Portland, Oregon – Metro Fishing Report
High water has stifled Metro opportunities, but there wasn’t a ton of opportunity in the first place.
The next consumptive opportunity, hatchery winter steelhead, is still a few weeks away. For that reason, most metro anglers are headed west to fish the small streams of the north coast for early returning steelhead. That fishery is peaking right now.
Plunkers are anxious to get back to Meldrum Bar, however, and the Willamette is reaching that ideal level in height and clarity for that to happen right now. Nonetheless, there’s still a lack of hatchery fish available, and most plunkers aren’t appreciative of catch-and-release opportunities. Regardless, Meldrum Bar plunkers will experience the best opportunities in the near term, however.
Clackamas and Sandy
Clackamas River Fishing Report – Another high water week, a flood in fact, makes for an easy week for us Oregon writers. There was nobody (in their right mind) fishing the Clackamas under these conditions.
Late run coho and winter steelhead were more likely in the backyards of riverside residents than in the Clackamas River itself. Flows have since subsided, but turbidity is still high enough to keep anglers off the river banks. That will change as soon as this weekend, however.
Late run coho and mostly all wild steelhead are still crossing the NF facility in fair numbers, with coho starting to taper, and steelhead starting to blossom. Typically, passage slows when flows increase so there may be a bump of both species when flows subside.
Sandy River Fishing Report – Avid angler Jeff Stoeger shares: I hope you and your family are having a wonderful Christmas and happy holidays. The recent atmospheric river brought heavy rainfall, putting a huge damper on fishing throughout the week. The river climbed to nearly 22 feet, and although it has since dropped to 11.5 feet, the muddy conditions have kept it unfishable.
Just a quick reminder: be sure to purchase your 2026 fishing license before January 1, as the first is a holiday for most places. On a positive note, a few winter fish have already returned to the hatchery, and this rain should help jump-start the season.
The river is expected to become fishable by the upcoming weekend, once the water clears up. Keep an eye on conditions, and get ready for improved fishing prospects as the season gets underway.
There’s exciting news for our younger anglers! The Sandy River Chapter of NW Steelheaders has launched a new event to get more kids involved in steelhead fishing. Five high schools have students participating in a four-month tournament, with prizes up for grabs. If you see more high school kids out on the river, that’s why. We’re all about encouraging outdoor activities and less screen time.
North & Central Coast Fishing Report
North coast anglers, savvy to the ways of small stream fishing, are having a good week on the North Fork Nehalem, Necanicum, and Klaskanine Rivers. Gnat and Big Creek along Highway 30 are also producing good action right now, with water levels dropping quickly.
All other coastal rivers have been too high and off-color to attract any effort, but that should change by the weekend.
The ocean has been too rough to recreate on, and the commercial fleet is on their 2nd or 3rd picking of gear so most of the quality crab are in a case right now. There may be a short weather window for bottomfishers come Sunday and into early next wee,k however. It should be productive if the option exists.
Recreational crabbers working the lower Columbia have until 8:00 a.m. on December 29th before commercial crab gear drops. There may be a small weather window here, too, most likely Sunday and Monday morning, before it hits the fan.
No good clam tides ahead.
People should always call the Shellfish Safety Hotline at 1-800-448-2474 before heading out to harvest any shellfish or visit the ODA Recreational Shellfish Biotoxin Closures Webpage.
Much more on the site for Chinook Members:
- Buzz Ramsey’s latest post – Tackling High Water Steelhead. High water doesn’t have to shut down your steelhead season. Discover how anglers find success before rivers turn green. Chinook Members can see his post HERE.
- Bill Monroe’s latest post – Is Coho for Christmas one sleigh away? A long-awaited breakthrough may finally open the door to wild coho retention on the Clackamas, and a surprising new “Santa” inside ODFW says the proposal is finally on its way. 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: What’s a Blackmouth? by Anthony Marrese. This article was goes into detail about fishery timing and strategies for Puget Sound resident Chinook. Chinook subscribers can find the article HERE.
All the STS articles are located here.
Not a Chinook Member? Become a Member or Upgrade here.
Central-Eastern Oregon Fishing Report by Terry Otto
Rivers mostly blown out, high flows causing turbidity in some lakes. Columbia dirty, too. Best bets are small trout lakes.
Best bets for weekend fishing
Expect high flows and increased turbidity on the lower Deschutes this week, which will impact fishing conditions
Surplus brood trout from Oak Springs hatchery were stocked in Taylor Lake and Pine Hollow this week
Anglers report excellent dry fly and nymphing opportunities on Fall River.
Anglers report good bank fishing opportunities for trout at Haystack Reservoir, now with brood fish being stocked.
Anglers report excellent kokanee fishing at Lake Billy Chinook.
