Fishing Mill Creek Salem

F
Fisherman.Z.
My uncle informed me that kings run in the Mill Creek in fall... I don't know if they still do or exactly when. So i was hoping that someone could fill me in. That's where i fly fish the most. Think if i was there expecting a little 10 inch trout with 4 pound leader and hooked into one of those... that would be the day! AND i would get a lot of exercise running up and down stream with it.
 
K
Kodiak
Please Don't!!!!!

Please Don't!!!!!

When I was younger there were a lot of kings that came up Mill creek. They are a strain called "Tule Chinook". Not unlike the rest of the fall fish over the falls once they were many, now they are few. Even if you hook and release a decent hen the stress from the warm low flows and the fight could kill her. They are hanging on by a thread and every fish that returns now counts.
 
A
Anyfishisfine
My mom used to take us to an ice cream shop along the river there in Salem when I was small. Some time in the early 70's. I remember the ducks, and the hoards salmon moving through the river.
 
M
Mike123
Mill Creek is closed for Salmon and Steelhead just FYI...
 
D
Drew9870
And I believe it's open to fish April 26th - Oct 31st.
But I fish anyways (with barbless hooks) :naughty: :D

Mill Creek is my favorite place to fish for Trout around Salem, if you know how to fish it, you can have way better luck than you would ever have at Wirth or Walling. I basically mastered fly fishing on that creek, and taught quite a few other people how to fly fish there. I have also caught a 29 1/2 inch trout on a worm in Mill Creek.

I have also always wanted to hook into one of the salmon or steelhead but I would definitely take the time to revive and release it, hoping I caused no harm. But I don't target the salmon or steelhead, I mainly like hooking into those fiesty 16 - 24 inchers and catch the 24 - 28 inch Suckerfish.
I could probably show you a few really good spots on Mill Creek, I know of a place where you can catch giant suckers and squawfish all day long until you run out of worms.
 
C
chris61182
I had heard that the salmon runs in Mill Creek were entirely artificial, put there just to have massive numbers of salmon swimming through the state capitol. Then once the stocking ceased the run died off because there's little-to-no suitable spawning habitat.
 
A
Anyfishisfine
There is something to be said for that, even if it is staged. It was an impressive thing.
 
Raincatcher
Raincatcher
"16-24 inchers"...Show me the way!

"16-24 inchers"...Show me the way!

Drew9870 said:
And I believe it's open to fish April 26th - Oct 31st.
But I fish anyways (with barbless hooks) :naughty: :D

Mill Creek is my favorite place to fish for Trout around Salem, if you know how to fish it, you can have way better luck than you would ever have at Wirth or Walling. I basically mastered fly fishing on that creek, and taught quite a few other people how to fly fish there. I have also caught a 29 1/2 inch trout on a worm in Mill Creek.

I have also always wanted to hook into one of the salmon or steelhead but I would definitely take the time to revive and release it, hoping I caused no harm. But I don't target the salmon or steelhead, I mainly like hooking into those fiesty 16 - 24 inchers and catch the 24 - 28 inch Suckerfish.
I could probably show you a few really good spots on Mill Creek, I know of a place where you can catch giant suckers and squawfish all day long until you run out of worms.
Drew9870;
I have always been tempted to try Mill Creek, but for some reason thought it was totally off limits. Maybe because I have never seen anyone fishing it. That's what I get for not checking out the regs. (Shame on me!) I will definitely be checking it out in the very near future. But,until I can get a new copy of the regs,can you share whether or not it is C&R only? I seldom keep any,but,c'mon..."16-24 inchers"!!?? Thanks for all the encouraging info. Be safe.
Barb
 
D
Drew9870
Raincatcher,

Mill Creek (Mohawk River System,
Lane Co.) Wherever that is
• Open for trout April 25-Oct. 31.
• 5 trout per day, 8-inch minimum length.
• Use of bait allowed.

Mill Creek upstream of Mill Creek Park
bridge (Polk Co.) Wherever that is also
• Open for trout April 25-Oct. 31, 2 trout per day, 8-inch minimum length.
• Angling restricted to artificial flies and lures, as per Zone Regulations.

All the fishing that I do around Salem is C&R, but yes I have kept a few out of Mill Creek. They are not the best tasting trout, most have whitish meat, and also, a couple weeks ago I limited out 2 cuts and 3 rainbows, and decided to bring them home and give it another try. :( I feel bad for taking them home now, because when I gutted them, a 1 inch red worm was dangling out of one of the Rainbows, and now they are still in the freezer.

The most productive methods in Mill Creek are a 1/8 oz slide sinker, swivel, with 1 foot and a half of 4 - 6 lb leader, with a size 4 or 2 octopus (egg) hook and a little less than half a worm. Just cast upstream and keep the line tight setting the hook on any stops ( lots of snags, but lots of fish). Or use a hook with no weight at all and a piece of worm. Salmon eggs are productive along with Fly Fishing (Elkhair or Bucktail Caddis for Mill Creek). Or just cast out a 3/4 oz slide sinker rig with a size 2 or 4 hook with a nightcrawler or two and let your sinker get lodged in some rocks, watch the pattern on your rod tip, bites are difficult to detect when your still fishing on a fast moving creek, usually its a thump, slam, or your line will go slack (sometimes from your sinker coming dislodged, if this is the case the rod tip is going to start bouncing like crazy.)
 
Last edited:
E
EZ Bass Co.
Wow to hear all the great fishing people have had in a stream that i fish almost every weekend through the summer and fall is awsome. Me and Fisherman.Z. are good buddies and we both love to fly that river. If we could get some tips on where and when to fly it that would be awsome
 
D
Drew9870
My favorite place to Fly Fish all year long is in front of the penitentary on State St, the whole stretch of water between the two bridges. Shoot me a PM and we can meet up sometime in the next week, I could show you some techniques.
 
F
Fisherman.Z.
Kodiak, i will not fish for the salmon in there.Im All about conserving natural runs, and keeping streams healthy and clean so that they can support full runs is a very important part of that. which means leaving the fish alone so they can make it to spawn...even if it hurts not to fish for them.

Raincatcher, mill creek doesn't have any special regulations in the regs so it falls under the general rules for streams. opens may 23rd, 5 trout limit, 8 inch minimum, etc.

i spent so much time trying to figure out what the regs for it were, and i was reading them in math (trying to find them) when my math teacher grabbed my regs, asked what i was looking for and found it for me! that was awesome... but yes. its general willamette stream regulations. you can look at them on ODFW's web page.
 
N
nointrntrprts
Artificial

Artificial

The run was a total planted run strictly put on for PR. Only very few still run this water, springers n steelies. Marion County Salem Mill Creek.
 

Similar Threads

Top Bottom