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Trout fishing opportunities abound in this zone, known for its high desert climate, sage-covered canyons, glacial peaks and mountain lakes. Anglers will find year-round trout fishing in the Deschutes, Metolius, Fall and Crooked rivers, while several central Oregon lakes and reservoirs are renowned for their trout and kokanee fishing – and their beauty. The Hood and lower Deschutes – both tributaries of the Columbia River – offer high desert fishing for Chinook salmon and summer steelhead.
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. Bull trout thrive in this zone’s cold, clear rivers, which also sustain whitefish and rainbow trout, and welcome returning runs of hatchery-reared steelhead. Chinook salmon travel over 300 miles up the Columbia to spawn in rivers such as the Imnaha and Wallowa. Warmwater fisheries are few, but the John Day River offers world-class fishing for smallmouth bass.
A dozen great rivers pour out of the Coast Range Mountains into tidal bays that welcome runs of salmon and steelhead. Bays are the year-round home to marine perch, rock fish, crabs and clams, while other species come and go with the seasons and tides. A handful of ponds dot the forested slopes, and there are dozens of dune lakes— many stocked with rainbow trout, and some harboring largemouth bass, perch, crappie and brown bullhead.
Wide open spaces, wild windy places, and extreme temperatures characterize Oregon’s largest, most remote fishing zone. Redband trout are native to its rivers and streams, including the Williamson, Malheur and Chewaucan. Brown and hatchery rainbow trout can grow to trophy-size in many of its lakes and reservoirs, many of which also feature crappie, yellow perch and bass.
There is year-round salmon, steelhead, trout and smallmouth bass in the Southwest Zone. Rainbow trout are stocked in the upper Rogue River and in lakes nestled among fir forests and wind-swept dunes. 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 allow anglers to fish for surfperch against a backdrop of rugged capes.
Abundant rainfall feeds the massive Willamette River watershed, tamed by a system of reservoirs that are stocked annually with hundreds of thousands of rainbow trout. Some of these reservoirs also grow trophy-size largemouth and smallmouth bass, as well as bluegill, brown bullhead and crappies. Smaller lakes and ponds nearer the valley floor provide springtime trout fishing close to home. Salmon and steelhead navigate the Willamette River and its tributaries, many of which are also home to rainbow and cutthroat trout.
Upper and Lower Bennett Dams are located southeast of the town of Stayton on the North Santiam River. Upper Bennett Dam is on the south side of Stayton Island and Lower Bennett Dam is on the north side.
Sept. 25, 2024 If there's not a photo, it didn't happen Submit your fishing photo to ODFW and we might use it here or elsewhere on MyODFW.com. Best bets for weekend fishing: Anglers are catching coho in the Clackamas and Sandy rivers. Coho are currently pouring into the river from the Columbia and many of them are staging near the mouths of their spawning tributaries, like the Yamhill, Mollala, Rickreall and the Luckiamute. Over 4,000 summer steelhead have passed over Leaburg Dam, so there's a good chance to hook a steelhead upstream of Leaburg Dam on the McKenzie. Several locations
Sept. 25, 2024 If there’s not a photo, it didn’t happen Submit your fishing photo to ODFW and we might use it here or elsewhere on MyODFW.com. Best bets for weekend fishing Fall Chinook and coho fishing is picking up in Nestucca, Tillamook and Nehalem bays. Fishing was good at times this past week. Check the regulation updates for the most recent bag limits, open areas, and seasons. Summer steelhead are in the Nestucca and Wilson Rivers and fishing has been fair. Cedar Creek hatchery has been recycling fish back to tidewater the past several weeks so there should
Sept. 25, 2024 If there’s not a photo, it didn’t happen Submit your fishing photo to ODFW and we might use it here or elsewhere on MyODFW.com. Best bets for weekend fishing The Metolius River continues be excellent for mountain whitefish, redband trout and bull trout. Kokanee have appeared in the Metolius River to begin staging for spawning. Bull trout, redband trout and mountain whitefish will be congregating to forage on fish and fish eggs. Now is the peak of steelhead season on the lower Deschutes River. Fishing at Moody reopened Sept. 16. Also on the lower Deschutes, salmon fishing
Sept. 25, 2024 If there’s not a photo, it didn’t happen Submit your fishing photo to ODFW and we might use it here or elsewhere on MyODFW.com. Current and upcoming fishing opportunities The Fall salmon season is open on the Columbia River. See regulation updates for details. Announcements E-taggers: Update your app ODFW's Electronic Licensing System (ELS) and the MyODFW companion app will undergo a major update on Monday, Sept. 30. To continue using the app after Sept. 30, you'll need to do two things: Before Sept. 30: Confirm that any harvests you recorded while offline have been synced up
The Minto Fish Facility is part of the Marion Forks/ Minto Fish Facility complex. Minto is located upstream of Packsaddle Park on the North Santiam River. The Minto facility has year round fish collection, acclimation for Chinook salmon and steelhead, a spawning facility, juvenile acclimation, short and long term holding of adult salmonids, water to water transfers for all fish, and out planting and fish recycling capabilities. Minto Dam creates an impassable barrier that encourages migrating fish into the facilities fish ladder. All fish moving upstream are counted, and disposition is determined depending on species and time of the year.
Piloted in 2014, the Tag Team program helps ODFW fish biologists better evaluate resident gamefish, bass, and stocked rainbow trout fisheries. It's also a chance for anglers to participate in fishery management and, perhaps, come away with up to $50.
Each fathom line, conservation area, and marine reserve is defined by a connecting series of waypoints (latitude and longitude). The waypoints are used for regulatory enforcement, while maps are provided for visual reference.