Fishery Rip-Off

[Capin' Dan]

Here are some tips to save you a few bucks.
Buy your bait before you get there.
For those of you who drive a second car Park it on the road out accross the tracks.
Let them know that they are charging ridiculas prices.
they know that they have the only decent launch in that area.

Fees $7.00 Boat Launch.
$2.00 car parking fee.
The people are nice enough and also a good source of information. I just think that $7 for a boat launch is ridiculas.

images/icons/mad.gif images/icons/mad.gif

[Pete]

I don't know what expenses the Fishery is trying to cover with their $7 fee, but it sure doesn't look like anyone is getting rich.

If you really object to the fee, catch your own bait (shad or smelt) and put your boat in somewhere else (Dalton Point-free, Rooster Rock-$3, Bonneville-free, or Beacon Rock).

[Bait O' Eggs]

Boat Ramp fees vary from location to location. My thoughts are as follows on paying for launches.

I launch at Garibaldi plenty and for $3 bucks you dont get much. The re-designed ramp is marginally OK, The ticket machine works about 1/2 the time and if the bills are not crisp the machine spits them back out. Little to no public dock to tie to. Parking is poorly designed and limited.

This last weekend I launched at Newport and it was $6. Worth every penny. The ramp is wide and several of us launched at one time. Lots of dock space. Parking was plentiful. The restrooms were clean.

I have not launched at the fishery for a while, but at $7 it is a steep price. Last time I was in there I thought I was driving thru moon craters. The parking sucks, the facilities sucks. It is all location you are paying for at this ramp.

I dont mind a launch fee if you get something for it. Like decent parking, clean restrooms, a ramp that flows the traffic well, good docks, or handy access to the portion of the river I want to play on. I will pay for all or 1 of the items, but the price should reflect how many of the conviences they are providing.

[Pilar]

Hey Roy, You forgot a few things about Newport. They have bar none the best fish cleaning station going. There is a decent store with most of what you need. Crab cooker is there most of the time. You can wash your boat out and flush the motor when you trailer it. The dumpster is right by the wash down station. There is an RV park. There is tons of dock space. The parking lot is patrolled 24/7. Just try sleeping in your rig and get busted every time.

An last but not least, the Rogue brew pub is right in the parking lot. $6 is a bargain at S. Beach marina. A lot of thought and attention to detail went into making that place what it is.

Now if the folks at the Fishery could just get any of those features going maybe $7 wouldn't seem so much like theft.

[Deleted User]

Simply put, they will charge what the market will bear. If it's too much and there are better alternatives, use them.

[Bait O' Eggs]

Pilar - I am glad we agree that the Newport launch is sweet. I did check out the very nice fish cleaning station and it was loaded with people cleaning their days catch of bottom fish. I forgot about the wash down hose, and did not know the parking lot was patrolled.

Dont tell anybody images/icons/rolleyes.gif but Garibaldi has a pretty sweet cleaning station also. Most people dont know it is there. I use to run up to Barview park to clean fish since they have a little table and sink, but a few years ago Garibaldi put in a very nice cleaning station. It is on the South side of the harbor. When you pull your boat out of the ramp, just keep taking rights until you get to the parking lot on the other side of the boat basin. Nice INSIDE facility with sinks, tables, garbage grinder, dumpster etc etc. Across the street is a park with play structure for the kids, the building next to it has showers and cleaner than average bathrooms. I have cooked my crabs in this parking lot more than once (my own cooker).

If you didnt know it existed, check it out next time you are down. Nice place to find some crab bait for free also. images/icons/smile.gif

[David Johnson]

The Fishery increased there price to use the extra two bucks for ramp repair, and we know they need that.

You could launch some were else but spend the money you save on gas getting to were you want to fish.

[Pete]

BOE,
What the heck are you doing sharing my secret spots?!?! images/icons/wink.gif Honestly, the fish cleaning station at Garibaldi is really a nice deal, but don't forget your filet knife and a bag o' ice.

DJ,
Has the Fishery already done the repair work on the ramp or are they saving up for it? I haven't noticed any improvements.

[Bait O' Eggs]

Pete, I hate to share a secret unless there is something in it for me. Since I cannot catch any fish, images/icons/rolleyes.gif it doesnt really matter if the fish cleaning station is full. Maybe there will be more crab bait for me if more people use it and leave the carcasses. images/icons/rolleyes.gif

Actually I dont think many people know this facility exist. It is not obvious to the casusal user, and out of sight from the ramp. I just wanted to help a few people out, since I get plenty of help here from others. images/icons/smile.gif

[Nanook]

Pete and Bait, the owners from the South can't even nail up old tires on the dock to somewhat protect the boats. At their current price, this place should look like the new facility at Scapoose. Wish we could all go together and buy them out and fix this place up, then send the monopoly immigrants South again. I lost my trailer once coming back out of the place when it hung up on the dug out RR track crossing. Ended up dragging it off to miss the incoming train, then cost me 350 bucks to get it loaded on a flatbed to get it home. Irony is I had to buy ice from them to save the fish box full of Chinook after it happened. images/icons/blush.gif images/icons/blush.gif

I've thought about reporting their road to the RR as a major safety hazard.

[ 05-10-2001: Message edited by: ****** ]