Recreation Report

ODFW Weekly Recreation Report

Includes updates to fishing, hunting, crabbing, clamming, and wildlife viewing.

September 17, 2026

View the 2026 Big Game Hunting Forecast, a great source for local hunting information, provided directly from staff in the field.

Western Oregon fee pheasant hunts offered at four Wildlife Area locations for additional hunting opportunity – Find season dates in September and October.

Best bets for weekend fishing:

• Fall salmon season on coastal rivers is underway and there is more opportunity to catch wild Chinook and coho this year.
• Tuna is still a popular catch off the Oregon coast.
• Fish for trout or change up to warmwater game species. See specific zone reports for best bets.

Northwest:

• Nehalem Bay has fall Chinook in the bay and tidewater. Fishing slowed a little over the past week for Chinook but there are still multiple fish being caught daily. The Bag limit is one wild adult Chinook per day and five for the season (July 1 to Nov 30) as part of the overall daily bag limit. A few hatchery coho have been caught in the bay as well.
• Wild coho fisheries are open in Nehalem, Tillamook, and Nestucca Bays, the season runs until Oct 28 (Open Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays only). As part of your 2-adult salmon/steelhead per day, only 1 can be a wild adult coho. No more than 3 wild adult coho per season in any one basin (Nehalem, Tillamook, and Nestucca). No more than 5 wild adult coho salmon may be harvested per year in the Northwest and Southwest Zones. See the regulation updates online at Fall coastal salmon management for more details. The first weekend of this fishery was fairly good in Nehalem, a little slow in Tillamook, and quite slow on the Nestucca. The lower portions of the bays are fishing the best at this time.
• Tillamook Bay had a noticeable uptick in fall Chinook fishing the past week with a fair number being caught. The Bag limit is one wild adult Chinook per day and five for the season (July 1 to Nov 30) as part of the overall daily bag limit. See the regulation updates online at Fall coastal salmon management for more details.
• Nestucca Bay is producing some fall Chinook as well. It's slowed a little, but fish are still being caught. The Bag limit is one wild adult Chinook per day and only 2 for the season (July 1 to Nov 30) as part of the overall daily bag limit. See the regulation updates online at Fall coastal salmon management for more details.
• Cape Meares Lake and Town Lake were stocked with trophy trout the first week of the month and Cape Meares got some extra fish left over from a family fishing event. Coffenbury Lake, Lost Lake, and Sunset Lake are getting stocked with trophy trout this week. These are 2-3 pound trout that are fun to catch!
• Warm water fisheries for bass and sunfish starts to slow down this time of year as water temperatures begin to drop and the fish get less active, but there will still be some opportunity through the end of the month and even into early October. Cape Meares Lake, Coffenbury Lake, Cullaby Lake, and Vernonia pond all have decent populations of warm water species available to catch. Lake Lytle has a good largemouth bass population, but it is very weedy. The bass populations in Cape Meares and Coffenbury are healthy with decent numbers and size of fish. The population is down in Town Lake.
• There are still summer steelhead in the Nestucca and Wilson Rivers. While many anglers switch over to salmon fishing this time of year; September and October can be a great time to target summer steelhead in the upper Wilson and Nestucca as the cooler water temperatures will get these fish that have been holding for some time more active.
• Summer steelhead fishing on the Siletz River has been slow, but last week's rain should get some fish moving again. Multiple batches of summer steelhead were recycled to the lower river for additional angler opportunity in May and June. Recycled steelhead have a colored tag at the base of the dorsal fin. Anglers are asked to please report tagged steelhead caught in the Siletz River to caleb.w.yann@odfw.oregon.gov with the date, tag color, and general location where fish were caught to monitor recapture and harvest rates in the basin. Additional summer steelhead were also recycled to Olalla Reservoir to provide angler opportunities.
• The Siuslaw, Alsea, and Siletz rivers are producing a decent number of fall Chinook. Fall Chinook catch in the Yaquina River and Salmon River has been fair.
• Wild coho fisheries will open Sept 19 in the Siletz, Yaquina and Siuslaw rivers. As part of your 2-adult salmon/steelhead per day, only 1 can be a wild adult coho. No more than 3 wild coho may be kept per season in any one basin. No more than 5 wild adult coho salmon may be harvested per year in the Northwest and Southwest Zone. Harvest of 1 wild coho jack per day is allowed in areas open for wild adult coho harvest. There is no season limit for wild coho jacks. For more details visit Fall Coastal Salmon Management.
• Sea-run and resident cutthroat can be found in many Mid Coast streams currently open to angling. Anglers are reminded to be aware of daily bag limits, bait restrictions and additional angling closures.
• Warmwater fisheries can be a great option this time of year. Siltcoos and Tahkenitch lakes can be great places to target largemouth bass, yellow perch, and bluegill. Largemouth bass are doing well at both locations.
• Siletz River HWY 229 remains closed at approximately milepost 14 due to a large land slide covering the road.

