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Oregon Dept Of Fish & Wildlife To Host Angling Event At Commonwealth Pond

BEAVERTON, Ore. -(FishNLand.com)- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is hosting a free youth angling event Saturday, May 9 at Commonwealth Pond in Cedar Hills, Oregon near Beaverton.

ODFW will stock the pond with 2,000 legal size rainbow trout and 300 larger trout, ranging from one to three pounds. The department is also supplying rods and reels for the day in addition to bait, tackle and fish bags for use by young anglers who do not have their own fishing equipment. ODFW staff and volunteers will be on hand from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to answer questions and offer assistance to less experienced youth anglers. Packets of information, including Easy Angling Oregon booklets, will be available to participants. The event is free to the public.

“This is an excellent opportunity for families to come out and discover the benefits of fishing,” said Jeff Fulop, Salmon-Trout Enhancement Program biologist for ODFW’s North Willamette Watershed District. “Giving kids a chance to catch a rainbow trout at this event is a good way to get them started on a lifetime of enjoying the many outdoor opportunities that Oregon has to offer.”

Recruiting young anglers through events like the upcoming free fishing day at Commonwealth Pond has been identified as a top priority in ODFW’s new 25-Year Angling Enhancement Plan. The plan lays out strategies, actions and pilot projects that ODFW will take to enhance recreational fishing opportunities in Oregon over the next 25 years.

Under the 2009 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations, anglers aged 13 and under do not require a license, while those 14-17 must possess a Juvenile Angling License, which can be purchased from any ODFW vendor for $6.75. All fishing regulations continue to apply for this event.
To get to Commonwealth Pond from Sunset Highway (Highway 26) take Cedar Hills Blvd. Exit south 1/2 mile and turn right on Foothills Drive. Follow Foothills Drive to Commonwealth Park.

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Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife to hold Youth Angling event at Sunnyside Park

SALEM, Ore. -(FishNLand.com)- The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Northwest Steelheaders and Linn County Parks Department will host a free youth fishing event at Sunnyside Park Pond near Sweet Home on Saturday, May 9 from 8 a.m. to noon.

The event is part of ODFW’s Youth Angling Enhancement Program, designed to introduce young people to the fun of fishing. The department will provide rods, reels, tackle, bait and fish bags for use by young anglers who do not have their own fishing equipment.

In addition, ODFW staff and volunteers from the Albany Chapter Northwest Steelheaders and ODFW’s Angler Education Program will be on hand to help participants learn how to bait a hook, cast a rod and land the catch.

“While the focus is on the kids, we encourage parents or grandparents to spend the day with them and turn this into a family activity,” said Karen Hans, ODFW fish biologist.

Under Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations, anglers aged 13 and under are not required to have a license, while those 14-17 must have a juvenile license. All fishing regulations continue to apply for this event.

The pond is located in the Linn County Sunnyside Park at the head of Foster Reservoir. Take Highway 20 about 3 miles east of Sweet Home, then turn north onto Quartzville Road and travel one mile to the park.

For information about the event at Sunnyside Pond, call ODFW fish biologists Karen Hans at 541-757-4186. For a list of other YAEP events throughout the state go to www.dfw.state.or.us.

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Oregon DFW Announces Proposed 2009 Columbia River Summer, Fall Salmon

CLACKAMAS, Ore. -(FishNLand.com)- The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife today announced recommendations for 2009 summer and fall salmon seasons on the Columbia River and at Buoy 10.

Public discussion for Columbia River summer and fall salmon seasons took place in March and early April during a series of Pacific Fishery Management Council meetings. The proposed seasons must still be approved by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission at its May 15 meeting.

Based on preseason forecasts, anglers can expect excellent coho fishing and good opportunities for summer and fall chinook. Under the proposed regulations, anglers at the popular Buoy 10 fishery will be able to keep up to three hatchery coho salmon after September 1 based on the largest predicted coho return to the Columbia River since 2001. Managers also expect returns of summer and fall chinook to be better than the last few years. In addition, the predicted return of 184,000 sockeye salmon is large enough for managers to allow the retention of sockeye concurrent with summer steelhead fisheries.

Details for the summer and fall mainstem Columbia River recreational fisheries include:

Buoy 10 upstream to Tongue Point

* Steelhead and coho salmon: open to adipose fin-clipped steelhead and adipose fin-clipped adult coho (> 16 inches) August 1 to December 31
* Fall chinook: open to chinook (fin-clipped or not) August 1-31 with a combined daily bag limit of two adults, only one of which may be a chinook. During September 1 - December 31, retention of chinook is prohibited but the combined daily adult bag limit may include up to three adipose fin-clipped coho.

Tongue Point upstream to Bonneville Dam

* Summer chinook: open to adult chinook (fin-clipped or not) from June 22 – July 5. Open to jack chinook (fin-clipped or not) from June 16 – July 31. The combined daily bag limit is two adults and five jacks.
* Coho salmon: open to adipose fin-clipped adult coho (> 16 inches) August 1 to December 31
* Fall chinook: open to adult chinook and jacks (fin-clipped or not) during August 1 – September 13 from the Tongue/Rocky Point line upstream to a line projected from the Warrior Rock Lighthouse (OR) through red buoy #4 to a marker on the lower end of Bachelor Island (WA). From this line upstream to Bonneville Dam, retention of chinook adults and jacks is allowed August 1 – December 31. In open areas/periods, the combined daily bag limit is two adults (only one of which may be a chinook) and five jacks.

Mainstem Columbia River above Bonneville Dam

* Coho: open August 1 – December 31 (all coho retained downriver of Hood River Bridge must be adipose fin-clipped)
* Summer chinook: open to chinook adults (fin-clipped or not) July 1-31, and to chinook jacks (fin-clipped or not) June 16 – July 31
* Fall chinook: open to chinook (fin-clipped or not) August 1 – December 31
* Combined daily bag limit is two adults and five jacks.

Sockeye Salmon

* Tongue Point to Oregon/Washington border: open concurrent with steelhead season through July 31
* All sockeye are considered adults and are included in the adult portion of the daily bag limit.

As in all Columbia River salmon seasons, anglers should be aware that seasons are managed on harvest quotas or Endangered Species Act limits and therefore may be modified or closed on very short notice. Anglers are advised to keep up to date with the latest regulations by going to ODFW’s web site or by calling (503) 647-6000.

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