Portland, Oregon /Metro Fishing Report
There’s not much happening in the Portland area. With no springers showing on the mainstem Columbia and the Willamette yet to give up its first spring Chinook, anglers are headed elsewhere to seek the elusive winter steelhead.
Until another flush of water rises the Willamette, which should start to happen by Sunday, the Willamette will remain challenging for winter steelhead and a unicorn of an opportunity for spring Chinook. Still, ANY chance at a spring Chinook is a good thing; there are avid anglers out there trying every day already. Who will catch the season’s first?
Sandy and Clackamas River reports by Jeff Stoeger and Bob Rees
Clackamas River Fishing Report – Well, like the Sandy, there isn’t much cooking on the Clackamas either. I (Bob Rees) got out and fished it from Feldheimers to Carver on Monday and we lucked into a single wild steelhead, caught on a plug in the upper reach. We were the only boat that launched at Feldheimers that day but there were a few boats working the water downstream of Barton, but just a few.
The fish that are in there are contending with low, clear water, but the temperature itself was on the rise, which is a good thing. The other folks we talked to, which wasn’t that many, didn’t have positive reports to give.
Mike Roberson of Fisherman’s Marine in Oregon City echoed these grim reports stating, “All quiet on the home river. Surprisingly not a lot of pressure out there either. I did see a bald eagle with a steelhead, that was quite interesting.”
Sandy River Fishing Report – Avid angler Jeff Stoeger shares: This past week brought a small bump in river levels from snowmelt. The river is currently running at 8.79 feet with a temperature of 43.3 degrees. Water clarity is excellent and running gin clear.
Fishing has been fair, with a steady mix of fish caught throughout the week. Several native steelhead were landed and added to the broodstock program, including fish caught by Brandon and Jack Glass. Another angler went two for two on natives while fishing fresh sand shrimp on a diver and bait setup. Fair numbers of fish have been reported from Cedar Creek to Oxbow.
Boaters should be prepared to push their way downstream, as the last flood event left several challenging spots. The Oxbow boat ramp has a large tree directly off the ramp that now creates a significant snag.
The Sportsman’s Show begins next Wednesday at the Expo Center, offering a good opportunity to pick up rods, reels, and other gear at sale prices.
Guide Tyler Kraft will be the guest speaker at the Sandy River Chapter Steelhead meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Glenn Otto Park in Troutdale. The meeting is free to the public.
Thanks to Luke Maurer for bringing to my attention a tackle bag he found while fishing the Sandy last week. I posted it here, the owner responded, and they were able to reunite him with his bag and gear. Really glad this worked out. Appreciate Luke and everyone involved for being honest and looking out for each other.
North & Central Coast Fishing Report by Bob Rees
Another week of low, clear water, but persistent anglers are finding winter steelhead on nearly every coastal system. The north coast “bigs” are not producing consistent results, but they are producing results under these strained conditions.
The Wilson, Nestucca, Trask, Siletz and Alsea remain the top options, with early season systems starting to see mostly spawned out fish that aren’t fit for table fare. Those early season options are the Klaskanine and Necanicum Rivers, the NF Nehalem and Big and Gnat Creek. There will only be a rare fresh one still coming in on these systems.
The mainstem Nehalem will be a good option as it’s just now coming into ideal shape for weekend effort.
Offshore weather went to pot early this week but the folks that did get out for bottomfish did well. Lingcod catches are good, maybe some of the best catch rates of the season right now. There’s plenty of sea bass too for anglers to take advantage of. The wind and swell forecast doesn’t look promising any time soon however.
Trout plants are starting up along the central coast, and more fish will be stocked to the north in the near future too. Several lakes such as Coffenbury, Sunset and Lost Lakes, along with Vernonia Pond are being stocked with excess steelhead.
Weekend tides are too soft for clam digging, but crabbing should be good for the few spots that may remain productive. The commercial crabbing effort is beginning to wane, catching 2 keepers per pot just isn’t lucrative when prices aren’t up.
Much more on the site for Chinook Members:
- Buzz Ramsey’s latest post – Low Water Steelhead Tips. A sharp, low‑water steelhead bite is unfolding right now, and these proven tactics could be the key to hooking fish when most anglers stay home. Chinook Members can see his post HERE.
- Bill Monroe’s latest post – Damn some dams and full hatcheries ahead! A deep dive into why the Northwest needs fewer dams, stronger hatcheries, and a smarter path forward for salmon recovery. Chinook Members can see his post HERE.
You can find all the articles from these two professionals on this page.
- The article of the week: Five Reasons You’re Not Catching More Salmon, Trout and Steelhead. Nick Amato talks about the finer details that will catch you more fish! You can find the article HERE.
- All the STS articles are located here.
Not a Chinook Member? Become a Member or Upgrade here.
Members head to the Member’s Landing Page to find everything you have access to.
Central-Eastern Oregon Fishing Report by Terry Otto
Deschutes, Metolius, Fall River and Crooked River trout good. Lake Billy Chinook kokes excellent. Columbia walleye starting to bite again.
Best bets for the weekend
Crooked and Metolius Rivers fishing well. Metolius bulls taking big streamers.
Anglers report dry fly and nymphing opportunities on Fall River improving.
Anglers report good bank fishing opportunities for trout at Haystack Reservoir, now with surplus brood fish being stocked.
