Oregon fishing report
Portland/Metro Fishing Report by Bob Rees
Updated regs modify weekend plans. From the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
2026 Mainstem Recreational Salmon Fisheries
Effective Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, retention of Chinook is allowed in the daily bag limit for the on-going mainstem Columbia River fishery from the Buoy 10 line upstream to the west Puget Island line. The daily adult bag limit is three salmon (Chinook or hatchery coho) but only one may be a Chinook. All other previously-adopted and relevant permanent regulations remain in effect.Effective Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, retention of Chinook and coho is allowed in the mainstem Columbia River from the west Puget Island line upstream to Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco, WA. The daily adult bag limit is two salmon (Chinook or coho) but only one may be a Chinook.
Effective Monday September 28 through Wednesday, September 30 retention of coho is allowed from the west Puget Island line upstream to Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco, WA. The daily adult bag limit is two coho. All other relevant permanent regulations remain in effect.
The lower Willamette is starting to see an uptick in returning coho. While the Willamette below the falls remains closed to wild fish, anglers fishing upstream of the falls have open access to wild and hatchery coho. Action should pick up although numbers aren’t starting off as strong as they were last year at this same time. None-the-less, action should be improving daily.
Upper Willamette Valley Fishing Report by Terry Otto (from last week)
Willamette River and Willamette Falls
Coho are still holding in the lower Willamette River. Only 17 adult coho have crossed Willamette Falls so far, and most guides won’t target coho in the upper systems until mid-October unless heavy rain moves them earlier. Two-rod validation has been extended through Dec. 31 upstream of Willamette Falls. Between Salem and Corvallis, walleye and smallmouth bass fishing has been productive.
Valley Ponds
ODFW stocked Blue Lake, St. Louis Ponds, Adair Pond, and Bond Butte Pond in July with channel catfish averaging about a pound each, sourced from an approved facility. Good summer fishing is expected to continue in these ponds.
North Santiam River
Flows are at 1,100 cfs at the Mehama gage; best fishing is at or below 3,000 cfs. Chinook fishing is closed until mid-October; steelhead fishing is open year-round. Only a handful of coho have crossed the falls so far, but a strong run is expected to build over the next few weeks. Guide Mike Ferris (Fisherman Mike’s Guide Service) reports a few steelhead in the mix, though numbers were thin to begin with, and trout are biting well. Bait is allowed April 22 through Oct. 31. Several large downed trees are creating hazards for boaters in the lower river; check the Oregon State Marine Board site for details.
North Fork Santiam River (above Detroit Lake)
Flows are around 320 cfs. The river was recently stocked with about 2,000 hatchery trout across several release points.
South Fork Santiam River
Flows are around 833 cfs at the Waterloo gage. The summer steelhead run came in below average and is mostly over. Guide Matt Halseth (Matt Halseth Guide Service) says salmon and steelhead will be scarce until the fall coho run arrives, typically mid-October, but trout are biting well. Bait is allowed April 22 through Oct. 31; artificial lures and flies only after that.
McKenzie River
Flows are 1,700-1,900 cfs, low but navigable for drift boats. The river was stocked the week of Sept. 1 with 2,000 hatchery rainbow trout. Above Leaburg Lake (R2), it was stocked the week of Sept. 7 with another 2,000 hatchery rainbow trout, and ODFW is passing summer steelhead above Leaburg Dam this season. All non-adipose fin-clipped trout must be released. Bait is allowed from Leaburg Dam to Forest Glen Boat Ramp April 22 through Oct. 31; lures and flies only starting Nov. 1.
Middle Fork Willamette River
The USACE refurbished the boat ramp on the south side of the river just below Dexter Dam, restoring drift boat and raft access. The stretch above Lookout Point and Hills Creek reservoirs is open to lures and artificial flies only, with all wild trout required to be released above Lookout Point Reservoir.
Detroit Lake
Post-Labor Day crowds are thinning but the bite remains strong. The Mongold main ramp is closed; the winter ramp is open. Kokanee are biting well on an early-morning bite, with anglers recently limiting on 12-14″ fish by 9 a.m., fishing schools sitting 75-85 feet down. The bite dies off by mid-afternoon.
Alton Baker Canoe Canal
The canal is being stocked weekly through August and September with 900 hatchery rainbow trout. It’s open to fishing year-round within Alton Baker Park, fishable along its full two-mile length from Day Island Road in Eugene to Aspen Street in Springfield, with a 4-acre pond at the midpoint near the old Kowloon Restaurant.
