Molalla River clean-up and a smallmouth bass fishing project coming soon.

Molalla River Watch, Native Fish Society combine efforts for event

Things may be getting a little “fishy” in the Molalla River Corridor come mid-July.

The 2025 Molalla Trash & Bass Cleanup event, courtesy of the combined efforts of the Native Fish Society and Molalla River Watch, will take place on Saturday, July 12, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This is a family friendly event on the Molalla River that offers anglers and the community a chance to care for the river area.

Attendees will spend a few hours removing trash along the banks while other efforts go towards removing harmful smallmouth bass from the waters of the Molalla River.

“The original Bass Bash event was designed with the primary goal to raise awareness about the impacts that smallmouth bass (and their insatiable appetites) can cause to juvenile salmon and steelhead in the Molalla,” noted MRW Executive Director Alex Worth. “Participants in the Bass Bash set out to catch as many bass as possible to remove them from the river, and then enjoy a fish fry at the end of the day. While the event has always had good intentions, it definitely rubbed some folks the wrong way, particularly anglers who love fishing for bass in the Molalla.

“We’ve got some new goals in mind with the new combined bass fishing and cleanup event. We’re looking to make the event more about learning and stewardship – we’re adding in opportunities for folks to learn about how smallmouth bass fit into the food web, and to learn about fishing approaches and techniques,” Worth added.  “We included a trash cleanup to bring more folks to the event who might not otherwise attend. We’re always looking to add more cleanup events to our yearly schedule, and since it’s the weekend after Fourth of July, we will have no shortage of riverside garbage to pick up.”

Volunteers to collect trash and fish will gather at 12037 S. Macksburg Road near Canby.

After the cleaning and fishing are done, and some information on the issues of smallmouth bass in the rivers are presented, there will be a group fish fry, barbecue and raffle.

Registration is required for the event at https://nativefishsociety.org/events/save-the-date-molalla-trash-and-bass-cleanup.

A year ago, the Native Fish Society held a similar event along the Molalla River closer to Canby. The event proved to be a big success with anglers from all over the area lending a pole and line to the cause.

Now, both groups are looking to expand their works in the area – and have fun while doing it.

“Partnering with the Molalla River Watch (MRW) for the 2025 Trash & Bass Cleanup is an exciting addition to this year’s event. At the end of the day, recreation anglers picking off bass one by one will not have the desired biological impact we collectively desire, but, unfortunately, it’s the only tool in the shed – or at least the only one being recognized – right now. And in partnering with MRW, I’m proud that we’re taking a real step toward holistic, comprehensive and complimentary stewardship,” said the Native Fish Society’s Daniel Ritz. “The more folks realize that there are others like them, that care deeply for this watershed, even if it’s in a different way than they do, enables the compounding nature of community. It’s that expansion, and recognition of shared interests in issues that affect native fish and the communities that engage with them, that will move us all towards a real solution. I’m proud of this partnership and I think we’ve taken a step towards something real: A united and connected community around healthy rivers and the native fish that call them home. ”

Smallmouth bass are a non-native species that are moving further up into the Molalla River and threatening efforts to restore the spring Chinook population in the river. They are voracious predators and have been identified as a major threat to outmigrating Chinook and steelhead smolts.