Eating fish.

[LingFace]

I am hoping to use my fishing addiction as a significant source of protein. Not ok: eating the bait, eating lots of mercury, poaching. Fishing has to be on the cheap so weakly trips to the jetty are out of reach. I live near Lebanon. Any suggestions on getting several lbs of fish sticks a couple times per month year round?

 

[rogerdodger]

I wish that I had some tips for your location because what you are trying to do can definitely be done here at the coast (and I am sure at other locations in the state) but I just don't know if there are enough clean catch options near you, hopefully other folks will have some ideas...cheers, roger

 

[pinstriper]

I suppose if you strung together the steelhead and salmon and trout seasons, it would almost have no gaps year round. For practical purposes the seasons that are open doesn't mean there is a run on, however. And of course if you are planning on going out each weekend and bringing home a limit of salmon or steelhead...that might not be a reliable plan.

That's not to say that for one person, a few 30# steelhead won't go a long way..Add in some crayfish and a few 40# chinook and a barrel full of kokanee...

 

[LingFace]

I am fishing for a household of 6. My oldest is four.

 

[LingFace]

I suppose if you strung together the steelhead and salmon and trout seasons, it would almost have no gaps year round. For practical purposes the seasons that are open doesn't mean there is a run on, however. And of course if you are planning on going out each weekend and bringing home a limit of salmon or steelhead...that might not be a reliable plan.

That's not to say that for one person, a few 30# steelhead won't go a long way..Add in some crayfish and a few 40# chinook and a barrel full of kokanee...

I think there's a long season for salmon in the santiam behind my neighborhood but I haven't the slightest idea how to catch them. Do I need a tag for each fish or just for the season?

 

[montym]

With all due respect my friend, if you are expecting this forum to fill your freezer you might be disappointed. There will be a lot of great tips in this forum, but if you really have no idea how to catch a salmon the self learning curve will be too long and too expensive. After spending a few hundred bucks on licenses and rods and reels and what nots, you'd start wondering if you are stealing from the little ones. I remember when I started off, each stocked trout I caught was costing me a couple of hundred dollars each.

What I suggest is go down to the river without any fishing gear and talk to guys fishing there. Start looking amazed, tell the folks that you've never caught a salmon before and they will talk to you. You will also get an idea of how easy or difficult it is. What ever you do, do not start buying gear before you take this step. My take, if you do not have a boat or if you have not started fishing as a kid or you do not have a friend who is willing to invest time on teaching you how to fish; you'd probably be better of buying your fish instead of fishing for them.

Hope I have not offended you.

Cheers
M

 

[pinstriper]

I am fishing for a household of 6. My oldest is four.

Recreational fishing isn't going to feed your family of 6 except for the occasional special meal. Unless you find a WayBack Machine and set it for 100, maybe 125 years ago.

 

[LingFace]

With all due respect my friend, if you are expecting this forum to fill your freezer you might be disappointed. There will be a lot of great tips in this forum, but if you really have no idea how to catch a salmon the self learning curve will be too long and too expensive. After spending a few hundred bucks on licenses and rods and reels and what nots, you'd start wondering if you are stealing from the little ones. I remember when I started off, each stocked trout I caught was costing me a couple of hundred dollars each.

What I suggest is go down to the river without any fishing gear and talk to guys fishing there. Start looking amazed, tell the folks that you've never caught a salmon before and they will talk to you. You will also get an idea of how easy or difficult it is. What ever you do, do not start buying gear before you take this step. My take, if you do not have a boat or if you have not started fishing as a kid or you do not have a friend who is willing to invest time on teaching you how to fish; you'd probably be better of buying your fish instead of fishing for them.

Hope I have not offended you.

Cheers
M

Excellent advice. I am using this forum as a dimension of research not the whole degree. The primary goal is not to catch an armload today but to master the sport one day, at a time. The goal of fishing to eat is secondary. As a teen 20 years ago I did some fishing, mostly fly fishing for trout. I never heard anyone talking about bass or cats back then. That was probably my associations. This summer I have begun to re-introduce myself. I have caught numberless bluegill, three trout, 7 bass, and two lingcod. I'd say that's a good start. The reason I haven't caught more trout is mostly that I discovered bass by accident and have been targeting them. I expect I will be getting a lot more trout as they are less polluted because of diet and being hatchery raised. Next spring I plan to get serious on lings during spawning. My cousin is very experienced and I have that resource as well for fishing the coast. I haven't fished for salmon or shad before but they are on the list. The idea of trying to make my catch a significant dietary resource came from seeing my cousin's wife's freezer.

Also, fishing off the rocks made me realize how wonderful it is to feel the fight of a fish with the athleticism to actually fight back--a big salmon might be able to do that? Also hoping to catch a guide boat to long fins next fall but I have to put it in the budget for a while.

 

[LingFace]

montym I mostly agree that if... one is better off buying fish. I would simply change the ... to if ""you just want fish." Angling for fish is mostly 40%sport, 55% therapy, and I have no delusions about that. I am going to go fishing or go mad either way. If I get good at catching I will have more fish than I would buy. 5%

 

[Ikijime]

Hey Lingface (lol @ that crazy screen name), I got into angling recently for the same reasons as you- to invest time and effort into learning how to put fish into my freezer (eventually). It sounds like you're not starting from scratch, either. I'm still learning all the time from other posters on here, Youtube videos, and books. Your approach is very similar to mine. Obviously, it'll take some time before we get proficient enough that we'll have a freezer full, but I'm also hitting milestones in my fishing knowledge, slowly.

You'll learn where clean water sources are by reading online, which water bodies have mercury and pollution warnings, etc. I'm also trying to learn how to fish for species that have generous limits- small mouth bass, in one river near me, as no limit this year (Umpqua). I finally learned how to catch just a couple this early fall. I've been watching videos on how to fillet carp (but have yet to learn how to catch one!). I'm learning the seasons that I can fish for each species with some success. Trout can be fished for in the winter, winter steelhead, Lings spawn in Feb, as you know.

Not sure how far away Lebanon is from Springfield/ Eugene, but I'm also learning how to catch everything (eventually). Hit me up if you want a fishing partner to learn through trial and error.

James

 

[LingFace]

James, have you had any luck with umpqua shad? I only just learned there is such a species. Some important points are that they are an introduced species in the Pacific Ocean that spawns multiple times per life in rivers. They are abundant on the west coast. They are good biters but hard to land because they fight enthusiastically and have a soft mouth. I am hoping to get some next spring. Supposedly they are good eating and low in mercury but high in omegas. Some people consider than bony because they have a row of wishbone-shaped spurs on their ribs. Limits are generous on the west coast because they are not native.

 

[GaryP1958]

Siuslaw Chinook Sashimi for dinner tonight!