S.H.I.T.'ing in Oregon

[Bruce Berman]

I've lived in Arizona since 1982, but in 2002 I discovered steelheading in CA, and have spent 1 - 2 1/2 months fishing the CA steelhead season every year since. I still have a LOT to learn and only consider myself a steelheader-in-training (a S.H.I.T.), and since I'm just 5'6", I guess that makes me a Little S.H.I.T. Anyhow, I'm 57 and have GOT to get my butt out of AZ; I want to die closer to steelhead, when my time comes.
I've been dating a woman in the bay area for 2 years, and she MIGHT let me move in with her next November (after 3 divorces, I need to take things a bit slowly), but if she decides against that, I figure I might as well move to OR. So, in a few days, I'm heading up there to check out coastal cities with over 100K populations that might have room for one more photographer. I also will need to check out the steelhead rivers. So, I've got 3 weeks to work on this project. I figure to spend one day each looking over 3 cities and 2 1/2 weeks being a S.H.I.T.
You can probably see this coming...I need some advice as to rivers to fish. I'll be wading, so private property could be an issue. I have back issues of Northwest Fly Fishing to go through, but advice from guys in the know would be a real help. Feel free to PM me. Thanks, amigos.

[shawn kempkes]

bruce

theres nothing on the coast that has a population that big. Check out Eugene or Springfield
or North. A lib like you will feel right at home In Orygun.

[Bruce Berman]

Doesn't have to be EXACTLY on the coast. Hell, I'm now 16 hours from the nearest SH river. I'll be looking at Eugene, Salem and Portland. And, maybe I'm not such a liberal. Maybe you're just a redneck, Forks bait chucker in disguise? BTW, I ain't good at it, but I'm finally able to get a fly out there spey casting. I'll be practicing that, too.

[jbird]

Dont overlook the Rogue Valley. The combined cities of Medford, Ashland, Central Point, Eagle Point, etc... Combine to a healthy population. The Rogue is a great steelhead river and the Smith, Chetco, Umpqua, Coquille, Klamath are a day trip.

[Bruce Berman]

Actually, I'd ruled that area out. Too hot in the summer (I know, I live in AZ so what's that all about?, but I live at 4,600 feet). Maybe I'll take a look there again IF I don't like any of the mentioned areas. Thanks, JB.

[shawn kempkes]

Bruce


try to find this book.http://www.wildadvpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=31&zenid=1210ce703305a4e0477341f521335ea6

It is a great reference book.

[Darian]

Bruce,.... You might want to consider what north coast weather is really like, year 'round. Even at high altitudes, the weather in AZ is not like coastal weather every day. Foggy, windy, cool to cold and rainy (even in the summer). I know it's a cliche' but Samuel Clemmons once said that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco (paraphrasing).

It's one thing to visit during fishing season, quite another to live there full time. Were I you, I would consider Jbirds suggestion (Rogue Valley).... :D

[Ben J]

S.H.I.T. man, I say go for it... If you live for steelheading and she's a decent woman, do it! Who gives a S.H.I.T. ?

[Bruce Berman]

Hey Darian,
I've GOT to try it. If I don't, there will always be a "what if". Right now, all my fishing trips are big events. I can't get away for an afternoon or overnight trip, so they are few and far between. It really sucks! The closest trout streams of any value are a 7 hour drive. I'm so far south, I can see Mexico from my home.

[norcal tom]

Hey Bruce see your in Sierra Vista, Arizona spent some time there this summer for fire season you are a long ways from water alright . Well go for it

[royewest]

One word: Roseburg.

[Bruce Berman]

Yeah, but how would I support myself in such a small town? I'd have to eat my steelhead.

[jayclarkflyfishing]

Or sell yourself:) Check out Newport. A bit bigger town on the coast close to some steelhead rivers. I think youll like Eugene. Great city with a small town vibe. Check out Corvalis too.

Jay

[jbird]

Make sure you do your homework on Eugene. Its not for everyone.

...And as for Roseburg...I'd rather live in Wisconsin.

Check out the Burb cities of Salem too

[lynnwhite44]

Bruce, I have fished alot of Oregons Steelhead rivers and my favorite has to be the Deschutes. Look at some of the towns east of Portland. The Clackamas, the Sandy and the Willamette are a few of the other steelhead rivers with in easy drive. I have a friend who lives in Lebanon near salem and he loves it. He fishes the Santiam regularly. I know you said the coast but Bend isn't too bad either. I'd love to retire in Oregon but my wife won't leave the SF Bay Area.

