Lake Oswego Lunker

[Whopper Stopper]

As of the first of the year I relocated my office to Lakeside Plaza which gives me a ground floor office looing out at Lake Oswego. Yes, I have a bass rod hiding behind my book shelf, but so far this year It's just been casting practice out the back door.

Yesterday my wife send me on a bunch of errands and I stopped by the office to check if my new digital camera showed up. While I was there I grabbed my rod with a big black spinner bait and made a few casts. With full sun the underside of the Blinns Restaurant deck looked like a nice place for a Bass to get out of the sun so I skipped my bait way under and it hit a beam and caused a big backlash. It took several minutes to untangle the mess. Once I started to reel again a large bass chomped the curly tail off the trailer right when it came into the sunlight. After checking my shorts I tossed a couple other things back under there with no more takes.

Today, I will wait until the sun is out again and toss my favorite Senko and see what happens. It is making it hard to work here when I can look out my window at that deck and imagine what lies beneath it. I will post a picture if I can coax that beauty out of there!

Jay

[Tangledline69]

I just moved near portland and keep hearing about this lake....i really need to get out there...is it true that this lake is mostly fishable for the people who live on the lake? thanks

[Whopper Stopper]

It is completely private and owned and managed by the Lake Corp. The only way to get a boat on is to either live on the lake or own a piece of property that has "rights" to one of the parks that have swimming areas and the ability to launch a boat. I've heard of some people trying to launch a canoe or float tube at the NE end and promptly get tossed! I have seen people fish from the bank by the railroad tracks on the NE end.

Last week I saw the first Bass boat cruise by my window and all three guys were tossing pink wacky baits as they went by.

[fishnfun]

caught out of Lake Oswego on sunday.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/bigfish5.jpg

The average size fish for this lake is about 3.5lbs

[Dave Smith]

Last week I saw the first Bass boat cruise by my window and all three guys were tossing pink wacky baits as they went by.
That's exactly what I always pictured the guys throwing that have exclusive access to Lake Oswego- he he:help: :laugh:

[Bearcat88]

I used to do landscape irrigation installs for some lake front properties which took me inside boathouses in the summertime. I have seen several in the 8 pound plus category hanging out just out of the sunlight under the decks. A buddy bootlegged a six pounder from under one of the canal bridges at first light before the cops could toss him. It's probably the least pressured big bass sanctuary in the Northwest. It's like having the nicest boat in your driveway but no keys....

[haulin'bass]

lake oswego is a joke that is a prime area for bass and the only people who can access this lake are people who have higher level incomes so they can afford to live there and they dont usually take advantage of it and there are people out there that would kill to fish it but I guess that is the way of the mighty dollar once again and good old private property. But everybody is entitled to there own opinion.:shrug:

[FiHuFun]

From my understanding the water is not private, but all of the access points are. If you can find a legal access you can be on the lake, it is the Tualatin river, which is considered navigatable. Thus open to public use.

[pitchnboy]

thats when a Glass rod would of helped you out there WS!!! he he:laugh:

pitch:cheers:

[wilsonriverfisher]

Its sad you cant fish SUCKER Lake you guys know that was the original name and it was changed because the residents didnt like the name. Also they closed off the tualatin river from free flowing into the lake and in turn it caused the lake to bloom algae. I think people should not be able to own or privatize a lake or river or beach. This should be voted on and lake oswego should be for everyone.:twocents:

[Super Fluke]

Fishnfun, do you live on the lake?

[fishnfun]

I wish, that was at millennium park, by the railroad tracks. I'm not completely sure if its legal to fish here, but the security and police really don't seem to care that I fish here.

[Super Fluke]

I'm pretty sure that the hole lake is privet.

[fishnfun]

its a park, with a public walkway and everything. It is the only public right-away on the whole lake, except for one other exception (my secret) and have fished here for about 4 years. I live 5 minutes from the lake, so I know the rules pretty well.

[Whopper Stopper]

Well on Monday I skipped worms, jigs and a tube around and under the deck with no takers. I tried again yesterday after we closed and didn't see or touch a fish. I went back in my office to change to a tube and when I came back out and stood on the concrete wall I looked down and there she was.... She sayed put and I backed off and gave it a couple of minutes and cast long and as I brought the bait by her she took off. I don't know if I lined her or she really doesn't like a watermelon tube. I'll keep trying and post a pic when I have some success.

