Seeking fishermens' perspectives

[Moosebonsai]

Howdy All,

I am on this forum for my personal passions. However, I have a profession interest in asking this question. I have made career out of using my personal passions to help others. I am a Recreation Therapist. I manage my facility’s therapeutic outings. My staff have traditionally used Hebo lake, Detroit lake, Aumsville Ponds, Opal Creek, and Silverton Reservoir to lead fishing outings.

As I am relatively new to Oregon and very new to fishing in Oregon, I was wondering what fishermen (not therapists) thought of these other sites.

• Abiqua Creek
• Canby Pond
• Faraday Lake
• Molalla River State Park
• Oregon City

o Clackamette Park​

o Meldrum Bar Park​

• Sauvie Island
• St. Louis Ponds
• Tryon Creek State Narural Area
• West Linn

o Goat Island​

o Burnside Park​

o Mary S. Young Park​

o Cedar Island​

• Woodburn Pond

 

[Moosebonsai]

What other sites would people use?

 

[18406ej]

Just my two cents, I would avoid St. Louis Ponds and also Walling Pond in Salem. Neither are very attractive sites and would probably not be very good for therapy purposes.

 

[Moosebonsai]

Yeah, I checked out St. Louis Ponds. It looks like the kind of a place the Oregon Mob might bury a victim. It was easy to get to and folks say there are bigger bass, but the ambiance is not quite right.

Good advice! Thanks!

 

[Outdoor_Myers]

Yeah, I checked out St. Louis Ponds. It looks like the kind of a place the Oregon Mob might bury a victim. It was easy to get to and folks say there are bigger bass, but the ambiance is not quite right.

Good advice! Thanks!

the orgeon mob lol oh man thats funny. anyways I was in your boat a few years ago and I'm still looking for good places to fish, coming from the Midwest it might take a while to get the seasons right and spawning periods. I do some fishing on a private land but everyone is welcome to get a permission slip from. They have a huge rock bar on the Willamette river with a good assortment of fish throughout the area. It also has 2 ponds that can be fished but very limited bank access. with leg and knee problems I still have troubles finding a good isolated area to fish that is easily accessible.

Josh

 

[Modest_Man]

Canby pond is for 17 and under or handicapped only. Abiqua creek lower down is mostly private property, farther up you're driving on gravel roads that require 4 x 4 and some clearance, and then you have to bushwhack to the creek itself. Pretty strenuous. It's also a small, native only creek where you're not going to catch anything to take home for dinner. Molalla River State Park is right on the Willamette River but doesn't have very good Willamette access. If you hike a couple miles you can hit the Molalla where it dumps into the Willamette, but again not good access. Lots of scrambling and sketchyness.

I guess it all depends on how hard you're willing to work and what the expectations are for catching fish.

 

[Moosebonsai]

This is great feedback! Thank you.

 

[waco]

Tryon creek park is a beatiful park with a nice little creek with trout and even steelhead but not allowed to fish it!!!

 

[OnTheFly]

Meldrum Bar:All I know about this spot is that it is popular during the spring salmon run. Casting skills are needed here. I wouldn't bring a large group of people there that are beginner fishermen. It can be a serious fishery and any kind of line fowling due to over crowding could cause hard feelings.

Cackamette Park: I would say the same here as with Muldrum. Aso, there is a shad run at both areas that provide additional fishing opportunies.

Faraday: Free-for-all fishing but if you want to inspire someone to fish and enjoy the outdoors, then I would take them to Trillium Lake.

 

[Moosebonsai]

Got Skunked fishing today. My son and I went to checkout some quick and easy access sites. That was the problem; they were too quick and easy. First, we tried the park at the confluence of the Willamette and the Tualatin rivers, Willamette Park in West Lynn. People were everywhere; there was no way we could fish. My son tried out the busy playground and water fountains. Next, we tried Field Bridge Park in West Linn. Lot less crowded, but still everyone else had the river access taken. My son tried out the playground. We then bagged the quick and easy river access idea and opted for a quick and easy pond access. Wilsonville Pond was noisy with I5 right there and we were tried from all the exploring. After a few casts and my son wading a bit we headed back to home, Skunked and enjoyed every minute.

I've got the week off. Faraday, Trillium, and Tryon Creek Park have been added to the agenda! They each have great reviews. Thank you. I'll check them out on my vacation and write them up when I get back to work.

 

[Moosebonsai]

Yesterday, we went to fish the Willamette and tried Cedar Island and Mary S. Young Park. We got there about 5:00. There were swimmers on both sides of us. Several Boaters in the cove. One boat's speakers system was blaring AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long." They played it 5 times! I thought there would be no way there would be any fish in 10 miles of this loud place. However in less than 8 casts using a small spinner, we hooked 4 smallmouth bass, landed three, and kept two. The biggest one my son dropped back in the water .

That all happen in the first 20 minutes. I stayed throwing out the spinner for another two and a half hours, the crowd thinned out and noise died down. My son went an played along the shore doing 6 year old stuff. I caught nothing else.

It was all kinda of counterintuitive.