.theflyfishinginstructor.com (Ron Lauzon) ron@theflyfishinginstructor.com (503)622-3634
www.CatchSomeFish.net (Chris Nordling) ChrisNordlingFishingGuide@comcast.net (503)866-0971 (cell); (503) 659-1401
Fishing -
www.ifish.net (Jenny Logsdon-Martin) (The best Oregon fishing website.)
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/fish_counts/willamette%20falls.asp Willamette Falls fish counts
2008 Chewaucan Challenge - What … no interest? We’ve recv’d zero, zip, no interest in this and I don’t get it. Looks like a lot of fun. Take away the competition thing … go planning on losing … bad! A little town is going to bust there collective behinds to throw a big party and there’ll be a unique opportunity to fish otherwise unaccessible waters. Check it out at http://www.paisley.presys.com/fish.htm . Send us an email, if you have interest and maybe we can help get a team together. Scheduled for June 15-18, 2008. The Chewaucan basin flows from the Gearheart Wilderness, high in the Cascades, to the little city of Paisley in Southern Oregon on the edge of the Great Basin. The Chewaucan River has over 40 miles of walkable, wadeable, fishable water with a diversity of challenges from fast boulder strewn rapids to the slow meandering holding waters. The past five years have seen over four million dollars in improvements to the river from local ranchers and state and federal agencies, which has allowed the wild red band trout to return to its historic runs. A BBQ (tritips) kick off dinner is held on Sunday, June 15, 2008 at 5pm, and morning briefings will be held daily. Package also includes 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and an ‘all you can eat’ spagetti feast. Bag lunches, T-shirts and assistance with lodging, meals and amenities will be available. Registration is $170 per person (3 person teams). A trophy and cash prizes will be awarded. Paisley is a tiny town and this is one time of the year where they all get together to throw a big party…should be a lot of fun…even if you don’t catch fish.