Where to Fish in the Hood River area - Clackamas River

Species:  Winter Steelhead, Summer Steelhead, Coho Salmon
Seasons: 

Winter Steelhead:  November-April. 
Summer Steelhead:  May-June, October. 
Coho Salmon:  September-October.

Location:  Southwest Side of Mt Hood, near Estacada, OR

Links:  McIver Park, Barton Park

The Clackamas is the most popular fishing river in the Portland Metro area.  Winter steelhead are the most targeted fish in the system, but summer steelhead runs have been good enough in years past to make it worth some effort.  Coho salmon are present and many locals will boast that the Clack is the best place to find them in the area. 

There is plenty of walk-in access on the Clack.  There are tons of little pullouts with trails to the river between houses.  Several large parks offer some good access as well.  McIver Park is located just below Estacada Dam, which is as far upstream as you can fish for steelhead. This park has tons of great access, more than other parks like Barton and Carver.  I would personally start at Milo McIver State Park.

From what we have heard, the summer steelhead hatchery program has been terminated on the Clackamas.  I cannot find any confirmation of this online however.  From what we have heard, the state cut the program because of a lack of angling pressure.  There are plenty of steelhead around in May and June, but so many anglers focus their attention on the Deschutes for the spring stonefly hatch that the Clack is pretty much empty when the summer steelhead arrive.  We cannot confirm any of it, our sources are fishing guides, and we all know how they ALWAYS tell the truth ;)

Winter steelhead will come into the system any time from November through April when it rains hard enough to raise the river level even a small amount.   Beyond that, finding a steelhead in any river when it is low and clear is a difficult task, and the Clack stays pretty darn clear and gets pretty darn low in between rains. 

This river has a reputation.  There is a reputation that you will find a lot of shady characters on the Clackamas.  The reputation is not lost on us.  I pulled into a popular fishing spot a few winters ago to find that the 4 cars in the parking lot all had broken windows and were missing anything of value.  This is I guess what happens when you fish in a relatively urban setting.  Homeless camps are commonly found along the river banks, and I have found hypodermic needles, knives (not fishing knives), crack pipes, and one of those "slim jim" tools that criminals use to break into cars among piles of garbage.  It can be a little disheartening, but once you are on the water, your worries just fade away...

I usually only fish the Clackamas when I am in Portland in the winter for some other reason, and the river is up.  Maybe we will float it every few years just to go somewhere different.  I like this river because the quality of the fishing runs that you can get to easily on foot, not too far from a major road.  For us, we have to drive past several really nice rivers in order to fish the Clack, so logistically it doesn't make a ton of sense most of the time for anglers that live in Hood River.  Beyond it's reputation and urban setting, it can be a nice, peaceful place to spend some time chasing steelhead.