Molalla

[fishy4]

anyone have any luck fly fishing or drifting worms for trout on the molalla river? in mollala?

 

[firesweep]

anyone have any luck fly fishing or drifting worms for trout on the molalla river? in mollala?

Yeah back in the early 1990's I think since 1998 the river has been C&R and restricted to Artificial Flies and Lures for trout.

 

[fishy4]

o good too know. i went there and tossed everything except bait. no fish seen lotta snags river is high was fishing freyer park

 

[Growbug]

Mostly C&R.. Mostly artificial only.

Molalla River (Clackamas Co.):
1. Upstream to Pine Creek Bridge
• Open for adipose fin-clipped Chinook salmon and adipose fin-clipped steelhead entire
year.
• Open to harvest of non-adipose fin-clipped steelhead July 1-Aug. 31.
• Use of bait allowed May 15-July 15.
• Open for coho salmon entire year.
• Use of single barbless hooks encouraged.
• No limit on size or number of bass taken.

There are trout in there, havent caught any around the town of Molalla but higher up there's lots.

Have you tried Shorty's pond?

 

[fishy4]

higher up in the molalla corridor camping area? and no where is that pond located? thanks

 

[Growbug]

Yup, up past Glen Avon, or down below Wagonwheel.
The area between gets hit hard by bank fisherman and drift boats. I have seen at least one boat trailer at Feyrer Park every day for the last month.

Shorty's Pond? Its in the Ivor Davies Trail, in Molalla itself. There is a path off 5th (opposite the schools sports field) that goes up behind the houses and into Ivor Davies Trail. If you keep on this, you will pass the pond. Its only a 10 min walk from 5th.

They have been stocking the pond this year, but, with the City refusing to put in a roadway to the pond for the trucks, only a few fish actually make it into the pond.
Trout are still being pulled out, but not often.

 

[fishy4]

do the city people crowd it? or is it not well known?

 

[firesweep]

Summertime the hills get crowded, mostly drinking teenagers and campers. This makes it hard to find a spot to pull of the road and park.
There are a lot of Lifers err... campers. There are also methheads that live up there "Camping". Had a few midnight encounters when I was camping last year!
I see them there all the time! They basically live out in the corridor camp areas.
Spring is best for fishing! The cold weather keeps the swimmers out of the way. Believe me, most our rude and don't care if you're fishing. They will literally cannonball on your line! Even if it's summer you can usually find a spot to fish, it's the parking that makes it difficult, get there early!
I fly fish the Molalla every summer/fall, once the lakes dry up. Good luck!
The Molalla looked pretty brown today so I don't think it will fish well until it clears up. Good luck.

 

[Growbug]

Its not really that well known in town. There will be anywhere from 0-1 people fishing it to 10-12 just after stocking.
Stocking has been sporadic at best. This year the city was too late to get into the official ODFW stocking program, so they purchased the fish stock from a private trout farm (Rainbow Springs??) and are paying ODFW to move the fish in their nice trucks.
Problem is that after spending 4 months and god knows $$$$$$$$$ rebuilding the pond (so it doesn't dry out in the summer), replanting a load of water plants, etc.. etc.. they didn't actually build a gravel road to be able to get the ODFW trucks to the pond.
So far all the stocking has been done with 10 gallon buckets. Out of the promised 800+ fish, only around 250 are getting to the pond each stocking.

The final word of this was that the ODFW has refused to continue stocking this pond due to lack of access and lack of partnership with the City of Molalla.

Now i notice that you are in Salem, it isn't really worth the drive up unless you do a stop off on the way to the river.

Oh.. and the other thing that you have to take into consideration. We would usually be looking at quite higher air temperatures around now (June) and the schools break up for summer in 2 weeks. This means that the young populous of Molalla will all head up the river to get cool in the water and play.
Almost EVERY spot with bank access from the 211 bridge east of Molalla, all the way up to Table Rock Wilderness will have lots of loud people splashing around and swimming.