Fern Ridge Reservoir
This 9,000-acre lake 12 miles west of Eugene is the Willamette Basin’s largest waterbody. Orchard Park, Richardson Park, and Perkins Peninsula boat ramps are all open. With fall arriving, fishing should improve early and late in the day as fish move shallower. Crappie are holding along the weedy edges on the south side; the south shore near Perkins Peninsula and along the dam face are good spots.
Leaburg Lake
Stocked the week of Aug. 24 with 1,000 hatchery rainbow trout. Open year-round; bait is allowed April 22 through Oct. 31, lures and flies only after Nov. 1. All wild trout must be released; only hatchery fish may be kept.
Green Peter Reservoir
Drought conditions have water levels lower than normal and still dropping. Both seasonal boat ramps are effectively out of the water and will stay that way until at least Feb. 1.
Hills Creek Reservoir
Will be stocked the week of Sept. 28 with 3,000 hatchery rainbow trout. Hatchery Chinook can be kept from the reservoir, which also gets 60,000 adipose fin-clipped rainbow fingerlings and 100,000 adipose fin-clipped spring Chinook fingerlings annually. Trout and salmon must be adipose fin-clipped to harvest. The Packard Boat Ramp (USFS) is generally accessible but may go dry after early September due to low inflow.
Foster Reservoir
The lake is in great shape and full, with all boat ramps available. Only adipose fin-clipped trout may be kept toward the 5-trout limit, but there’s no size or number limit on bass. Warmwater species (bluegill, pumpkinseed, catfish, crappie, yellow perch) can be kept without limit. Anglers are doing well in both arms of the reservoir and the shoreline between them; trout and yellow perch bite year-round.
Weather
A cooling trend is moving in, with rain expected Saturday as conditions turn fall-like. Highs Saturday will be in the 60s, with a slight chance of rain through the week, then drier but cooler weather with highs back in the 70s.
Stocking and Access Notes
Drought conditions are affecting the trout stocking schedule statewide, so it’s subject to change; check with the local ODFW office for specifics. For Aug. 31-Sept. 11, stocking is planned for the Alton Baker Canal and McKenzie River sections 1 and 2 (above and below Leaburg Dam). The Dexter Ponds Hatchery remains closed to public access through at least summer 2026 for construction; call the USACE Park Ranger Office at (541) 942-5631 with questions.
Sandy and Clackamas River reports by Jeff Stoeger and Bob Rees
Clackamas River Fishing Report – OK, it’s becoming a bit more clear that Clackamas bound coho may not attain the same level of returns that we saw last year. It’s still early, and some would say the runs are tracking a bit behind the previous years, but numbers to date are clearly down from where they were last year at this same time. By the end of September of 2025, over 4,000 adults had bypassed the NF Facility operated by PGE. Unless something miraculously happens, we won’t see half of that by the end of this month. It is highly likely however, numbers should start bumping really soon. So far, it’s been a rare day to break the 100 adult mark when last year at this time, several hundred per day were already headed upstream.
From a fishery perspective, it’s still slow to go. Effort is climbing at interception points on the lower Clackamas, but until we see a few good days of action or a rain event that’s big enough to trigger the fish, effort will likely remain a bit subdued. That rain event, even though only slighly measurable, could be enough to inspire some adult coho, coming to a river near you on Thursday.
Fisherman’s Marine’s Mike Roberson reporte floating from Feldheimer’s to Barton on Sunday, only landing one keeper, and another 4 or 5 that he had hooked on twitching jigs that came off. Mike was fishing the Sandy when we were texting, he said he was doing a lot better there as they had boated 3 fish already by noon in the Dabney to Lewis and Clark float.
Sandy River Fishing Report – Jeff Stoeger shares: The Sandy River is running at 7.66 ft with a water temperature of 55.4 degrees. Coho are rolling throughout both the lower and upper river, but the system needs a good rain to get fish moving.
Bank anglers in the Dabney area landed a native jack chinook and an 8 lb [CONFIRM SPECIES: “P mouth”]. A raft and a drift boat launched at Dabney, and fly anglers reported no success. Most fish are moving early morning and at dusk.
The mouth of the Sandy has been productive, with fair to good results. Oxbow Park is closed to the public while new water line pipe work is underway.
If you have a Sandy River coho photo you want to share, please send it to Jeff here.North & Central Coast Fishing Report by Bob Rees
Tides are improving, just in time for coastal anglers to take advantage of peak season for coastal fall Chinook. All up and down the coast, the season’s first strong push of returning adults should be entering cental and north coast systems, in preparation for the first fall rains that will send them upstream.
The Tillamook fishery has been producing good catches of fall Chinook lately, but with Pacific Seafoods starting up mechanical harvesting of oysters again in recent days, the estuary is inundated with floating eelgrass once again. Plan on picking seaweek off your lines, in hopes of finding a brief window to take advantage of a willing biter, if they happen to be swimming by at that point.
