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Wednesday, May 27, 2015
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has enacted a new fishing regulation on the South Santiam River around Waterloo Falls to thwart illegal fishing practices that harm endangered chinook and steelhead.
Waterloo Falls is a natural feature on the South Santiam adjacent to Waterloo County Park about six miles southeast of Lebanon. Fish can become crowded at the falls as they migrate upstream to their spawning grounds, making them especially susceptible to “snagging” and “flossing” – two fishing techniques that are illegal under Oregon sport fishing regulations.
Oregon State Police have issued numerous citations for snagging at this location in the past and takes multiple snagging complaints from the general public every year, according to Elise Kelley, ODFW district fish biologist.
The new rule on the South Santiam is patterned after similar regulations on other Oregon rivers where illegal snagging has been a problem. It imposes gear restrictions – namely, limiting anglers to the use of fly and bobber fishing gear – that not only makes these illegal and unsportsmanlike fishing techniques more difficult but also easier for law enforcement to detect.
The gear restriction is effective from 200 feet above Waterloo Falls downstream to the Waterloo Road Bridge, a distance of approximately 500 ft. In this area, bobber angling gear must include a bobber and a leader no longer than 36 inches in length. Any weight (except the bobber) may be no more than 36 inches from the lowermost hook when suspended vertically. The leader below the bobber must remain suspended in the water column and not resting on the river bottom.
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