10.05.08 @ E.c.

Nice day!

Nice day!

Good job on finding such an awesome fishing hole. How was it eating such dark fish? Usually the meat is just mush...
 
Is eagle creek better or is dodge park better? I understand that the clack's coho run is earlier and shorter than the sandy's. What were you using?
 
I Think Personally The Run On The Clackamas Is Better, There Are Two Runs On The Clack. The First Run Of Fish Go To Eagle Creek In Early September through October. The Second Smaller Run Of Fish Comes through Very Late In October And Heads Into Fish Creek But They Are All Big Wild Fish And The Closing Retention Time Is October 31st. If You're Lucky Enough To Hook Into One You Will Be Happy. Eagle Creek Is To Crowded, Very Rarely Do You Ever Get A Spot To Your Self And Same Goes With The Upper Sandy. Personally I Don't Like Combat Fishing. By The Way I Used Eggs For That Fish
 
That is a nice fish! :clap:
 
How is the evening bite at EC? I've been thinking about heading up after 5pm but if it doen't turn back on I won't bother.
 
Brokenrod said:
Good job on finding such an awesome fishing hole. How was it eating such dark fish? Usually the meat is just mush...
Click to expand...


The bucks are a very nice bright, red-orange. They stay better for much longer than the hens. There won't be any super fresh fish in Eagle Creek. Look how long it takes them to get all the way up there. They cut excellent, and taste great. Some of the real dark stuff we will smoke, but the rest is perfectly fine to consume traditionally prepared.
 
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FISHYDOG - I have been out the last 3 days, and everyday I hook into roughly 7-8 fish...Minus the day the post is about...Lots o feesh there, but if your presentation is correct, you can actually catch a fair percentage of fish you see. Yesterday I had a buddy with me, and we saw a total of about 25 fish, I banked, and bonked 2 and gave a handoff to my buddy and he bonked one more. Next cast I hooked up to a naturally spawned pig, but turned him back to the gravel beds. I hooked into probably 30 percent of the fish we saw, got broke off, and had others roll and spit. So if you present the garbage to them just right and drift your presentation right in their faces, you will get them to hit it. If they turn away, and get spooked by your gear, it is too large...Downsize. On the outing after the post, Osmosis and I went out again, and pretty much hooked into another 12-15 fish between the two of us, only retained 5 between the two of us that time, but it was getting dark by the time we left...So yes the first and last light bites are the times when I like to try to target fish on E.C. Good luck DOG, and try to be adaptable. If you aren't piqueing the fish to get interested, try something else, until you find your honey lure, for the honey hole, although there are no "honey holes" on Eagle Creek, you just need to catch the pods as they are moving past you. The fish are most aggressive in faster moving riffles, and quick sections of chutes, or anywhere the water increases speed. The just don't bite much in pools, or slack drifts.
 
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Wow, so in response to all the PM's, you know who you are... Yes, the fish were dark on the outside, but that is how fish get when they travel that far to spawn. Compare the Sandy to Eagle Creek, and you will see how different the river mileage is from the mouth of the Columbia to the Hatcheries... The bucks meat stays red much longer than the hens, that is why the hens in the pictures are a lot brighter than the big 'ol bucks. And as far as lures/baits, it doesn't matter what I use, because I change it up on any given day, and I fish multiple presentations in a single day. You should find what works for you, and what you are comfortable with. If the eggs you choose to drift are not working, the cure is probably no good, but no fear, try little pieces, like as big as your pinky nail of apricot yarn, on a size 4 hook. Reduce your weight too for those of you snagging up, I almost never hit bottom strip drifting. The drift is too short, and I'm essentially sight fishing, and drifting my garbage right past their noses, trying to keep my split shot as far away from them as I can. And just for reference, the 18 pound fish had been sitting for hours, and it was 39ish inches in length, and you could have easily stuck a 10 year olds head into its mouth. No joke, that is how big a 20 pound fish is. It is hard to judge weight, by just looking at them, but a 20 pound fish is really large, like small human sized. That is just how Coho are. A 40 inch Chinook different story, like double the weight of a 40 inch Coho. And just so you know, no scale you get from a fishing supply store is certified, so they will put you within 5 pounds, but nowhere near accurate. I have seen some Bass scales that actually are mis scaled to seem like your fish are a bit bigger than they actually are. So I hope none are offended that I didn't respond personally, but I think I answered all of the quastions asked here. I just didn't want to write a bunch of PM's sorry guys. And yes, the fish were tagged on publically accessible property. No secret honey hole, just catching the herd on the move is my key to sucess. And I do not catch very many fish within a half a river mile above the combat zones, but below, even 100 feet, that is a different story.;)
 
