Fishing the OC "wall"

onepiecerod · 03-02-2004, 09:19 AM

I live in OC and every day I drive past the "wall" in front of the Elk's lodge where some interesting people choose to fish for Sturgeon. As I fish the Willamette and drive past this location I alway's become outraged when thinking of what these people are doing to the fish they cannot keep. The problem is when they must release a fish they drop them some 60 feet or more back into the river. I wonder what the mortality rate is after a 2 foot Sturgeon goes SPLAT!! The ODFW has put in place many rules since I first started fishing for Sturgeon in order to protect them. Yet they continue to let these people fish off this wall. What kind of protection is that? What can be done to stop this so called fishery?

Ryan Pultz · 03-02-2004, 10:09 AM

This topic comes up once or twice a year
it is wrong and should be stopped and No there is not much we can do about it rp

Pete · 03-02-2004, 10:11 AM

Why don't you give ODFW a call and let us know what you find out?

onepiecerod · 03-02-2004, 10:16 AM

Sorry... I just started using this site.

illbfish · 03-02-2004, 10:46 AM

Don't be sorry, you are right, & I have wondered the same thing. Too bad we can't get it stopped. Where in O.C. do you live, I live there to. [img]graemlins/lurk.gif[/img]

LQQKASTAR · 03-02-2004, 12:17 PM

welcome 1peicerod.. good topic.
they used to have parking meters there, if they put them back in that might help a little.it should be a no fishing area as there is no way to safely realease these fish. i dont know,but ill bet when the springers get in there thick...um um :depressed:

, but who knows maybe the police will be more proactive then. :smile:

oh yea bad news for you 1peicerod, acording to my math youll allways be a fry...both post you have here say post #2, im sure it just a glitch

SKP · 03-02-2004, 12:31 PM

Do they haul springers up the wall? Do they throw natives back over the wall? How do they not take the natives out of the water to unhook?

SKP

WheresMyBobber · 03-02-2004, 12:42 PM

A little off the subject, but a good place to remind boaters in the area to remember to watch out for these people's fishing lines. I forgot about them one time while jetting up the river close to the wall. Just in the nick of time I saw the sun shine off one of their lines and steered clear. But I'd hate to see what would happen to someone who got "clothes lined" by their fishing line. Very dangerous.

Bank Maggot · 03-02-2004, 12:45 PM

no they dont fish for springers off the wall, but they do fish for sturgeon, yes some people do toss shakers off of the wall and in the last 9 years i have only seen about 3-4 fish that didnt swim off right away, and of those fish 2 swam off shortly after, i love to fish there, but whenever i get a shaker i have a basket set up to release the shakers by lowering them into the water not tossing them, as for oversize fish, usually if you get one of these one it attracts quite a boat crowd and one of the boaters is usuallt more than happy to release the fish for you! if no boaters are around, you have to climb down the wall and cut the line about 3- 5 feet from the fish! just like in any fishery there are a few people who make everybody look bad! since you drive by everyday, you would think that you could probably take the time to stop and watch a few of these guys that do it the right way instead of getting on here and badmouthing the whole fishery at that location! [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img] alot of the people there are very responsible fishermen, and the ones you see doing these things you talk about, are the guys that just drive by everyday and decide to give it a try without ever taking the time to find out how it is done! just my .02 cents

West Linn Wader · 03-02-2004, 12:49 PM

1piece,

Welcome aboard. BTW - You don't need to be an iFish veteran to do something about the "fishing the OC wall" or any other issue you feel strongly about. A call to the ODFW is a great start and maybe you can report back on what they say and what they might suggest we all can do.

GS/WLW

Hogmaster · 03-02-2004, 01:33 PM

Bank Maggot -

You are obviously the exception to the rule in my humble opinion. I have fished from a boat for years and live in this area. I have seen lots of rope lassos run down main lines to wrap around the heads (and usually gill plates) of tired fish in order to drag them up the wall once they are subdued. The fish invariably bang against the rock wall, roughly, on the way up. That in and of itself seems dangerous to the fish, especially when a nylon rope scrapes gills.

I have continually seen undersized fish summarily tossed off the cliffs for returning, usually landing in a bellyflop. And numerous times I have seen those fish stay belly up. Others disapear for a few minutes, then appear again belly up. After a few more minutes they almost all seem to turn and disapear again.

I have motored my boat to unhook undersized fish and have been cursed at for not measuring them. I have never seen an overlegal try to be handled, but I can say anyone who climbs down those cliffs within 3 or 4 feet of the fish is taking a very serious risk as there are sharp and jagged ledges all along the cliffs just under the water line.

If there others that are as courteous as you, then that is a great trend. I appaluad your effort. I have never seen a basket handling form of release for shakers there. I do wonder, and I am not trying to be confrontational, how you manage to avoid banging the fish on the wall on the way down, and how you revive the fish once you get it to the water...

I know I have asked STGRule about the leagality of this. I know she indicated it gives her real heartburn, but apparently no one has decided this is illegal.

LQQKASTAR · 03-02-2004, 01:34 PM

im sure there is some quality fisherman there.
ive been there and seen fish thrown over, i realize not everybody does that.but that place is just begging for abuse, with its high exposure,50' wall, park & fish. ive been bank fishing for many years,i never seen a released fish that didnt "swim off". you said youve seen 3 or 4 there. and what about those oversized fish. it seems kinda weird to me that their going to close down part of the CR so the boats dont harass the over size fish by quickly catching them(as compared to a person on the bank)and then reaching over with a pair of plyers and popping the hook...what was it you said, oh yea " climb down the wall and cut the line 3 to 5' from the fish"

just my .02 cents

and oh yea...jeeper creepers, 1peicerod, if this is only your 2nd or 3rd post i can hardly wait till you get good at stiring up the pot, keep up the good work

[ 03-02-2004, 02:44 PM: Message edited by: LQQKASTAR ]

Chromaflage · 03-02-2004, 01:51 PM

:shocked: [img]graemlins/lurk.gif[/img]

trap50 · 03-02-2004, 02:32 PM

LQQKASTAR
I think you only get credit for one post no matter how many times you post to the same topic.