Jay

[tnj8222]

try switching colors... the water is really clear right now right? try downsizing as well. maybe a finesse jig. or a 3 inch senko. when i cant get a fish to bight downsizing is usually the key for me

[TroutGirl]

Ok, I'll try to stay within the AUP on this one.

There is an extensive article in Willamette Week about two years ago. You can go to the Willamette Week Website and type in the search for Lake Oswego Cover Story.

From that article you will find

In 1976, U.S. Sen. Mark Hatfield got federal legislation passed that ended Oswego Lake's designation as a navigable waterway, which was necessary to block public access; he later arranged for the small hydroelectric dam at the lake's eastern end to be exempted from federal oversight, clinching private status.Navigable waterways were a gift of US Congress to the State of Oregon. This is a bizarre situation on Lake Oswego.

The interesting thing, is the Lake Corporation has asked city and state government for help to combat their algae growth problem.

The lake and the lake bed are completely privately owned.

The current Lake Corporation did not build the lake. The current Lake Corporation took over the lake from a previous mining company. The mining company abandoned its mining claims in 1910 and switched to land development. So they bought that land from the federal government under the 1890 mining act at a few cents and acre.

If you're interested in finding out more about lakes in Oregon you can go to www.oregonlakes.org (http://www.oregonlakes.org) They study lakes, problems in lakes, solutions in lakes and more. They have many lake corporations as members, and many citizen stewards. I don't think their group can be strictly described as a property group or stewardship group. The look at all things related to lakes. They have tons of interesting research and information.

The state has a list of lakes that are public. You can find that list here.

http://www.oregon.gov/DSL/NAV/meanderedlakes.shtml

Lake Oswego is not on that list.

Here's a bit about the history of the formation of Lake O

Lake Oswego, which has a water right of 57.5 cfs diverts most of
the river's natural flow during summer months (State Engineer of Oregon, 1959). Thiswater right, one of the oldest on the river, derived from the Oregon Iron and Steel Company in 1906 (Oregon Department of Water Resources, certificate number 29248). This dam was built in 1888 and inundated lowlands from its present location at river mile 3.5 to the town of Tualatin (Farnell, 1978; Benson 1978). Since installation of Scoggins Dam in 1975 reservoir releases maintain flow to reaches below the Lake Oswego diversion and provides an additional 1,000 acre feet per year to Lake Oswego.from http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/dspace/bitstream/1957/3779/1/TUALATIN-8_ocrpg.pdf

[TroutGirl]

Now separated from the facts above, I'll make a political comment.

I don't think Oregonians have any chance of ever getting Lake Oswego back as publicly owned. I think this is a powerful lesson to us all, that giving up waterways rights, is a permanent thing. Newcomers don't know the history and will think something has always been private.

If you aren't involved with protecting public waterways and want to rant and rave about Lake O, that battle is done. Its lost. There are battles going on all over the state on this, and most people do nothing, and hope that someone else does.

Your job. Be an excellent steward of waterways. Excellent. Don't give anyone a reason to say you are a pig, irresponsible and don't deserve your public waterways. Go beyond that, and clean up other people's messes. Go beyond, and educate others about being stewards, and what is at stake.

Go beyond, and bust them. Its illegal to litter, trespass, poach, etc. There are very few law enforcement officers. If you look the other way and let someone wander through posted private property without making an effort to bust them, you are adding to the animosity that takes away your rights.

Common Waters come with responsibilities. How many of you have had a conversation with someone about responsibilities? How many of you know that ordinary high water on a navigable river is the line you must not cross. Not flood stage, but ordinary annual high water. How many of you have explained that to someone else this year?

I challenge you, each one of you to take the time to explain good stewardship of not littering and picking up the crud you find, of not defecating but coming with an on-board toilet, of not trespassing -- to at least 3 other people. I challenge you, to being active at least once this year to bust someone breaking the law on poaching, littering, trespassing. I challenge you, to also protect your rights to be below the ordinary high water mark, by filing a report with Common Waters of Oregon, and the State Attorney General about where and what you encountered if someone tried to drive you off a navigable waterway. And, if you don't know what a navigable waterway is (it doesn't mean your boat floats there), then get someone to come make a presentation to you and your friends so that you can know the law. CWO has presenters that can help you. The State Department of Lands can also explain the law to you.

Don't let Lake Oswego happen to you.

[royal3]

Heather,

As always, great info. Thanks for posting, and fighting the fight.

Royal