Looking for some smallies / Happy Rock, O.C, West Linn

[Bassgrabber]

Howdy -
This is my 1st post :thumb:. Born and raised in P Town. Wife, daughter, and I moved to Spokane in 05'. I started hitting the Willamette several years ago and landed my 1st smallie at Meldrum Bar in 03'. Been hooked (more like obsessed ever since). So I build my own rods now and chase these suckers all over my neck of the woods. Enough about me.
We will be visiting next weekend and I'm hoping to get my nephew hooked up with his 1st bronzeback. We will be beating the bank at Clackamette park for a bit. Doing some research it appears there are a handful of other accessible spots close by.
Mary S. Young park - I think I read something about a bridge and an island?
Willamette park - West Linn - This intrigues me as the Tualatin confluence is here
We will likely only get to hit two spots. Which place should I choose? Do either have the same generous shore space as Clackamette? Any other suggestions? Back in the day I rarely saw anyone else fishing Clackamette for bass. Not at the crack of dawn anyways. I have a feeling things have changed. Is it pretty pressured and populated now? I wish I would have kept a journal when I lived down there, but if memory serves me correct late April through mid June was pretty good around rip rap, chunk rock, and adjacent sand flats. Have these fish started to move in preparing to spawn yet?
Also - Can someone give me a heads up on the regs? Are these areas open year round for bass?
I've been in Spokane for 10 years now and still can't break my PB of 5.13 I caught down there. Maybe it will be good luck for me! Got my lipless cranks, jerkbaits, tubes and Senkos. If I can't catch them on that I'l call it a day (or reach a little deeper into my bag ). Any advice/suggestions regarding area would be most appreciated. I had such good luck at Clackamette I never explored any further. Now I'm surrounded by lakes and reservoirs. I will say this. It was so nice having the Willamette and Columbia right in my back yard. Up here you need a boat to access most everything. My wife understood it was priority one. Marital compromise! Want to move to Spokane? Can I get a boat? Let's go!
Take it easy fellas and thanks in advance for your responses!

 

[bass]

I know that Mary S Young and Willamette park will have smallmouth around right now. The fish are either starting or ready to spawn. Both of these spots have some protected areas that are good spawning grounds and so bass are drawn to both of these areas. I am not familiar with the water around Clackamette, but with it being springer season that area is going to be very busy and crowded. The bridge over to Cedar Oak Island may or may not be there at Mary S. Young, I am not sure if they remove it for the winter. Regardless, it should not matter. There is a lot of good water upstream from the island. I would concentrate my efforts there.

The Willamette is open for bass year round so you are good to go.

Your lure selection sounds good. Last trip out my best producer was a baby brush hog (pumpkinseed) on a shaky head. I like the slow fall of that combo. Of course you can just wacky rig a senko and get an even slower fall.

Best of luck.

 

[EOBOY]

BassGabber:

This Weekend or next weekend? Anyway turned a guy on to rock Island a couple miles or so above the Falls. He said he did OK. Google earth it, there are ponds and an inlet I have fished for years. Fishwhisperer44 has fished Clackamette recently and said he caught a few. Good luck!

EOBOY

 

[NWDiscer]

BassGabber:

This Weekend or next weekend? Anyway turned a guy on to rock Island a couple miles or so above the Falls. He said he did OK. Google earth it, there are ponds and an inlet I have fished for years. Fishwhisperer44 has fished Clackamette recently and said he caught a few. Good luck!

EOBOY

I will suggest watching for poison oak on rock island I have been out there a few times and saw quite a bit, but was able to get around it.

 

[EOBOY]

NWDiscer for some reason I'm immune to poison oak, don't ask me why I have no idea. Over the years I've been with people and I wade right through the stuff and they freak out. I didn't even know what it was till a friend of mine followed me in to some one day and before he realized what he'd done he was already breaking out. I felt sorry for him but I had no problem so I was baffled. He was mad because he thought I did it on purpose. But like I said I didn't even know what it was. I've always thought the immunity was for my child hood. In Hermiston the Stinging Nettles were every where and I got stung often. I still avoid that like the plague!

