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Article
A quick guide to cleaning and storing the fish you catch.
November 17, 2025
Article
Bass are an increasingly popular game fish even in a state noted for its native salmon, steelhead and trout. Bass often thrive in the urban waters of places like the Willamette Valley where warmer temperatures limit trout fishing in the summer months. Whether you target them in the Columbia or Willamette rivers, a coastal lake or the neighborhood pond, throughout much of the year bass can offer a rewarding fishing opportunity relatively close to home.
October 27, 2025
Article
Minimal gear, aggressive fish and plenty of bank fishing opportunity – just three reasons to try coho fishing.
Article
Salmon, steelhead and smallmouth bass offer world-class fishing here year-round. Rainbow trout are stocked in the upper Rogue and in lakes nestled in settings as varied as fir forest and wind-swept dune. Big reservoirs provide fishing for trout and for thriving populations of largemouth bass, catfish, perch and crappie. Coastal bays serve as gateways to rich offshore reef fisheries, and miles of public beach welcome anglers to fish for surfperch against a backdrop of rugged capes.
Article
Wide open spaces, wild windy places, and extreme temperatures characterize Oregon’s largest, most remote fishing zone. Scarcity makes water especially precious here, providing welcome oases in an often rugged, but spectacular landscape. Rainbow trout are native to its streams, including the Williamson, Malheur and Chewaucan rivers. And stocked rainbow and brown trout grow to trophy size in many of its lakes and reservoirs.
Article
Abundant rainfall feeds the massive Willamette River watershed, tamed by a system of reservoirs stocked annually with hundreds of thousands of rainbow trout. Some of these reservoirs also grow trophy-size largemouth and smallmouth bass, and lots of bluegill, brown bullhead and crappies. Salmon and steelhead navigate the Willamette and its productive tributaries, many of which are also home to rainbow and cutthroat trout.
Article
A dozen great rivers pour out of the Coast Range Mountains into tidal bays that welcome runs of salmon and the sea-going rainbow trout called “steelhead.” Bays are the year-round home to marine perch, rockfish, crabs and clams, while other species come and go with the seasons and the tides. In the Northwest Zone a handful of ponds dot the forested slopes, and there are dozens of dune lakes— many stocked with plump rainbow trout, and some that grow their own largemouth bass, perch, crappie and brown bullhead.
Article
Known for its high desert climate, sage-covered canyons, glacial peaks and mountain lakes, this zone is defined by the reach of Oregon’s finest trout stream. The Deschutes River is no bigger than a creek when it passes close by South Twin Lake on its way toward Wickiup and Crane Prairie reservoirs. But it soon gains power enough to grow athletic rainbow trout. The considerably tamer Crooked River offers good practice if you’re just learning how to keep your footing in a slippery freestone stream.
Article
Hiking or camping plans getting in the way of fishing this weekend? Going to be busy kayaking or going to the beach? No need to choose between fishing and other fun – just take a rod with you.
Article
Begun in 2014, the Tag Team Program helps ODFW fish biologists better understand the effectiveness of stocking efforts. It’s also a chance for anglers to participate in fishery management and, perhaps, come away with up to $50.
Article
The granite peaks of Oregon’s Blue and Wallowa Mountains form the backdrop for many of this zone’s glacier-carved lakes and crystalline streams. Pack trains are a common sight on steep backcountry trails. Bull trout thrive in this zone’s cold, clear rivers, which also sustain rainbow trout and welcome returning runs of hatchery-reared steelhead. Warmwater fisheries are few, but the John Day River offers world-class fishing for smallmouth bass.
Article
Rockfish must be released when retention is prohibited or when an angler has reached the daily bag limit, but continues to fish for other species. However, releasing rockfish isn’t as simple as just dropping them back into the water. Some rockfish need help to get back down to deeper water to recover from a condition called barotrauma.
Article
Dedicated fly-anglers don’t stop fishing in the winter, instead they adjust their tactics to the colder conditions.
Press Release
CLACKAMAS, Ore.—Oregon and Washington fishery managers have finalized preseason planning for 2025 Columbia River summer and fall recreational salmon and steelhead fisheries. Forecasts for summer steelhead, sockeye, fall Chinook, and coho will allow opportunity for anglers to target these fish. The planned 2025 fall-season fisheries are primarily limited by the…
June 3, 2025
Article
We've asked our fish biologists throughout the state to pick their favorite family fishing locations. These spots are great for novice and experienced anglers alike.
Article
We asked some of the fisher folk at ODFW for their favorite gift-giving ideas. Here's what they said.
Article
Oregon salmon anglers in the summer and fall are like kids in a candy store. Treats abound regardless of which kind of salmon you want, or how you like to fish. Do you want to experience the epic Buoy 10 fishery? Perhaps you'd rather take your own boat onto a smaller, calmer estuary for a less intense experience. Or maybe you want to fish from the bank with a spinner. Whatever your taste in salmon fishing, Oregon has it this time of year. Find out the when, where, how many and other regulations by checking both the in-season regulation updates…
August 29, 2025
Press Release
SALEM, Ore.— The Commission set 2026 groundfish regulations during their meeting in Salem today. The daily catch limit for lingcod will increase from 2 to 3 fish next year, since lingcod populations are healthy and bycatch of yelloweye rockfish (a protected species) is still low. The daily limit for general…
December 12, 2025
Press Release
ODFW Marine Resources Program's Alex Copeland monitors scientific fish finders on board the research vessel. ODFW photo. NEWPORT, Ore. – Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Marine Fisheries Research team is conducting a nearly 10-week at-sea survey to better understand the population status of black, blue, and deacon rockfish—three species…
August 29, 2025
