Which kinds of game fish require clean water conditions to live in? (fishing, Oregon)

[Punchy71]

I'm surprised that there's no fishing forum.
Anyway, I'm new to fishing and had a question to ask about it.
Which kinds of fish in the U.S.A. require the cleanest water conditions to live as a habitat? (even spring ground water or mountain spring water conditions, and similar such conditions etc.)
Thank you

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by Punchy71

I'm surprised that there's no fishing forum.
Anyway, I'm new to fishing and had a question to ask about it.
Which kinds of fish in the U.S.A. require the cleanest water conditions to live as a habitat? (even spring ground water or mountain spring water conditions, and similar such conditions etc.)
Thank you

Kind of a hard question to answer simply and I'm no expert. When you say "clean" that can have a lot of meanings. All sorts of ways to pollute water to the point different species can't survive. You can remove the oxygen, overheat it, contaminate it with organic effluent and nonnative microorganisms, algal blooms, with heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, etc) and industrial chemicals. Are you hoping to fish for species that have the lowest levels of industrial contamination so YOU don't have to worry about getting that contamination when you eat them?

I think you'll have better luck researching what species live in specific regions where you want to fish. Then research what specific water bodies are the better habitats for them and where those habitats are located. State fish and game agency websites may be good places to start.

Most freshwater fish are adapted to tolerate a specific range of pH, mineral, and organic content found in a local water habitat. That same water may not be considered "clean" biologically. Fish may do fine in tannin-rich surface water but you might not want to drink it. For many, its the level of dissolved oxygen and temperature that limits them, not cleanliness. Fish don't tend to tolerate chemically pure water because they'll lose out to osmotic transfer over time. What you think of as spring water may be very high in certain minerals...the minerals limit the fish even if the water is organically very clean. If the water is TOO clean game fish probably won't have enough prey to thrive...the invertebrates and small fish they prey on need decomposed organic matter (which can include algae) to survive.

[Hemlock140]

Trout like cold, clean water whether in lakes or streams. Other game fish such as bass, crappie and catfish like warmer water and can handle dirtier water.

[Willamette City]

Trout can live in relatively warm water, up to 70 F, and survive in very muddy water for a while, but that is not their preferred habitat. I live by a fairly large river in Oregon that is completely blown out right now due to 10" of rain in less then a week. The trout get out of the main current and ride out the storm. I think by late May/June there will be trout to catch.