Looking for some info- Willamette River near Beltline + Divison

[whammond]

So like I have said in other posts, I am new to fishing the area. Lately I have noticed people occasionally fishing the Willamette under the Beltline Bridge near Division Ave. And I am just curious, what are people fishing for at that spot this time of year? Are there some winter steelies in there? That place is only a few miles from my house and it would be sweet if I could hit that up after work! Haha. Any info would be awesome!

 

[troutdude]

Springers are just now beginning to trickle in. That may be what those peeps, are angling for. Or, they may be chasing trout and the infamous March brown Mayfly hatches. Those trout, however, are Catch & Release ONLY...and that stretch is restricted to artificial flies and lures.

 

[RunWithSasquatch]

Springers are just now beginning to trickle in. That may be what those peeps, are angling for.

Yeah, probably not so.

 

[troutdude]

Good point Squatch. Maybe a few; but Springer action doesn't heat up until April.

 

[brandon4455]

ive heard there are already people targeting summer steelhead but as td said there are people after trout, you will mainly find fly fisherman trying their hand and catch and release for big redsides and cutthroat

 

[whammond]

I'd be happy to try and fish for some catch and release trout there. Any time on the water is fun for me. And it would be good practice with my baitcaster. What kind of lures should I use there? God I love this forum!

 

[TTFishon]

Not sure if the runs have changed much since I was a kid in the 80's but March was the time of year Springers started showing up in that section of the river and as Brandon said in the above post, summers are being caught up by Springfield already.

 

[rippin fish lips]

I would say most are targeting trout for Catch and release. Steelhead tend to show up a little quicker then the springers around here. The springers started to come in and will be here faster then some people even believe. As the next few weeks come into play you will see more guys pu tti water putting there time in for the early fish. I would say target the trout right now (catch and release) and then when the bigger fish show up in bigger numbers, fish those spots a little bit harder.

 

[Roolinghills]

Springers or steelies. I lost a springer this morning on the Willie. Not downtown, but closer to O.C. If you've got the time it'll be worth it to try. Eastbank esp, under sellwood, and farther up to the falls and you'll at least be fishing with a chance. There's a few spots on the west side, but I don't like payin to park. Have fun!

 

[RunWithSasquatch]

Not sure if the runs have changed much since I was a kid in the 80's but March was the time of year Springers started showing up in that section of the river and as Brandon said in the above post, summers are being caught up by Springfield already.

Later on in March, there will be chinook in the area. Steelhead are now in there area. As of Friday, the count for chinook over the falls was 2 fish. One of them was on the 7th of march, and is likely not even above Salem yet. The prospect of someone fishing for a chinook in Springfield currently is semi nutty.

 

[TTFishon]

Later on in March, there will be chinook in the area. Steelhead are now in there area. As of Friday, the count for chinook over the falls was 2 fish. One of them was on the 7th of march, and is likely not even above Salem yet. The prospect of someone fishing for a chinook in Springfield currently is semi nutty.

Have you ever been to Springfield? There's a lot of semi and fully nutty people there. lol.

 

[whammond]

I havent fished for trout in Oregon yet. I think I will give the catch and release deal a shot there under the beltline. And you guys think theres some summer steelies in there already? That would be awesome. What are some good colors to use in there, if you dont mind me askin?

 

[eugene1]

I would say most are targeting trout for Catch and release. Steelhead tend to show up a little quicker then the springers around here. The springers started to come in and will be here faster then some people even believe. As the next few weeks come into play you will see more guys pu tti water putting there time in for the early fish. I would say target the trout right now (catch and release) and then when the bigger fish show up in bigger numbers, fish those spots a little bit harder.

I agree. We put in a VRC and cruised down to the McKenzie today on a scouting run. Nice stretch of water below beltline. Saw a couple other jet boats out and half a dozen bank fishermen. Looked like people were geared up for trout fishing to me. As mentioned, too early to target those two springers up here yet.

 

[eugene1]

I havent fished for trout in Oregon yet. I think I will give the catch and release deal a shot there under the beltline. And you guys think theres some summer steelies in there already? That would be awesome. What are some good colors to use in there, if you dont mind me askin?

There's probably a few summer runs up here now, but I'd gear up for trout if you want to catch something right now. I usually use bait for summers, but they generally attack whatever you put in front of them.

 

[troutdude]

Springers or steelies. I lost a springer this morning on the Willie. Not downtown, but closer to O.C. If you've got the time it'll be worth it to try. Eastbank esp, under sellwood, and farther up to the falls and you'll at least be fishing with a chance. There's a few spots on the west side, but I don't like payin to park. Have fun!

Uh, do NOT mean to be impolite here, but the fellow who started this thread was asking for tips in the EUGENE area...not Portland.

 

[chrisohm]

I personally do not have any info on what is going on around Eugene but the guys behind the counter at your local tackle store might. Be polite and respectful. You can also check the recreation report on ODFW for your area and see what is there, do some guest peeking at iFish and just ask the fisherman you see, if they can be approached, what is going on. You can also look up a book called "Fishing in Oregon" and just look through some pages at a bookstore or the library.

 

[Roolinghills]

Figured that out, Troutdude. My grand-dad used to say if you have to say "don't mean to..", chances are you do. I thought about taking it down about 10 minutes after I posted, but then I realized that there's probably at least one person who could use the info. And we are talking about the same river, but yes, different locations. If nothing else, now you know where to go when you want better fishing..