Anglers report excellent kokanee and bull trout fishing at Lake Billy Chinook.
Lower Deschutes River trout biting well
Trout stocking
Excess brood stock trout were recently released in Taylor Lake and Pine Hollow, and Haystack Reservoirs.
Weekly fish stocking will resume in March, 2026.
You can check the ODFW trout stocking schedule here.
Weather
The Bend area is expected to be warm and dry this week, with the exception of some showers on Sunday. With the warming weather the cloud cover on Sunday should draw the trout to the surface. No relief for the wretched snow pack, bringing worries for the summer fire season.
Seasonal Road Closures
The road to Newberry National Monument accessing East and Paulina Lakes and the Cascade Lakes Highway closed on November 18th. The road to Three Creeks Lake (NF-16) remains open until mid-November but is not maintained for winter travel. For additional information see the Deschutes County Road Department website: https://www.deschutes.org/road
On Board Fish Cleaning
With the rise in popularity of on-board fish cleaning tables, anglers are reminded that they must retain enough of the carcass to identify the size, species and any fin clip. Law enforcement personnel must be able to determine that fish were harvested lawfully. This is especially important in waterbodies with size or fin clip restrictions including Lake Billy Chinook and Crane Prairie Reservoir.
New Kokanee Regulations for 2026
Beginning January 1, 2026, kokanee will no longer be included in the trout daily bag limit. Anglers will be able keep up to 10 kokanee per day, no size limits, and up to five trout per day in lakes. The kokanee bag limit at Elk, Odell, and Suttle lakes will remain at 25 per day. See the 2026 regulation book for details and waterbodies with exceptions: https://myodfw.com/sites/default/files/2025-11/26_Fish_regs.pdf
Columbia River
The good folks at the Gorge Outfitters Supply in Rufus report that the walleye bite is improving. The fish are unusually deep, around 50 feet, but the usual baits are working. Bandit deep-diving crankbaits and worm harnesses are working. No report on jigging, but at that depth jigging should be effective.
Lower Deschutes River
Conditions are very good in the lower Deschutes, with Amy Hazel at the Deschutes Angler Fly Shop in Maupin reporting that river conditions are excellent. With the warmer weather the bite has been good, with nymphing being the best option, although streamers are also doing well.
Jeff at The Fly Fishers Place in Sisters has also heard some good reports from the lower Deschutes. He said It’s certainly a good thing to put the Maupin area of the Lower Deschutes on your radar now. With spring like temps for the time being there is going to be a lot of good opportunity to be on the Lower River this week.
You can check the Deschutes River gauge at the Moody Rapids here.
Metolius River
Reports indiciate that nymphing is good right now on the Metolius. In the upper sections, small Jig Streamers are getting fish. The Middle and Lower River areas, had a lot of action by fishing Blue Wing Olive hatches and fishing emergers during the hatch, and midge pupa as nymphs.
Lake Reports
Lake Billy Chinook
The Metolius Arm of Lake Billy Chinook closed to angling on November 1 and will reopen March 1, 2026. Anglers are reporting excellent kokanee fishing with nice size fish being landed on the Crooked and Deschutes Arms. Fish have been moving deeper in the water column over the last few weeks as water temperatures decline, but with the warming weather they are now moving a bit shallower.
Haystack Reservoir
Approximately 400 brood rainbow trout were released in December providing a unique opportunity to catch 4+ pound fish. As a reminder, to allow everyone a chance at catching one of these fish, only one fish over 20 inches long can be harvested each day. Anglers report good fishing for rainbow trout in the 16 to 17-inch range.
SW Oregon Fishing Report – Contributor Jeff Rome reports
Disappointed winter steelhead anglers have been doing the rain dance, and it looks like it’s finally about to pay off. A solid dose of rain is forecast this weekend—enough to bump up flows across all the steelhead‑holding river systems.
However, that doesn’t mean the weekend itself will fish any better. With rivers rising and turning off‑color, most anglers will be far better off waiting until at least Monday. Early next week is when rivers should begin to drop into shape and (hopefully) push fresh steelhead on the move.
Of course, if you’re a diehard who simply must wet a line while getting drenched as the water rises, have at it. But if it were me, I’d put my money down on the Super Bowl pools, enjoy the game, and save the rods for early next week when the catching odds improve.
The Chetco, Elk, and Sixes should start shaping up by Sunday or Monday. Anglers ought to be ready—those rivers have seen very little pressure lately, and a “fresh” river after a long lull can fish extremely well. Up north, the Coos, Coquille, and Millicoma systems are in the same boat: wait for the early‑week drop. Over on the Umpqua systems, it’s a ditto.
As for the Rogue River, it’s mostly the same story with one notable exception. The upper Rogue tends to stay more stable and will likely be the first section to fish after the rain. Saturday’s precipitation won’t change much, but by Sunday, the bump in flow should add some color. With fish already spread throughout the system, that extra push of water could get them moving—and biting—better. The mid and lower Rogue, like the rest of the coastal rivers, will be best early next week once the rain’s effects settle out.
Ocean goers might squeeze in a day or two, depending on where they launch. Small craft advisories have been up since mid‑week and will linger into Saturday morning. The best bet remains Brookings, where big lingcod and steady bottom‑fish action have been the norm.