Recreation Report

ODFW Weekly Recreation Report

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

September 24, 2026

Tag sale deadline and sports pac tag pickup reminder for General Western Oregon deer, Fall black bear, and cougar -- October 2!

Gear up with this year's Big Game Hunting Forecast and get ahead of the game!

View the 2026-27 Game Bird Hunting Forecast, a great source for local hunting information, provided directly from staff in the field.

Don't miss the Western Oregon fee pheasant hunts offered at four Wildlife Area locations for additional hunting opportunity – Find season dates in September and October.

Watch for wildlife as you travel through Oregon this weekend, animals will be on the move before and after the full harvest moon this Saturday, September 26.

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.
• As waterways cool down, fishing for trout will begin to pick up. See specific zone reports for best bets.

Northwest:

• Fall salmon fishing is in full swing on Nehalem, Tillamook, and Nestucca bays. With the rivers still at summer low flows the vast majority of fish are in the bays and upper tidewaters. See the regulation updates online at Fall coastal salmon management for more details.
• Fall Chinook fishing has been fair to good in all basins. Wild Chinook bag limits are 1 per day and 5 for the season in Tillamook and Nehalem and 1 per day 2 for the season in the Nestucca basin.
• Coho fishing is picking up especially in Nehalem and Tillamook. Wild coho fisheries are open only on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays through Oct 28. 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.
• Cape Meares Lake, Town Lake, Coffenbury Lake, Lost Lake, and Sunset Lake were stocked with trophy trout in September and Cape Meares got some extra fish left over from a family fishing event. These are 2–3-pound trout that are fun to catch!
• Warm water fisheries for bass and sunfish start 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 go with weedless gear. The bass populations in Cape Meares and Coffenbury are healthy with decent numbers and size of fish.
• 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.
• Multiple batches of summer steelhead were recycled to the lower river in May and June for additional angler opportunity. 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 are open 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 and North 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 may show promise with freshly stocked trophy trout last week.
• Hemlock and Lake of the Woods are accessible, and people are catching good numbers of trout.

Willamette:

• There should be plenty of coho moving above Willamette Falls in coming days! Two-rod validation is extended through Dec 31 upstream of Willamette Falls.
• Try warmwater fishing for smallmouth bass, crappie and yellow perch in lakes and reservoirs.
• Fishing for trout, bass and walleye on the Willamette River between Salem and Corvallis can be very fun and rewarding.

Columbia River:

• More salmon fishing days were added this week. Regulations can change throughout the season so always check the regulation updates page for details.

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. This is the last week 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 fall trout at East and Paulina Lakes.
• The Metolius River is an excellent trout fishery through October with prominent mayfly, caddis, and stonefly hatches.
• 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.
• Updated changes to salmon and steelhead bag limits adjusted for Snake River starting Sept 23. See the regulation updates page for more information.

Southeast:

• 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.
• Lake County lakes should start producing larger rainbow trout with the decrease in temperatures.

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 or take an ODFW approved online course.