Part of Oregon coast reopens to razor clamming

Razor clamming is now open from the north jetty of Coos Bay to Cape Arago. The rest of the coast remains closed.

Hood River opens to Chinook fishing May 1

The mainstem and West Fork will be open for retention of hatchery Chinook.

ODFW offices close to public access

All  ODFW offices remain closed to visitors. ODFW staff will be available by phone and email.

ODFW hatcheries closed to public, visitors

All state-owned fish hatcheries remain closed to public access and visitors. Trout stocking in lakes and ponds continues for now.

Silver Creek Falls

Recreation Report

April 22, 2021

ODFW email addresses to change

Beginning April 23, ___@ODFW.Oregon.gov will replace ___@state.or.us

For existing ODFW email addresses, all information before the "@" will remain the same. But the name will be followed by @ODFW.Oregon.gov. 

Sign up for big game hunting course

Attend online or in-person

This 2-hour course gives adult hunters a broad overview of big game hunting in Oregon – including what you can hunt for and where to hunt. Find more details and register.

Have you applied for your big game tag?

Less than a month to go before the deadline

The deadline to apply for a big game tag is May 15, and that’s a Saturday this year. This means ODFW staff will not be available to help or answer questions on the last day to apply. All the more reason to apply early.

Best bets for weekend fishing

This weekend, anglers in Oregon can choose from bass, crappie, steelhead, salmon, surfperch and trout. Oh, and yellow perch and striped bass. But the most popular fish this time of year may be trout.

  • Several popular trout fisheries open April 22, including Crane Prairie Reservoir, Laurance Lake, Odell Lake and Wickiup Reservoir in the Central Zone. And the Sprague, Upper Williamson and Wood rivers near Klamath Falls.
  • Thousands of rainbow trout have been stocked in dozens of waterbodies throughout several fishing zones and the fishing has been very good.
  • Fishing for holdover trout, those that were stocked last year and survived the winter, can be excellent early in the season. Especially right after ice-off. Look for larger lakes and reservoirs that were regularly stocked last year.
  • Look for native trout fishing in rivers like the Blitzen, Chewaucan, Crooked, Deschutes, Fall, Klamath, Metolius, Sprague, Wallowa, Upper Williamson and Wood, to pick up as warmer weather makes fish more active.

Tips for kokanee fishing

Kokanee fishing starts to pick up in April in several popular fisheries. If you’ve been wanting to try kokanee fishing, or could us a few pointers, check out Kokanee fishing in Oregon for some tips.

Turkey season continues

Have you bagged your bird?

The spring turkey season opened last week, and hunting should get even better as the season progresses. The 2021 spring turkey hunting forecast will give you a glimpse of the upcoming season. Also check out the new 2020 turkey harvest by unit maps to help decide where to hunt this season.

Reserve a turkey hunting spot

No cost reservation program connects hunters and landowners

This program, now in its second year, brings hunters and landowners together to provide quality hunting experiences. Find more information about this program. 

New interagency map shows wildfire impacts on recreation

Hunters, anglers and wildlife viewers will be living with the impacts of the 2020 wildfire season for a long time. To help you navigate the status of popular recreation sites, natural resource management agencies in Oregon have released an interagency status map that shows open, closed and reduced service areas on a single map, regardless of reason for closure.