 

[fishy4]

thanks. i have actually relocated to clackamas so its not too bad. i like a good drive. would definatley like to learn to fly fish some of the areas around molalla. my grandma owns a barber shop out in colton area and it has a creek on it beautiful c and release rainbow have come out of that creek but nothing on a fly yet. thnx

 

[Growbug]

give it a few months until the bodies stop splashing around the river and there will be LOTS of places up there where you can go.
I love it up there for the quiet and the scenery and yes, I have been throwing flies up there and catching things.
When its time to go... (When the schools go back in) then you are most welcome to join me.

 

[firesweep]

my grandma owns a barber shop out in colton area and it has a creek on it beautiful c and release rainbow have come out of that creek but nothing on a fly yet. thnx

You talking Milk Creek? I love that creek! Back in the day I used to pull big Cutts. Back when you could keep them. Early spring with a nightcrawler seemed to be all they liked. I was a kid back then, used to take the logging road right to the creek. Before they blew the bridges.

 

[fishy4]

sounds good growbug? any fly that they prefer? and yes i was talking milk creek. also used to catch huge cutts there some rainbows too

 

[Growbug]

Havent fished Milk Creek much, can't find access that isn't someones backyard. All i have pulled out of there have been small ones that were caught under bridges.

 

[adambomb]

Havent fished Milk Creek much, can't find access that isn't someones backyard. All i have pulled out of there have been small ones that were caught under bridges.

You can hike up to the mouth from Goods bridge, its about 3/4 of a mile. I have yet to be skunked at my private spot, mid to big cutt's and a squaw fish or two.

 

[Needle Rat]

thanks. i have actually relocated to clackamas so its not too bad. i like a good drive. would definatley like to learn to fly fish some of the areas around molalla. my grandma owns a barber shop out in colton area and it has a creek on it beautiful c and release rainbow have come out of that creek but nothing on a fly yet. thnx

Would that be Milk Creek? I live right across the highway from it and a quilt shop that used to be a salon. Fun fishing in that water and quite a good supply of crawdads as well.

 

[susqwahanna]

"The final word of this was that the ODFW has refused to continue stocking this pond due to lack of access and lack of partnership with the City of Molalla."

Only in Molalla!! Geez!!

Lets see if the city council can figure this out?? hmmmm...... Build road for fish liberator truck (and other maintenance vehicles)/Get on ODFW stocking program/ Stock with lots of fish/ which draw people into Molalla/ So they can spend their money on tackle, food and gas at local businesses. Duh!!

Sounds like a no brainer to me.

 

[Markcanby]

Have you seen this pond in Molalla? It isn't worth wasting the money to build a road. Adam called it a cesspool when we stopped there on our way back from the mountain lakes.

 

[adambomb]

They should concentrate on improving the pond itself before spending money on roads and trucks. I have seen my share of stocker ponds, and that one is pretty close to the bottom of my list. The park it is in isn't all that bad but you can't take an oversized mud puddle that is surrounded by black berries and full of trash, dump a few hundred trout in it and expect it to be the hottest little fishing hole in town. First on my list would be to improve Bear creek so that the pond has SOME fresh water flowing through it. Then maybe ODFW could stock it via Bear creek as they had originally planned. As Mark said, it's a cesspool in my book

 

[susqwahanna]

That pond was a lot worse two or three years ago. They have improved it quite a bit since then. It is generally a pretty decent pond in the winter and spring but in the summer it grows over. Trout would not last in it over the summer. I have seen Bear Creek dry up in the summer there. and yes I agree they need to improve the creek so that the water coming into it is in good shape. But the creek goes through the Coleman Ranch and I would doubt they are willing to plant riparian and fence the cattle out of it. and yes I have seen the pond.... a lot.... I once counted 82 different species of birds from the little platform one spring. It has a lot of potential that's for sure.