Good place to start out?

[FilthyUrbanite]

Hey everyone, been lurking the forum for a few months since I got back into fishing. I am mostly a warmwater fisherman and am slowly finding my way through everything. I recently decided to get my feet wet in some trout fishing however I have come up short everytime. I live in tigard and the last time I even saw a trout was a few months ago when I saw what looked to be either steelhead or coho jumping/rolling on the sandy river. What would you guys recommend for someone looking for a trout fishing spot 1-2 hours drive from tigard for a beginner, I'm not really looking for size but more for quantity, I want to be able to see what lures work and what dont and if my techniques are any good. I dont want to go to a trout farm and im not above stockies and I am willing to make the trip or hike. Thanks in advance and if you would prefer you can just give me a general area to point me in the right direction.

 

[jamisonace]

I'm not familiar with that area but I'm sure you'll get some good responses here. If I were up there looking for a good trout stream I would look at maps around Mt. Hood and take small spinners into the upper reaches of rivers in that area. I'm not sure what is open this time of year though. Check the regs before taking anyone's advice. Most rivers and streams around you have trout so sometimes it's more about being able to find access and read water than finding a stream with trout.

I'll bet @troutdude will pipe in with a suggestion to read his favorite book: "Complete Anger's Guide to Oregon" It's actually the most comprehensive guide to fishing in Oregon and I also highly suggest picking it up.

 

[bass]

One thing to be aware of is that streams in the Willamette zone are only open for trout fishing May 22 to October 31 unless they have special regulations. The Sandy is closed to trout fishing right now.

Lakes and ponds are open. Hagg lake is good possibility and would be my suggestion.

A smaller, less nice spot that is heavily stocked is Walter Wirth lake in Salem. There are a fair number Of homeless in that area which can be a turnoff for some.

 

[troutdude]

LOL one of my 3 favorite books @jamisonace; so good call! One of my other faves is "Fishing in Oregon", by Maddy Diness Sheehan (Complete Angler's Guide is a knock off--but is still a good "go to" book). And Maddy is a fellow Oregonian, whom I prefer to support. Get yourself the most up-to-date edition and buy direct here: http://fishinginoregon.net/

The other book--which is our "Bible" of spinner fishing is "Spinner Fishing for Steelhead, Salmon, and Trout" by Jed Davis. Spend your Fall and Winter reading this book at least twice, to absorb as much information as you can. Then you'll be ready to slay trout in the streams, when Spring rolls around. And try and find a 1st or 2nd edition in this case, if you can. Because those editions feature a glossy color plate page, with Jed's own spinner designs.

 

[troutdude]

P.S. As @bass mentioned, 99% of the streams are now closed for trout fishing. But if you review the "Exceptions to Willamette Zone Regulations" in the reg book (pages 44-49) you will see that the Breitenbush River, and Quartzille Creek are open year round. And you might find others. Otherwise it's a lake thing at this time of the year.

 

[FilthyUrbanite]

Thanks for all the great information. Figured I should definetely try to do some reading and learn a trick or 2.

 

[DOKF]

The most popular are listed on the ODFW site.

https://myodfw.com/articles/50-places-go-fishing-within-60-minutes-portland

 

[Raincatcher]

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewe....576782&z=11&mid=14ILz0jL_fWAIIFwaHnum5S66N7c

 

[cchinook]

Hey everyone, been lurking the forum for a few months since I got back into fishing. I am mostly a warmwater fisherman and am slowly finding my way through everything. I recently decided to get my feet wet in some trout fishing however I have come up short everytime. I live in tigard and the last time I even saw a trout was a few months ago when I saw what looked to be either steelhead or coho jumping/rolling on the sandy river. What would you guys recommend for someone looking for a trout fishing spot 1-2 hours drive from tigard for a beginner, I'm not really looking for size but more for quantity, I want to be able to see what lures work and what dont and if my techniques are any good. I dont want to go to a trout farm and im not above stockies and I am willing to make the trip or hike. Thanks in advance and if you would prefer you can just give me a general area to point me in the right direction.

Forget trout , no offense . If you P.M. me your phone I can tell you where to go , what to bring , and when
to be there . Steel , coho , and nooks .

 

[nikita_pdx]

Since you are looking for quantity, Don't forget trout. Deschutes in OR and Muddy in WA are a bit further, but Mollala is a good close spot, about an hour. Nymphs with small float for conventional gear, and dries/nymphs on the fly. Check regs, most rivers closed now, but Deschutes is open in a few places

 

[case.bolt]

I live in Beaverton, probably not too far from you. I'd recommend Hagg Lake, stick to the creek arms this time of year, or near the boar launches. I'd also recommend Lake Harriet or Timothy Lake out near Mt. Hood, but they're both a pain to get to right now due to road closures leftover from the fires (Timothy less so, even though it's farther away). Out towards the coast there's Loren's Pond near Tillamook which is pretty heavily populated with stockers. That's probably more like 1.5-2hrs away depending on traffic though. If you really don't want to travel, there's also Commonwealth Lake that's in Cedar Hills, probably only 20 or so minutes away for you. It's pretty small and can be real snaggy though, especially during warmer times of the year.

I've had the most success from the bank on Harriet and Loren's, they're both smaller and the trout just seem to school around. When the bite is on you can't hardly keep them off your hook. Hagg and Timothy are much larger lakes, so there's a bigger chance that they just aren't where you're fishing from. Those lakes you'll have better success trolling from a boat. Commonwealth seems more like a kid's pond, great for starting kids out with a basic bobber+trout magnet setup or some such, but it's just too snaggy to try other methods, you'll just be throwing hardware away.

I also heartily agree with troutdude's suggestion for Fishing in Oregon by Maddy Diness. Best resource I've found for Oregon fishing spots, at least until you make friends with some folks that are willing to show you their 'secret' spots, which i'm still working on as well

PM if you want to chat some more, I'm pretty new to the area, only been here about 1.5 years, so always looking for a new fishing buddy.