Eagle Creek-- Grim

[happybrew]

I fished Eagle Creek this morning in that half mile stretch below the hatchery. From as high as you can go to as low as you can go, I saw maybe 7 fish holding in the deepest pools, and they all had lockjaw. They hadn't turned all the way red yet. I saw no old dark fish. I saw no new fish swimming up. Not a single one in the four hours I was there. After flailing the water uselessly at each pool in the rain, I decided to call it a day. I wonder what happened to all the coho. Usually I've seen new fish cycling into the pools, and there's enough water for them to move up, but for some reason they're not there. It was grim.

Seldom have I worked so hard for absolutely no reward. Normally I have to go to my job for that! I expect better from a fishing trip! graemlins/berry.gif

happybrew

[King Fisher]

Hang in there, they only have 1200 fish counted with an expectency of about 7000 at the hatchery. The rain should make it good!!! We'll see.........

[fish-on]

personally I dont think they stocked it{let smolts out 3 yrs ago}. the clack doesnt even have fish , look at all the other local rivers. I tell ya ODFW is screwed up.

[happybrew]

Eagle Creek is a Federal Hatchery. Of course, that's no consolation.

happybrew

[Flyguy]

It sounds like a typical run failure to me. :shrug:

[royal coachman]

Fished the creek Sept. 20. Had two fish by 7:00am One nice keeper buck and one not so nice released buck. Nothing but lock jawed fish since then. But i'm not giving up. I will probably fish again this Saturday. There is something about this small creek. I just love fishing it.

[Hooker]

What happend to the summer steelhead this year. The Clack seems to be struggling....what's going on? :shrug:

[sturgeon1]

They probably ran a sewer pipe from oregon city to the back water pond just above the 99 e bridge, so the salmon wnt go up the clack now. I think whatever is coming out of that pond or backwater is effecting the fish. Anyone want to bet on it? Didnt think so.

[foxer]

I'll take that bet. If they can swim the willamette, anything coming out of there must taste like evian :smile:

[garyk]

KingFisher said - "Hang in there, they only have 1200 fish counted with an expectency of about 7000 at the hatchery."

I hope KF's right.

However, remember back 12 months ago - it was exactly the same situation. Except then I think it was more like 20k expected, a fraction of which showed up. Major disapointment.

Check the archives, you'll see.

[BUGLEMAN]

Gill nets?

[birdhunter]

Been floating the main river. Very few and far between. Normally there would be a hundred fish in each hole. Watch them all shoot up past you as you go through the hardpan. Last trip was a double drift and I think I saw fewer than 30 coho. All dark. They ain't comin.

[FastAction]

Originally posted by Hooker:
What happend to the summer steelhead this year. The Clack seems to be struggling....what's going on? :shrug: <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">I knew of a few Summers this year.. not like last year though.. and the springers?? they weren't up at Mciver like '02, but the winters sure were?? What does that prove? I don't know :shrug: Seem's to be just a 'Clack thing.... The sandy was good for springs\summers.. Good for Ho's...But it is a trib of the columbia and that river is always good... But the clack can be hot too?? I am lost!

[LuckySteelhead]

2001 was a big Run in eagle creek for coho, 2002 dropped off dramatrically, I wasted time goin to some holes near the hatchery and the fish never showed up in big numbers like the previous year. Sounds like 2003 is worse yet. Maybe they decided not to relase the smolts so they would have a chance to clean river banks from all the litter and trash. It really bothered me that people dumped all there litter and trash on the banks in 2001. :whazzup:

[CATCH AND EAT]

Anyone hear the rumor that they will dump 200,000 nook smoltz in the creek this year? Can anyone verify this?

[BUGLEMAN]

200,000 Nook smolts would be wonderfull but would take an act of congress. I doubt it.

[will_e_fish]

I am optimisticaly hopeful they are stacked up somewhere. Unconfirmed reports from several sources say they are still comming in from CR. I just hope their are still some bright ones left for me.