Fishing Buena Vista Park

[fishfool]

My daughter and I have recently started fishing the Willamette from the Buena Vista Park since it's close to home. We were targeting springers and steelhead, but I understand there are a good population of sturgeon in this area. Any advice for locations, bait, etc would be appreciated.

 

[plumbertom]

You might want to check the regulations. If I read them correctly, that part of the Willamette is a legal take area for sturgeon.
They still need to be of legal size, but you can keep them.
My understanding is that there are reasonable sturgeon populations as far upriver as Harrisburg.

 

[C_Run]

I live out that way. People do fish for sturgeon right there. The salmon and steelhead tend to funnel up the other side, so I have been told. That has to do with the proximity of the mouth of the Santiam. In fact, you might want to take your salmon and steelhead skills to the Santiam rest area and explore the trails. There are some spots and should be fish there now.

 

[plumbertom]

What I read on sturgeon regs.
Willamette Falls to Hwy 20 bridge in Albany

• Open all year for hatchery Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and hatchery steelhead.
• Open for white sturgeon 1 per day and 2 per year, 38 inch minimum and 54 inch maximum fork length.
• Use of bait allowed.

Hwy 20 bridge to Hwy 99 bridge

• Open all year for trout, hatchery Chinook salmon and hatchery steelhead.
• 2 trout per day, 8 inch minimum length.
• Open for white sturgeon 1 per day and 2 per year, 38 inch minimum and 54 inch maximum fork length.
• Use of bait allowed.

Hwy 99 bridge at Harrisburg to McKenzie River mouth and tributaries

• Open all year for trout, hatchery Chinook salmon, and hatchery steelhead.
• Artificial flies and lures only.
• Open for white sturgeon 1 per day and 2 per year, 38 inch minimum and 54 inch maximum fork length.

Mouth of McKenzie River to Coast Fork and tributaries not listed

• Open all year for trout, hatchery Chinook salmon, hatchery steelhead, and wild steelhead greater than 24 inches in length.
• 2 wild trout per day, 8 inch minimum length.
• 5 hatchery trout per day, no minimum length.
• Open for white sturgeon 1 per day and 2 per year, 38 inch minimum and 54 inch maximum fork length.
• Use of bait allowed.
  
  So IF I'm getting that right, it's legal to take sturgeon in the Willamette pretty much anywhere above the falls, so long as they fall within the slot.

 

[fishfool]

You might want to check the regulations. If I read them correctly, that part of the Willamette is a legal take area for sturgeon.
They still need to be of legal size, but you can keep them.
My understanding is that there are reasonable sturgeon populations as far upriver as Harrisburg.

Yes I checked.
38" minimum!
One per day, two per year.