Recreation Report

ODFW Weekly Recreation Report

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

August 6, 2026

Coastal fall salmon season offers more opportunity to catch and keep wild salmon this year. Whether you target the massive Chinook or dime-bright coho, you can't go wrong on the coast. Salmon fishing is open somewhere from July through December, so grab your gear and stock up on wood chips for your smoker. You can catch coastal salmon from the bank or a boat with lures or bait. Get an overview of the season and tips for fishing opportunities here.

Take part in a scavenger hunt for science! Explore the tidepools and submit your photos for science (and prizes)! Participate in the Oregon Marine Reserve Partnership's BioBlitz across Oregon's five marine reserves, marine protected areas, and nearby intertidal areas throughout August. No scientific experience is required, just curiosity and a willingness to explore!

Recreating in drought and wildfire season - actions you can take to protect wildlife and yourself.

For the most current fire closures and restrictions--KNOW BEFORE YOU GO. 

Oregon Water Resources Department updates and advisories: Be aware and "when in doubt, stay out".

Razor clam harvest is closed from the Washington border to Tillamook Head for conservation. Areas south of Tillamook Head to Cape Blanco remain open. Check for domoic acid closures here: Know before you go.

Clean, drain, and dry boats and other watercraft after each use to prevent transmission of non-native species. ODFW Ashland Boat Inspection Station found golden mussels on a boat and biologists recently found a single quagga mussel at Prineville Reservoir. Mussels damage irrigation and hydropower systems and degrade water quality.

Drought impact on stocking schedules. Some areas are too warm or shallow to support hatchery fish, which will be diverted to more suitable locations. Check local ODFW offices for the most updated stocking information.

Best bets for weekend fishing:

• Recreational Albacore anglers are reporting success from multiple ports, about 35-50 miles offshore. See the Marine Zone for fishing strategies. Catch them while you can!
• Buoy 10 offers both boat and bank fishing opportunities from August through September.
• Beat the crowds and go fishing for sea-run cutthroat in coastal streams, bays and tidewaters.
• Bag limits are lifted for Thief Valley, Pilcher Creek, and Wolf Creek reservoirs. See the news release for more information: Bag limits lifted during drought
• Fish for trout or change up to warmwater game species. See specific zone reports for best bets.
• ODFW recently stocked Blue Lake, St. Louis Ponds, Adair Pond, and Bond Butte Pond with channel catfish. These fish, sourced from an approved facility, averaged approximately one pound each and are expected to provide excellent summertime fishing opportunities in these valley ponds.

Northwest:

• From June 15 - Labor Day, vehicles need a Sauvie Island Beaches Parking Permit ($10 daily) to park at Walton, Collins, and North Unit beaches on weekends and holidays. The traditional Wildlife Area Parking Permit will not be valid in these parking areas but can be used at other locations in the wildlife area (Willow Bar and Gilbert River boat ramp) and on summer weekdays. Purchase online or through a license sales agent. Additional details about the permit are available at SauvieIslandParking.com.
• Trout season is open for Northwest Zone streams. See the regulation booklet for limits, open areas, and bait restrictions. Cutthroat trout are present in most areas open to angling and provide a good fishery in the rivers and streams that will continue to improve from now through the end of the season (October 31). Sea-run cutthroat are in the bays and tidewaters right now and fishing has been good recently.
• Nehalem Bay has "summer" Chinook coming in. These fish are early returning fall Chinook that start returning to the bay and river in late July and August. There has been an uptick in angler harvest over the past week with fish being caught daily. The Bag limit is one wild adult Chinook per day and five for the season (July 1 to Nov 30) as part of the overall daily bag limit.
• Summer steelhead fishing remains fair to good on the Nestucca and Wilson Rivers with fish dispersed throughout the fisheries. The rivers are low and clear so target first light and use stealth tactics to increase odds of success.
• Trout stocking in the lakes was completed for the spring with plenty of hold over trout in most North Coast lakes. As summer temperatures rise, look to higher elevation lakes that stay cooler for the best chances of success. Lost lake, South Lake, Hebo Lake, Lake Tahoe, and Town Lake are all good options for summer trout fishing.
• Warm water fisheries for bass and sunfish are active and provide some good opportunity for weekend fishing. 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 it is very weedy. The bass populations in Cape Meares and Coffenbury are healthy with decent numbers and size of fish. The population is down in Town Lake.
• Summer steelhead are on the move in the Siletz River and fishing has been fair. Multiple batches of summer steelhead were recycled to the lower river for additional angler opportunity in May and June. 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 have been recycled to Olalla Reservoir to provide angler opportunities.
• Trout angling is open in many Mid Coast streams. Sea-run cutthroat should be headed upstream. 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.
• Many Mid Coast lakes received trout stockings this spring: Big Creek Reservoir 1 and 2, Cleawox Lake, Devil's Lake, Thissell Pond, Woahink Lake, Carter Lake, Mercer Lake, Dune Lake, Alder Lake, Buck Lake, Sutton Lake, Olalla Reservoir, Siltcoos Lake, and Perkins Lake. Trout stocking has concluded for the summer and will be reassessed in the fall.
• Siletz River HWY 229 is closed at approximately milepost 14 due to a large land slide covering the road. It will be closed for an undetermined amount of time.

