Willamette water level

[Bait O' Eggs]

Does anybody know why they keep playing with the water level on the Willamette. When I started fishing yesterday I noticed the water mark on the bank, In an hour and a half the water dropped at least a foot and half, maybe 2 feet. Today I notice the same thing. The water dropped about a foot and a half again. I dont know how much it has dropped before I get there, but it looks like from the water mark on the bank, daylight is about as high as it has gotten in the last 2 days.

I dont know how much tidal influance is in the Oregon City area, but I cannot believe it is more than a few inches maybe.

Any thoughts??? Somebody is dumping water at an inconsistant rate.

[WheresMyBobber]

Bait,

The tidal influence in the Willamette all the way up to the falls is greater than most people think, and during times of low flows (like now), you can notice it at OC even more. It raises or lowers the river level a couple of feet easily.

High tide at OC this morning was at 5:51 AM (yesterday it was at 5:06), so the whole time you were fishing the tide was running out, hence the water drop.

Next time you're out there check this out: When the tide is in, or almost in, there is water going behind the island across from the mouth of the Clack at the top end. When the tide is out or running hard, there will be no water going back there. In fact at low tide it looks like there is no way water can get back there at all!

I think fishing the outgoing tide will be the key to any success at OC this year. If you can fish the mornings with an outgoing tide (when the fish get here), that should be the best bet in my opinion, because you'll get the advantage of current along with the usual morning biters.

[Phish_on]

above the falls: http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/d_plot?site=ocuo3

below the falls: http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/d_plot?site=orco3

BELIEVE IT!

[MoJet Driver]

Heard they closed the locks to traffic for the next couple of months for maintenance. Don't know if that would have anything to do with it or not.

[bait boy]

Hey bait I figured it out after we got done I went to meldrum and hung out till 1230ish and listening to the older fellas talk about tides the light clicked on. Duh the tides going out. While I was down there I saw or heard of 3 wild steelies one keeper steelie and one just absolutely gorgeous springer 24# caught on a lime green spin'n'glow.
looked like the springer survived the nets by the looks of its sides. at least some are making it through.
Roy thanks for taking me out his AM I had fun even if it was only for a few hours. I got to meet someone new and see some new water Glad to meet ya.

Rick

[This message has been edited by rickh75 (edited 03-08-2001).]

[Bait O' Eggs]

Thanks for the info.

Those charts are interesting. The contrast between the two charts looks like a tide chart. I would never have believed the tide affected the water what looks like about 3 feet below the falls. I guess I learn a little every day.

Of course the paper mill dumps a bunch of water everyday. I always get that warm fuzzy feeling in my tummy when I see the water boil where their under water lines dump into the river. By the looks of it I am sure it is totally processed and clean of any impurities. http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif And the smell must be my imagination.

My buddy I had fishing yesterday told me when he was a kid in the 60's nobody fished up near the falls. He was telling me stories of how the foam was several feet deep on the water. He said it was below OC before you could see the water due to the foam from pollution. I am glad I never saw that, I might never eat a fish out of the Willamette. I wonder what it would take to get a permit to put a paper mill in OC right now? Never happen.

[hawgcatcher]

Bait of eggs,
I grew up in the 50's in OREGON CITY and we fished up at the falls and caught many salmon, steelhead,shad, bass & crappie. We ate them and so far other than the fact that I glow in the dark, we didn't have any health problems. I have seen chemicals that came out of the mill,causing the water to boil and turn many colors. I worked at crown Zellerbach for a while and saw all kinds of things washed into the river. The fish were returning in great numbers back then so it is hard to say if they were hurt. We had a very large tide change at times.