Aaron Mercer Res:Important info

[brandon4455]

Hi all,i have some very important news regarding aaron mercer reservoir that you should all know,and pass on to friends who fish there as well. Starting this november 1st when access open to the reservoir, i would just like to note that the city has decided to ban all floatation devices on the reservoir.No boats,float tubes,pontoon,rafts,or anything. This decision was made (from what i was told) because people who refused to obey the no motors rule,and tearing up the boat ramp area as well.

The coho salmon that are in the watershed are in the middle of recovering thanks to enhancement programs,the last few years we have seen a great increase in salmon, and unfortunately this has resulted in people attempting to poach these fish, and plenty of accidental catches because coho being coho are aggressive.The vast majority of folks don't know the watershed is closed to fishing and retention of these salmon. it has really become a problem in recent year so please if you see anyone targeting these fish,either attempt to enlighten them, or call OSP if they keep poaching. Another problem is juvenile coho that stay in the res for a year or so and become "kokanee like" in appearance are being mistaken for trout and are being kept as part of a 5 fish trout limit.

that along with a vandalism and littering problem has become a real issue.
Access to this place is in danger of being shut down


in an attempt to educate and hopefully curtail the illegal activity; polk soil and water conservation & myself will have a booth set up this opening weekend,nov 1 st-2nd 7am-12pm at the res, with informational pamphlets,regulations that are important to know and more that you should know if you frequent the area; plus valuable tips & tricks for fishing the reservoir.
stop by and say hi! and please take care of this place so we don't lose it for good.If anyone has any questions or is interested in volunteering please let me know.



thanks,





-Brandon

 

[hydropsyche]

Thanks for posting this I just did a little research on the web I saw a picture with a limit of "trout" only one could could i identify as a cutthroat the other four sure looked like young coho. On the post he mentioned the quaility of the hard fleshed "trout". I knew that coho liked a few eastern coast range drainages but rickreal creek I wasn't aware of. Its also of interest that these supposedly non native fish are being protected there. I wonder if we will ever see 30k go over the Willamette falls again. I find these anomaly fish very interesting and don't understand some of the thought process involved in fisheries management. Are there spring Chinook that spawn there as well?

 

[brandon4455]

they are remnants of an old hatchery program but idk if there were any actual native coho before that, there is a lot to debate about the history of salmon above willy falls some say there were native coho others say no,but to me these fish are just flat out survivors no matter the genetics,and their numbers have rebounded so much the past 2 years its incredible . Personally i have never seen adult springers but juvenile chinook do use the creek for rearing,in recent years a lot less fluvial cutthroat and juvenile nooks though because lower water levels and increasing water temps every year it seems.There are also very critically endangered upper willy winter steelhead that enter the creek and im hoping eventually access and permits are granted to handle those fish so they can be shipped up to the better habitat just like the salmon. The original reason a fish trap and haul program was haulted for the slamon was there were fears that the non native coho would compete with the esa listed steelhead but they are in the river at different times of year so they started the trap @ haul in 2009. Ive been following this stuff since it happened but just recently getting involved in actually helping hands on.


currently some enhancement projects in habitat above the res where fish are trucked to have really helped the cohos and cutthroat hoping more can be done in the next few years, the downward spiral for this watershed is still going but has slowed significantly should turn around in the next few years if everything goes right,

 

[troutdude]

Brandon, you are da man. Thank you, for caring about such a special place. I'm also VERY glad, to have a heads up about floatation devices. I was planning--for the first time, in many years--of getting out my float tube. So, you saved me the trouble of driving up there--and then, not being able to put in.

:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

P.S. I may buzz up there, and say hello.

P.P.S. I tried to post some rep for you; but the site won't let me. :sad:

 

[brandon4455]

You bet jay. i'm really sad to see the boats go as it virtually eliminates fly fishing from the lake and cuts angling opportunities in half for everyone, but there will always be stupid people that ruin it for us all. Hopefully they will change it back if things show improvement eventually. If the rain doesn't muddy the water up we should have decent bank fishing this year. i hope to see you this weekend!

 

[hydropsyche]

Thanks again I feel the same way about the survivors of past stocking they should be protected after all the damage we have caused. If we can't get the natives back but can help a self sustaining run of not so native salmon replace what has been lost I'm all for it as long as it doesn't replace existing stocks but like you said different spawning times should be taken into effect. If there is anything the Willy tribs need its more winter steel I would think that spawning salmon of any type can and will greatly improve instream food supplies for all animals.
I would try and be there but I gotta tag out my last wild coastal ho hopefully on the swung fly.

 

[No_Bad_Skunks]

Thanks so much for posting this, Brandon. I was, in fact, thinking of hitting Aaron Mercer tomorrow. Now I know that if I do, I should leave my inflatable behind. ( Dunno if I'll go now though; I don't mind fishing from the bank, but given the limited shoreline access on A.M., it's going to be combat fishing on the first day. )
As for identifying the Coho, here's good rule of thumb I learned from fishing on Riffe Lake, up in WA: If you catch a fish and it's shedding scales, it's a Coho

 

[troutdude]

Dunno if I'll go now though; I don't mind fishing from the bank, but given the limited shoreline access on A.M., it's going to be combat fishing on the first day.

You got that right buddy. There's only room for about a dozen peeps; where fishing is any good. There are a few other spots; but I've never caught any in those places--and have not seen anyone else catch any either. Without floatation devices--fishing access is VERY limited. With all of that in mind; it will indeed be a non-demilitarized combat zone this weekend (and probably every weekend in November)!

 

[DrTheopolis]

I wonder if we will ever see 30k go over the Willamette falls again.

"Again"? Counting adault coho (not jacks), there's never been 30K over the Falls. The runs of the last few years are the largest ever, which have oddly occurred several years after hatchery plants ended.

That tells me the people involved -- conservation groups, ODFW, and people like Brandon, are doing something right.

 

[brandon4455]

No problem! i'm really sorry you have the leave the raft at home i too and really bummed about it,but i just don't want nyone bringing a boat and having to tell them they can't use it... cause a lot of people have been coming from way out of town these days and a long trip with a boat you can't use would suck.


and about i.d on the cohos, these fish really don't shed scales from my experience,i have had a few shed one or two scales at best while in a net. Forked tail , no spots below the lateral line,large eye kinda like a kokanee,they look VERY similar to kokanee. For someone who fishes a lot it is easy to tell the difference but for people to don't fish the reservoir a lot or fish a lot at all for that matter have a really hard time with it.
Especially because both fish are very silver in appearance. I have caught several cutthroat with minimal spotting that would make a lot of people scratch their heads.

 

[hydropsyche]

"Again"? Counting adault coho (not jacks), there's never been 30K over the Falls. The runs of the last few years are the largest ever, which have oddly occurred several years after hatchery plants ended.

That tells me the people involved -- conservation groups, ODFW, and people like Brandon, are doing something right.

Yeah I wasn't thinking about jacks but that's a good point. I was living back in the mid valley in 2009 and 10 when there was coho showing up in large numbers where they had never been seen before. I hooked up with one coho on the yamhill where there were coho rolling everywhere. Then proceeded to catch multiple smallies on a spinner. That was a very interesting experience.

 

[troutdude]

I couldn't make it after all. How was it up there today?

 

[brandon4455]

embarrassingly enough, halloween shenanigans last night had us all on the mend for the day today..

we will be out there tomorrow though.

 

[troutdude]

LOL That's as honest a reply; as I've ever gotten!