Day hike fishing spots

[Decker]

I need a day away.

Does anyone have a spot they are willing to share (pm me if you prefer) that is nice lake to hike to and do some fishing.

Help a brother out

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[Caveman Jim]

Give us all a little bit more information and we just might be able to help you out but you've been vague so far.

 

[Decker]

A few hours from Salem would be nice. And, I am not versed in the fine art of fly fishing

 

[when_DM_smiles]

ODFW stocks numerous water bodies during the spring summer. Generally the longer the hike, the fewer the people.

Trout stocking maps | Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

Each year ODFW stocks millions of trout in dozens of reservoirs, lakes and ponds across the state. Finding these locations is easy using our trout stocking maps.

myodfw.com

Check out a local club too. (eg. http://www.santiamflycasters.com/). Most fly fishers are a friendly bunch.

Also, don't get hung up on gear. Figure out the fish spots first like you are doing. Have fun!

 

[Flymph]

Fishing in Oregon, read it!

 

[Decker]

ODFW stocks numerous water bodies during the spring summer. Generally the longer the hike, the fewer the people.

Trout stocking maps | Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

Each year ODFW stocks millions of trout in dozens of reservoirs, lakes and ponds across the state. Finding these locations is easy using our trout stocking maps.

myodfw.com

Check out a local club too. (eg. http://www.santiamflycasters.com/). Most fly fishers are a friendly bunch.

Also, don't get hung up on gear. Figure out the fish spots first like you are doing. Have fun!

That's great info, thank you. And less people is better with me

 

[Mikej]

Fishing in Oregon, read it!

Does it still have all the lies in it it had 30 years ago? All I ever found that book good for was naming various waters around the state. The fish it said inhabited those waters were a different thing though.

I might suggest to @Decker that he look toward bass/warm water fish. Anywhere in the Willamette, and many other waters with rocky areas, smallmouth will be present. Minnow imitating flies would take bass and panfish too. Or spinning gear, 8/10# line, lead heads and plastic grubs are my preferred choice for smallmouth.

And the fishing reg book is an absolute MUST HAVE! All the waters and all the peculiar regs over those waters are a convoluted mess.

This guy, now passed, was a pretty good writer of fishing in Oregon.

Amazon.com

 

[bbbass]

Anywhere on the Santiam. Drive to Detroit Lake and help support the community rebuilding after the fire of 2020.

Drive to Wallowa Lake or Lostine.... All of the high lakes are just a day hike away. No wait, don't. Westsiders stay west.

Drive to Drain/Elkton. Take a rubber raft or inflatable kayak and float the Umpqua for smallmouth bass. Or the upper reaches for trout.

Drive to Garibaldi for clamming and fishing the bay. You can rent a small boat there.

 

[Martini_Up]

Opal lake. Bushwack to the east side just down from the log jammed outlet and roll cast your favorite emerging pattern around the sunken trees / logs. Brookies abound but as you may know, they over populate so size will be 12" and under. But it's a great hike in (- 1 mi.) and if last summers fires didn't completely toast the area, should be nice old growth forest

 

[bbbass]

A few hours from Salem would be nice. And, I am not versed in the fine art of fly fishing

At any small(ish) lake that has trout, you can use an ultralight spinning rod with a clear casting bobber half filled with water and a 4' (or so) leader with various flies. In the high lakes, I always used a vague buggy pattern, nothing special, just a homemade fly with peacock/green chenille for the body and brown hackle. Best lake fly I ever had! No match the hatch, just wet fly fun!!! Cast it out and troll it back slowly, a bit of wind ripple on the lake seems to help the bite.

 

[kempoguy70]

I have decent luck at Cougar reservoir

 

[Mikej]

At any small(ish) lake that has trout, you can use an ultralight spinning rod with a clear casting bobber half filled with water and a 4' (or so) leader with various flies. In the high lakes, I always used a vague buggy pattern, nothing special, just a homemade fly with peacock/green chenille for the body and brown hackle. Best lake fly I ever had! No match the hatch, just wet fly fun!!! Cast it out and troll it back slowly, a bit of wind ripple on the lake seems to help the bite.

Boy, that is good! I forgot about that. before I moved here in '83 we fished "Cricks" and streams in Utah within a couple/three hour drive of Salt Lake. On the lakes that bubble and fly was a great method from shore. From a boat trolling a Wooly Bugger with just enough split shot to put it 6" or so under.

 

[bbbass]

Boy, that is good! I forgot about that. before I moved here in '83 we fished "Cricks" and streams in Utah within a couple/three hour drive of Salt Lake. On the lakes that bubble and fly was a great method from shore. From a boat trolling a Wooly Bugger with just enough split shot to put it 6" or so under.

My fishin buddy and I trolled with a very small Flatfish or HotShot and 1 or 2 splitshot. In one lake they don't allow motors, so we rowed and trailed out fly lines. I don't think we ever used a split shot, thanx for the idea. Maybe someday I'll get my inflatable kayak out.

