Northeast Zone

NE Fishing

December 4, 2025

Best bets for weekend fishing

• Trout and whitefish fishing should be good throughout the fall on the Wallowa River.
• Steelhead fishing has been good on the Grande Ronde and Imnaha Rivers
• Steelhead fishing is good on the Umatilla River.
• Trout can still be found on Willow Creek Reservoir.

Trout stocking

Regular stocking will resume in March 2026.

Check out the 2025 stocking schedule.

Trout stocking maps

Check out the ODFW fishing and trout stocking maps to find nearby fishing locations, driving directions and descriptions of amenities.

Announcements

If your favorite fishing spot is no longer listed

It's probably because that river, lake or reservoir is closed for the season, inaccessible due to snow and bad roads, or offers limited fishing opportunities during the winter months. These waterbodies will re-appear in the Recreation Report when they re-open next spring, or when access and/or opportunity improves.

Sign up for the latest information on boater access

Marine Board's Opportunities and Access Report incorporates information from federal and state agencies, local facility operators and fellow boaters to provide up-to-date information so boaters can decide where to recreate and what to expect this season. Subscribe to receive email updates.

Updates by waterbody

ALDRICH PONDS (Roosevelt and Stewart Lakes): Trout (2 fish limit)

Fishing for large holdover trout in the fall can be excellent in both ponds. Aquatic weed growth can be an issue and limits fishing to smaller sections of the ponds. The Phillip Schneider Wildlife Area will close from February 1 through April 14,2026 during the annual winter range closure.

GRANDE RONDE RIVER: Trout, whitefish, steelhead, coho salmon

Fishing for steelhead has been good lately. Now through December (when colder temperatures settle in) is likely to be some of the best steelhead fishing on the Grande Ronde. A few Coho salmon are being caught also. Swinging flies and drifting nymphs has been effective for fly anglers, and jigs drifted under bobbers works well for anglers using spinning rods or bait casters. Last updated 11/3/25.

Links to the following river gauges:

Grande Ronde River Below Clear Creek, Near Starkey

Grande Ronde River, Near Perry

Grande Ronde River at Troy

HAT ROCK POND: Trout

Hat Rock Pond was stocked with rainbow trout during the week of May 28. Anglers should find success using PowerBait, worms or spinners, and focus their efforts in the mornings or evenings. Last updated 12/1/25.

IMNAHA RIVER: Trout, whitefish, steelhead

Fishing for trout and whitefish can be good throughout the year in the Imnaha. Both can be caught using a variety of methods.

Steelhead fishing has been good in the lower portion of the river. Anglers can find fish throughout the lower river using a variety of techniques including casting spinners, drifting jigs, and drifting bait. Last updated 11/3/25.

JOHN DAY RIVER: Bass, trout

Steelhead are moving into the river, and November is a good time of year for fishing. Conditions may be tough with rain predicted all week, but once river visibility clears, this will be a great time to target steelhead.

Note that the John Day Arm will remain closed for salmon and steelhead fishing from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31. The John Day Arm is defined as the section from the Mainline railroad bridge at the mouth of the Columbia to the falls. The Tumwater falls section is closed year-round for steelhead and salmon fishing and is delineated by the ¼ mile marker below the falls to 200 feet above the falls.

JUBILEE LAKE: Rainbow trout

Jubilee Lake was stocked with rainbow trout on July 1 and fishing is good. Road access is closed for the season but anglers who walk in can find success. Last updated 12/1/25.

MAGONE LAKE: Rainbow and brook trout

Magone lake has been stocked for the year. Fishing is often good in the fall.

McNARY PONDS: Walleye, bass and trout.

The McNary ponds were stocked with rainbow trout the week of May 28. Trout will likely be most active in the morning and late evening hours. Bass fishing can also be good during the summer months. Last updated 12/1/25

McKAY RESERVOIR: Bass, perch, rainbow trout

Fishing on McKay Reservoir closed September 30 and will reopen March 1. Last updated 12/1/25.

MORGAN LAKE: Rainbow trout and bass

Morgan Lake closed for the season on Nov 1 and will remain closed until next spring. Last updated 11/3/25.

UMATILLA RIVER: Fall Chinook, coho, summer steelhead, trout, bass, walleye

Steelhead fishing has been good on the Umatilla River. Anglers can expect to find fish throughout the river, although the best action will likely continue to occur below Three Mile Falls Dam. Fishing near Pendleton should pick up when water levels rise.

There is now a new regulation in place with a hook gap size that may not exceed 3/8 inch in the section of the Umatilla River above the CTUIR reservation. This new regulation is to protect bull trout and decrease the chance of hooking mortality. As a reminder, if you catch a bull trout, recognized by its white spots, please keep it in the water and release it as quickly as possible. Targeting bull trout is NOT allowed in the Umatilla River. Last updated 12/1/25.

WALLOWA COUNTY PONDS: Rainbow trout

Stocked trout are available at local ponds including Marr Pond. Maintenance is being done on the dam for Kinney Lake which will prevent stocking fish this fall. Few fish will be available there after the maintenance has been completed until it can be re-stocked in the spring of 2026. Last updated 10/21/25.

WALLOWA LAKE: Rainbow trout, kokanee, lake trout

Although winter is not the most popular time for kokanee fishing, fish are still available for hardy anglers. During the colder months, kokanee anglers will probably do best jigging.

Rainbow trout can be caught throughout the winter especially near the south end of the lake. Casting and retrieving nymphs or spinners can be effective. Lake Trout are spawning now which should bring some larger fish into shallow water. Last updated 10/21/25.

WALLOWA RIVER: Whitefish, trout

Trout and whitefish can be caught on a variety of baits, lures, and flies. Casting flies like wooly buggers and nymphs to pockets of slower moving water near shore can be good ways to catch fish on the Wallowa River.

Although the Wallowa River is open for steelhead fishing, few steelhead will likely be available until later this winter. Last updated 10/21/25.

WILLOW CREEK RESERVOIR: Trout, crappie, bass

The reservoir's water temperature has cooled down but there are still fish to be caught. Anglers have been catching trout from the shore near the boat launch. As a reminder, there is a 25 fish limit for crappie on Willow Creek Reservoir.

Last spring, district staff installed 10 artificial habitat structures. These structures were put in place to provide fish habitat when the reservoir is drawn down. Additionally, on June 3, district staff sampled Willow Creek Reservoir. Our catch was composed of primarily brown bullhead, bluegill, crappie, and smallmouth bass. The bluegill that we collected had an average length of 6 inches and a max length of 9 inches. The crappie that we collected had an average length of 7.5 inches and a max length of 10 inches. The smallmouth bass that we collected had an average length of 9 inches and a max length of 15.5 inches. Last updated 12/1/25.