New to Portland area. Not sure where to start.

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IsaiahW11
Hello, my name is Isaiah and I just recently moved to Beaverton. I am looking to enter the trout fly fishing scene here and I am not super sure where I should even start. I generally prefer river fishing but from my understanding trout fishing is closed in most of the rivers right now. Are there any lakes in the Beaverton/Portland area that are decently accessible?
I have a float tube to get into places so anything with decent shore or an ability to get a tube in is ideal.

Thank you so much for your time, I greatly appreciate it.
 
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Snopro
You're in for some fun times. Oregon and SW WA have great fly fishing.

For moving water trout this time of year check out the Deschutes, Metolius, Fall, and Crooked rivers. All a bit of a drive from where you're at.

Tons of planter trout in local lakes. Check this out for more lake stocking info ODFW Willamette Zone Recreation Report .
 
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IsaiahW11
That's excellent! Thank you so much! I've heard excellent things about Deschutes in the past. I've found that the Sandy river is pretty close. Do you know of any decent spots in there?
 
S
Snopro
The low elevation Sandy is mainly a salmon and steelhead show. The upper reaches and tribs have some trout. Not sure if they are open now.
 
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IsaiahW11
Wonderful. Thank you so much!
 
305to503fishermen
305to503fishermen
You could always go to Hagg Lake if you are in the Beaverton area. People use a float tube in summer on it all the time but not sure how enjoyable it would be in winter. The sandy and Clack are both close rivers but trout fishing in the lower river is pretty much non existent. You could try all the costal streams near you like the Wilson, Trask and Necanincum. But of course check regs on those.
 
troutdude
troutdude
Snopro said:
The low elevation Sandy is mainly a salmon and steelhead show. The upper reaches and tribs have some trout. Not sure if they are open now.
I'm 99% sure that the Sandy is closed to trout fishing until next Spring.

I'd estimate that 98 - 99% of ALL streams are closed to trout angling right now. Very FEW are legally open to trout angling at this time of the year. Regardless whether inland or coastal streams.
 
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troutdude
troutdude
305to503fishermen said:
You could always go to Hagg Lake if you are in the Beaverton area.
X2. Henry Hagg Lake is just a bit NW of Gaston Oregon. And is a great place to trout fish. There is a pay per day fee, at the gate, of $8 (at least that's the last time I checked the cost). And, at least in Spring and Summer, patrolled by the Washington County Sheriff's office. I actually met the Sheriff out there a few years back. His name is Pat Garrett. No. Really. But he didn't shoot "the kid". ;-)
 
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IsaiahW11
This is good to know! Thank you. I'll look all these places up and the regulations. I do appreciate it!
 
jamisonace
jamisonace
Snopro said:
The low elevation Sandy is mainly a salmon and steelhead show. The upper reaches and tribs have some trout. Not sure if they are open now.
I don't fish up there but shouldn't egg patterns work for trout with the salmon spawning?

When I moved to Springfield in 2004 I spent many days exploring the local waters with a fly rod. Most of my success was definitely in the upper reaches of the Mckenzie. From Beaverton you might check out the upper Wilson. I bet those coastal streams are killer for trout.
 
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IsaiahW11
Wonderful. I gotta get in there for sure! Thank you!
 
troutdude
troutdude
jamisonace said:
I bet those coastal streams are killer for trout.
Shhh...
 
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EBT
IsaiahW11 said:
Hello, my name is Isaiah and I just recently moved to Beaverton. I am looking to enter the trout fly fishing scene here and I am not super sure where I should even start. I generally prefer river fishing but from my understanding trout fishing is closed in most of the rivers right now. Are there any lakes in the Beaverton/Portland area that are decently accessible?
I have a float tube to get into places so anything with decent shore or an ability to get a tube in is ideal.

Thank you so much for your time, I greatly appreciate it.
A few thoughts:

First, a don't do: if you're a beginning fly fisher, don't try the Metolius. It is a notoriously difficult and technical river to fish, often called "the most beautiful river to get skunked on". Save that river for a reward when you get toward proficiency. The fish are wild and beautiful, but you gotta know what you're doing to have a chance.

Second, since you have a float tube, and since lots of lakes are stocked and the stocking reports are easy to find, you might want to consider that as easier fishing opportunities while you're on your learning curve. Hagg is good, but there are other stocked lakes in the Coast Range, and of course, in the Cascades, that provide for a faster learning curve for the newbie.

Third, find an experienced fly fisher to go with; it'll reduce your learning curve significantly.

Fourth, pick up a copy of the Curtis Creek Manifesto, which is a comic strip style primer for new fly fishers. It's a game changer.

Fifth, there are several Oregon-based fishing books, which all attempt to give folks info on fishing opportunities around the state. A couple are fly fishing specific. Find one and use it.

Good luck and have fun!
 
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IsaiahW11
Thank you so much! Yeah I've been fly fishing the bulk of my life. I am just new to the area. I am genuinely excited to get going. This is all good information and I appreciate you putting it out there for me!

There's a fly shop on Scholl's Ferry I was really excited to get into but I finally went and its out of business which bummed me out. I'll snag some books though because I'm all in on this. Thank you a ton!
 
jamisonace
jamisonace
And by the way.....my most sincere condolences you ended up in Portland.
 
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IsaiahW11
Should've just stayed in Spokane lol
 
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DOKF
DOKF
You will enjoy the local challenges and change of scenery.
 
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EBT
IsaiahW11 said:
Thank you so much! Yeah I've been fly fishing the bulk of my life. I am just new to the area. I am genuinely excited to get going. This is all good information and I appreciate you putting it out there for me!

There's a fly shop on Scholl's Ferry I was really excited to get into but I finally went and its out of business which bummed me out. I'll snag some books though because I'm all in on this. Thank you a ton!
sorry for misinterpreting your experience. My Metolius comment stays the same; just make sure your leaders are 14-15' or so when you fish dries. The microcurrents are such a pain that it makes that length necessary to get a decent drift.
 
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normf
Lewis and Clark River east of Saddle Mountain Road might be open during winter. I fished it last year. Water was very low then.
 
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OnlyFins
Right now most rivers in Oregon are shut down for trout during the winter but please read the regulations because I'm going from memory and it could be faulty (https://www.eregulations.com/oregon/fishing). If you want to stand in a river and catch fish then you're probably going to have to pick up an 8wt and swing for steelhead, luckily there are a number of easily accessible options nearby. The Sandy, Nehalem, and Wilson are my favorites but the Nestucca, Necanicum, Trask, Alsea, and who knows how many I'm missing have steelhead runs at various times. I know people like the Clackamas but I've never put the time in to learn it, access seemed kind of chopped up since I usually rely on parks but if you throw on some camo and figure out where anglers are drinking I'm sure you could dig up some local inside info.

The exceptions to the trout rule are spring fed and tailwaters of which there are a number of fantastic options. The Crooked, Metolius and Fall in the Bend area are all super fun but very different experiences. Lakes are also open but I've never tried them much in the winter so I don't know what the bite is like, I have been to the St. Louis ponds a few times in the winter when I need to scratch the itch and it works fine just make sure they have been stocked semi recently.

The lower Deschutes is open all year round and personally, of all the options I've listed above I would choose this over anything because the potential for a solid fish is way higher. Go to Maupin and do some exploring is my suggestion. Once May rolls around and trout are back in season the Deschutes is still a fantastic option. I think other than Warm Springs, where you need a permit, every other foot of it is fishable from the source to the mouth and I've never had a bad day on any part of it.
 
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