Free fishing event - Eugene - Sunday May 5th

[troutdude]

ODFW will host a family fishing event at Alton Baker Canoe Canal in Eugene on Sunday, May 4th from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To ensure there are plenty of fish for participating families, ODFW will stock the canal with an additional 1,300 rainbow trout. This event is free, and ODFW will supply gear, bait and instruction, and will even clean your catch. Call the Springfield Field Office at 541-726-3515 for additional information.

CORRECTION: Sunday May 4th!

 

[coyo7e]

I believe there's another free event scheduled for Oregon, this Saturday and Sunday the 7th & 8th as well, according to the ODFW page (well that's where I saw it a week or two ago).

They're stocking close to 3,000 fish this week so ya'll can probably see me there Thursday afternoon and Fri/Sat morning at daybreak (I'm the guy with the little boxer/bulldog mix, who's not catching a damn thing and enjoying himself immensely).

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/bill_monroe/index.ssf/2014/05/free_fish.html

 

[troutdude]

The 7th & 8th, marks the state-wide annual "Free Fishing Weekend". So, lots of places will receive truck trout. Good luck!

 

[coyo7e]

Yeah I was aware of that. I went to ABC this afternoon and nobody was getting anything, chatted with one friendly dude who mentioned that someone told him they weren't stocking ABC until tomorrow because of the weekend event. I drove home and on the way past VRC I didn't feel like going home yet so I swung by JC pond to see if it was mega-crowded. Only a handful of folks on the north side, mostly not catching anything although one family's little boy caught his limit while I was there, and another guy had a nice 16"+ fish on a stringer. I went to the south side with a sliding weight, 5' leader, and two lemon-lime color power eggs, and caught my limit of keepers in 5 or 6 casts - they were literally taking it before it hit the bottom. I was casting into the wind pretty heavily to where I'd been sticking a second sliding weight on a swivel to see if it'd help with distance, but started catching fish before I could get the swivel on the weight!

I think the fact that I used two eggs (first slid up and covering the leader-to-hook knot) it gave it way more bouyancy whereas I usually just use 1 and suspect it doesn't really pick up off the bottom enough. Didn't even lost either egg.

All keepers, one shorty 10" and the rest all about 12". Made my day because I haven't caught my limit of trout in a dog's age.

Maybe I'll check out ABC early Saturday, but I have to eat all these fish now since they all tried to both swallow and poo out the double-power-egg hook, and they were all keepers that I didn't want to toss back in to die. opcorn:

 

[troutdude]

There will be a BAZILLION fishermen, and women, out there on Saturday morning. It's Free Fishing Weekend; plus activities--other than fishing--for the kiddies!

 

[coyo7e]

Yeah, most of them don't get up as early as I do though. It's really rather pleasant if you are there at like 6am.

 

[troutdude]

Good point. Ha ha. Good luck.

 

[a_fishing_duck]

Went there Saturday afternoon, I was the only one catching anything in the area. Got 8 (catch and release) in a about an hour. I was using powerbait balls, slide weight and about a 3 ft leader.