Jasper Park

[steelielover]

Well - I made it out to Jasper Park for a couple of hours today. I quit when it started snowing! It wasn't really a banner day. I gave a bunch of my tackle to the river and I didn't get anything for it. I tried some trout fishing as well as some steelhead fishing before I got too frustrated.

I saw a couple of trucks at the boat landing under the bridge and somebody in waders out in the river. I hope they were having better luck than me...

 

[TTFishon]

Well - I made it out to Jasper Park for a couple of hours today. I quit when it started snowing! It wasn't really a banner day. I gave a bunch of my tackle to the river and I didn't get anything for it. I tried some trout fishing as well as some steelhead fishing before I got too frustrated.

I saw a couple of trucks at the boat landing under the bridge and somebody in waders out in the river. I hope they were having better luck than me...

How did the river look?

 

[steelielover]

I'd say it looked a little high and pretty green. I don't really know much about "how the river looks" yet as I am still quite a novice. If you know anything about Jasper Park, the water was up to the broken concrete bank on the upstream side of the park. It really seemed like if the water were down just a little bit I could get out to the main channel (which I couldn't do today). I should have had my waders I guess.

Anyway, I was able to get a few good casts out about 30-40 yards from the bank and bounce the bottom on the near edge of what looked like some deeper water.

What does good water look like anyway? I just go out and start plunking around - not that that's working very well for me though.

 

[TTFishon]

I'd say it looked a little high and pretty green. I don't really know much about "how the river looks" yet as I am still quite a novice. If you know anything about Jasper Park, the water was up to the broken concrete bank on the upstream side of the park. It really seemed like if the water were down just a little bit I could get out to the main channel (which I couldn't do today). I should have had my waders I guess.

Anyway, I was able to get a few good casts out about 30-40 yards from the bank and bounce the bottom on the near edge of what looked like some deeper water.

What does good water look like anyway? I just go out and start plunking around - not that that's working very well for me though.

I guess good water would be not high and muddy. At least you gave it a good try. I went up the Mckenzie yesterday and the water looked really good but I didn't fish it at all.

 

[steelielover]

I'll be back out later this week - I want to try a little trout fishing along the McK.. I also plan to hit the willy along Jasper/Lowell road too.

 

[TTFishon]

I'll be back out later this week - I want to try a little trout fishing along the McK.. I also plan to hit the willy along Jasper/Lowell road too.

Good luck. Let us know how you do.

 

[mikeredding]

I'd say it looked a little high and pretty green.

That actually sounds pretty normal for the Willamette. It usually is green and the level fluctuates because of the 2 dams above.

 

[steelielover]

That actually sounds pretty normal for the Willamette. It usually is green and the level fluctuates because of the 2 dams above.

How much would you say the level fluctuates? Does it typically run lower in the summer?

One more question from a total newbie - when do the winter and spring steelhead runs generally hit around here?

 

[mikeredding]

How much would you say the level fluctuates? Does it typically run lower in the summer?

One more question from a total newbie - when do the winter and spring steelhead runs generally hit around here?

It generally flows pretty good even in summer but will be a little lowers although it has been fairly low this year for winter.
I am not sure on the Steelhead runs. I have only fished it for Spring Chinook.

 

[JeannaJigs]

One more question from a total newbie - when do the winter and spring steelhead runs generally hit around here?

Techinically, there's no winter run up there at Jasper. Summer runners only, but they linger...a long time.

Winter steel is in the Siuslaw and Umpqua, and all the coastal rivers essentially.

Some fresh summer fish will be arriving in good numbers in the McKenzie and middle fork starting in april-may, but really pikcing up around June, I don't fish around Jasper much anymore because of bad experiences with other anglers during the chinook season, but the McKenzie has summer steel in good numbers June-November.

New regs also allow the retention of non clipped fish greater in length than 24". I personally wouldn't retain a non clipped fish, but this I think can be interpreted as ODFW has decided the run is large enough to sustain with the retention of wild fish, which is good news.

