Small Stream Salmon Fishing Clackamas River Info Page

Clackamas River Coho

The upper Clackamas River takes shape as a typical trout stream high in the Oregon Cascades

Spring chinook enter the river in good numbers starting in April. The springer's return to the state hatchery at McIver park. A small run of unclipped wild fish is allowed to pass into the upper river to spawn on their own. Spring chinook numbers are up and down and can range from 5000 to 15,000 fish. A large run of coho salmon enters the river in late August heading for the national hatchery on Eagle creek. With the first few fall rains the fish will move fast and can reach the hatchery within a week if enough water for movement is available. Some years the coho run can number over 15,000 fish with excellent fishing for bright fish. Some native natural spawning coho also present in the river during the fall run and into the winter. Summer steelhead begin to show in the river in March. Created from Skamania stock in 1970 these fish are not native to the river and are raised to return to the hatchery's and to a collection site located at North Fork dam. Some of the collected fish are now released into Faraday lake. The summer steelhead run is generally under 2500 fish. Winter steelhead are found in the river in good numbers from Dec through April with the bulk of the later run consisting of unclipped native fish. The majority of the hatchery winter steelhead will turn into Eagle creek and move swiftly with the rains to the national hatchery. Some hatchery fish are planted and will stray above the mouth of Eagle creek and are fishable until they get to North Fork dam where they are recycled back to the lower river. The total winter run can number between 5000 to 10,000 fish. Trout fishing in the upper basin and tributary's can be good all season with small rainbow and cutthroat present. Currently there is no retention of trout in the upper river nor is the use of bait allowed. Hatchery trout are planted in all of the upper basin lakes where bait and retention are allowed. Mountain Whitefish also call the upper clackamas home. Whitefish up to 20" are present but are not often fished for. Remnants of fall chinook and sea run cutthroat runs may also be present in the lower river and tributary's but are mostly incidental catch. There are also a limited number of brown and brook trout in some of the lakes within the system.

FISHABLE TRIBUTARIES & LAKES
(CH/Chinook SS/Silver ST/Steelhead KOK/Kokanee RT/Rainbow BR/Brown Trout CT/Cutthroat Trout BT/Brook Trout)

Timothy Meadows Res. - RT, KOK, BT, BR
Eagle Creek - CH, SS, ST - winter
Roaring River - RT, CT
Collowash River - RT, CT
Faraday Lake RT, ST - recycled from collection at NF. Dam
Oak Grove Fork - CT, BT
Estacada Lake - RT - planted
Harriet Lake - RT, BT
North Fork Res. - RT - planted

FLY FISHING: Steelhead, coho, chinook, and trout are all caught by fly fishers in the Clackamas river. Eagle creek is the primary fly fishing tributary for winter steelhead. Fly fishing for summer steelhead and spring chinook is mostly in the main river after the water drops in late spring. Dark colored patterns work well for coho and steelhead in the low water season with brighter more flashy patterns fished deep in the winter months. An 8 or 9 weight fly rod will cover most situations here and long casts may be mandatory on this large river so bring a qaulity fly line. The upper river trout fishery is as typical as it gets with most common patterns such as wooly worms or buggers, bead head nymphs, hoppers, and variations of elk hair caddis all working fine throughout the season. The first warm weekend of the trout season brings a great flying ant hatch at most of the lakes in the system but trolling a woolly worm on a sinking line from a float tube is always a good choice if nothing else is hatching. Olive or black & red wooly worms fished on a 5 or 6 weight system will do the trick. You can increase your catch by twitching the fly line creating action that will entice the trout into biting. The lakes are open all year but can be snowbound in the winter and not be accessible until April or May.

General run timing

Jan

Feb

March

April

May

June

July

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Spring Chinook

Coho Salmon

Summer Steelhead

Winter Steelhead

Trout

Indicates Peak Time

Photo of Clackamas river fish hatchery at Dog creek, Estacada Oregon

CONSERVATION CONTRIBUTIONS : The clackamas river has been through many changes and currently has 2 fish hatchies to suppliment the rivers fish runs. Eagle Creek fish hatchery currently produces winter steelhead and coho salmon that can return in great numbers some years. Another hatchery located within Milo McIver park, the Clackamas hatchery releases spring chinook, summer steelhead and also contributes to the rivers winter brood stock program. In recent years acclimation areas have been created in spots along the Clackamas river. It is hope that by acclimating the fish in these lower river locations they will not swim directly to the hatchery after entering the river. This should create better opportunities for anglers.

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I know a lot of great guides in the northwest Oregon area that can take you on a great fishing trip you will not forget. I will not recommend a guide unless I have personally fished with them. Some of the guides I refer to have made films with me and the list is growing with each new year. It is my goal to pair you up with many years of experience on the river of your choice so your day of fishing is memorable and successful, for this there is no charge!

Matthew Clark Small Stream Salmon Fishing

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Editors Notes On The Clackamas River

The first time I saw the Clackamas river was in the spring about 18 years ago when a person I met in town suggested my father and I try fishing River Mill dam in Estacada for spring chinook. When we arrived I was not surprised to see the crowds of anglers but was amazed to see crowds of salmon rolling in the pool below the dam. A rainy spring day with fish boiling in the river! We did managed to catch a spring chinook with the help of a local angler whom gave us some tips. Days of that sort were much more common in those days. Many years later I became very good at fishing bobber and egg systems of 3oz or better on a long heavy rod used for line control and hook setting power. For a spell and with this knowledge I had very good seasons in the lower river area and at Milo McIver state park on the opposite side from were I had first seen this most excellent spring salmon river. In the 90's I and a few friends also spent a great deal of time chasing summer run steelhead high in the mountains above Estacada. That was a special experience with high numbers of late steelhead caught on night crawlers throughout the Clackamas and Collowash basins. Some of those fish would swim 7 or 8 feet across a tailout and even up to the surface to grab those big brown wigglers, especially in November and December. As long as I can remember the river has had an on and off again run of coho salmon that is known for lockjaw syndrome unless they are on the move. Some years then and still showed us great numbers of fish but never lasting for more then a 2 week period in the Fall.
Now many of these runs are either gone or are in a struggle with forces mother nature can not control. As with any river that is loved by so many, it is recommended that anglers continue to encourage their friends to join any of the local or larger angling conservation groups trying to return the life force to this river and many others. I would like to see the springer's again some day like I saw them for the first time many years ago. This is not the whole story but I remember thinking back then that the salmon would always be there. How could they not be, there is so many!

Matthew Clark
Editor of Small Stream Salmon Fishing
01/01/08