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

[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.