New to Clackamas please help

[radke15]

Hi everyone, i've just recently registered and was wondering if you could help answer a few questions and give any advice if possible. I'm a college student in portland and love to fly fish since i was 10. I brought up my gear and want to try my first steelhead trip. I've set up a plan to take the bus ride from portland to barton park on the clackamas to try my luck this upcoming saturday morning. Just wondering any tips or advice on my best chance to hook one of these monsters. I'm used to fly fishing the madison in montana so this will be quite a change but i'll be ready. I'll be using a 6 weight 9ft. fly rod with reel floating line and leader. I'm guessing nymphs but you tell me. I'll make sure to make an update after my trip this upcoming weekend. wish me luck. any tips on what to look for and how to adjust in this area is much appreciated. I will be wading, and camp overnight the friday before.

 

[Kevinb5688]

Hopefully its not blown out. I know the alsea and siuslaw are supposed to be blown out by thursday and get worse trough the weekend.
Good luck.

 

[hunt-fish-trap]

not to be a downer but is barton open for camping during the winter, also waco is the guy that you want to hit up on here, he is a clackamas fly fishing fool

 

[metalfisher76]

Nymphs are a good option. As are egg patterns and leeches. I don`t know anything about the Madison but if you got a sink tip and heavy flies/some shot.... think BOTTOM!....then yerr timing is golden to early, they are in tharr. Assuming them water levels hold and ya find a place to crash
Welcome to the forum...and do let us know...

 

[Raincatcher]

Welcome to the beautiful Pacific Northwest and the forum. Please be sure to check the weather forecast, it looks like it will be nothing but rain,rain and more rain. It's the time of year that drives fisher folk kinda crazy, we want rain to bring the fish but not so much that it turns the rivers into chocolate pudding traveling at 100 mph. The rivers can be very treacherous with all the rain being forecast.

 

[nativefish]

check out cross park on the lower river, park behind the waste management facility, i forget what exit it is off of I-205 south bound but that is some good steelhead water down there below high rocks as well. probably gonna be to high to fish. I think the clackamas fishes best below 13ft on the upper gauge at mciver park and blow 24 ft on the lower gauge. google search to find out what level the river is going to be at, i use advanced hydrologic prediction service. I knows its forecasted to be higher than that this week. Be patient it will get back in to shape once the rain stops.

 

[hunt-fish-trap]

Native just gave you some of the best advise anyone could ever give you. being a noob to the clack 30 years ago I was limited to fish only the river below high rocks, cuz that was as far as my mom would let me go. I brought home fish every week and it is still my go to spot when I have limited time to fish. Also Radke15 if you ever come back and see these posts hit me up. Im always around to take someone fishin.

 

[radke15]

Ok so I'm deciding between the barton or cross creek area for saturday morning. I checked the readings like you said and it appeared around 11 feet but this was before all this rain and snow. Which is the best guess for where the fish will be? Keep in mind I will be fly fishing so in order to get good casting length i may or may not need to wade pending the deph and current.

 

[waco]

Becarefu with the clackamas when is blown, imo it's very dangerous!!

 

[CJ3434]

For salmon and steelhead try the sandy river... look up cedar creek fish hatchery in sandy oregon... lots of trails which lead to the river and there is a ton of fishing there my brother and I have caught everything from rainbows to brown trout to chinook and coho and jacks

 

[nativefish]

with all the rain its going to be to high to fish, and not really safe. I would wait until next week if possible