Recreation Report

Youth turkey hunting clinics April 1

There will be clinics at the Denman and White River wildlife areas, and each will teach young hunters what they’ll need to know to go turkey hunting. Learn more and register.

Spring kokanee fishing

Kokanee fishing starts to heat up in April, so it’s not too soon to start thinking about where you’ll go fishing. And here are 9 kokanee fishing tips to help you land your limit.

Best bets for fishing

• Winter steelhead conditions are excellent in North Coast rivers, with the Nestucca and Wilson leading the way.
• Last week’s rain brought fresh winter steelhead into the Sandy and Clackamas rivers and Eagle Creek. Angler will find steelhead throughout the system and good fishing should continue as water levels allow.
• Anglers continue to report good kokanee and excellent bull trout fishing on Lake Billy Chinook.
• Winter steelhead fishing has picked up in the Hood River.
• Trout fishing continues to be good on the lower Deschutes from Maupin to Macks Canyon.
• It’s starting to be prime time for steelhead fishing on the Wallowa and Imnaha rivers.
• Still no reports of the first spring Chinook caught on the lower Rogue or mainstem Umpqua, but there have been a lot more anglers trying.
• Herring are spawning in Yaquina Bay and fishing has been variously described as “bonkers” and “the craziest I’ve ever seen.” Learn more about fishing for herring and anchovies.

Need more details? Check out the zone reports.

Spring bear opens April 1

It’s the first big game hunt of the season. If you’ve drawn a tag, here are some spring bear hunting tips to help you take home a bear.

And remember, if you do harvest a bear, you must check in at an ODFW office within 10 days of harvest.