 

[JohnnyMac]

Hebo Lake is kinda cool. A pretty easy stroll in the woods.

Hebo Lake Trail

 

[Mikej]

My fishin buddy and I trolled with a very small Flatfish or HotShot and 1 or 2 splitshot. In one lake they don't allow motors, so we rowed and trailed out fly lines. I don't think we ever used a split shot, thanx for the idea. Maybe someday I'll get my inflatable kayak out.

We wind drifted with small flatfish. This lake is the only lake we really fished much because the quality of the fish was insane. https://www.google.com/maps/place/S...15533f8f83949!8m2!3d40.1718288!4d-111.1294996
Check out the altitudes. Lahonton Cutthroat to 24", and some big fat rainbow. Back in the days of putting the little 7hp outboard in your trunk and hanging it on the rental boat. The place was a two hour drive from where we lived in the Salt Lake Valley. That map is of a single large lake, but when we fished it it was two lakes and they built a bigger dam on the lower Soldier Creek res which combined them.

 

[Otter]

Pamelia for small brook trout. Used to catch lots of them and fun for kids. Marion is another good choice...both fish better with a small raft though. I do think you need a day permit now from Forest Service.

 

[Mikej]

Pamelia for small brook trout. Used to catch lots of them and fun for kids. Marion is another good choice...both fish better with a small raft though. I do think you need a day permit now from Forest Service.

If you can find a lake/crick in Oregon with a population of Brook Trout you could be in heaven for eating. I "think" Oregon still has no limit on size or number for Brookies. Years ago I was playing around on the little creek that comes out of Clear Lake, up over past Government Camp, and it was loaded with 6"-7" Brookies. Delicious! Even that small. Way better than the "pellet heads" they plant by the thousands in lakes.

 

[bbbass]

If you can find a lake/crick in Oregon with a population of Brook Trout you could be in heaven for eating. I "think" Oregon still has no limit on size or number for Brookies. Years ago I was playing around on the little creek that comes out of Clear Lake, up over past Government Camp, and it was loaded with 6"-7" Brookies. Delicious! Even that small. Way better than the "pellet heads" they plant by the thousands in lakes.

I was fishing a deep pool on East Eagle Creek with my ultralight spin rod and a small Panther Martin when I got a great tug. Landed what appeared to be about a 2lb trout. On closer examination it was a Bull Trout. And not an unusual size for the "Dolly" in these parts. It would have made a good meal and I was displeased with having to return it to the water. Only a few years ago, before this Char was reclassified as endangered, ODFW encouraged us to throw them on the bank and catch more, all to save the rivers for rainbow.

 

[Mikej]

I was fishing a deep pool on East Eagle Creek with my ultralight spin rod and a small Panther Martin when I got a great tug. Landed what appeared to be about a 2lb trout. On closer examination it was a Bull Trout. And not an unusual size for the "Dolly" in these parts. It would have made a good meal and I was displeased with having to return it to the water. Only a few years ago, before this Char was reclassified as endangered, ODFW encouraged us to throw them on the bank and catch more, all to save the rivers for rainbow.

You know I had to look up up East Eagle Creek? Or, east Fork Eagle Creek. Unfortunately those wonderful days are long gone. I ALWAYS had a thing for fishing. Travels with the family I would always look at the small streams and creeks along the road and want to fish them. Back when all you had to do was buy a Montana how-ever-many-day permit and there were trout in most any flowing water. With any bait/lure you cared to use. I've got those memories at least. Ihad the pleasure of fishing some of the finest trout waters in Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. BEFORE they even used the term "Blue Ribbon" before the name!

 

[bbbass]

You know I had to look up up East Eagle Creek? Or, east Fork Eagle Creek

Yes, we just call it East Eagle but in truth it is the east fork of Eagle Creek.

Sorry. I could have been more specific, but I couldn't find a map that would let me copy the image. So, as you saw, it is very close to the Minam wilderness area but on the other side of the drainage that comes out of the mountains above Joseph. You can get to it from Richland OR, from Keating OR, or from Medical Springs or Catherine Creek near Union OR. They describe it as being close to Baker City, but it's really closer to those others.

Unfortunately those wonderful days are long gone. I ALWAYS had a thing for fishing. Travels with the family I would always look at the small streams and creeks along the road and want to fish them. Back when all you had to do was buy a Montana how-ever-many-day permit and there were trout in most any flowing water. With any bait/lure you cared to use. I've got those memories at least.

I ALWAYS loved fishing too. I still get the urge.

My wife was fortunate enough to grow up in this area. When she was young, they fished with whatever bait they could find under the river rocks in the river/stream. Caught LOTS of fish that way. I had to teach her how to use artificial baits/lures. She got the hang of spinners, but I could never interest her in fly casting. Only time she used a fly was with the casting bobber rig. Caught many many fish that way too.

I didn't have all the variety of blue ribbon fishing spots that you did... but I did enjoy fishing the Pasquotank River and it's sloughs, as well as Cape Hatteras, Florida, Calif, and BC in addition to much of Oregon.