Willamette River Salmon and Steelhead Fishing

[schnur07]

I know they're starting to go over the Willamette Falls. I've read people fish for them in the Clackamas and Santiam. What about the mainstem Willamette - particularly in Salem/Keizer?

 

[jhop111]

Yes...rumor has it when the count hits 200+ a day a person with a boat can do some serious coho slaying. Rumor also has it that if you double check the regs on salmon over the falls, one may punch quite a few coho if they find coho to be better table fare than chinook. This is for the mainstem river only. The hardest part is finding the coho.

 

[C_Run]

If someone figures this out, please tell me. I know a handful make it up the Luckiamute and Rickreall Creek.

 

[sapo]

Yeah, I'm curious about this too. Not sure if you can fish the Willamette for coho around Portland?? I'm a bank guy too. I'm just trying to find somewhere to go in a few weeks, I was thinking the Sandy, but after these rains not sure if I should go coastal or not for some salmon?

 

[rogerdodger]

Rumor also has it that if you double check the regs on salmon over the falls, one may punch quite a few coho if they find coho to be better table fare than chinook. This is for the mainstem river only. The hardest part is finding the coho.

I don't understand your question on the retention above the falls. I checked the regs. and don't see anything that would allow more coho retention/tagging as compared to chinook/steelhead (in fact, the extra fish, making a max of 3 per day allowed above the falls, must be a clipped steelhead). cheers, roger

 

[jhop111]

I never asked a question and this information is for above the falls only.. The special regs state Willamette Falls upstream to Hwy 20 bridge located at Albany • See Health Advisory on page 22 • Open for adipose fin-clipped Chinook salmon and adipose fin-clipped steelhead all year. • Open for coho salmon all year.
If you read around page 58 for Willamette river upstream of the falls you may tag a daily total of 2 salmon plus 1 steel. Here is the confusion. You may tag an annual limit of coho clipped or not. The annual limit on the Willamette is.......20 per year.
There is no annual limit on fin clipped salmon as long as the appropriate number of hatch cards have been purchased.

There is good news in these waters above the falls when the coho are in if you want to seasonally punch out more than if you were to say fish only the slaw..and siltcoos. That is my interpretation of the regs

 

[rogerdodger]

I never asked a question and this information is for above the falls only.. The special regs state Willamette Falls upstream to Hwy 20 bridge located at Albany • See Health Advisory on page 22 • Open for adipose fin-clipped Chinook salmon and adipose fin-clipped steelhead all year. • Open for coho salmon all year.
If you read around page 58 for Willamette river upstream of the falls you may tag a daily total of 2 salmon plus 1 steel. Here is the confusion. You may tag an annual limit of coho clipped or not. The annual limit on the Willamette is.......20 per year.
There is no annual limit on fin clipped salmon as long as the appropriate number of hatch cards have been purchased.

There is good news in these waters above the falls when the coho are in if you want to seasonally punch out more than if you were to say fish only the slaw..and siltcoos. That is my interpretation of the regs

I see what you are highlighting- the 20 per year is listed in each zone and is basically restating that we can only have and fill 1 Combined Angling tag each year. as we know, wild or clipped fish can be recorded on that tag and you can tag your 20 fish from any zone or location, or all 20 from one location (subject to a few local limits like our wild coho on the coast). Then to the right under "Length Limit and other specifications", each zone instructs that "There is no annual limit on adipose fin-clipped salmon or adipose fin-clipped steelhead as long as the appropriate number of Hatchery Harvest Tags have been purchased to record the catch."

so the difference that you are seeing in the regs. does not exist. all locations are subject to the 20 fish Combined Angling Tag limit; all locations also have no restrictions on the number of clipped fish that can be tagged provided enough hatchery tags are purchased.

there is a difference in which locations have large numbers of hatchery fish but that is a different thing and not related to, for example, whether you are fishing above or below the falls on the Willy...cheers, roger

 

[jhop111]

Correct, I'll add that I'm not seeing a difference. Just pointing out a often under looked fishery. Many people think that the Coastal Coho Regulations that are set year to year are for all bodies of water. Many people don't know that in the willamette river above the falls one can punch 20 annual coho. The catch is your gonna have a hard time finding 20 clipped coho if you wish to tag more than your combined tag will let you. I hope this round about way of answering the OP's questions which I originally did, gives him some incentive to get out and nail a few coho that are in the area's he's interested in. I'll further this threads original intent with adding that if he has boat access, the coho are good at giving themselves away by jumping and rolling in the frog water. Casting plugs and spinners is a very productive way to fish the Willamette for them near the mouths of the feeder rivers .

