I have not caught a damn fish

[cowboykid8]

We lucked into a spring chinook this year, it was the only fish that the fish checker had seen all day when we left. So lots of luck involved for salmon fishing.

50 places to go fishing within 60 minutes of Portland | Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

Not enough time to go fishing? Think again—if you live in the greater Portland area, there are any number of places you can get to in less than an hour. Make sure you read the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations before you go. Mileage and generalized directions are from Pioneer Courthouse Square in...

myodfw.com

At Hagg I would use floating powerbait, on a sliding sinker with 2-4 foot leader. Green pink or corn would be the choice of colors. Early in the morning and late in the evening would be the best bet right now, you don't have to cast too far away from the bank. Since you have kids keep in mind they can fish without a license til they are 12 years old, which means an extra rod in the water to try different bait.

Not sure there is much in Steelman lake other than carp or maybe a sturgeon... as muddy as all the lakes on Sauvie are, you will need to have your bait sitting on the top of the silt to even get looked at. I would have tried the multunomah channel for peamouth, pikeminnow, sturgeon, maybe a catfish.

the ifish forum has lots of info... but people there are fairly grumpy...

Keep in mind a lot of the rivers don't have a decent year round population of fish, but have decent seasonal runs of salmon or steelhead.

 

[bbbass]

Not sure if I posted earlier, and I don't fish in the OP's area anymore, but in general:

When I lived in S. Calif, I had my entire childhood to learn how to fish, and how to catch the fish that were there (local patterns). I fished for bream/sunfish/bluegill/trout with bread under a bobber starting as young a 4 yrs old. By the time I had graduated H.S. and before I moved to Huntington Beach, I had mastered catching largemouth bass at Puddingstone Lake (er, Frank G. Bonelli Park) by using a feathered jig behind a half filled casting bobber just before sunset. We also caught bass at Lake Mead on both lipless and diving crankbaits (Bomber Water Dog in dark green for bass, Sonics for crappie). Learned to catch crappie there too. No lily pads, everything was off weedlines or points. Used to fish the beach, the rocky ocean points, and off the piers... learned everything by trial and error, by checking sport shops, and by asking the old guys that were catching fish.

When I moved to La Grande in 1980, I had to learn everything from scratch. Nothing I knew much translated to fishing here, except for McKay Reservoir, a warm water lake with varied habitat. I fished the Snake River impoundments, especially the Powder River Arm of Brownlee, and caught a few largemouth here and there, but learned quickly that it is mostly a smallmouth lake, so I had to learn different techniques. Where the largemouth I was used to liked the largest crankbaits and plastic worms fished off weedlines, in the weeds, under trees, and in the belly of coves, the smallmouth there prefer rocky points or slopes. They also liked 4" worms instead of 6" or even 8" worms. They loved twister tail grubs, tubes, or most any small plastic such as lizard or eel. I hear it is different in the Willamette, but where I've fished the Columbia was kind of a mix of all the above.

My trout fishing has been rivers and lakes. The rivers being about what one would think. The lakes have varied a lot. I've had success floating grasshoppers at Wallowa Lake, and using both spinners and bait (where allowed), and wet flies behind a casting bobber. To give an example, Morgan Lake is a small city impoundment only 10 min away. ODFW stocks it in the spring, opener is late April, and the water is cold. They even put a few hatchery steelhead (20") in there a few weeks after the first planting. But that early, the pattern is live worms on the bottom, or a green or red or white Roostertail. As the water warms, the pattern shifts to bottomfishing with Powerbait on a slip sinker early and late in the day. Watch the line carefully for bites. They like Red, Green, with sparkles, or Patriot (red/white/blue), or rainbow. As the water warms towards summer, the pattern shifts again and its a wet fly behind a casting bobber as far as I can throw, or rowing a small boat around with trolling a fly line and wet fly.

