Lost in Portland

[giveneratry]

I'm from the backwoods of Ohio and recently moved here to SW. Portland and am looking for some good fishing spots that don't resemble a crowded city park!! Have never fished for trout or salmon seeing how they don't have em from my neck of the woods so any hints and help will be much appreciated !! Would be happy with a bucket full of bluegill or crappie at this point, been here for a week and did venture out to Hagg lake for the day and tried everything in my arsenal from the banks and walked away without a bite!! Beautiful scenery though!

 

[Spydeyrch]

Welcome to both Oregon & OFF!! :clap:

What kind of fishing are you primarily into? What did you do back in Ohio? Perhaps that would give us a good idea of where and how to steer you to the right direction.

-Spydey

 

[giveneratry]

I did a lot of panfishing,bluegill, perch, crappie and such and when their hitting back there u can fill a basket up with 60 and up in no time!! Also fished for large mouth inland and would hit Lake Erie for the Walleye and small mouth, and on occasion would kick back on the banks and have some beers and do some catfishing!! We would use a lot of live bait like minnows and shiners but from what I have read thus far in the regulations thats not aloud here!! Had to get a non-resident license which cost me about $140 with the trout and salmon tags cause u have to be a resident for at least 6 months before u can get a reg. license which I didn't mind cause I guess it'll help stop non-residents from coming in and raping the waters!! I'm up for fishing what ever the waters here provide, just trying to get the lay of the land and my bearings right now! I also tried the Sandy river near the hatchery and used a night crawler and bobber (which after talking to a few people realized is the totally wrong method-lol) but it was fun getting out anyhow!! Thanx

 

[handmethewrench]

welcome, when I got here i downloaded the '60 fishing spots within 60 min of portland' from the dept of fish and game website, might have to search around but it tells you what is in what waters, and second I got the book "Fishing in Oregon" authors last name is Sheehan. Plus this forum is really good. I have been hear a little over a year. There have been some frustrating days for sure but the other day I got a 25lb Spring Chinook and nice steelhead. I have also caught my share of trout,small mouth and recently a walleye. I really like Sauvie island, Hagg, some Mt. hood fisheries and the Clackamas.

 

[bass]

Welcome giveneratry. I am originally from Pittsburgh PA and lived in Raleigh NC for a while as well before moving out to Oregon. It takes a while getting used to all of the restrictions like: In Oregon a plastic worm is bait. No live crayfish for bait. No live fish for bait. Weekly changes to the regulations...

In the end, Oregon is a great place to fish. I still am amazed and bothered by a lot of the rules and regulations, but it is a small price to pay to get to live and fish in such a wonderful area.

I will PM you a decent spot to fish.

 

[alm21]

I got the book "Fishing in Oregon" authors last name is Sheehan.

A "must have" for someone looking to familiarize themselves with the fisheries in Oregon, IMO. Spend some time here going through past posts on techniques and such, you'll start picking up on the game. Plus there's no subsitution for the learning experience you get on the river (ie: what you did on the Sandy). Don't be shy to ask guys/gals on the river about productive techniques. You might be surprised as to how willing they are to share information. And that reminds me, a good local tackle shop can yield some great insight.

 

[Toyracer38]

Welcome aboard giveneratry. The bobber and worm you tried wasn't ideal, but could very well have worked. If your interested in Steelhead/Salmon fishing, Id suggest targeting Sockeye Salmon in the Columbia. They are running thick at the moment and great eating. They are easily caught from the bank with a Bass rod, may just have to toss 6 ounces of lead up there, about 20-30 feet out or 10' to 15' of water depth. A spin n glo (color doesn't really seem to matter, just gotta get the bait to float off the bottom) and Coon Stripe Shrimp for bait is all ya need. Sockeye's are like chihuahua's with Pit-bull attitudes! When ya do get a bite, don't set the hook, just start reeling. They have soft mouths, but if once you feel the fish and it feels huge, set the hook hard. You may have come across a Steelhead or Chinook. Any questions, just pm me. Also, sounds like you may need to investigate the Sauvie Island Wildlife Refuge. Bass, Panfish and heard there are Walleye to be found out there.

 

[troutdude]

Welcome to Oregon and OFF.

Thank you, for paying attention to the reg's (like NO live fish for bait)!

Here is a link to the "spots" near Portland, mentioned above.

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/lets_go_fishing/index.asp

You will find tons of great info on the ODFW website too:

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fishing//where_how.asp

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fishing/index.asp

And this site is very helpful as well:

http://www.bestfishinginamerica.com/Oregon.html

That site, is based on one of the two best books ever written about fishing in our state "Fishing in Oregon". There is a new edition, coming out soon.

And another awesome, and must have, book is" Complete Angler's Guide to Oregon", by John Shewey.

If you can afford it; hiring a guide for Salmon/Steel will quickly show you how and where to catch those beasts!

May the fish be with you.

 

[rmadachik]

I too am an Ohio transplant. Welcome to Oregon! If you're in the Portland area I highly suggest Lost Lake and Hagg Lake.

 

[giveneratry]

Thanks 4 all the great info and links folks!! I'll be getting out there and wetting the lines and see what comes up!

 

[hookbait]

If you have fly gear the pan fish are going nuts for sz 16 pheasant tails right now at Hagg. I was trying for trout with a wooly bugger and a pheasant tail dropper. The first cast I flip out about 15 ft of line and while it was just setting as I stripped out more line for my next cast a decent bluegill latched onto it. I finally gave up and moved cause I couldn't keep the crappie and bluegill off my line. Course pan fish aren't that bright so it could have just been the same few fish over and over agian. Did manage a decent perch on the wooly bugger before I left though.