jamisonace said:
I know very little about anything but I figured feces flowing directly into the river right in front of me was probably something to avoid. Back then, the South Umpqua had a bad reputation and at the time all I knew was that it had lots of bass that should not be eaten. One day I was bragging to my junior high science teacher, Mr. Jackson, about all the bass I took home and put in the freezer. He called my mom and told her to throw them out. LOL
I have always fished for the table, usually salmonids and various ocean fish. But, I have occasionally harvested small mouth, walleye, and pike when I know the cleanliness of the source. Raw sewage is only a small part of the "bad stuff", but very visible.
Generally speaking, I don't usually target bass, catfish, or pan fish because of their eating habist. Even though I am aware that I might be missing out on opportunities.
I have caught them elsewhere, but my Oregon bucket list includes walleye and burbot; but only from clean waters. Even though they are voracious feeders, they tend to prefer live bait.