 

[rogerdodger]

Correct, I'll add that I'm not seeing a difference. Just pointing out a often under looked fishery. Many people think that the Coastal Coho Regulations that are set year to year are for all bodies of water. Many people don't know that in the willamette river above the falls one can punch 20 annual coho. The catch is your gonna have a hard time finding 20 clipped coho if you wish to tag more than your combined tag will let you. I hope this round about way of answering the OP's questions which I originally did, gives him some incentive to get out and nail a few coho that are in the area's he's interested in. I'll further this threads original intent with adding that if he has boat access, the coho are good at giving themselves away by jumping and rolling in the frog water. Casting plugs and spinners is a very productive way to fish the Willamette for them near the mouths of the feeder rivers .

apologies that I read your first reply incorrectly, the wording you used made it sound like the regs provided something special above the falls with regard to coho retention. back to fishing...:thumb:

Rumor also has it that if you double check the regs on salmon over the falls, one may punch quite a few coho if they find coho to be better table fare than chinook. This is for the mainstem river only.

 

[Fishermen Jim]

Correct, I'll add that I'm not seeing a difference. Just pointing out a often under looked fishery. Many people think that the Coastal Coho Regulations that are set year to year are for all bodies of water. Many people don't know that in the willamette river above the falls one can punch 20 annual coho. The catch is your gonna have a hard time finding 20 clipped coho if you wish to tag more than your combined tag will let you. I hope this round about way of answering the OP's questions which I originally did, gives him some incentive to get out and nail a few coho that are in the area's he's interested in. I'll further this threads original intent with adding that if he has boat access, the coho are good at giving themselves away by jumping and rolling in the frog water. Casting plugs and spinners is a very productive way to fish the Willamette for them near the mouths of the feeder rivers .

WILLAMETTE RIVER, Mouth to Willamette Falls, including Multnomah Channel

Salmon and Steelhead

Barbless hooks required from the mouth to Willamette Falls, including the Multnomah Channel and Gilbert River, when fishing for salmon, steelhead and trout.
Beginning Friday, Sept. 26 through Dec. 31 the daily limit is three adult salmon or steelhead in combination but at least one of those must be an adipose fin-clipped coho. For example, an angler may keep two chinook and one coho; two steelhead and one coho; one chinook, one steelhead and one coho; or three coho. All fish must be adipose fin-clipped. Does not apply to areas above Willamette Falls where the coho bag limit remains two adipose or non-adipose fin clipped coho.
This area is open to retention of adipose fin-clipped steelhead and adipose fin-clipped Chinook salmon the entire year under permanent rules.
Consult the 2014 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for more information on regulations, seasons and bag limits for steelhead and salmon.
Bank angling is prohibited from the east shore of the Willamette River the entire year at the “Oregon City Wall” defined as the area beginning west of Highway 99E, at the northern-most extent of the parking area near the intersection of 8th Street and Highway 99E in Oregon City, approximately 290 feet downstream of the Oregon City/West Linn bridge (Hwy 43) and extending upstream approximately 1715 feet to the retaining wall extending into the Willamette River at the NW corner of the Blue Heron Paper Mill.

 

[jhop111]

:friendly_wink: Lets not Derail this thread..your response has nothing to do with the original question, or what was being discussed.

 

[schnur07]

the coho are good at giving themselves away by jumping and rolling in the frog water. Casting plugs and spinners is a very productive way to fish the Willamette for them near the mouths of the feeder rivers .

I do have a boat. But what do you mean by "frog water". There's no major feeder rivers right in Salem/Keizer. There's a pretty narrow spot downstream from Keizer Rapids park. I wonder if you could find them there. I just have no idea what type of water you'd tend to find them in. Pools below rapids? Back water area? In a steep cut along a bank? The only salmon fishing I know was anchored on the Columbia R fishing for fall chinook and steelhead. We just anchored and back bounced some spinners downstream from the boat a ways. We were about 20 feet from shore in about 18-20' of water. Then just sat and waited. Dont know if that would work for coho on the Willy though.

 

[JeannaJigs]

these fish don't behave like small stream coho, but like lake run fish. They behave like lazy bass. You will find them where you would find smallies, and you will catch them with the same lures. Slow to no current frog water is where they are, they're usually in the upper 5-7 feet of water. The first year I fished this run it was lights out, an unbelievable year, you could keep 3 a day. That run has never been replicated too far for me to drive unless the counts were higher than they are.