 

[STURGEON FEAR]

jasper park is a good place to roll steelies behind the rocks i run my jet up there and catch a lot of steelhead in there also try a 3/8 thomas lure they really like them in there just cast and bounce them on the bottom also just upriver from there but on the other side there is a pulloff just before the r&r bridgr over the road theres a trail to the water ive caught some there and just downriver from there where the rapids are under the powerlines is a good spot for lures that whole srtrech from the r&r bridge down to the rapids is golden water for steelies a friend caught 2 there sat. just above the rapids on thomas lure good luck

 

[mosd]

jasper park is a good place to roll steelies behind the rocks i run my jet up there and catch a lot of steelhead in there also try a 3/8 thomas lure they really like them in there just cast and bounce them on the bottom also just upriver from there but on the other side there is a pulloff just before the r&r bridgr over the road theres a trail to the water ive caught some there and just downriver from there where the rapids are under the powerlines is a good spot for lures that whole srtrech from the r&r bridge down to the rapids is golden water for steelies a friend caught 2 there sat. just above the rapids on thomas lure good luck

where do you put your boat in at over there? id like to get to know that stretch of the river sometime with my jet boat

 

[mikeredding]

I see a lot of people put in under the Jasper Bridge.

 

[mosd]

dang, dunno if i want to take my boat up that, wow. lots of braids in there... id like to follow someone sometime to learn the channel from there to leaburg if possible?:think:

 

[mikeredding]

dang, dunno if i want to take my boat up that, wow. lots of braids in there... id like to follow someone sometime to learn the channel from there to leaburg if possible?:think:

Well you're going to have a little problem with that one. :shock: Jasper park in on the Willamette and Leaburg is the McKenzie.

 

[mosd]

Well you're going to have a little problem with that one. :shock: Jasper park in on the Willamette and Leaburg is the McKenzie.

opps, my bad i ment jasper park to dexter... ive heard theres a pretty nasty whirlpool in around there

 

[mikeredding]

opps, my bad i ment jasper park to dexter... ive heard theres a pretty nasty whirlpool in around there

Well I couldn't really tell you but I do know there are a lot of boats on that stretch.

 

[justNorthofya]

the whirlpool is just above Elijah Bristow...I run a drift boat down it and never had a problem but I've heard if you stay to the far left heading up it should be all right ...thats where the main channel is

 

[dtikey]

my understanding is that yes the willie up by jasper does get a native run of winter steelhead on the avarge of around 3 to 5 hundred fish.Febuary,March area and not targeted to much because they go up smaller streams and creeks to spawn.I have seen them in hills creek behind the Jasper store a few times.Also heard fall creek and little fall creek from a person that used to do work with north west steelheaders many years agther words if you put in the time you will be succesfull at some point and yes the summers do hang around for a very long time and always seem to be moving through the rivers around Springfield/Eugene.

 

[Damon79]

Techinically, there's no winter run up there at Jasper. Summer runners only, but they linger...a long time.

Winter steel is in the Siuslaw and Umpqua, and all the coastal rivers essentially.

Some fresh summer fish will be arriving in good numbers in the McKenzie and middle fork starting in april-may, but really pikcing up around June, I don't fish around Jasper much anymore because of bad experiences with other anglers during the chinook season, but the McKenzie has summer steel in good numbers June-November.

New regs also allow the retention of non clipped fish greater in length than 24". I personally wouldn't retain a non clipped fish, but this I think can be interpreted as ODFW has decided the run is large enough to sustain with the retention of wild fish, which is good news.

ODFW has actually lifted the restriction on keeping non clipped steelhead in the Willamette because there is NOT a true native summer run in the river. The summer run has all been introduced into the river. The Springers are however native to the river system. A lot of people also dont read the regs close enough to understand that the daily bag limit is a TOTAL of three fish. Of those three one must be clipped. This total may be reached in any combination of steelhead and or chinook, but the third fish MUST be a clipped steelhead. Not sure if there is an update on the regs decreasing the limit on Chinook to one per day.. Anybody know this for sure if there is or is not?