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Whether it’s spending more time outdoors or harvesting food for the freezer, there are lots reasons to become a hunter. Here’s how to get from thinking about it to doing it.

Alsea Hatchery was constructed in 1936 and is operated with state funds. Many improvements have been made to the hatchery since original construction. The hatchery produces both winter steelhead and rainbow trout. The facility is used for adult collection, spawning, egg incubation and rearing of winter steelhead, and egg incubation and rearing of rainbow trout.

Three Mile Falls Dam is located at river mile three on the Umatilla River. The dam was constructed in the early 1900s and serves as an irrigation dam that is a complete barrier to fish migrating upstream. In order to successfully migrate past the dam, all adult salmon and steelhead must use the fish passage facility located on the east side of the dam. The fish facility consists of a fish ladder, viewing window, fish trap and holding pond. Every adult salmon and steelhead heading upstream is counted at this facility using a combination of trapping and video tape enumeration…

Let’s go fishing! Not enough time? Think again. If you live on Oregon’s South Coast, there are a number of places you can easily travel to fish. Directions and times are approximate.

Three Mile Falls Dam is located at river mile three on the Umatilla River. The dam was constructed in the early 1900s and serves as an irrigation dam that is a complete barrier to fish migrating upstream. In order to successfully migrate past the dam, all adult salmon and steelhead must use the fish passage facility located on the east side of the dam. The fish facility consists of a fish ladder, viewing window, fish trap and holding pond. Every adult salmon and steelhead heading upstream is counted at this facility using a combination of trapping and video tape enumeration…

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.

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 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.

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.

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 Columbia River is renowned for its salmon and steelhead runs. In a year of good returns, over 1 million Chinook, coho and sockeye salmon, and summer steelhead travel up the river to spawn in its tributaries. Less known are the river’s excellent smallmouth bass and walleye fisheries. While most anglers fish this large river from a boat, there is plenty of good bank access at various parks, boat launches and beaches.