Oregon is a fisherman's dream. From salt water halibut to fresh water trout, Oregon has it all. You may wish to visit the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife page, and the Fishing and Hunting News page for more info on Oregon fishing. By clicking on the below areas or type of fish, you will begin exploring all Oregon has to offer for the fisherman.
| Rivers and Lakes | The Coast | Willamette Valley |
| The Cascades | Central Oregon | |
| North East Oregon | South East Oregon | |
| South West Oregon |
| Species of Fish | Salmon and Steelhead | Trout |
| Warm Water Fish | Other Fish |
Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife - This site has lots of Oregon fishing info.
Weekly Fishing Report - Fishing report compiled by the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.
Western Oregon River Levels - Could be very important information for your trip on these rivers.
A List of Some Oregon Fishing Guides - By no means a complete list, but it may be worth looking at.
Fishing Forecast - A fishing forecast report put out by the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.
Oregon Fishing Records - Oregon's freshwater fishing records.
The Oregon Fishing Club - The bank fisherman's dream....
A List of Some Lakes and Reservoirs - Camping and boating information on some lakes and reservoirs in Oregon.
The Oregon coast draws thousands of anglers ever year to venture out onto the Pacific Ocean. Newport, Depoe Bay, Garibaldi, Brookings, Coos Bay and most other ocean port towns offer bottom fishing trips. Many species of bottom fish, including ling cod, yellow eye and cabizon are caught off the Oregon coast. Although the season is short, Oregon's halibut season is fast action for those who like the sea. A couple of charter operations that offer halibut trips are:
from Hunting and Fishing News 2/29/96
Some charter operations offer excellent long range tuna fishing trips.
The bays offer some great fishing, as well as crabbing and clamming. Many bays offer boats to rent for fishing or crabbing for the day. Crab rings and bait are sold or rented at most of these areas. From the Feb. 15 Hunting and Fishing News:
The coastal rivers offer some great salmon and steelhead action during the runs of these great fighters. One of the most famous salmon fishing spots is the fall run of Chinook Salmon in Tillamook Bay. The Wilson, Trask, Kilchis, Tillamook, and Miami rivers all enter into this bay and the chinook fishing can be great. Fish above 50 pounds can be caught although a 30 pounder may be more common. The fishing starts in September and can last into November. When the fish start to move up the river systems be there to catch your prize. The Nestucca, Nehalem, Siletz, Chetco, Necanicum, Umpqua, Alsea, Rogue and many other coastal rivers and streams all offer some great chinook and steelhead runs.
There is also some great warmwater fishing on some of the rivers and lakes along the coast. The Umpqua has great small mouth bass fishing and sturgeon fishing when the run is in. Siltcoos and Tenmile lakes offer some great bass fishing and lots of panfish.
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The Willamette Valley is Oregons population center. Even so, the fishing can be phenomenal. The Willamette River is the main stem of water through this area. Its prized spring chinook run is famous throughout the north west. Business people are often seen in downtown Portland during lunch breaks fishing for these prizes off the sea wall. Sturgeon also inhabit the lower Willamette thru Portland. As the Willamette winds its way from the mountains to the Columbia, you can fish for a multitude of species. Trout inhabit the river and its many tributaries. Bass and panfish can be taken in the many back waters and sloughs. Try for shad in the late spring near the Clackamas river mouth. And of course, salmon and steelhead runs into most tributaries. The Clackamas, Mollala, Santiam, and Mckenzie are the larger rivers that feed the Willamette. They all have a nice run of salmon and steelhead. The Santiam also has some great smallmouth bass fishing. There are many guides in this area to take you on an exciting trip on these north west Oregon rivers.
The Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife stock many lakes and rivers in the area and the fishing forecast remains great for this part of Oregon.
Henry Hagg, Fern Ridge, Foster, Detroit, Green Peter and many, many other smaller lakes and ponds dot the Willamette valley. Detroit, Foster, and Green Peter are reservoirs in the cascade foot hills. All these lakes and many other have tons of trout and warmwater fish just waiting to be caught.
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For some great trout fishing in relative solitude, head to Oregon's Cascade Mountains. Running north south all the way through the state, the cascades are home to hundreds of lakes and streams. These lakes and streams are perfect for the flyfisherman who wants to get away from it all. Lost Lake, Marion Lake, Pamelia Lake, Suttle Lake, and Blue Lake are all popular fishing spots. Diamond Lake to the south is another popular spot.
But for the person who wants to get away from it all, head into the large wilderness areas of the cascades. Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, and Three Sisters Wilderness hold many lakes and streams that rarely see a fly or spinner. Pitch a tent along one of these jewel like lakes and you may never see another fisherman.
