FishwithJD

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Oregon takes a stand against lining (“flossing”)

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Do salmon really bite these? Really?

Oregon fisheries managers recently enacted regulations on a couple popular salmon streams that ban the ever-popular angling “method” of lining to protect fish stocks. On sections of the Trask and Three Rivers, leader length restrictions, as well as some fly and bobber fishing-only regulations will be in place this season.

These gear restrictions are necessary, according to Chris Knutsen, district fish biologist for ODFW’s North Coast Watershed, to discourage the illegal practice of “snagging” or “flossing” fish that concentrate in these areas. Flossing is the practice of drifting line into the gaping mouth of a fish holding in the river current. Large hooks attached to the leader easily hook the fish on the outside of the jaw. ODFW biologists and Oregon State Police have noticed an increase in these illegal fishing practices, which reduces the number of fish available to anglers who are following the rules.

“These snaggers have been aggressive and have displaced legitimate anglers,” said Knutsen. “It is important that we maximize opportunities for law-abiding anglers, and that’s what these gear restrictions are designed to do.”

For more on Oregon’s battle against snagging, click here

For specific changes to the regulations: ODFW

Oregon aims at developing new Spring Chinook fishery!

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Imagine a springer going airborne through the trees! :)


While California’s Department of Fish & Game seems to largely have given up on providing opportunities for the state’s hunter’s and anglers, our much more progressive neighbors to the North continue to do things to make people want to buy fishing and hunting licenses…

This time, the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife is trying to develop a new springer fishery on the Coast Fork Willamette River, which is a dandy-looking little stream that I always drool over when I drive up I-5.

The department plans on March 12 to release about 210,000 chinook salmon smolts into several reaches of the Coast Fork Willamette downstream of Dorena and Cottage Grove reservoirs to the river’s confluence with the Middle Fork Willamette in Springfield, in hopes of establishing a recreational fishery between Cottage Grove and Springfield. If this initiative is successful, anglers could be pulling adult hatchery spring salmon out of the Coast Fork Willamette when the fish return as adults in 2014.Click here to read more…

Finally, some good fishing news!

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Vinman with a nice Clacka steelie


Well, it seems like good fishing and fishery news is harder to come by these days, but here’s one for ya: The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife today approved a temporary rule increasing the combined steelhead/salmon bag limit (total of three fish a day ) on the Willamette, Clackamas and Sandy rivers, effective June 18 through Oct. 31.

Under the rule change, anglers are permitted to retain up to three adult adipose fin-clipped fish per day. The combined three-fish total allows for retention of steelhead, salmon or both, of which no more than two may be salmon.

The temporary measure was enacted in response to strong early returns of summer steelhead that have been observed at ODFW fish counting stations in the three rivers.Click here to read more…