Gunga
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ive been fishing at commonwealth a few times havnt caught any trout but have absolutly gotten at least 2 dozen catfish out of it. my uncl has fished at commonwealth before and caught a 15lb carp there.
Bethany Pond and Commonwealth Lake
GungasUncle
Well-known member
My biggest carp out of Bethany was bigger than 15 lbs 
A lot bigger, actually. There's some god awful monsters in there - or there were. #6 Gami egg hook fished weightless, with sandwhich bread (which I like to buy from Albertson's just up the road, they've usually got good bread on clearance) pressed tightly around the hook into a pyramid/ball. I use a large corkie as my strike indicator. I usually use 4lb line and an ultra light spinning rod - though sometimes I'll put the same setup on my flyrod - THAT is a kick in he pants!
A lot bigger, actually. There's some god awful monsters in there - or there were. #6 Gami egg hook fished weightless, with sandwhich bread (which I like to buy from Albertson's just up the road, they've usually got good bread on clearance) pressed tightly around the hook into a pyramid/ball. I use a large corkie as my strike indicator. I usually use 4lb line and an ultra light spinning rod - though sometimes I'll put the same setup on my flyrod - THAT is a kick in he pants!
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Sgrunig90
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interested in this place - sounds like the best place for cats. If there are huge carp there are huge cats...
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Noahk
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Don't get too excited. It's a pretty tiny pond to drive up from Salem for. I would think there would be better options in your area.
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Sgrunig90
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Smaller the pond, easier to fish. Fish in a barrell? ^_^
I am mostly interested in the Cats. I've seen the pictures of this place, pretty muddy. Ideal place for Cats.
I am mostly interested in the Cats. I've seen the pictures of this place, pretty muddy. Ideal place for Cats.
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Moe
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THat cats there are bullheads. They grow up to 15 inches there, and there are a lot in the summer. Now the only ting to catch there would be carp....
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GerbilManBoa
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Moe said:
Yeah. Bullhead don't give much of a fight and they aren't good eating at all. I wouldn't try to catch them. There is St. Louis ponds near salem actually around Gervais. They have channel cats that can get pretty big.
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Sgrunig90
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Yeah. I've been to St. Louis in the past year. Late last summer. Wasn't sure which pond was which at the time. Wasn't sure which had Channels in them. Was an utter mess out there. Thinking of going Friday afternoon, hitting pond 6. One pole for trout, second for some early spring Channels...See how it goes.
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fishinmomma
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Last year my husband and I went to Bethany in the summer time. I had been using powerbait and a worm, casted my line and with in a couple mins there was either a carp or bass (couldn't get a good look at it) that had grabbed my line, I jerked up to snag it and started reeling then the line broke. I am going to go out again here soon when it stops raining so much and see if I can't snag him or one like him up!! GL!! Maybe we will see you out there, we will be the two with kids one in a stroller and the other chasing the ducks!
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Sgrunig90
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Hmm. Haven't really heard of a bass or carp hitting powerbait dough. But a worm is reasonable for both fish. If it hit your powerbait it probably was a Carp...but you never know. If it was green, good chances it could have been a bass, they hit anything green. Rumor has it.
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Drew9870
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Bass + Powerbait = ROFLMAO
I don't believe they stock brooders in Bethany, so your left with Carp, I've seen it happen, but the guy was fishing the Willamette and using corn on the same hook as the Powerbait.
I don't believe they stock brooders in Bethany, so your left with Carp, I've seen it happen, but the guy was fishing the Willamette and using corn on the same hook as the Powerbait.
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GerbilManBoa
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No, there are no brooders in bethany. Stocking wise they do stock the lake with lots of rainbows every year. There is crappie & bluegill in the lake as well. Though I've never heard any reports of people catching them there, nor have I seen anyone setup to fish them. Then again, I've never heard of any report of crappie & bluegill caught in commonweath and they are stocked there too.
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Drew9870
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ODFW does not stock warmwater fish, I know nothing about the subject of private ponds, but thats a totally different topic.
Yes, Bluegill, Crappie, Pumpkinseed, and Bass can be found in the majority of Oregons warmwater fisheries, even places you would never expect.
Yes, Bluegill, Crappie, Pumpkinseed, and Bass can be found in the majority of Oregons warmwater fisheries, even places you would never expect.
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beaverfan
Well-known member
Drew9870 said:
ODFW has been allowing some warmwater fishing club to stock Commonwealth periodically although I think it's been a while since they did stock it.
