Moving to Eugene and need advice on tackle

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ceeyahd1
Hello all. Planning on moving to Eugene OR from SO Cal. Have always wanted to move to OR because of the weather and the killer fishing. I need some advice on the different rod and reel setups I need to fish rivers and streams. What would be a good spinning reel setup for steel head and salmon? I have a few ultralight setups and have a fly rod that I purchased and used a couple times. Would love to use the fly rod again. Budget is around $250 per setup.

Thanks in advance and looking forward to moving to OR.
 
plumbertom
plumbertom
Yeah. About that Killer fishing.
I made the same move a few years back fleeing the political/economic disaster that CA was becoming.
I expected to enjoy the "killer" fishing I always heard about as well.
In SoCal, I pretty much would fish year round. There was always a bite to be found someplace for something. Even during winter there were fish to be had with a bit of work, and ease of access ( I'm partially dis abled and have some mobility problems, especially over rough terrain) to fishing lakes and the like was never a problem. Of course because southern reservoirs are mostly straight up and down on the shorelines, some were more difficult but CA, made every effort to provide shoreline access where ever possible. But that's just a personal observation that is meaningless to a boater.
Since I've been here I've learned that fishing is seasonal although it can be quite good at times.
When the steelhead are in the river you can have a reasonable expectation of hooking up.
There are also largemouth and smallmouth in the lakes and rivers along with Crappie although the numbers don't approach SoCal lakes.
Catfish are almost unheard of within 100 miles from our town, unless you count the ubiquitous bullheads which seem to be everywhere.
Then there's the weather. They don't call this the Pacific North Wet for no reason.
Being a Californian most of my life, I've had difficulty adjusting to being wet almost anytime you go out. It tends to hamper my enthusiasm a bit.
The Ocean is a good source of fishing opportunity when the weather allows. There's open fishing on plenty of species year round, including the Dungeness crab, whether from boat or shore bound. Some species have limited limited seasons that you have to monitor the ODFW to even know when or if you will be allowed to fish. But the salt is a bit of a drive from Eugene.
Once here, just trying to understand the ODFW regulations will be a challenge. I'd swear the way they are laid out it is intended to make sure no matter how hard you try you will violate one rule or another. just local waters can drive you nuts. The Makenzie River just up river from town is a good example. It seems the regulations along it change every mile almost and what changes depends on the date. It's seems insane to me.
You really need to get here and give it a bit of effort to adjust your tackle to what you'll be targeting and where. of course your trout gear will still work just as well here as it ever did. A good bass rig works fine for steel head and even salmon for the size usually caught here around town, although the locals tend to favor longer rods.
One thing I did was to check out where people were fishing. I found that the locals are very willing to share information as to what they prefer in a given location. I've even had a number of people give me rigs and even jigs, spoons and lures to help me get started.
But don't expect them to share information as to their fishing spots. That seems to be a taboo subject.
Anyway, I enjoy the fishing here when the weather allows, I do have a small boat, 16' aluminum jon 25 HP, that lets me access the waters I want to fish except the river. That would require a different boat (Drift) in this area.
I even use it for fishing and crabbing on the bays.
 
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ceeyahd1
Thanks for the info. What pound test do you use for coho and steelhead? I see that long rods are popular what is a good length rod for shore fishing? I would like to have a few new spinning setups.
 
troutdude
troutdude
You will need gear (rod, reel, and line) that is NOT ultralight gear. Summer steelhead can top out around 11 pounds, and winter run fish 20 pounds (even more on a few streams). And the fight like they are silver bullets! So ultralight gear won't do the trick.

My best advice is to get yourself copies of both "Fishing in Oregon", by Maddy Diness Sheehan and "Spinner Fishing for Steelhead, Salmon, and Trout", by Jed Davis. You will learn a LOT by reading those books.

Another suggestion, if your budget allows, is to go out with a guide a time or two (for Steelhead particularly). You will quickly learn a LOT about the right kind of gear, how to read the water, etc.
 
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realradiobrian
Mazama's is a great local store to get a steelhead setup, an 8 ft rod should be able to do both. There is also Cabella's, but I usually prefer local. I also use it trolling for kokanee because it handles the 3 oz ball better than my bass/trout rod. I fish from a kayak unless out on a smaller river, my suggestion is hire a local guide to get the lay of the land. Worth the investment in time saved and relationships built. I avoid the ocean, but salmon fishing is great on the Columbia if you like big water. Drano Lake is the only place open I think, but it is a haul from Eugene. The Gorge is worth learning with a guide, conditions can change on a dime. Best bet is always morning, if wind starts picking up get off the water if you lack experience. There are huge channel cats in the Columbia, but you can get them on bass plugs so you don't have to bait fish if if want to avoid sturgeon. Shad fishing is an amazing fishery on the Columbia, below John Day Dam you can catch over 300 in a day off the bank (they swim in a line all day). I don't keep those at all, it's about the fun for me.
 
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ceeyahd1
Thanks all for you help. Will wait until I move up to Eugene at the end of June to figure out exactly what I need to have.
 
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