Local Fishing
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Brief Description
This area is established for students to post reviews, information, seasons and descriptions about local fishing in the Williamete Valley surrounding the OSU campus and the Oregon coast. There are ponds, lakes and rivers that offer a variety of fish. The ocean is only 50 miles to the west and there also lies a variety of fishing, crabbing or clamming activities.
Saltwater
Salmon/Steelhead
Corvallis is surrounded by some of the northwests best rivers for salmon and steelhead fishing. Click on a link below for river information.
Warm Water Fishing
There are many opportunities for basic fishing (pole, line, hook and maybe a bobber) relatively close to campus. You can get out for a relaxing day or just a few hours of fishing fun with minimal equipment and cost. Many of the local ponds are stocked by the state with keeper to trophy sized trout (see the stocking report at the bottom of the page).
Fly Fishing
There a many great places around Corvallis to go fly fishing. OSU even offers PAC classes on fly fishing, steelhead fishing, and fly tying! Whether you are an experieced fishermen or want to try it out for the first time, fly fishing is a great escape from everyday student life and wonderful opportunity to enjoy the beautiful rivers, lakes, and streams close to OSU.
What equipment and gear will I need?
Licence
The first thing you will need is a license. You can get these at most Fly Shops and sporting good stores. (see local fly shops below)
Rod
The second thing you will need is a rod. Rods can range anywhere from 6'-16 feet. However, most people prefer a 8 1/2 to 9 1/2 foot rod. Rods are also built on a scale from 1-12 to correspond with a certain weight of line, 12 being the heaviest. Depending on what you plan to fish for, you will need a different weight of rod. If you plan to fish for smaller species like trout, a 4-6 wt. rod will work well. If you are fishing for larger species like bass, steelhead, and light salmon; somewhere around a 10 wt. rod will best suit you. 11 and 12 weight rods will be most useful for larger salt water species such as tarpon.
Line
In most cases you will be using a floating line. This is effective for fishing dry flies, wet flies, and nymphs. However, if you plan on fishing lakes (i.e. E.E. Wilson), a slow sinking line usually works best.
There is also (WF) weight forward line and (DT) double tapered line. Both are good choices but they have their advantages. The benefits of a WF line include longer casting distance, increased wind resistances, and better control when casting heavy flies. The advantages of DT line include a delicate presentation of the fly, better roll cast, and you can use both tapered ends so you have a spare!
Flies
Depending on the time of year, what you are fishing for, and where you are fishing; the flies that will work best vary. Your best bet is to check the fly shop web sites listed below or go in and talk to someone that works at a fly shop. They will help you pick out a variety of flies that have been effective.
There are a few different general types of flies; dry, wet, and nymphs. For most people, the most exciting fly to catch a fish with is a dry fly because you can actually see the fish come up and take it. However, this is not always the best method. Sometimes fish will not be feeding on the surface. Day in and day out, the most effective method is typically nymphing. This method simulates nymphs rising to the surface to hatch and become flies.
Waders and Floating Devices
If you like wading then waders are in order for most of the year. The river water temperatures are quite chilly and the outside air temperatures for most of the year are cool. In the hot part of the summer you can get by without waders for a little while. You can also purchase or rent a float tube or a one man pontoon boat to drift the rivers (waders or wetsuit and life-jacket is highly recommended). Canoes and kayaks are available for rent from OSU http://www.recsports.org/orst.
Fly Fishing Reports
The flyfishing shop links below will have the most up to date information on current flyfishing reports for local rivers and streams.
Local Fly Shops
Here are some websites for the local flyfishing shops. Corvallis also has a K-mart and two Bi-marts that have a fair stock of fishing supplies. Albany has those stores and a GIJOES.
http://www.flycountry.com/ Salem
http://www.fishermans-corner.com/ Philomath
http://www.fishermanshack.net/ Monmouth (between Monmouth and Corvallis)
http://www.tworiversflyshop.net/ Albany
http://www.thecaddisfly.com/ Eugene
OSU PAC Fly Fishing Classes
Fly fishing I - PAC 178[1]
Fly fishing II - PAC 179[2]
Steelhead fishing - PAC 180[3]
Advanced fly tying - PAC 181[4]
Guide Services
The below listings are a sample of the many guide services offered in Oregon. These are listed due to their potential convenience (in Corvallis) or useful fishing tips. You should check the internet for updated information on other potential guides services.
http://www.nwfish.com/ "BITE ME GUIDE SERVICE" offers good advice on how to fish for a variety of fish in the area but can also offer their guide services if you would rather pay someone to take you out for a good fishing day.
http://gormanflyfishing.com/ Michael Gorman specializes in flyfishing and is based in Corvallis. Michael is also the instructor for the PACs listed above.
http://www.bwguide.com/ "BW GUIDE SERVICES" Butch Wicks lives in Corvallis with his family and offers services for the local rivers (and Montana if you want to get out of town).
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
Recreation Report [5]
This link will give you the most up to date information on ODFW related recreational fishing or hunting. To get the latest in fishing reports select "Williamette Zone".
Regulations, Seasons and Licenses [6]
Rules, regulations and seasons can be found online at the ODFW website. Just follow the brown and yellow banner in the middle of the page to the regulations page.
Trout Stocking Program [7]
You can also find useful information on the trout stocking program. Armed with this information, you can greatly increase your chances of catching some nice trout. When you view the stocking link our area is the south Williamette zone. The EE Wilson pond at Camp Adair (about 15 minutes north on 99W) is the closest.
