Bass fishing near Waldport?

Flyfisheress
Flyfisheress
Steelhead fishing-

Hahaha I have to explain something and I explain it to all this fishing board since I am new. I am not a liberal looloo, but a conservative. But I have always been a vegetarian (not vegan, eating eggs and milk does not harm animals) because I have since a child had love and fascination for all life forms and because of that I became a nurse. So I took up fly fishing because I have fishing genetics of my father and grandfather AND there is such a thing as catch and release fising. So for years I did this, taught myself to flyfish on month long paid vacations nurses get by driving and camping all overthe intermountain west to the ledgendary streams. The trout actually taught me what little I know. I also learned to tie my own flies.

So then I realized this catch and release is about matching the hatch and fooling a fish. And flyfishing actually is a combination of entomology, nature study, physics of waterflow and wind, archery and golf to get the fly to that hole behind a rock. So the reason I fish to see the take. The sipping take, the slashing take, but the long examination of the offering and refusal by the trout is my teacher. I actually love it when I manage a dryfly is presented on a perfect drift with no drag and the shadow of a trout slowly materializes out of the depths. He drifts backwards examining the fly, then fades back into the depths. The trout is like a Zen Master, he teaches without words.

So I then realized, nurselike, why hurt the fish dragging it to me to release it? This is all about fooling a fish and seeing the take. So, you all may think this is nuts, but I tie flies only dry flies then cut the hook off at the bend.

So now we are riverfront property owners and don't need an Oregon fishing license. But I would still need to buy tags to fish for salmon or steelhead. NOT. Trout fishing opens on May 22nd.

This is what I have learned about Steelhead. They are not like salmon that return to their natal stream, spawn and then die. Steelhead spawn and then go back to the ocean. They can return year after year. They are even known to swim up the Columbia to the Snake river all the way to Idaho, spawn, go back and return again and again. If God were a fish God would be a mighty Steelhead. In fact, God created the Steelhead and the method is by evolution. So heck no I am not a Steelhead fisheress. Have you ever read The River Y?

But my husband is not a vegetation, he is a cowboy. So I cook for him and feed him meat. He eats fish too. So since the smallies are an invasive pest in the South Coquille, they are just like the feral hogs in Texas. It is OK to kill and eat them. You should see these cowboy barbeques we have in Texas. The best meat is a barbequed shoat, which is a young female feral hog. There are three reasons I allow myself to take a life. 1.To survive. 2.To put something out of it's misery. 3.Self defense. Taking and killing invasive small mouth bass is self defense of the salmon and steelhead smolts. So no, in answer to your question I would not molest a Steelhead. :)
 
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elmucho
I completely enjoyed that! The whole "trout materializing out of nowhere" description is spot on - especially when the water is gin clear and then the trout just "appears". You guys (you and your husband) sound cool - I hope we get to fish together some time. We have a home in Waldport and I'll be up there with my girls for three weeks this summer (I'm a high school chem. teacher) maybe we can fish for smallies - I'll bring the Stealth Bombers.
 
jamisonace
jamisonace
Flyfisheress said:
Steelhead fishing-

Hahaha I have to explain something and I explain it to all this fishing board since I am new. I am not a liberal looloo, but a conservative. But I have always been a vegetarian (not vegan, eating eggs and milk does not harm animals) because I have since a child had love and fascination for all life forms and because of that I became a nurse. So I took up fly fishing because I have fishing genetics of my father and grandfather AND there is such a thing as catch and release fising. So for years I did this, taught myself to flyfish on month long paid vacations nurses get by driving and camping all overthe intermountain west to the ledgendary streams. The trout actually taught me what little I know. I also learned to tie my own flies.

So then I realized this catch and release is about matching the hatch and fooling a fish. And flyfishing actually is a combination of entomology, nature study, physics of waterflow and wind, archery and golf to get the fly to that hole behind a rock. So the reason I fish to see the take. The sipping take, the slashing take, but the long examination of the offering and refusal by the trout is my teacher. I actually love it when I manage a dryfly is presented on a perfect drift with no drag and the shadow of a trout slowly materializes out of the depths. He drifts backwards examining the fly, then fades back into the depths. The trout is like a Zen Master, he teaches without words.

So I then realized, nurselike, why hurt the fish dragging it to me to release it? This is all about fooling a fish and seeing the take. So, you all may think this is nuts, but I tie flies only dry flies then cut the hook off at the bend.

So now we are riverfront property owners and don't need an Oregon fishing license. But I would still need to buy tags to fish for salmon or steelhead. NOT. Trout fishing opens on May 22nd.