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Drew9870
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Crazy stuff, is it an education program of some sort? Or really just to keep them stocked? lol.
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GerbilManBoa
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Good info
GungasUncle
Well-known member
You are correct Beaverfan - the OBPC occasionally stocks Commonwealth with ODFW's permission. The goal was to increase warm water angling opportunities. The fish are there - though not in huge numbers, and frankly, I believe they hang out in the places least hospitable to attempting to angle on that body of water (in other words, on the side of the lake covered in the thick, thick brush). The lake is a semi-natural tank, basically. It's gradually sloping on all sides, mud and rock bottom. I've heard there's even a concrete slug on the bottom of the deepest part of the lake, but I don't know if this is true or not. Was told this by a land owner adjacent to the park.
I've had my best success with these fish - largemouth bass, bluegill, and crappie - near the outflow pipe by the dam - but the water level has to be right. The higher the pool the better. Same with carp fishing - I've had a lot better luck when they keep the lake full, than when they lower it a foot.
The few smallmouth bass I've caught there have normally come from the north end of the pond near the inflow "creek". The little lagoon off on the northwest corner has never been productive, despite looking fishier than all get out.
Commonwealth is one of those waters that honestly, I think ODFW would be waaaay better off stopping stocking with hotdog trout, and managing as an honest to god warm water fishery. The only caveat to that - they'd have to screen the outflow better somehow - as right now the warm water fish DO spill into that creek - I've caught every species from the pond in the creek that runs along side it - and that creek IS home to a small population of native cutthroat - and according to the THPRD biologist that helps manage the lake - does occasionally see a steelhead in that little ditch. I would think the cutties, at least, would migrate down stream in the summer, to search for cooler more oxygenated waters.
A good healthy mix of largemouth bass and panfish would be pretty much self sustaining on that pond - provided they set limits on the bass properly. They would have to stock it far, far less than they do now with the hotdog trout.
I've had my best success with these fish - largemouth bass, bluegill, and crappie - near the outflow pipe by the dam - but the water level has to be right. The higher the pool the better. Same with carp fishing - I've had a lot better luck when they keep the lake full, than when they lower it a foot.
The few smallmouth bass I've caught there have normally come from the north end of the pond near the inflow "creek". The little lagoon off on the northwest corner has never been productive, despite looking fishier than all get out.
Commonwealth is one of those waters that honestly, I think ODFW would be waaaay better off stopping stocking with hotdog trout, and managing as an honest to god warm water fishery. The only caveat to that - they'd have to screen the outflow better somehow - as right now the warm water fish DO spill into that creek - I've caught every species from the pond in the creek that runs along side it - and that creek IS home to a small population of native cutthroat - and according to the THPRD biologist that helps manage the lake - does occasionally see a steelhead in that little ditch. I would think the cutties, at least, would migrate down stream in the summer, to search for cooler more oxygenated waters.
A good healthy mix of largemouth bass and panfish would be pretty much self sustaining on that pond - provided they set limits on the bass properly. They would have to stock it far, far less than they do now with the hotdog trout.
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Drew9870
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That was kind of an ignorant comment on my part :redface:, ODFW does stock Channel Cats as well, and more places than you would expect.
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GerbilManBoa
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I agree with that. They should make it a warmwater fishery. As for Bethany, I think they should keep it the way it is, I've witnessed people catching 20 - 26" rainbows out of there! Lots of times! Keep the rainbows coming for bethany. As for Commonweath, make it a warmwater fishery!
GungasUncle
Well-known member
Drew9870 said:
It's an easy assumption - since it seems that 80% of the fish they stock are hotdog trout. I'm all for native species - but I sure wouldn't mind mixing trout varieties up a bit. Labrador strain brookies, browns, yellowstone cutts... anything other than the little pre-fab white meat just-add-water rainbows. Hell - most of the trout ODFW stocks don't make it to spawn, those that survive the seasonal gauntlet of powerbait, worms, and dodgers won't spawn successfully anyway - so why not stock Triploids instead of hotdogs? Stock bull trout in more lakes - or dolly varden...
as for the catfeesh - yep, ODFW stocks them. Channels tend to do better in colder water than a lot of other warm water fish - look at the channels over on the Snake, or the John Day
A channel cat that comes from cold, clean water is a joy to eat, and a joy to catch. And they're pretty easy to catch - at least the typical eating size fish that is. Not hard to switch from rainbow powerbait to blood bait, right? Similar threads
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