[ 03-02-2004, 03:34 PM: Message edited by: trap50 ]

Bank Maggot · 03-02-2004, 02:43 PM

HOG MASTER YOUR RIGHT ABOT THE NYLON ROPE COMMENT, THATS WHY EVERYBODY THAT ACTUALLY FISHES THERE ALL THE TIME AND KNOWS WHAT THERE DOING, USES A SOFT ROPE WITH A PIECE OF RUBBER COATED DOG RUN CABLE FOR THE LASSO AND WE WONT LASSO THE FISH UNLESS WE CAN GET AROUND THERE TAIL OR BEHING THERE FRONT TWO FINS! AS FOR REVIVING THE FISH WITH THE BASKET METHOD, WHEN YOU LOWER THE BASKET INTO THE WATER THE FISH WILL JUST SWIM OUT OF THE BASKET!

Bank Maggot · 03-02-2004, 02:53 PM

LOOKSTAR

ABOUT THE OVERSIZE QUESTION, IN A YEAR I SEE MAYBE TWO OR THREE OVERSIZED FISH HOOKED FROM THE WALL! AND ABOUT THE CUTTING THE LINE A FEW FEET FROM THE FISH, THIS ONLY HAPPENS MAYBE I EMPHASIZE MAYBE 1 TIME A YEAR THAT I SEE AND I FISH THERE ALOT! PLUS YOUR USING BARBLESS HOOKS SO THEY WILL FALL OUT! JUST LIKE IF YOU WERE FISHING FOR STEELHEAD AND YOU HAD ONE THAT SWALLOWED THE HOOK, YOU CUT THE LINE AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT HURTING THE FISH! AND IN THIS CASE 2-3 FEET IS AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN GET TO CUT THE LINE WITHOUT ENDANGERING YOURSELF TOO MUCH MORE THAN YOU ALREADY ARE BY CLIMBING DOWN THE WALL! AND THATS WITH ABOUT A 4 FOOT POLE WITH A BLADE LASHED TO THE END FOR A FARTHER REACH! I KNOW ITS NOT A PERFECT FISHERY, BUT ITS ONE I REALLY ENJOY, AND I AM VERY CAREFUL TO HANDLE THE FISH AS GENTLY AS POSSIBLE SO AS TO NOT CAUSE THE FISH ANY HARM,AND TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH I CANT THINK OF ANY FISHERY AROUND THAT DOESNT HAVE ITS DOWNSIDES!

LQQKASTAR · 03-02-2004, 04:29 PM

TRAP50 thanks for pointing that out, i can see that now :blush:

bankmaggot...
dont get me wrong, i didnt mean to attack you personly, looking back at my preveios post i can see where i was a bit strong.if we dissagree thats fine and we should discuss it.
im trying to be open minded [img]graemlins/idea.gif[/img] heres a thought, like i said im a bankie myself,dont live far from there, got a heavy duty pole, lots of free time, and wouldnt mind seeing how its done.
even if you show me how to do this without hurting the fish, my greatest influence on this subject would be the others around us. if theres a couple of people there doing the right thing and the rest arent. i would still say close it.
keep in mind thats just my opinion, in all reallity i think that fishery will be there for many years to come.
if you would like to show/teach me about this spot
im all ears

devonian · 03-02-2004, 11:15 PM

i fish that area a lot in the spring and it makes me sick. to me it is worse when they hook an oversize.

maybe you should drop some help wanted ads by?

LQQKASTAR · 03-03-2004, 12:15 AM

1peicerod
you better get back here

judyfish99 · 03-03-2004, 12:23 AM

Jeez louise, I thought I was the only one up at this time of nite. Swing shift kinda stinks when everyone else is in bed.

Bank Maggot · 03-03-2004, 06:11 AM

you let me know when lookastar and well go!

LQQKASTAR · 03-03-2004, 06:30 AM

sitting here now, can be there :smile: in an hour

Silver Eagle · 03-03-2004, 06:39 AM

I'm sure glad I don't fish for Sturgeon. But we all have rights and we all have responsibilites from the Bank for from a Boat, keep everything in prespective and all will work out........Ray Where were all of you at when they pitch forked all the Coho at Fall Creek.......

glowball · 03-03-2004, 06:55 AM

You get credit for each and every post you make. It just shows your total number on every post you've made. Go back and look at old posts and they'll show your current number of posts.

Bank Maggot · 03-03-2004, 07:01 AM

i work during the week but any day on the weekend! :grin:

Private-Aye-Fish · 03-04-2004, 09:43 AM

Glad I have a boat but have to say that not everyone does. I had a friend who had polio as a kid and loved to fish. He couldn't walk down to the rocks so he fished the wall. He caught alot of fish there over the years.

Last time I saw him he was at the wall fishing!

PA

SalmonSeason · 03-04-2004, 02:27 PM

I have to agree that Bank maggot is one of few.
I use to work on the river in 92-97 and I revived not 1 or 2, but in those specific years I revived well over 20 shakers that were floating around after being tossed over the wall.

In addition, I have revived two last spring while springer fishing from my sled. I was not impressed and I have voiced concern to ODFW...so far nothing has been done. Thanks Bank maggot for being one of the few...I also know the Willamette is limited in bank access