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The central area follows the Deschutes River Basin along the eastern slope of the Cascades, and includes the middle reaches of the Columbia River from Bonneville upstream to the mouth of the John Day River. The warm and dry summer months help to create productive warmwater fisheries in the area's larger reservoirs including Crane Prairie Reservoir, a consistent producer of sizeable largemouth bass, and Prineville Reservoir which is renowned for its crappie. In the Columbia River, outstanding fishing for bass and walleye can be found in Bonneville Pool and The Dalles Pool.

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.

There are several ways to begin your fishing journey – you can join a friend or family member on their fishing trip, you can attend a free ODFW fishing event, or you can strike out on your own (don’t worry, you can do this). In this article you'll find out what gear you need and where to go fishing in Oregon, along with a few basics of the sport.

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.

Binoculars? Check. Field guide? Check. Now what? Learn the basics for bird watching.

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.

Can't find a place to see Oregon’s iconic spring chinook salmon spawning? Want to cross the ferruginous hawk off your birdwatching list? Looking to see one of Oregon’s two native turtles but don’t know where to find them? View map

Oregon's recreational fisheries for Pacific halibut and bottomfish are constrained by bycatch of yelloweye rockfish, an overfished species. Many of the regulations on these fisheries exist to keep bycatch of yelloweye rockfish within sustainable limits, in order to help the stock recover (for example, depth restrictions in the bottomfish fishery, and no lingcod during offshore long-leader trips). ODFW encourages anglers to reduce impacts by using descending devices to release yelloweye rockfish, and better yet, to avoid areas where they might be caught.

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It's an iconic part of life in the Pacific Northwest—salmon returning to their natal rivers after years at sea to spawn and then die. ODFW fish biologists recommend the following locations to catch a glimpse of salmon spawning.

See the Oregon records for both coldwater and warmwater game fish. And, find the forms to submit if you think you've caught a new record!

Bonneville Hatchery was constructed in 1909. In 1957, the facility was remodeled and expanded as part of the Columbia River Fisheries Development Program (Mitchell Act)—a program to enhance declining fish runs in the Columbia River Basin. The hatchery underwent another renovation in 1974 as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) mitigation of fish losses from the construction of the John Day Dam. In 1998, construction was completed on the Captive Broodstock Facility for the Grande Ronde Basin spring Chinook supplementation program.

Oregon requires all hunters under the age of 18 to complete a hunter safety education course before hunting in the state. Upon course completion, students will receive a temporary Hunter Safety certification card to be carried while hunting in Oregon until a permanent card is received in the mail to replace it. Hunters over 18 are encouraged to take the online education course, as it may be required for out of state hunts. Note: Youth under the age of 9 may struggle with the course material and may not have the physical strength needed to safely handle a firearm during…