Seatte or Portland: who has better fishing?

[Scoey]

Title says it all. Let me elaborate, however. I recently had the pleasure of being offered comparabe jobs in each of these fine cities. In deciding where to live, I -- being a fishing freak -- naturally considered and gave serious weight to the fishing opportunities in each locale. I grew up in Vancouver, WA, so I was fairly familiar with what the Portland area had to offer. What I knew of the fishing in the Seattle area was all second hand. In the end, I figured it was pretty much a wash -- that each place has good salmon and steelhead fishing in the immediate and surrounding areas [certainly better than Philadelphia anyway!].

So let the great debate begin. I'm curious to know what others think.

Interesting topic with so many Puget Sound area members along with all our Oregon members on Ifish now. I like to compare attributes of different areas. I love both cities and surrounding landscapes. The only city I might like better, if it were American so I could live there without complications, is Vancouver B.C. We are all so lucky to live in the beautiful and relatively friendly and clean Northwest! Big time! Just ask people who visit from other parts of the country; except Montana which I also love. ...

As for fishing, the Seattle vs Portland comparison is as interesting one. It depends a lot on whether you like saltwater or river fishing more. While you have plenty of opportunity to do both out of either city, it's obvious that the Puget area has inland saltwater opportunity close by that we don't have down here. And I really like getting out on the salt; although not quite as much as on the rivers. As for the rivers, Oregon has a couple big advantages. The biggest by far is that in N.W. Oregon, Portland area residents have rivers that aren't subject to tribal netting on a regular basis. That really messes up the river fishing in N.W. Washington. Not only reduced runs, direct netting schedule conflicts, and some Puget area river closures altogether, but a signigficantly bigger population base crowding these reduced opps. Puget Sound has year'round black mouth salmon and bottom fishing to bolster the migratory runs. Portland has year'round good sturgeon fishing to bolster the migratory runs of salmon steelhead in the big Columbia and Willamette Rivers. Portland is the only city in the world that has a major prized spring chinook salmon run right thru town and surrounding areas to fish for; and into the tributaries after them also, from February thru June. Both city's close by big water fisheries have had declined runs in recent years but are on the rebound. Portland area anglers have closer and easier accessed coastal rivers to fish, while Seattle area anglers have a long route to fish the Olympic Peninsula rivers. The Oly Pen and it's rivers are more spectacular than Oregon's coastal rivers; they are much like the B.C. coastline rivers (accept they get netted by the Indians and get more fishing pressure than B.C.). The OP rivers are more often blown out by rains than N.W. Ore. coastal rivers. Tillamook Ore. gets bigger fall Kings than anywhere in Wash. and conversely the OP gets bigger steelhead. Both cities are within comparable distances to excellant trout fishing opps east of the Cascade Range. Since I have family, friends, and roots established a ways west of Portland, it's my choice. However, if I had to choose between the two, moving in from another region of the country, it would be a very tough decision indeed! Seattle has a couple other factors to consider outside of fishing; the overall scenery is more spectacular around the Puget area, sandwiched between the awesome Oly Pen and N. Cascade Mountain ranges and amid the saltwater sound areas. However, they have too much population and thus overcrowded highways and waterways; as does Vanc. B.C. by the way. Portland has a couple of additional factors to consider also; it's close proximity to the awesome beauty and fishing in the Columbia River Gorge, and beautiful and plentiful public coastal beaches which are easily accessed. Both area fishers can equally access the productive Cowlitz River and rivers either side of it. ... For fishers that are into sports, Seattle has 3 major league sports to Portland's 1. .... Since I prefer fishing a little more in rivers, love the beaches, and dislike crowding I would likely choose the NW Oregon area by a very small margin. ... I will tell you this though, it's NO contest from any other regions in the country! - RT

[This message has been edited by RT (edited 12-10-2000).]

[Osprey]

Good topic,if I had to do it,I would say Portland only because of the "netting issue".
My company has a branch in portland,I choose to stay in Olympia because of it's central location 1 hour to the coast 1 hour to ski the mountains,and a hand full of rivers within an hour,Portland in 2 hours away.
I do love to visit P-Town ,great bars to go have cold one in and check out the hot-ones

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Row quietly and fish a Cataraft !!---
Release all Wild Fish --<'))>><

[Tanner]

I live and fish in the Portland area. GO TO SEATTLE!!!!!

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There's No Nookie Like Chinookie

[Hairball]

Definitely Seattle, because the Vedder river is only 2-1/2 hrs away.

And B.C.'s mighty Thompson R. is only a few more hours from Seattle, Hairball. Geez what a dilema. The great Rogue, Umpqua, Chetco, and awesome Deschutes rivers are all within 2 or 3 hours of the Portland area. There's a lot to say about living around the Chehalis area, eh?

[Mrdorkfish]

I can be at Cathedral park (Willamette) or Chinook Landing (Columbia) 15 minutes or less......i'm stayin! Can you say Fish on?

Mrdorkfish

[THE REEL HEY_YALL]

Ummmm...did you say "cleaner" in the NW as in roadside debris, etc.? Well that holds true, but the majority of people I have met out here that aren't "normal" are dirty moral lacking folks. And some of the fishermen too...dang snaggers and egg rapists.

just my .02

[Hairball]

I like that schedule gimpy. Sometimes you just cant figure out with way to go

[obsessed]

Never fished in the Portland area, but I get the impression that its less crowded on the rivers then in this area; plus as already mentioned, no nets.

But you can't beat the Seattle area for opportunity. Here's my yearly weekend schedule:

December/Jan - upper Skykomish hatchery steelhead, less than 1 hr away

March/April - lower Sky native steelhead C&R, half hour away (although not this year, closed down)

April/May - Kalama springers 2.5 hrs
Sol Duc springers 2.5 hrs

June through August - Skykomish summer-runs, half hr to one hour away;
Stilliguamish summer-runs, 1 hr away

September - Whidbey Island silvers - 1 hr away;
Skokomish Fall Kings, 1.5 hrs away;
Samish Fall Kings, 1 hr away

October/November - Vedder River white kings and silvers, 2.25 hrs away

+ throw in a trip or three to the coast (3 hrs), Humptulips (2.5 hrs) and Cowlitz (2 hrs) and whew! Time to buy new license.

I do a lot of driving, but having a home river less than an hour away is great.




[This message has been edited by obsessed (edited 12-12-2000).]

[STRIKE ZONE]

Very good post!!!!I live up here in Hobart, but I fish almost as much in Oregon.I always said if I couldn't live in Washington then it would be Oregon. And if it was'nt either it would be Alaska.We are all very lucky to live in both areas.Good fishin in both states.Good luck, STRIKE ZONE
By the way,will Portland ever have a pro football team????????????

[Barnyard]

R.T.'s got it right...Centralia is Smack dab in the middle....Not to far from Tillamook or Forks....

[superfly]

I am glad that I live in oly and am only 100 miles away from portland and its fabulous bars and ladies. I am also glad that oregon and washington are my territory for the business which I am in which happens to be the sportfishing industry. It is a toss up for me so I spend time in both places, can't coplain except that I need to meet more women in oregon, so I don't always have to stay in motels.
Peace Superfly Go Dawgs!!!!!!!!!!!11