:lol:
 
Got into some more fish today. Kept a hen and a dinky jack.
caught all of 'em on bait. Hot eggs. I released 4 other hatchery fish, plus one wild hen, all in 4 hours :)

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Word buddy. Which stick were you screwin around with today? It looks purtty buried! Why is it I can nail the garbage out of Chinook Jack, but yet to pick up a 'Ho version...I want more uber-feesh! MMMM. More eggs, and a nice bright(for E.C.) fish. Look at you!
 
It was one of my normal drift rods. an #8-12 8'6". That action shot was of a wild hen. Crazy fish for sure.
gotta love those jacks. they like to hug rocks but they do eat small baits presented smoothly. just fish low or shorten your leader to about 16".

Eggs, eggs and more eggs!


Speaking of eggs! Someone is catching and cutting hens for just their eggs and throwing them back in...
 
Where exactly is eagle creek? I saw a little dot that says eagle creek a little off the river, but there was no creek there... The only creek I see is the one that enters the river at bonnie lure, is that the creek?

Anyone want to share a good/easily accessable bank spot, or should I go on hikes and just cover small sections one by one? :think:
 
Eagle creek is a wader-only, type of operation if you are serious about getting away from the crowds of swing-setters. You can fish under the bridge at Bonnie Lure, or there are a couple dry spots up top near Eagle Fern, but you will need a big net, with a long handle to bank anything up there without getting in up to your knees. The creek that runs into the Clackamas, at Bonnie Lure, is Eagle Creek, and it runs up into the hills for about 20 miles. The hatchery is about a third of the way up, and the fish won't make it that far beyond the intake gates(before they turn on the electricity), due to longer, lower sections of creek.
 
is eagle creek hard to get to? i would really like to catch one of those coho or even a nice steelie
 
Eagle Creek has a lot of access, most up higher in the creek, although the most popular spot, is down low at Bonnie Lure State Park. Punch that into MapQuest or GoogleMaps, and you should be able to get there pretty easy. Your shot at a Silver is long gone though, as retention closes for em on Dec 1st I believe. But if yer into the Steel thing, you have plenty of time to get up there and get into some fish. Fishin's only gonna get better, at least for a few months. Good luck.
 
The 'Hos are long rotten, but I have managed to stack a couple early risers from the ceek already this Winter. Very accessible if you wade, and no not hard to locate at all. Figure out where you want to start, and let us know. At least a couple of us are Creek regulars, and can give you some help with directions, or advice if anything.
 
Eagle is a good creek for fishing at least in my mind it is. Like AA said just ask there are a few of us here that should be able to get you pointed in the right derection out there.
 
im from salem would love to go on a 35 40 degree day hopefully we can get on of those soon. what should i use for bait and rod size? i have steelhead rods and some drift fishing gear. but should i use shrimp instead. i am not much good at drift fishing as i have only fished out of a boat with lead and bait for chinook
 
Eggs, in extremely small baits, or the smallest coon shrimp you can manage to find. Sand dogs just don't work up there like they have on the Sandy. An 8'6" 6-12, fast action, medium light power drift fishing rod is pretty much the only way I'll fish it. Although I also use a 6'6" 6-14 spinning setup for sniping Steelhead up there. Don't bring gear rated much higher than about 14lb. You will loose the sensitivity needed to feel the gill flares. Let us know when you would like to head out, and I will bet you, at least myself, if not another member or two will be fishin. I am more than willing to show anyone how I target the Winters, and I am a bait fisherman, so be prepared to get stained with me. Shoot me a mssage, or just post up, and maybe another one of these member fishin parties can happen.
 
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