Meanwhile, the Nehalem and Nestucca certainly does have a fall run of Chinook, but fishing has been challenging lately.
Just a bit further south, the Salmon River estuary and tidewater reach is peaking right now; the peak doesn’t last long, but stronger tides this week should help with reluctant fish.
The Siletz and Alsea systems are starting off good, both tidewater reaches should have catchable numbers of fall Chinook available, with coho starting in as well.
Wild coho opportunities in north and central estuaries varies by watershed, so be sure to check coastal regulations HERE before determining where your desination is.
Check out our prioritized fall Chinook prediction for this weekend in the paid section of the North/Central coast FORECAST section of the newsletter.
Shotty weather kept the ocean coho salmon seekers close to bay entrances, but Saturday’s weather looks more favorable for an all-out ocean assault. There’s still more than 10% of the quota remaining, anglers should have a productive Saturday if they choose to exercise the last ocean “any coho” day this weekend.
Albacore catches have finally picked up, with Astoria looking like a top port this time of year. Hopefully it comes on strong in the late season, some tuna chasers will go through mid-October if the weather holds out
Crabbing is picking up both in the bays and ocean. Bay crab seem to be a bit more full, but that’s no surprise.
| Much more on the site for Chinook Members:Buzz Ramsey’s latest post – Above Bonneville Salmon – Discover where and how to target prized Up-River-Bright Fall Chinook salmon, including expert leader lengths, bait setups, and reel tactics, while major Columbia River sections remain closed. Chinook Members can read Buzz’s post HERE. Bill Monroe’s latest post – Fishing girl guru!– Discover how women are shaping the future of angling in Bill Monroe’s latest piece on the ultimate “fishing girl guru. Chinook Members can read Bill’s post HERE. You can find all the articles from these two professionals on this page. Salmon Trout Steelheader feature of the week: Spoon fishing for native coho, a video from STS. Chinook Members can see the latest 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
Columbia River
On Wednesday, September 23, the states opened the mainstem Columbia River from Buoy 10 to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco, WA for Chinook retention this weekend, Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27. Anglers may keep one Chinook as part of the daily limit.
The states also reopened coho retention through September 30, ahead of the scheduled October 1 reopener. Coho fishing now runs straight through October.
Always check for In-season regulations updates before fishing.
Chinook catches dipped slightly this past week while coho catches rose. Almost 60,000 coho have crossed Bonneville Dam to date, with good daily numbers still passing.
Gorge Outfitters Supply reports very good Chinook catches at the mouth of the Deschutes River. Upstream movement has slowed, but the action should hold for at least a couple more weeks.
Walleye fishing remains good with light pressure, since most anglers are chasing Chinook.
Central Oregon Rivers
Expect partly cloudy skies and highs in the upper 60s to low 70s this week, with a slight chance of showers late in the week. Check TripCheck (www.tripcheck.com) for road conditions and the Oregon Health Authority website for water quality before you go.
Water temperatures are finally coming down. Jeff at The Fly Fisher’s Place in Sisters expects no further need to monitor lake temperatures after a relentless summer.
Lower Deschutes River: Steelhead angling is closed on the lower Deschutes and John Day rivers after poor returns caused by warm water in the Columbia. Managers will reassess as numbers climb, but low counts of wild A and B run steelhead could keep it closed until 2027.
Trout remain open throughout the lower river. Gabor at Deschutes Angler Fly Shop in Maupin reports very good fishing, with flows holding steady at 4,410 cfs. Caddis and BWOs are the main hatches, with surface action best early and late.
Upper Deschutes River: The reach above Benham Falls to Little Lava Lake closes October 1, so September 30 is the last day. The stretch from Sheep’s Bridge to Browns Crossing and up to the dam at Crane Prairie is already closed.
The floats from Wickiup downstream are fishing well for brown and rainbow trout, as is the walk-and-wade water from Crane Prairie toward Little Lava. The headwater reach holds redband, brook trout and mountain whitefish.
Crooked River: Flows are dropping to 117 cfs. Winter flows usually settle at 100 cfs, but that is not expected this year. Fishing is really good, with excellent PMD hatches, improving BWO hatches, black midges and some tan caddis.
Fall River: Recently restocked and fishing quite good, with some days seeing very few anglers. Hatches include PMDs, BWOs, Mahogany Duns, caddis and midges. Fall River below the falls closes October 1 to protect spawning trout.
Metolius River: An excellent trout fishery through September and October.