Nobody taught me how to fish the lakes and rivers here. I had to pick it up as I went along. It took a few years. 30yrs later, I have some spots in know well, but many streams/rivers I am still learning. But I asked a lot of questions and listened carefully. Point being, that one has to be patient and realize that it will take some time to see consistent success in any of the spots you might fish. There are species patterns, location patterns (such as when the fish are where), seasonal patterns, and daily patterns. Guesswork won't get you very far, you have to ask around. This is a good first start!!!

BTW, some men have an excess production of the hormone L-syrine (sp?) which is on our hands and one of the reasons women typically outfish us, that and patience. But wash your hands with unscented or anise scented soap just prior to handling your line/lure. And use fishing scents... they really really really really do work. But the fish gotta be there first. No guarantee on that!!! Fishing dead water is a waste of time, unless I'm layin in the sun...

 

[bbbass]

Keeping weeds off lures is not possible. Use a weed shedding design, such as a spinnerbait. Or you can get right into the weeds/trees with a Texas rigged worm (flippin or not). I've not had much success with keeping a Carolina rigged worm weedfree, but a grub on a leadhead jig with weedfree hook can work too. Or you can use a tube on a leadhead jig with the hook hidden up inside the tube (I've fished a lot of rocks that way using Spiderwire line.) IMO it's harder to stay weedfree when bank fishing. If you can, use a casting bobber and fly to stay above the crud but only very early or very late in the day.

When Phillips Reservoir first started getting Hydrilla, we used to rip a Fat Rap just above the weeds that grew about 3' above the bottom in about 7-8' of water. (you prob know ripping is reeling as fast as you can with a high speed reel). But later the weeds choked everything out and now all there is to fish for is perch. Too many small perch. If you manage to get your bass lure down thru the weeds, you don't get it past the perch there. Now the lake is trout fishing. They used to have Coho. But somebody planted Walleye. Things change.

 

[RVTECH]

I had mastered catching largemouth bass at Puddingstone Lake

Man this brings back memories!

I remember when it was called 'Puddingstone Dam' as well.

And fishing at Newport pier with the stinky, salted anchovies as bait - and coming home with more fish than we knew what to do with!

 

[oldcorpgunny]

You must first visualize the fish. Then you must entice the fish with certain kinds of meditation. Finally, you must be one with the fish. Eventually, you will spend all that you own in pursuit of the fish. This will last until a fraction of a second before you die. Then you will realize that under governor brown, there are no fish!

 

[oldcorpgunny]

Hmmmmmm , well there are secrets to Fishing !!!

View attachment 726974 View attachment 726976

photo shopped! There are no such thing as fish! Only fish sticks!

 

[pathfinder]

Photo shopped pics of fish sure taste great !!!!

 

[RVTECH]

Then you must entice the fish with certain kinds of meditation.

And 'enticement' with the proper mixture of cheese, garlic and oil of Anise helps as well!

 

[DirectDrive]

Photo shopped pics of fish sure taste great !!!!

Less filling, too.

 

[bbbass]

Man this brings back memories!

I remember when it was called 'Puddingstone Dam' as well.

And fishing at Newport pier with the stinky, salted anchovies as bait - and coming home with more fish than we knew what to do with!

Yup! I first learned to fish at the dam. People would bring beach blankets and lay out.

Newport first, then as an adult Huntington Beach pier. For Croakers and Sea Perch!!! But we caught way too many rays.... those things where a big pain. I remember being a very little tyke and my dad warming me not to put my finger near the ray's mouth.

 

[oldcorpgunny]

Photo shopped pics of fish sure taste great !!!!

I have only eaten fish sticks.

 

[bbbass]

Like anything else improving your odds costs money, bank fishing can be hard with the limited acess. Ive found a cataraft or pontoon boat alows me the most diverse options. I can just sight see or bass fish the john day or umpqua, run the coastal rivers for salmon or steelhead, fish the big lakes for trout or up to 5 day trips. You can do a fairly cheap odc , bucks bags or outcast used for pretty cheap or get a decent cararaft for 1k-3k+ depending on what you need. I built mine for about half of retail cost.View attachment 732973
View attachment 732978

I always wanted one of these... the boat, not the dog.

