Why isn't everyone fishing bass?

[damonspreng]

Is the reason people in oregon concentrate their efforts into fishing trout salmon or steelhead and not into bass just the abundant amour of those and not bass? I think pound for pound and quantity of fish I'll fish bass anyday

 

[Shaun Solomon]

Why do people in Texas eat brisket? Oregon is STS happy. It is what it is.

Personally, I am not bothered by the fact that more people don't bass fish. I'm from Texas, and the amount of pressure devoted towards bass is just insane. EVERYONE bass fishes, and a lot of the people that bass fish do so in a focused and effective way. I lived in Colorado for years, and there is not a lot of bass fishing pressure. There is not much of a bass fishing resource, so it might be that the actual pressure individual fish see is about the same, though it is pressure of a much less educated sort.

In Oregon there is a little more dedicated bass fishing pressure, but there is a LOT more water than in Colorado, and the fish are better quality. I am actually pretty happy with the situation. More fish, more water, less pressure. I just wish the DNR or whatever it is called out here would get with the warmwater program a little more.

SS

 

[damonspreng]

Dnr? Odfw?(oregon department of fish and wildlife) yea the only stocking I'm aware of inn oregon is the garbage rainbow as I like to call them. I guess your are right though maybe I shouldn't being attention to the untapped resource that is beautiful bass...

 

[OnTheDrop]

We have some excellent bass fishing here, for sure. I would say a lot of people bass fish, myself included.

Butttt, you would take a bass over say, a 20pound Steelhead, any day? First time hearing that. I've caught some big bass, some close to the 8lb mark, but for me they don't do it. I guess we are all different.

 

[damonspreng]

I would not take a bass over a 20 lb. Steelhead... What I'm saying is I've had days where I catch 50 lbs of bass in 4 hours and way to many skunks out steelhead fishing...

 

[Shaun Solomon]

Department of Natural Resources. CO has the "Department of Fish and Wildlife" (DOW) and Texas has Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) I guess I will have a new government agency to hold in a mixture of bemusement and mild contempt... ODFW. I never understood how the CO DOW could be staffed by so many well intentioned, competent people and still be so completely inept. A giraffe is a horse designed by committee, as they say.

Trout are fine, I like to catch them. I like to catch most fish. I just like catching bass more. Stocked trout in bass lakes actually suit me just fine, especially when they are all about 8-12" and go in by the tens of thousands.

SS

 

[Shaun Solomon]

Tanner, I would take a trophy of any species. And take some pictures, and put it back in. Like they say though, you dance with the one that brung ya.

 

[damonspreng]

I have caught 2 smallmouth that I have had to weight to check if they were state records (both the same at 7 lb 12 oz. ). And 1 10+ largmouth. I've never caught a steelhead or salmon Worth accurately putting on a scale...

 

[OnTheDrop]

For sure.

I would say people go bonkers for Salmon/Steelhead here cause we on the west ( Oregon, Washington ) have very good runs of them, while the rest of, let's say country, all have just bass / warm water / trout. opportunities, making them less of a priority here... I have a lot of people come in my boat and say, "This is what I'm after when I get to Oregon" Referring to Salmon/Steelz.

 

[hobster]

For sure.

I would say people go bonkers for Salmon/Steelhead here cause we on the west ( Oregon, Washington ) have very good runs of them, while the rest of, let's say country, all have just bass / warm water / trout. opportunities, making them less of a priority here... I have a lot of people come in my boat and say, "This is what I'm after when I get to Oregon" Referring to Salmon/Steelz.

Yup. It is all part of the allure of the great northwest. You can catch bass almost anywhere in this country, salmanoids not so much. If i get skunked it makes me want to get out there even more and figure those fish out. It's not about quantity, it is about the challenge. Hook into a 15 lb. steelhead and i gaurantee you will be back!
That being said i love fishing for smallies as well, it is a blast!

 

[damonspreng]

Guess I should clarify I do fish salmon steelhead I just know so many people that have lived here their whole lives and almost exclusively fish for them. They may just be meat hunters and not truly enjoy the act of fishing...

 

[troutdude]

Back in the 70's and early 80's, I fished for smallies quite a bit on the Long Tom River. It was LOADS of fun, with topwater plugs (chuggers and poppers like Lucky 13's, Zara Spooks, Jitterbugs, etc). Am planning to hit it again, real soon, and see if that river is still as loaded as is used to be!

 

[Shaun Solomon]

I have caught 2 smallmouth that I have had to weight to check if they were state records (both the same at 7 lb 12 oz. ).

Jeebus. Wow. Color me jealous. I caught/released three state record class smallies in CO, but the record there is a lot smaller. 7 lb 12 oz smallie is crazy sauce.

 

[damonspreng]

Hagg lake smallies are a great thing...

 

[Berg03]

I would say a lot of people Bass fish here. But mostly during the summer. Not as many fish the spawn. Ive already been catching them at hagg lake. Got a 5lber smallie last weekend.

 

[JonT]

One or two bass are fun, then the 3rd one is boring.

 

[halibuthitman]

I think it's environment related, most steelhead rivers are romantic and beautiful, bass ponds.. Not so much. The tug is however the drug, so perhaps a lack of exposure to these fisheries is the culprit. The John day is a legendary bass river and I've been known to give up on the steelhead and finish out the day on a bass massacre-

 

[1 nut in the water]

'Cause anybody can catch a bass..:stupid::

 

[Aervax]

Don't encourage them. Keep the secret and spread the word that Oregon bass fishing is awful. I love to catch any species of fish using dam near any method. Yes, I am a fly fisherman who angles using nightcrawlers from time to time when conditions and location are prime for it. Got to feed them what they want on a given day to catch them.

MOSTLY, I WOULD RATHER TAKE AN 8 POUND BASS THAN A 20 POUND STEELHEAD, EVERY TIME.

 

[Fishpdx]

I love bass fishing and steelhead fishing the same, I fish steelhead during winter and bass during spring-summer. bass are fun to catch on light lines , The biggest problem for with smallies is they have small mouths! lol I ususally cast big lures like 5 inch senkos which are pretty big for smallies, and not a lot of largemouth in the willamette river mostly smallies. Both fish are great and fun to catch.