[Langenbeck]

I went through this search process over ten years ago and choose Grants Pass. It was a wise choice and today would make the same decision today.

[STEELIES/26c3]

wow, major decisions you gotta make...

Always plan your lady friends AROUND YOUR FISHING I always say...

I like plan B ~;)

Anyway, check your PM's for what little advice I can offer.

I'm still a S. H. I. T. too... but given the trip I just had, I must be one LUCKY S.H.I.T. LOL.

The wisest of men stay forever teachable...

><)))>

[JasonB]

I grew up in Oregon, Eugene specifically, and used to do a lot of salmon and steelhead fishing there when I was a kid (non fly fishing). The plusses of Oregon I think you've already heard, so I wont go on and on about all that. The weather is really nice and mild in the summer, can be ok in the fall, and pretty much sucks the other 9 months. That's not such a big deal for a fishing nut though, the biggest challange is the job market. I would have said that Eugene has come a long way in that department since I left in the early 90's, but right now it's hard to say. There are a lot of well educated types that are looking for minimal paying jobs to be able to stay and live the lifestyle there.

It is still a very friendly, easy going atmosphere, and has a fair bit more in the way of "arts and entertainment" due to the college. Lots of great food and festivals and such, but not exactly the easiest place to find a good job. As a photographer, I think you'd love the area but I think you'd find some stiff competition from all the other photographers trying to make it there...

Further south does have much nicer weather, and the rivers around GP, Medford, Ashland, etc are beautiful. Not sure about economic opportunities there either though. I'd have to say that I'm with Jaybird about Roseburg, although it's much nicer now than when I lived up there, it's still a very depressed city that was hit really hard by the logging bust. Maybe things will continue to improve there in the coming decades, and the Umpqua rivers among others in the area are some of my favorites.

Do be aware that there are many, many people who've said exactly what you have and ended up leaving Oregon after a failed attempt at living the dream. Just to give fair warning...
JB

[rickhansen]

By all means - Portland.
I just moved back to Sacramento to help my wife look after her aging parents after living in Bend for the last 25 years. Didn't really want to leave, but having the kids grow up around grandpa and grandma before the inevitable seemed like the right thing.
The Portland area will offer the best employment opportunities; the city is home to half of the states population and the unemployment rate tends to be lower than the rest of the state. You can still lead a rual life style if desired - 30 minutes in any direction and you're in the sticks.
If you like steelheadin' in California, you will love the Pacific Northwest. From the Metroplex, you are within a couple of hours of the finest fishing in the lower 48. I'll give you a laundry list of places if you would like, but I'll keep the thread short for times sake. Another poster mentioned the Sandy and Clackamas, but going east on 84 is also Hood River, the Deschutes, and the John Day. To the south, you can attempt to subdue natives every month of the year on the North Umpqua near Steamboat or half pounders on the Rogue.
Head north and your in nirvana fishing the Kalama or an overnighter to the OP.
Of course, heading west just about every river, stream and creek will have steelhead as the come fresh from the salt looking for a place to do their thing.
Yup, if you can make a living, you will love Oregon - but for me - I've been married multiple times, too. If My wife wanted ME to live in the Bay Area, I'd just as soon put a bullet in my head and call it a day....

[bubzilla]

There are roughly 4 million people in Oregon. Roughly 70 percent of those people reside in six counties: Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Marion, Lane and Jackson--nearly one-quarter of all people in Oregon being in the first county in that list. Most persons in those counties live in close proximity to Interstate 5 in the cities of Portland, Salem, Eugene, and Medford respectively. As with everywhere else in the known universe, fishing improves in direct proportion to your distance from those places. The inverse is, as always, true of economic opportunities.

Independent wealth or a vow of poverty can result in amazing fishing opportunities in this state. The need to feed and clothe oneself, or worse yet dependents and the resulting requirement of living in a major population center, however, means that you will likely be accessing fisheries with substantial competition.

All things are relative, but keep in mind that particularly in the Northwest corner of the state, the fisheries see extreme pressure. The coastal fisheries are not generally year round fisheries, e.g., offering only fall salmon and winter steelhead fishing, and they are mostly free flowing which means the actual number of fishing days per year is quite limited.

There are remarkable anadromous fisheries in Oregon still; none of them have been referenced in this thread. They are literally off the beaten path. Certainly one can use a population center, that can provide employment and the other conveniences of civilization, as the home base for accessing these fisheries, but it’s important to realize that Central California is just as close to most of the best of them as Northwest Oregon.