Central Oregon Lakes
East Lake: Large numbers of rainbow trout in the 16 to 18-inch range, trophy browns over 24 inches, and kokanee from 13 to 15 inches. Good callibaetis hatches are coming mid-day. Low water makes launching tricky, even for pontoon boats.
Paulina Lake: Good trout fishing and excellent kokanee fishing, with kokanee averaging 13 to 14 inches, among the largest in Central Oregon this year. Some callibaetis hatches are coming off.
Hosmer Lake: Fish are moving down the channels and are no longer all stacked on the “line” in the upper lake.
Crane Prairie Reservoir: Low and clear. Cooler temperatures have improved the rainbow bite, though fishing is still generally tough.
Little Lava Lake: Slowly clearing from an algae bloom but fishing well.
Three Creek Lake: Excellent fishing for recently stocked and holdover trout.
North and South Twin Lakes: Good fishing for recently stocked trout.
Stocking: Lower-than-normal water and higher temperatures have affected stocking schedules. September plants include Walton Lake, Pine Nursery Pond, Prineville Fishing Pond, Metolius Pond, Bikini Pond, Fall River, Pine Hollow Reservoir and Taylor Lake. Check the trout stocking schedule before you go.
Southeast Oregon
Stocking: Fourmile Lake, Lake of the Woods and Miller Lake are being stocked with 12 to 14-inch rainbow trout. Campbell Lake and Deadhorse Lake are also on the September 14 to 18 schedule.
Upper Klamath Lake: Catch-and-release with no bait is required for redband rainbow trout through October 31 on all of Upper Klamath Lake, including Pelican Bay, its springs and tributaries, and the mouth of the Williamson River.
Warmwater: Yellow perch fishing should be excellent in the Williamson River, Crystal Creek, Pelican Bay and Fourmile Canal. Willow Valley Reservoir is good for largemouth bass, yellow perch and some large crappie. Crappie fishing at Owyhee Reservoir has been good, and perch fishing at Dog Lake remains good.
Wood River: Fishing well for brown trout below Weed Road.
Ana Reservoir: Stocked with 3,000 legal rainbow trout and at full pool, so all boats can launch. No recent reports, but holdover trout are large. Fishing from ODFW property on the south side requires a wildlife area parking permit.
Blitzen River: Flowing around 30 cfs, with water temperatures in the 70s at the weir above Page Springs.
Campbell Reservoir: Levels are dropping fast, but fishing is good for largemouth bass, mostly 10 to 14 inches. Please release the bass. There is no boat ramp and public access is limited.
SW Oregon Fishing Report – Contributor Jeff Rome
Fall has officially arrived in Southern Oregon, bringing cooler mornings, shorter days, and the start of one of the most anticipated seasons of the year—Fall Chinook. Anglers across the Rogue Valley and the coast are already seeing solid action, and a chance of early‑weekend showers may help push more fish inland and spark an even better bite.
Rogue Bay & Lower Rogue River The Rogue Bay continues to produce both Chinook and coho, though Chinook catches are tapering off from peak. Coho numbers remain strong, but more than half of the fish caught have been wild, so only hatchery fish may be retained. Anglers at Huntley Park are finding success tossing Flying C spinners, with coho showing good interest. Any light rain this weekend could help move fresh fish upriver and improve conditions.
Chetco River At the mouth of the Chetco, boaters trolling at first light are hooking into big, bright Chinook, some pushing into the 30‑pound class. Fish are staging and waiting for rain to move upriver. The bobber‑only fishery upriver remains slow due to ultra‑low, clear flows, with only a few fish taken so far.
Winchester Bay & Umpqua System Up north, anglers out of Winchester Bay are catching a fair mix of coho and Chinook in the tidewater. Nighttime anglers targeting striped bass are enjoying excellent action, and the bay continues to deliver solid crabbing for those dropping pots.
Mid & Upper Rogue River The mid Rogue is running around 1000 cfs, low and clear, but with summer float traffic gone, anglers are finding more opportunity. Summer steelhead, fall Chinook, and even early half‑pounders are being caught with increasing consistency. On the upper Rogue, summer steelhead fishing remains fair, with anglers covering water and finding fish willing to bite.
Lakes Only a few lakes have enough water to fish effectively right now: Diamond Lake – Trout remain abundant and in great condition. Howard Prairie – Still producing good trout catches. Lake Selmac – Despite heavy weed growth and low water, anglers continue to land impressive largemouth bass.
Weekend Outlook A few early showers could be just enough to stir things up and bring fresh fish inland. Whether you’re chasing Chinook, coho, steelhead, bass, or trout, it’s shaping up to be a beautiful fall weekend to get outside and enjoy the season.
Enjoy the fishing—and the colors of fall settling in across Southern Oregon.