Clackamas reports????

[Corkie Monster]

Anyone out there fish the Clackamas lately? Any catching going on yet?

Thanks
CM

[Corkie Monster]

ttt

[fish stalker]

I went out Sunday morning and fished Eagle Creek down to the mouth then fished the Clack. Both waters looked great. High and clear. No fish biting but some great drifts. I think a week of high water will bring them in.

[Grizz]

WAIT A MINUTE Devonian!!!!

What about your nice trout? :grin:

[devonian]

that was no trout.....too big :tongue:

[Get Bent]

fished today from mouth to the dog hole three bites one landed crome bright wild hen fished from 8 till 2 hit the regular spots [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img]

[River Ranger]

Can't wait till there are good numbers in the clack!Much nicer driving 15 min than an hour or two to the coast.Lots of room to fish never to crowded.many hidding places :grin: .
R.R.

[STEEL-A-MATIC]

C.M

what you dont believe me or what? i'll bring the proof to ya.

[fishbait]

A buddie of mine who lives on the clack and has a smolt rearing pond told me today that there will not be many fish till March. Seems they change the strain of the smolts a few years ago and the (big creek I think) smolts are no longer being released. It about the timing of getting the eggs, hatching, rearing and releasing and the the timing of the adults return. I do believe him as he talks directly with the biologist and is a straight shooter, but this kinda shocked me. Anybody know what I am talking about and perhaps shed some additional light on the subject ?

[Uglygreen]

Well according to ***** ****** (fish propagation manager with ODFW) last year was the first year of the later returning fish being 60% of the fish returning. He said this year was 20% early stock fish from Mciver and 80% late stock fish from both Mciver and Eagle Creek. According to him the late fish should be in at the end of January - the peak should be in February - and they should last thru March. Dave J knows the stock names, I have forgotton.

UG

[ 12-03-2003, 06:40 AM: Message edited by: Uglygreen ]

[fish-on]

why have they screwed it all up?

[Catch 22]

The Clack does not release Big Creek smolt anymore. They haven't for a while (April 2001 I believe). The Clack has a newer strain they call the Clackamas stock. Eagle Creek also has their own stock that they release.

Here's how to tell:

Winter Steelhead

Big Creek stock - adipose & right max clipped
Clackamas stock - adipose & left max clipped
Eagle Creek stock - adipose & right vent

The Eagle Creek hatchery does not have a summer steelhead program. Therefore, any hatchery summer steelhead on the Clack should be a Clackamas stock summer steelhead.

Here's how to tell:

Summer Steelhead - adipose clip only

If anyone wants more detailed info they can email me at jason@flyfishonline.com

[straightweave]

I stopped and talked to the guy at Eagle Creak hatchery on Wednesday. At that time, they had yet to get a steelie into the hatchery. They got about 800 dark coho w/ that last rain, but that was it. They do not expect any steelies until around Christmas. The majority of the run is as posted above, ie, January, peaking in February and good fishing on into March.

The phone # for the hatchery is: 503-630-6270. No recorded message, but he said they generally have someone in the office.

[Tristan]

I hit Dog Creak last Monday just before sun set, I haven't been there in about six mounths because of the lack of fish but I landed a Native Stealie drifting. It was Nice and bright but at first I thought it was a small crusty Nook because it had a huge white "chunk" on its head. I didn't look at it to long because as soon as I saw that fin I put it back.
Ther was only one other older guy way down past were I couldn't see, eather at Clark's or just past it. I have never made it to far down there my self, he had a darky and said he had caught three other nate's but they were all dark.

[devonian]

fished friday from carver down to the mouth with nothing for 3 rods. water looked great!

[Catch 22]

[ 12-02-2003, 10:38 PM: Message edited by: Catch 22 ]

[Plum Crazy]

Thanks Jason,
See ya on the River. Too bad I'll forget the list when I get out on the river and try to act all cool infront of my fishing buddies.
Fire

[Mad Mikey]

>>>why have they screwed it all up?<<<

From a fishing standpoint that that might be a fair statement. From an ecological one you'd might want to think of it as "bout' time they fixed it."
The broodstocking programs are catching on and seem to be the way of the future. Putting out of basin fish in a stream they are not supposed to be in has been a bonus for the fishermen but not always in the best interest of the the river itself IMO.
Steelhead by nature will stray, wild and hatchery both so it's also fair to say that decades of hatchery production may well have already diluted the wild fish gene pool enough that there may be no reliable method to tell just WHAT makes a fish wild anymore. On the other hand the early arriving hatchery fish do not spawn at the same time as the natives so maybe there isn't that much interference after all? I wish I could tell you. I'm a fisherman, not a biologist though.
This issue can be a real hot-button for some folk. I find myself riding the fence on it many times due to how complictated it can get.
I'm cautiously optomistic about success of the broodstock programs. I'm also going to miss a lot of the fun I had in the past catching those fish we were used to seeing in December/January too.
I'm not trying to get anyone fired up about this either. I feel the same pain as many of the rest of you. I know it will take ME a little while to adjust to the changes but I can deal with it, my hands seem to get colder a lot easier these days anyway. :grin: That March weather can be pretty nice.....