For perspective, I have lived in Oregon for 39 years. I have fly fished 30 plus days for 21 of those years. For a six of those years I was fortunate enough to fish closer to 100 days a year. 75 percent of my fishing time is spent steelheading--that used to be closer to 100 percent of the time. I have lived in the Willamette and Rogue valleys and the Klamath Basin, and have easily fished 30 plus different rivers and streams in this state for steelhead including all of the fisheries with summer runs. That said, the last three years I have fished more days overall in Northern California than I have in Oregon. My Oregon fishing has been limited to winter steelhead fishing well away from any of the well-known fisheries and population centers of the state (approximately six hours away by car from my home and really not that much further from Sacramento) and trout fishing locally. The truth is you will be driving past as good or better fishing, both trout and summer steelhead, to come to Oregon.

I know you mentioned the warm weather in the Rogue Valley as being a detractor, but I would highly recommend you take a look at Redding, California. There is great trout fishing to the East and North, some of the last of the best summer and winter steelhead fishing to the North and West, and a good population with a decent economy. If I had to move back to the Willamette Valley for work, I would likely find a new hobby.

[Bruce Berman]

I'd like to thank all of the contributors to this thread for their thoughtful and informative input. It's funny how many different opinions are displayed here. The bottom line is that after 3 failed marriages, I think I've finally found a keeper...we'll see. The Bay Area IS NOT my first choice of places to live, but being wth her is. As mentioned, OR is (possibly) MY first choice of locales, but the gf wouldn't be happy there, and then neither would I. I'm in Gold Beach today, in a cheap motel researching the possibilities up here. Damn, it's cold outside! But, where I live, at 4,600 feet, it's often below freezing at night, but it's a dry cold :-) Anyhow, we'll see. Even if I live in the Bay Area, I'll be 9 hours or less from some damned good steelheading and trouting. Living so close to Mexico, most of us drive 9.5 miles to the San Juan River in New Mexico or to Southern Colorado when we want to get in some decent fishing. I'm accustomed to long drives. Let's just hope that gasoline prices fall!

[Digger]

you have too many requirements for what you're looking to do.
It's Oregon for _____ sake.
there's only a half dozen cites over 100k population.

[huntindog]

do you mean that you are not going to get rich enough to live happily ever after with your book and subsequet guest speaking appearances for the , "Jig Fishing for Steelhead" tour? Perhaps you can supplement it by teaching some photography classes at a local JC...good class title would be "How to photograph and post Facebook photo of every steelhead you catch." OK that might be too long for a class title but it could be in the course catalog.

BTW Bruce I still think Chico is a great choice but as I have said before you cannot live with me...

BT

[Bruce Berman]

Not at all, Digger. I've got 3 to visit and good input on this thread. I'm just looking for the best for my needs...and Hunting Dog...BITE ME dog!

[huntindog]

:D you know i am just jealous...it is not fair that a guy that lives in arizona is getting more steelheading in than me. :mrgreen:

[speyfool]

This is an old thread. But, I've just now found it.

Previously to living in the Portland area, I lived in the San Fran bay area. Here are the pluses and minuses of each place:

Portland area
==========
+ Less expensive to live
+ Year around steelheading within an hour (I fished the Clackamas and Sandy river both yesterday).
+ Actual steelhead, not half pounders.
+ Trees, lakes and rivers everywhere.
+ Did I say easy access to steelheading? I can be in the river fishing excellent water in 10 minutes. You could easily do the same and still be near Portland.
+ Better place to raise kids imo (if that is in your plans).
+ Can actually afford land.
+ Skiing/winter sports within an hour if you do that too.
+ Deschutes, Sandy, Klickitat, Clackamas, and about a bazillion other rivers within a couple of hours (North Umpqua just a bit further).


- I like rain. But if you don't, you will hate it during the winter.
- Gets colder
- People can't seem to drive around here.
- Generally get paid less for the same work you would do in San Fran



San Fran bay area
==============
+ Warmer, sunnier
+ More stuff to do if you like city life
+ fishing within a reasonable distance for trout or half pounders.
+ Skiing/winter sports within a few to 5 hours

- Driving up to the Trinity or Klamath for decent steelhead gets old. The American/feather isn't that far away. But the season is short.
- Expensive
- Half pounders
- Dry and brown in the summer
- crowded



I do miss California weather and just the general vibe. But the fishing doesn't compare. I convinced my wife to move up here. She was firmly planted in SF. Maybe you can do the same. Keep working on her!! :)


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