Fishing near Springfield with wife

[FishingDad]

Long story short: My wife's had a very tough year and the idea of getting back to some fishing (which we enjoyed quite a bit of a few years back) really appeals to her. Easy sell for me as I love the idea of getting back outside and casting a line. So looking for some advice as to where to take her. We are in the Springfield (Eugene) area and will be bank fishing (no boat). She likes catching trout, but (honestly) anything will work so long as she's rewarded for her efforts every now and then will work. She's still pretty new to the sport and sticks to live bait or things like Power Eggs.

We used to fish above Dorena Lake, on the Row, until our spot was cleaned up by the forestry service and gated off. Last I checked, they keep it closed off most the time so getting up to our little end-of-gravel-road place wasn't possible. When my daughter was young, we tried some fishing at the Walterville Reservoir, but that never really netted much action. Fern Ridge has proved unfulfilling, too.

Not really interested in watching stocking reports or trying to squeeze in on anyplace crowded, just some place quiet enough for her to sit and enjoy some outdoor time with me that also offers a chance to catch something now and then to get her excited over.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

[Aton]

Alton Baker Canal/Pond

 

[FishingDad]

That's not a hard reach. We'll give that a shot. Nice area, too. When we first got together, we used to live in an apartment complex across from it on Kinsrow. Nice place to walk around as well.

Probably try the pond first, but when you say Canal, is that just anywhere up and down it or are there specific stretches that are more accessible and fishable?

At any rate, thanks for the suggestion!

 

[plumbertom]

Junction City pond.

 

[Aton]

Here is a link to the stocking schedule, which is also a list of ideas.....

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fishing/trout_stocking_schedules/2015/South_Willamette_2015.pdf

I've really only fished at the pond...used to carry my raft in...parked at the gate just east of the BMX track...Good luck to you and the Missus

 

[Eoughphily]

Hills creek reservoir, well stocked, 35 miles up 58, and very peaceful.

 

[FishingDad]

Thanks, guys! We'll add that to our list of possibilities and do some visiting of the areas.

 

[coyo7e]

That's not a hard reach. We'll give that a shot. Nice area, too. When we first got together, we used to live in an apartment complex across from it on Kinsrow. Nice place to walk around as well.

Probably try the pond first, but when you say Canal, is that just anywhere up and down it or are there specific stretches that are more accessible and fishable?

At any rate, thanks for the suggestion!

Anywhere along it. They stock at a couple spots along the length, usually thursdays if they're scheduled that week.

I'd also recommend going on a drive up 126 and check out the mckenzie. It's more "Serious" fishing but a couple hours driving and hiking along the river's edge is glorious.

 

[FishingDad]

Thanks again for the replies!

We gave Hills Creek Reservoir a shot at a boat launching area. Nice area. Friendly people, too, willing to help when we weren't sure where we were going. I caught a couple of 20" suckers, though, and my wife didn't have any luck. Not necessarily giving up on it though, as it was a nice drive and a quiet area to relax in. I will say, though, that we decided to take the road that goes around it... and what an adventure that was! A bit more rugged in spots than we expected, narrow too with some interesting drop offs, and quite long! That reservoir was much bigger than what meets the eye!

I was told to try Salmon Creek by someone locally. Any suggestions or thoughts on that?

Also, we are pretty close to Leaburg and I've heard there's some decent fishing in that area, so curious if there's any thoughts on quick trips (say weekday mornings or after work) for that area that might work?

Thanks again!

 

[coyo7e]

Thanks again for the replies!

We gave Hills Creek Reservoir a shot at a boat launching area. Nice area. Friendly people, too, willing to help when we weren't sure where we were going. I caught a couple of 20" suckers, though, and my wife didn't have any luck. Not necessarily giving up on it though, as it was a nice drive and a quiet area to relax in. I will say, though, that we decided to take the road that goes around it... and what an adventure that was! A bit more rugged in spots than we expected, narrow too with some interesting drop offs, and quite long! That reservoir was much bigger than what meets the eye!

I was told to try Salmon Creek by someone locally. Any suggestions or thoughts on that?

Also, we are pretty close to Leaburg and I've heard there's some decent fishing in that area, so curious if there's any thoughts on quick trips (say weekday mornings or after work) for that area that might work?

Thanks again!

Elijah Bristow park, hike northeastish and you can fish the length of the river up to Dexter Park. Also along Pengra Rd there are a couple landings you can fish from (Clearwater is really swanky). Lots of hikable trail along the water's edge around there.

 

[FishingDad]

Elijah Bristow park, hike northeastish and you can fish the length of the river up to Dexter Park. Also along Pengra Rd there are a couple landings you can fish from (Clearwater is really swanky). Lots of hikable trail along the water's edge around there.

Awesome. We'll check that out.

We went back to Hills Creek and caught another sucker, but also a chubby little 16" largemouth (he's out there still, hopefully growing bigger). Still, my understanding is that there's trout there to be caught but haven't seen any ourselves.

We gave Salmon Creek a look (before your post) and didn't find many spots that seems shore friendly (maybe one, but someone in a blue CUV was chilling there), but we only went up as far as the turnoff for Blair Lake (which, we found out to our regret, is not a very easy or friendly drive for our minivan - only to find a camp area and no lake). I'll add the above to the docket, though, as we're also enjoying exploring the area.

We took a peek at Walterville Pond but, man, that thing was seriously low on water. It was quite a walk from the parking area to the pond itself now, so we scratched that.

That said, we did give Leaburg Lake a shot and had some luck there. Tonight we landed quite a few fish, though many were too small to want to keep and sent back. We did come home with 3 decent sized Rainbows (about 12" each) along with a couple good sized ones that escaped (I caught one on a rooster tail type spinner and she a couple, including the biggest, on nightcrawlers).

Best of all, my wife had a very good time fishing coming home with bragging rights and plenty of fun. It's been a horrible year for her and this was heartwarming to say the least. I really do appreciate all the advice and suggestions.

Thanks again! Here's hoping I can chime in again with some more success stories for her in the near future.