Southwest:

• Trolling at Lost Creek and Applegate Reservoirs continues to be very good.
• Howard Prairie and Hyatt Reservoirs have plenty of legal-size rainbow trout. Holdovers from last year are a good size.
• Cooper Creek Reservoir looks nice and clear. Go earlier in the morning or fish deeper for success.
• This is a good time of year to look for cutthroat in the Chetco River estuary. The estuary has very little bank access. Please be mindful of out-migrating salmon and steelhead smolt. If you catch these young salmonids, consider switching to barbless hooks and/or moving to a new location.
• If winds are light, Winchuck River and Sixes River estuary can be good places to target cutthroat.

Willamette:

• Two-rod validation has been extended through Dec. 31 upstream of Willamette Falls
• ODFW stocked Blue Lake, St. Louis Ponds, Adair Pond, and Bond Butte Pond in July with channel catfish. These fish, sourced from an approved facility, averaged approximately one pound each and are expected to provide excellent summertime fishing opportunities in these valley ponds.
• Several waterbodies will continue to be stocked with trout this week, however the upcoming hot weather will most certainly impact trout stockings. Check the stocking schedule for changes or try warmwater fishing.
• The North Santiam River above Detroit Lake gets stocked weekly during the summer. There are several pull-outs and campgrounds along the river that provide good access.

Columbia River:

• Columbia River fall salmon season opened August 1, see the regulation update page for details.
• Walleye fishing was good in The Dalles and John Day Pools last week. See the fishing regulation update page for summer fishing opportunities.

Central:

• Stonefly season is winding down but good reports of nymph fishing on the lower Deschutes.
• Anglers report excellent trout fishing opportunities at Lava and Little Lava Lakes
• As the reservoir storage level recedes, anglers report productive brown trout fishing at Wickiup Reservoir.
• Anglers report excellent fishing for recently stocked and holdover trout at Three Creek Lake.
• Anglers report smaller than average (12-16-in) but abundant rainbow trout and 15-in kokanee and good fishing at Crane Prairie Reservoir.
• Anglers report good trout fishing and excellent kokanee fishing at Paulina Lake. Kokanee at Paulina Lake is amongst the largest in Central Oregon this year averaging 13-14 inches.
• Positive reports keep rolling in from East Lake with large numbers of rainbow trout in the 16-18-inch range, trophy brown trout over 24-inches, and kokanee 13-15-inches.
• The Crooked and Metolius Rivers continue to provide excellent angling opportunities for redband trout and mountain whitefish.
• Fall River was recently stocked, and anglers report good nymphing opportunities near the hatchery and the headwaters.

Northeast:

• Kokanee fishing has been good on Wallowa Lake.
• Try Willow Creek Reservoir for trout, bass, and crappie.
• Penland Lake is producing limits of rainbow trout.

Snake:

• Bass and trout can be caught downstream of Hells Canyon Dam.
• As the weather warms, fishing for bass, perch, and crappie will get good in Hells Canyon Reservoirs
• Some large crappie are being caught in Brownlee Reservoir

Southeast:

• Catch and Release for Redband Rainbow Trout with no bait is now required through October 31 on all Upper Klamath Lake including Pelican Bay, Crystal Creek, Recreation Creek, Harriman Creek, Odessa Creek, Short Creek, Pelican Bay, Fourmile Creek, Thomason Creek, Fourmile Canal, and mouth of Williamson River.
• Willow Valley Reservoir is good for largemouth bass, yellow perch and some large crappie
• Fourmile Lake will be good for hatchery rainbow trout.
• The Wood River below Weed Road is fishing well for Brown Trout.
• Crappie fishing in Owhyee Reservoir has been good.
• Perch fishing at Dog Lake has been good.
• Deadhorse and Campbell Lakes have been producing a lot of good-sized holdover rainbow trout.

Marine

• Albacore anglers are reporting fish 20 to 30 miles out. Pacific City had the highest catch rate of 14 albacore per angler.
• Ocean salmon fishing has been amazing on the mid and northern Oregon coast! The highest catch rate for the week was in Astoria at 1.7 salmon per angler, however, several ports reported over 1 salmon per angler.
• All ports are seeing soft, recently molted, male crab. These soft crab will not be as full of meat or the meat may not be as high quality.
• Anglers have been landing between 2.5 and 3 rockfish but lingcod has been slow.

Refer to the zone reports for more details and possibilities.

Angler Education:

Catch-and-release techniques will reduce fish stress and increase survival. 

• Land fish promptly to prevent over‑exhaustion and avoid beaching to minimize the time they spend out of the water. Rubberized nets prevent snagging and reduce injury.
• Keep fish in the water while removing hooks and wet your hands before handling fish to protect their slime layer.
• Barbless hooks and pliers or a hook remover tool make release quicker and less harmful.
• Gently support fish in the water until they swim away on their own.
• Avoid fishing during periods of high-water temperatures or poor water quality when fish are already stressed.

Hunter Education: 

Hunter safety conventional courses and field days are available--Sign up for ‘summer school' to hunt this fall, classes are filling up fast!

Hunter's plan for Big Game success: Prepare for your hunt by using this online guide.

Are you planning to hunt in another state this year? Request your Replacement Hunter Safety Card now.