Day fishing spots in Oregon

[donbrickles]

Hello all!

Trying to find day fishing spots in Oregon. Live in the Clackamas area, but want to take my wife fishing for the day. I have very little experience but think it would be fun. Any suggestions appreciated!

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[Joe13]

Hagg lake is nice.

Get there super early if you are really wanting to catch fish from the bank.

Went last weekend and I think we got there at 5am and 2 of us limited out before 9am when it had started slowing down .

 

[WAYNO]

The Clackamas River!

 

[donbrickles]

Hagg lake is nice.

Get there super early if you are really wanting to catch fish from the bank.

Went last weekend and I think we got there at 5am and 2 of us limited out before 9am when it had started slowing down .

What type of fish do you catch there?

Great suggestion!

 

[Joe13]

What type of fish do you catch there?

Great suggestion!

We caught a bunch of rainbow trout. Not huge but big enough to eat.

 

[Martini_Up]

Buy a cheapo rod/reel combo at BiMart or Fred Meyers. Get a reel that has a button on the top. Get some hooks, size 14. Buy some earthworms at same store. A bobber about the size of a golf ball. attach bobber about 18-24" up from hook. Add worm to hook, covering hook best you can. Got to Clackamas River towards and past promontory park, park along River at a pull over spot (probably a fishing hole here) find some small rapid, cast upstream in water just down from a rapid where the water slows a bit. Let water float the bobber down stream naturally so provide enough slack in line to do so. If bobber sinks you may have a bite… or you're snagged.

bring patience. It's called fishing, not catching.

 

[donbrickles]

Buy a cheapo rod/reel combo at BiMart or Fred Meyers. Get a reel that has a button on the top. Get some hooks, size 14. Buy some earthworms at same store. A bobber about the size of a golf ball. attach bobber about 18-24" up from hook. Add worm to hook, covering hook best you can. Got to Clackamas River, park along River at a pull over spot (probably a fishing hole here) find some small rapid, cast upstream in water just down from a rapid where the water slows a bit. Let water float the bobber down stream naturally so provide enough slack in line to do so. If bobber sinks you may have a bite… or you're snagged.

bring patience. It's called fishing, not catching.

Thanks all! This is great info! Gonna give it a shot this weekend

 

[DirectDrive]

North Fork Reservoir on the Clackamas River would be closer.
Similar experience to Hagg Lake except with nicer scenery.

 

[Mikej]

North Fork Reservoir on the Clackamas River would be closer.
Similar experience to Hagg Lake except with nicer scenery.

This ^^ guy has it! If you go to Hagg Lake you will be driving through the HELL that potland is, TWICE! No one wants, to do that. Well, unless you're some weirdo.

Here's something to scope out...

Willamette Zone | Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

Abundant rainfall feeds the massive Willamette River watershed, tamed by a system of reservoirs that are stocked annually with hundreds of thousands of rainbow trout. Some of these reservoirs also grow trophy-size largemouth and smallmouth bass, as well as bluegill, brown bullhead and crappies...

myodfw.com

Look at the fish planting info also.
North Fork res isn't much in the way of scenery. And it's been fished for quite awhile and can be close to fished out if you're not there with a week or so of planting. If you don't mind the drive, Timothy lake is a real beautiful place. Clear lake is really pretty too. Both have a lot of bank access. And the snow hasn't been gone very long from those two. Anything you catch there is likely to be some wild fish and anything kept might get you a $300.00+ ticket.

I'd be careful about fishing the upper Clack. That's not the river it was years ago. They used to plant trout in it, but haven't for years. You know, to "Save the Salmon/steelhead". But it didn't do much as far as I know.

 

[DirectDrive]

North Fork res isn't much in the way of scenery. And it's been fished for quite awhile and can be close to fished out if you're not there with a week or so of planting.

Sure it is. You're in the foothills of the Cascades.
If it's on the stocking schedule, how can it be fished out ?

 

[WAYNO]

North Fork is beautiful, aside from the burn scars. And after fishing it my whole life, and as often planted as it is, I've never known it to be fished out.

 

[NeoBlackdog]

'ear ya go...

17 Best Fishing Spots in Clackamas County

Find the best angling spots near Oregon City, Lake Oswego, Estacada, Sandy and throughout Clackamas County.

www.bestfishinginamerica.com

Edit to add;
This time of year I believe the shad are running. They are a very large herring species and are a hoot to catch. They have very light lips and you have to play them well to get them to the net. They are a hoot to catch and not difficult. They are kinda bony and best if smoked. They are also very healthy, having roughly 3 times the Omega-3 fatty acids of a salmon.