This is what I have learned about Steelhead. They are not like salmon that return to their natal stream, spawn and then die. Steelhead spawn and then go back to the ocean. They can return year after year. They are even known to swim up the Columbia to the Snake river all the way to Idaho, spawn, go back and return again and again. If God were a fish God would be a mighty Steelhead. In fact, God created the Steelhead and the method is by evolution. So heck no I am not a Steelhead fisheress. Have you ever read The River Y?

But my husband is not a vegetation, he is a cowboy. So I cook for him and feed him meat. He eats fish too. So since the smallies are an invasive pest in the South Coquille, they are just like the feral hogs in Texas. It is OK to kill and eat them. You should see these cowboy barbeques we have in Texas. The best meat is a barbequed shoat, which is a young female feral hog. There are three reasons I allow myself to take a life. 1.To survive. 2.To put something out of it's misery. 3.Self defense. Taking and killing invasive small mouth bass is self defense of the salmon and steelhead smolts. So no, in answer to your question I would not molest a Steelhead. :)
Dang! Some of the most self righteous fly fishers I know (and I used to be one myself) are catch and release steelhead fishermen. I think you take it to a new level.
 
LazyBrewer
LazyBrewer
troutdude said:
From a post of mine a few years ago.

"I've not personally fished in that lake. But according to Pete Healy, in his book "Oregon Coast Fishing Maps" comes this excerpt...

"Most of the fishing pressure is directed at the trout and Sutton has a surprising number, of native and carryover rainbows that will measure more than 15-inches in length." But Pete also notes that, most of the trout average 12-13 inches.

He also states, in the same book, that...

"Both still fishing with bait, and trolling flasher and bait combinations work well...."

In addition...

"Bass weighing more than 6 pounds are pulled from Sutton every year."

If you go, let us know how you do."

SIDEBAR: I am not sure how to acquire Pete's books these days. We used to order direct on his web site. But Pete sadly passed away a few years ago. But if you can find any...grab them! They are full of maps and tips.
I live on Sutton Lake. Don't give away our secrets:)
 
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Flyfisheress
Flyfisheress
Speaking of lakes I saw a mother otter with 2 babies on Laird Lake in the natl.forest in Curry county. It's not much of a lake, more like a pond. This was the first time I had ever seen river otters. You could easily watch the three of them swimming in the glass clear water. These animals were the silliest and crazyest animals I have ever seen. Chasing, frolicing and wrestling, hiding and pouncing on each other, they were hyperactive and very fast. Then the mom submerged for a while then came up with a big rainbow trout, so large she had to throw it over her shoulder to carry it. She and the babies disappeared up under a brushpile on the far shore. I think she must have had her den there. After about half an hour the family emerged but did they not play, they just lay around I could see the contours of their bodies with their wet fur and their bellies were really bulging. Those big rainbows I happen to know are stocked by the Elk River fish hatchery. I have a cabin on the Elk up by the hatchery.
 
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DOKF
DOKF
I have a soft spot for otters. I had caught a nice 18" rainbow one time, and had it on a keeper line as I paddled back to shore. On the way in, I felt a real hard tug on the line, and I thought that the fish had gone all zombie on me. But as I pulled the line up to inspect, I came face to face with an adult otter who had the trout by the tail in her mouth!

We looked at each other for a moment, both of us with big eyes, then she quietly spit out the trout and looked at me as if to say "Sorry! Was that yours? I didn't know!"

After that, she slowly swam away, as I resumed paddling leisurely to shore. Interestingly, there wasn't any noticeable damage to the fish from her teeth ...

Contrast that to a bunch of screaming mink trying to steel a brace of trout from a chain at my feet, or a seal chomping off the tail end of a freshly caught salt chuck chinook. Otters I like, mink not so much. Marine otters make a royal stinky mess of any moored boats; they are very sloppy eaters! But I don't blame the seals or sea lions.
 
Flyfisheress
Flyfisheress
People can trap those daggumed minks and sell the hides for coats. But the Oregon ODFW furbearer rules are so nuts why bother? The chinavirus has shown up on mink farms.

I like otters. One time on highway 1 at Big sur we pulled off and got out. Down below was a kelp bed with sea otter's heads bobbing up and down looking like blonde mustached Norwegians. Beyond the kelp whales were swimming and behind us soaring above the cliffs were California condors. We could see the tags on their wings- #13 and #15.
 
troutdude
troutdude
Umm...isn't the title of this thread "Bass fishing near Waldport"?
 