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With so much fishing, where is one to begin? Central Oregon fishing is in a word, fantastic. With its many lakes and rivers, deciding where to go is the hard part. Trout, steelhead, salmon, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, kokanee, and other warm water fish call this desert country home.
Some of the rivers you will want to fish include the Metolius, Deschutes, Crooked River, John Day River, and Fall and Hood Rivers. Most of these have a mix of wild and hatchery stocked fish. Some, like the Metolius hold some monster trout. The Deschutes has its redsides. I will also have to add the Columbia river here. With its sturgeon, walleye, salmon, steelhead, shad, and bass fishing, the Columbia is a great fishery.
As for lakes and reservoirs, Central Oregon has more that enough. Lake Billy Chinook, Prineville Reservoir, Crane Prairie, Three Creeks,Wickiup, East Lake and Paulina Lake, Hosmer Lake, Haystack Reservoir, Chickahominy Reservoir, Ochoco Reservoir, Davis Lake, Lava lake, North and South Twin Lakes, and many more offer fishing for trout, atlantic salmon, kokanee, and a variety of warm water fish. For more information about some of these lakes and rivers, call The Fly Fisher's Place in Sisters (541-549-3474).
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North East Oregon Fishing can be described as fantastic. Many lakes and rivers offer many places to go and lots of fish to catch. Trout, salmon, steelhead, many warmwater fish, and big catfish can all be caught in North East Oregon.
Rivers in the area include the Umatilla, Grande Ronde, Minam, Snake, Imnaha, and John Day. In these rivers reside just about any fish you want to catch. Everything from trout to catfish, small mouth to sturgeon, these rivers offer you a lot in the ways of fishing.
The lakes and reservoirs are great fishing. The snake river dams like Brownlee and Hell's Canyon reservoirs have great warm water fishing with crappie up to 16 inches long. The high mountain lakes in the Eagle Caps and Strawberry wilderness areas are tops to nice trout. Wallowa Lake is also a favorite of many fisherman. With its great scenery, North East Oregon is a fishing hot spot.
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The desert South East appears dry and barren to many, but the fishing is great! Trout and warm water game fish call this country home and you should go find out why. Lots of lakes and reservoirs filled with fish will make it worth your while. South Eastern Oregon fishing means no crowds, BLM access to lakes and rivers, and some nice trout and other game fish.
The Snake, Owyhee, and Donner and Blitzen Rivers beckon the angler to South East Oregon. The trout and small mouth on these rivers are just waiting for your hook.
Mann Lake, Beulah Reservoir, Owyhee Reservoir, Delentiment Reservoir, and many other small reservoirs and lakes throughout this region are all wanting to be fished. Trout and wamwater fish abound in these lakes. Catfish, bass, crappie, and trout all make Owyhee Reservoir home. Some of these lakes can be hard to drive to and if it rains, the roads can be downright hazardous, so be careful. Enjoy yourself in South Eastern Oregon.
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South West Oregon is home of salmon, steelhead, trout, bass, sturgeon, and other fish. Great runs of salmon, steelhead, shad, stripers, and sturgeon come up the coastal rivers into this country.
The Rogue, Umpqua, Chetco, Coquille and Illinois Rivers are a few worth mentioning. Many guides are available in this area to be sure you hook into the big one. The smallmouth fishing in the Umpqua is supposed to be some of the best in the country, with 100 fish days possible. The salmon fishing on the Rogue is some of the best in the state depending on the run time.
The lakes and reservoirs in the area also contain nice fish. Lost Creek, Applegate,and Emigrant reservoirs contain trout and warmwater fish. Hyatt Lake and Howard Prairie Reservoir have some nice trout for you to catch.
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Although these are by no means the only times the fish will run, and the only rivers that fish are in, this list is only here to help you pick out a spot to try your luck. If you see a river missing or a run of fish missing, it is just an oversight or I felt the run was small enough that people would have a hard time catching a fish. Good luck and see you on the river!
Try these spots for salmon and steelhead. Runs times vary:
Try these spots for steelhead, again, runs times vary:
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Although this list could go on and on, I will attempt to shorten it to a few choice places to catch trout. This is only for reference and I do not take responsibility if you go there and catch nothing. Some of these lakes and rivers are listed for their unique fish, such as German Browns or Bull Trout.
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Here again, I could list lakes and rivers for hours, but, I'm going to shorten the list a lot This Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife report should help you in your search also.
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Here is some interesting fishing found in Oregon.