Southwest:

• Cooler weather has improved trout fishing conditions at most lakes and reservoirs.
• Some of the more popular spots to fish for red-tailed surfperch are along beaches like Horsefall Beach and Whiskey Run. Anglers have the best success fishing with sand shrimp weighted gear on the bottom although power grubs can also work.
• Try warmwater fishing for bass at Ben Irving, Howard Prairie and Hyatt Reservoirs.
• Fish Lake has been freshly stocked with trophy trout.
• Hemlock and Lake of the Woods are accessible, and people are catching good numbers of trout.

Willamette:

• Last week's rain gave several valley waterways a cooling refresh to kickstart fall fishing.
• Two-rod validation has been extended through Dec. 31 upstream of Willamette Falls.
• Try warmwater fishing for smallmouth bass and yellow perch near underwater structures and drop-offs in Foster Reservoir.
• Fishing for walleye and smallmouth bass on the Willamette River between Salem and Corvallis can be very fun and exciting.

Columbia River:

• Columbia River fall salmon seasons continue, remember regulations can change throughout the season so always check the regulation updates page for details.
• Walleye fishing was good in The Dalles and John Day Pools last week. See the fishing regulation update page for summer fishing opportunities.

Central:

• Anglers report good fishing for recently stocked trout in North and South Twin Lakes.
• Anglers can still fish for trout throughout the lower Deschutes. Using a large stonefly nymph or a double nymph setup with an indicator typically does well during the summer months.
• Water clarity and overall conditions at Kingsley Reservoir are great for fishing, should still be good opportunity for trout this summer.
• The Upper Deschutes River above Benham Falls will close to angling on Oct. 1. Only a few weeks remain to fish the headwater reach for redband trout, brook trout, and mountain whitefish and the Wickiup Tailwater reach for brown and rainbow trout.
• Anglers report excellent fishing for recently stocked and holdover trout at Three Creek Lake.
• With cooler temperatures, anglers report improved rainbow trout fishing at Crane Prairie Reservoir.
• Anglers report good trout fishing and excellent kokanee fishing at Paulina Lake. Kokanee at Paulina Lake is amongst the largest in Central Oregon this year averaging 13-14 inches.
• Positive reports keep rolling in from East Lake with large numbers of rainbow trout in the 16-18-inch range, trophy brown trout over 24-inches, and kokanee 13-15-inches.
• The Metolius River is an excellent trout fishery in September and October.
• Fall River was recently replenished with stocked trout, and anglers report good nymphing opportunities near the hatchery and the headwaters. Fall River below the falls will close to angling on Oct. 1 to protect spawning trout.

Northeast:

• Morgan Lake has reopened with bass and trout.
• Fishing for trout will be best near shore especially on the South end of the lake near the inlet of the Wallowa River.
• Kokanee have started spawning in the Wallowa River above the lake. They can readily be seen throughout Wallowa Lake State Park and make for some great fall wildlife viewing. 
• Try Willow Creek Reservoir for trout, bass, and crappie.
• Penland Lake is producing limits of rainbow trout.
• Try warmwater fishing for bass in the lower Grand Ronde.

Snake:

• Bass and trout can be caught downstream of Hells Canyon Dam.
• Fall Chinook salmon reopened Aug. 18 on Snake River downstream of Hells Canyon Dam, harvest limits have been adjusted due to low return numbers. See the regulation updates page for more information.

Southeast:

• Fourmile, Lake of the Woods and Miller Lake will all be stocked with 12–14-inch rainbow trout this week.
• Catch and Release for Redband Rainbow Trout with no bait is required through Oct. 31 on all of Upper Klamath Lake including but not limited to Pelican Bay, Crystal Creek, Recreation Creek, Harriman Creek, Odessa Creek, Short Creek, Fourmile Creek, Thomason Creek, Fourmile Canal, Barkley Springs Channel below highway 97 and mouth of Williamson River.
• Yellow perch angling should be excellent in the Williamson River, Crystal Creek, Pelican Bay and Fourmile Canal.
• Willow Valley Reservoir is good for largemouth bass, yellow perch and some large crappie.
• The Wood River below Weed Road is fishing well for Brown Trout.
• Crappie fishing in Owhyee Reservoir has been good.
• Perch fishing at Dog Lake continues to be good.

Marine:

• There have been some changes to ocean salmon regulations so be sure to check for updates. See the ocean salmon regulations in either a time and area graphic view or as a map.
• All ports are seeing soft, recently molted, male crab. While these are legal to keep, it is worth noting that they will not be as full of meat or the meat may not be as high quality.

Refer to the zone reports for more details and possibilities.

Hunter Education: 

Hunter safety conventional courses and field days have limited availability as hunt seasons begin -- events are dependent on range and instructor availability. Students may need to travel further for a spot.

Youth can register for the Mentored Youth Hunter Program free of charge online, find more youth hunting opportunities here.

Make time to sight in at one of these range events before your hunt.

Are you planning to hunt in another state this year? Request your Replacement Hunter Safety Card.