Buy a metal detector, you find all sorts of stuff.l

I borrowed one when the wife and I spent some time in Quartzsite AZ. Oh I was busy alright... old nails, rusted cans, pieces of barbed wire...

You must first visualize the fish. Then you must entice the fish with certain kinds of meditation. Finally, you must be one with the fish. Eventually, you will spend all that you own in pursuit of the fish. This will last until a fraction of a second before you die. Then you will realize that under governor brown, there are no fish!

Groundhog Day "Be the ball"...

photo shopped! There are no such thing as fish! Only fish sticks!

This is a fish stick:

 

[RVTECH]

Oh I was busy alright... old nails, rusted cans, pieces of barbed wire...

Stick with it and someday you might find a classic car - I did !

 

[bbbass]

Stick with it and someday you might find a classic car - I did !

View attachment 735327

I'm not risking getting snakebit for that!!!

Nope, it'd have to be a '57 Chevy with slicks and Magwheels.

 

[oldcorpgunny]

I'm not risking getting snakebit for that!!!

Nope, it'd have to be a '57 Chevy with slicks and Magwheels.

I have a '54 Chevy 2dr Hardtop BelAir and ...........fiah sticks!!

 

[bbbass]

I have a '54 Chevy 2dr Hardtop BelAir and ...........fiah sticks!!

One of my older brothers had a 55 Bel Air convertible. Spent a lot of $$$$$$ on it!!! Car show thang, ya know?

 

[oldcorpgunny]

One of my older brothers had a 55 Bel Air convertible. Spent a lot of $$$$$$ on it!!! Car show thang, ya know?

Mine is always in my shop being "worked on." When I get too hungry and tired I sit down and eat............fish sticks!!

 

[bbbass]

Mine is always in my shop being "worked on." When I get too hungry and tired I sit down and eat............fish sticks!!

I hate wrenching. Better you than me.... Imma go fishin.

 

[oldcorpgunny]

I hate wrenching. Better you than me.... Imma go fishin.

You can save some time by dropping by here and having some..........fish sticks!! Please pass me the 9/16" extra deep socket that I just dropped onto the floor where it rolled to the exact center of my Chevy.

 

[Mikej]

We lucked into a spring chinook this year, it was the only fish that the fish checker had seen all day when we left. So lots of luck involved for salmon fishing.

50 places to go fishing within 60 minutes of Portland | Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

Not enough time to go fishing? Think again—if you live in the greater Portland area, there are any number of places you can get to in less than an hour. Make sure you read the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations before you go. Mileage and generalized directions are from Pioneer Courthouse Square in...

myodfw.com

At Hagg I would use floating powerbait, on a sliding sinker with 2-4 foot leader. Green pink or corn would be the choice of colors. Early in the morning and late in the evening would be the best bet right now, you don't have to cast too far away from the bank. Since you have kids keep in mind they can fish without a license til they are 12 years old, which means an extra rod in the water to try different bait.

Not sure there is much in Steelman lake other than carp or maybe a sturgeon... as muddy as all the lakes on Sauvie are, you will need to have your bait sitting on the top of the silt to even get looked at. I would have tried the multunomah channel for peamouth, pikeminnow, sturgeon, maybe a catfish.

the ifish forum has lots of info... but people there are fairly grumpy...

Keep in mind a lot of the rivers don't have a decent year round population of fish, but have decent seasonal runs of salmon or steelhead.

Oh man! You hardly ever get to see the take down of a herring caught springer on these videos. And no toxic "Music" blasting! You don't by chance have an uncle named Ted do you? Fishes out of a Hewes Craft? You look kind of familiar to a gut I met on the river some years ago that was fishing out of an older glass boat.