Bashin' Bass: Anglers sought to help curtail invasive species in Molalla River

There’s an invasion occurring in the Molalla River and the Native Fish Society wants to do something about it – and get a little help from the fishing public.

The NFS will hold its inaugural Molalla Bass Bash on Saturday, June 22, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Canby Community Park on the Molalla River in Canby. The event invites anglers from all over to spend the day catching and removing invasive smallmouth bass from the Molalla River, a crucial stronghold for native salmon and steelhead in the Willamette Basin.

“Smallmouth bass are a non-native species that are moving further up into the Molalla River and threatening our (Native Fish Society, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Bureau of Land Management, and private timber land owners) efforts to restore the spring Chinook population in the river,” said Liz Perkins, northern Oregon coordinator for NFS. “Smallmouth are voracious predators and have been identified as a major threat to outmigrating Chinook and steelhead smolts. With this event, we hope to provide a fun day for seasoned and new anglers alike to get after some smallmouth, learn about some of the projects NFS and our partners are working on in the Molalla, and then eat the bass they've caught.”

Participants are welcome to fish with spinning or fly outfits, but do need to follow ODFW regulations and have a valid fishing license (kids under 12 don't need a license and can fish for free). The NFS will provide maps of good places to target smallmouth, and there will be some experienced anglers there to help those trying to fish for the first time. The event will also feature prizes.

“We hope participants will catch the bass bug and continue to fish for them through the summer,” Perkins noted. “We might not be able to eliminate them from the Molalla, but through heavy fishing pressure, we can reduce their population and potentially limit their size, which will reduce their ability to eat smolts.

To register for the Molalla Bass Bash, go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4EAFAC28A4F8C52-48849515-2024.

For more information about the event, email liz@nativefishsociety.org.