Weekly fish stocking will resume in March 2026.
You can check the ODFW trout stocking schedule here.
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
Seasonal Road Closures
The road to Newberry National Monument, accessing East and Paulina Lakes and the Cascade Lakes Highway closed on November 18th. For additional information, see the Deschutes County Road Department website: https://www.deschutes.org/road
The weather at Bend is expected to be dry and somewhat sunny this week, but it will still take some time for the rivers to return to fishable conditions. The only system that is possibly fishable for the weekend is the Fall River, where the flows are high, but it is still fishable. Also, the lakes and reservoirs on larger systems are likely to have dirty water, which could make fishing difficult.
Columbia River
The good folks at the Gorge Outfitters Supply in Rufus report that the Columbia River is high and dirty, and the walleye bite has not started yet. The bite usually starts in early January, but with the turbid water, they do not expect it to start until the water clears a bit. Perhaps in a couple of weeks it may get good, but give it a pass for now.
Sturgeon retention fishery on hold
The sturgeon fishery that usually starts in the Bonneville and The Dalles Pools has been put on hold. Managers are keen to avoid the crazy one-day fishery that happened last year. A perfect storm of great fishing conditions, combined with an especially large crowd of fishers, sent the catch over the quota in just a few hours. Managers are hoping to open the fishery later in the month, when water temperatures may be lower, in an attempt to deliver a multi-day fishery. Stay tuned!
Lower Deschutes River
The Lower Deschutes River crept well above the 13,000 CFS level this week at the Moody Rapids gauge, and is still running at about 7,000 CFS. Recent heavy rains have increased flows on the Deschutes and tributaries like Shitike Creek, Warm Springs River, and White River have increased turbidity throughout the lower river. The Deschutes is expected to rise throughout the week, so fishing conditions will be poor. It is way too high for decent fishing, and too high for safe boating or wading. You can check the river gauge at Moody Rapids here.
Crescent Lake
Anglers are advised to check with the Forest Service Crescent Ranger Station on the timing of the gate closure for NF-60 for the winter. One lake trout per day, 24-inch minimum length. Anglers can now keep 5 kokanee in addition to the daily trout limit.
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-sized fish being landed on the Crooked and Deschutes Arms.
Ana River
There have not been any recent fishing reports, and the river is rising due to the lowering of Ana Reservoir. Ana River is a great match-the-hatch fly-fishing river with good hatches throughout the year. Hatches typically occur during the afternoon from 12-3 p.m. Small blue-winged olive mayfly hatches are typically best on overcast days with light rain. You do need an ODFW wildlife area parking permit to park along the river. Place the permit on your dashboard.
Flyfishing with beadheads under a bobber works as well as stripping minnow patterns in low light conditions. Tui chub are abundant in the river; therefore, casting large flies or lures can be effective for catching larger fish.
Campbell Reservoir
Open all year with bait allowed. The reservoir will begin to freeze on the edges with freezing nights. Crappie fishing is slow as they are suspended in the reservoir. Fishing for 10-14 inch largemouth bass should be slow due to colder water temperatures. There is no boat ramp and limited public access. A small pontoon boat or kayak is best. You need a boat you can push off the trailer and reload in shallow water. Best fishing is along the willows and submerged vegetation line near the deeper water along the dam face. The reservoir is mostly shallow; therefore, casting a long distance might be necessary to reach fish.
SW Oregon Fishing Report – Contributor Jeff Rome reports
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and that Santa was good to you this year. After last week’s dismal report, I’m happy to say we finally have a more encouraging outlook as we head into the final weekend of the year. The shift toward winter steelhead season is underway, and with it comes a welcome change in river conditions. The systems that were completely blown out after last weekend’s heavy rains are steadily settling down, and many are edging back into fishable shape.
Some rivers are still running on the high side, but they’re no longer out of play. The Chetco, lower Rogue, and lower Umpqua fall into that category—still carrying some extra water, but offering enough clarity and stability for anglers willing to put in the time. For those looking to maximize their chances, the Elk, Sixes, mid to upper Rogue, and Millicoma stand out as the best bets for holiday fishing. These rivers have responded quickly to the drop in flows and should give anglers a solid shot at early winter steelhead.
Ocean anglers will want to keep an eye on Sunday, which looks like the first real window of opportunity after a stretch of rough marine conditions. Just be aware that crabbing may be a bit slow. Between the surge of fresh water pouring out of the rivers and the commercial fleet now working hard, the odds aren’t quite as strong as they were earlier in the month.
All in all, though, it’s a much better setup than what we were dealing with last week. If you’ve been waiting for a reason to dust off the gear and sneak out between holiday gatherings, this weekend finally gives you one.