 

[Mikej]

Compared to Timothy or Clear lake. I never fished for pellet head trout, on purpose. Not for many years anyway. I grew up on river brown trout, lake Brookies and Lahontan Cutthroat. Timothy and Clear both have a chance at brookies. At least they used to.

 

[NeoBlackdog]

Compared to Timothy or Clear lake. I never fished for pellet head trout, on purpose. Not for many years anyway. I grew up on river brown trout, lake Brookies and Lahontan Cutthroat. Timothy and Clear both have a chance at brookies. At least they used to.

Where did you fish the Lahontans?

 

[Ruger Rich]

I've fished the Clackamas, almost always above North Fork, since 1970.
Continue on pass NF to Ripplebrook Ranger Station and turn around. Go
back about 1/2 mile or so, park and hike down to the river. There are great
spots to fish all up and down this stretch. Few people want to trek down
to the river and you'll almost always have it all to yourself. Very peaceful.

 

[Mikej]

Where did you fish the Lahontans?

Grew up in the Salt Lake Valley and fished Strawberry Reservoir And now I thought I'd better look it up. Not Lahontan but "Bonneville Cutthroat". Related but separated during some past ice age into the the two species.
Never knew there were so many cutthroat varieties!
https://medium.com/usfws/spiciest-trout-in-the-west-e6d09cc370fb
I pretty much quit fishing for all of them (trouts) when I moved here in '83. Going from a good selection of streams and high mountain lake, red meat trout, to the pellet head/put 'n take that is around here, I lost the desire.

 

[NeoBlackdog]

Grew up in the Salt Lake Valley and fished Strawberry Reservoir And now I thought I'd better look it up. Not Lahontan but "Bonneville Cutthroat". Related but separated during some past ice age into the the two species.
Never knew there were so many cutthroat varieties!
https://medium.com/usfws/spiciest-trout-in-the-west-e6d09cc370fb
I pretty much quit fishing for all of them (trouts) when I moved here in '83. Going from a good selection of streams and high mountain lake, red meat trout, to the pellet head/put 'n take that is around here, I lost the desire.

If you're up for a drive check out Mann Lake down south of Burns. It's got Lahontans in it. Nymph fishing from the west shore seems to be the ticket. Beautiful desert lake at the base of the Steens. I haven't been there for probably fifteen years and now living in Montana will likely never be there again.

 

[Mikej]

If you're up for a drive check out Mann Lake down south of Burns. It's got Lahontans in it. Nymph fishing from the west shore seems to be the ticket. Beautiful desert lake at the base of the Steens. I haven't been there for probably fifteen years and now living in Montana will likely never be there again.

I'd though I'd heard that Mann Lake was no more. No more what you are talkign about anyway.

Seems so...

Likely that no Lahontans remain in Mann Lake

Nestled below the east face of Steens Mountain, Mann Lake is an oasis in the rugged southeast Oregon desert and a popular draw for anglers from across the Northwest.

www.eastoregonian.com

Besides, I've pretty much lost the passion for fishing. At least from where I live now. Too much work to get the boat through the horrible traffic to fish for bass in the Willamette. Or salmon. $200.00 for the wife and I. Driving without the boat to sit on the bank and catch pellet heads. It just doesn't appeal to me any more.

 

[oremike]

I've been thinking that if my business slows down I might do some fishing, Smallies down here in the Umpqua can be fun later in the Summer.

 

[NeoBlackdog]

I'd though I'd heard that Mann Lake was no more. No more what you are talkign about anyway.

Seems so...

Likely that no Lahontans remain in Mann Lake

Nestled below the east face of Steens Mountain, Mann Lake is an oasis in the rugged southeast Oregon desert and a popular draw for anglers from across the Northwest.

www.eastoregonian.com

Besides, I've pretty much lost the passion for fishing. At least from where I live now. Too much work to get the boat through the horrible traffic to fish for bass in the Willamette. Or salmon. $200.00 for the wife and I. Driving without the boat to sit on the bank and catch pellet heads. It just doesn't appeal to me any more.

Well shoot! I hadn't heard about that. Had some great fishin' trips there. Mebbe ODFW can do something worthwhile and restock it and get it producing fish again.