Leaving home, I had one goal—to take a nice, leisurely drive around Dorena Reservoir, that pretty little lakelet just south of Cottage Grove. Having taken that short journey many times, I had no specific purpose other than enjoyment unless I was working. I would usually be irrationally happy just to[Read More…]
Outdoors
The Angler’s Log: Biologist shares fish forecast for Willamette Valley region
Jeremy Romer is the assistant managing fish biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s southern Willamette district, and the Office is in Springfield. A graduate of Eastern Oregon University, Romer, pictured at left, went on to achieve his Master’s in fisheries biology at Oregon State University in[Read More…]
The Angler’s Log: Waterborne illnesses on the rise in warmer weather
It was early in the summer that I shared an alert from the Oregon Health Authority that “blue green algae” cyanotoxins were confirmed in a number of Oregon waterways. That advisory has since been lifted but it was widely reported that the contamination was the result of the unseasonably high[Read More…]
Commentary: Second Oregon outdoor rec near-death experience takeaways, tips
It was a couple of years ago that I wrote a column about my experience being injured while descending from Mt. Hood. The theme of that article was about the kindness of strangers in helping me off that iconic mountain. Well, as luck (the bad kind) would have it, I[Read More…]
Splash Safely
Water rescues on the rise The McKenzie and Willamette rivers are always bursting with activity in the summertime: fishermen along the banks or making their way in a boat, people floating down the river in all sorts of watercraft, children splashing in the shallows. But a fun day on the[Read More…]
ODFW: Low returns prompt McKenzie salmon closure
It was no surprise when last week the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shut down spring Chinook fishing on the McKenzie River for the remainder of the season. The number of returning hatchery salmon, as expected, had been pitifully low and meeting the production quotas for next year’s run[Read More…]
Historic McKenzie Landing reopens
After a delay in part due to the rough weather that swept across western Oregon this spring, the McKenzie River Trust, owners of several parcels of land along the banks of the McKenzie River, recently announced that its Finn Rock boat landing is again open to the public. In past[Read More…]
Get ready! Best steelhead run in years is heading our way
By the end of May 2022, approximately 14,000 spring Chinook had passed over the Willamette Falls at Oregon City, making their way to the hatcheries of their origin that are situated on several of the upper Willamette River tributaries. It turned out to be a fair run that eventually built[Read More…]
As chinook run slows, steelhead action strong
Memorial Day has always marked the beginning of the summer season. But it’s important not to overlook the significance of the Memorial Day observance and what it means to Americans. The day was set aside in the late 1800s, originally called “Declaration Day” to honor Civil War veterans. Then it[Read More…]
Talking trout, a slippery subject
As the most common fish species in Oregon, trout have historically thrived in the southern Willamette Valley and many other Oregon regions. Both cutthroat and rainbow trout are indigenous to Oregon and you will find native populations of both “cuts and bows” in every stream and river that drains all[Read More…]