EOBOY

 

[Bassgrabber]

Thanks guys! It will be next weekend. So if I go to Mary S Young and the bridge is not open, is there still a fair amount of accessible water around the park itself? If Clackamette is to busy I'll head elsewhere. Don't want to be shoulder to shoulder with folks.
Where is the Cedar Oak boat launch? Is this a good area? Also, my old stomping grounds are Oak Grove. I recall a boat launch at the end of Oak Grove Blvd., but it was so long ago I can't remember if there is any shore area to either side of it. We use to party out on Elk Rock Island in high school. Has anyone checked if you can get there recently? Not sure I want to even try. I've seen some crazies out there for sure. At this point Clackamette and Mary are on my radar.
One last thing - I read about a pull off just before you hit Canby. Cross some railroad tracks and hit the water. What are your thoughts on this area? It's been years since I fished Hagg lake. Can smallies be caught from the shore, or is a boat needed to get to the good spots? Oh, and I'm not immune to poison oak, so I'm thinking that option is a no go

 

[Bassgrabber]

I Google Earthed these areas. Looks like Mary Young is what I'm looking for, nice area. Between the park and river appears to be a lot of thick trees. Are there trails? How far of a walk is it from the park to the water? Any special permits needed to park here or at Clackamette park? I'll make sure to post some pics should we find any fish.

 

[NWDiscer]

The pull off before Canby is Rock island. There definitely are areas to access without P.O. also if you now what it looks like you can avoid it.

 

[NWDiscer]

NWDiscer for some reason I'm immune to poison oak, don't ask me why I have no idea. Over the years I've been with people and I wade right through the stuff and they freak out. I didn't even know what it was till a friend of mine followed me in to some one day and before he realized what he'd done he was already breaking out. I felt sorry for him but I had no problem so I was baffled. He was mad because he thought I did it on purpose. But like I said I didn't even know what it was. I've always thought the immunity was for my child hood. In Hermiston the Stinging Nettles were every where and I got stung often. I still avoid that like the plague!

EOBOY

Im lucky like that also for the most part only got it 1 time and thats was from a mowed branch that whacked my knee....did know what it was because I wasn't mowing, I came through the area right after....dohh although I dont wade through it lol

As for nettles I hit 1 going to the mouth of the Mo 2 weeks ago, my lower leg was still stinging 2 days later.

 

[bass]

I Google Earthed these areas. Looks like Mary Young is what I'm looking for, nice area. Between the park and river appears to be a lot of thick trees. Are there trails? How far of a walk is it from the park to the water? Any special permits needed to park here or at Clackamette park? I'll make sure to post some pics should we find any fish.

There is a paved trail from the parking lot down to the river. Then there are well worn trails along the river. It is easy to get to the water and fish.

 

[Bassgrabber]

Well I got my fix in. Back home now. My nephew got his 1st river smallie too! Spent the morning at Clackamette park fishing off the point from 0515 to about 0700. Quite a few fish but nothing big. Everything was 10-16 inches. Threw rattle traps the entire time. It got real busy. Honestly, I can't believe the amount of sea worthy boats fishing 10 feet from each other trying to catch a half dead salmon. I bet very few of those boats have ever been in the salt. Seems crazy to me, but different strokes for different folks I guess. The bite just stopped when a seal showed up. Smart guy was cruising the area looking for an easy meal. I didn't see anyone hook up, and we were totally startled when it surfaced not 15 feet from the point.
So we headed to Rivervilla park to check it out. Pretty nice little area. Lot's of debris in the water. We fished the entire shore starting at the bridge and working are way down to the backyards of the two large houses at the edge of the park. Nice little cove with lot's of chunk rock and less debris. We caught a handful more of little smallies in that area fishing jerkbaits, but we had to work for them - long pauses in between twitches. I think it's a little early yet but we still had a good time. We tossed some tubes around a bit but my nephew was having more fun fishing the hard baits.

 

[Lonnie]

Sounds like you had a great time. I'm heading there next week. What color/pattern were the rattle traps?

 

[Bassgrabber]

Chrome / Shad patterns. He was using Rapala rattlin raps cause he kept hanging them in the rocks, I was throwing Spro Aruku Shads and Yo Zuri 3DB vibes. I guess since I don't live there any longer I can drop a little advice. Anything with a bright orange belly seems to drive those Willamette smallies nuts.

 

[bass]

Glad to hear you had a good trip! I am a big fan of orange belly crankbaits in the Willamette. My best producing crankbait is a hot lips express in the crayfish/orange belly coloration.