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Flyfisheress
Flyfisheress
Otters near Waldport probably eat bass.
 
jamisonace
jamisonace
troutdude said:
Umm...isn't the title of this thread "Bass fishing near Waldport"?
I was thinking the same thing. #hijacked
 
troutdude
troutdude
@elmucho Sorry to see your thread get hijacked. You needed information about bass fishing near Waldport. Hopefully you have been able to glean some good information from some of the comments. And, also hopefully, members will now stay on the topic and not drift OFF to other subjects.
 
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elmucho
troutdude said:
@elmucho Sorry to see your thread get hijacked. You needed information about bass fishing near Waldport. Hopefully you have been able to glean some good information from some of the comments. And, also hopefully, members will now stay on the topic and not drift OFF to other subjects.
I got some great leads early on and had a few laughs a bit later. It's all good - excited about fishing up there this summer.
 
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troutdude
troutdude
elmucho said:
I got some great leads early on and had a few laughs a bit later. It's all good - excited about fishing up there this summer.
Good deal man. Best of luck and tight lines to you.
 
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elmucho
troutdude said:
Good deal man. Best of luck and tight lines to you.
Well here I am, right now in Waldport... and it's been spectacular. I've actually already been here for a week and in that time here's what I have accomplished:

1. I've been crabbing almost every day - I've become comfortable navigating the Alsea Bay at both high AND low tide. We've done well enough for novice crabbers - our best day was 10 crab for two people working five traps in two hours. Our worst day was 4 crab - but important to note we usually are only out there for two hours at a time during the prime high slack tide period. I'm loving crabbing from here and the launch ramp and facilities are just great here in Waldport.

2. Fished the jetty 4x at Newport - no takers and no action on clousers - but I haven't hit the high slack tide yet and I haven't tried fishing it at night on high slack which is what I've been told is the best time to get out there.

3. I fished Eckman Lake, as suggested here, one evening from the dock (I do have a 14' Klamath here but I don't think there's a ramp on Eckman and boats may not even be allowed) - it looks really "bassy" but I got no love. Good casting practice though.

4. I scouted and worked out some native coastal cutthroat fly fishing spots on parts of the Alsea - I had to drive up there four times to figure out where I could access the river and where there were native cutties - but I did it and I can say that it's been super fun to go creek creeping with a 3wt and a dry fly... all caught and released safely.... I'd say I caught 20 today.

Still to do:

Small mouth bass: I'm off to the Le Page Campground on the John Day tomorrow for a week - I need to get my small mouth on popper fix. If anybody is in the area and wants to fish, I'm in site 6 (water front) until Friday.

Large mouth bass: Still working on it - I may have to drop of the in-laws in Eugene at the airport on the 9th at 3am, so I'll have a day in that area and am considering Cottage Grove Reservoir? Any tips or advice on some bass fishing in that area? Large mouth OR small mouth

Sea Run Cutties on the Alsea.... I have NO IDEA where to go for these guys on the main stem of the Alsea... anybody care to share a "starter spot" for me... I will be very discrete. I've considered checking out Beaver Creek but am not sure how that would fish. I have a 14' Klamath to fish from but would prefer to walk and wade if possible.

In all, I'm just loving it here in Waldport. If anybody lives in the area and would like to hook up for a beer at the Salty Dawg, lemme know. First round on me!
 
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Admin
Admin
pix.jpg
 
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elmucho
Okay lemme see if I can do this correctly:
native cutty.png

Here's the best of a bunch of resident cutties up a small creek.
 
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elmucho
I'm sitting here at Le Page Campground and connectivity super slow - let's see what else I can post before I start rigging up my fly rods.
Screen Shot 2022-06-26 at 1.46.38 PM.png

Crabbing here at Alsea Bay - love the ramp facilities, washdown station with a hose??? Unheard of!
 
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elmucho
Here's my rig up some small road - nice little river there but difficult to find a way down to the water. I didn't see any "Private Property" or "No trespassing" signs...
Screen Shot 2022-06-26 at 1.46.06 PM.png
 
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elmucho
Ended up chatting with the old timer who lives across these suspension bridges (that he built for himself) I helped him move six or eight feed bags across those bridges (scary as hell with wheelbarrow bouncing around) and we sat around and drank Ranier Beer on his piece of property: 60 acres including a mile of river front... he gave me the ok to "fish it anytime you want - just call me first", I may take him up on that.
Screen Shot 2022-06-26 at 1.47.48 PM.png
 
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troutdude
troutdude
FYI any given property in Oregon does NOT have to have no trespassing signage posted. I found that out the hard way in the 80's.
 
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