Oregon fishing report for January 31st
Portland Metro Fishing Report
With the Willamette and Columbia still shy on good opportunities, anglers are focusing their efforts on winter steelhead, either on the Clackamas or Sandy River, or headed west to coastal systems, which will start peaking for late-running broodstock steelhead. Both should be good options for weekend anglers.
The Willamette starts to become a spring Chinook opportunity, with one well-known springer seeker starting his season on the 30th. Thankfully, he shared his success, or lack thereof, so we’ll have more springer data coming in as long as the Willamette stays fishable. Good luck, Sultan of Sellwood!
Not much in the way of district trout stocking, but that will change come next month.
Upper Wllamette Valley
Last week’s Upper Willamette Valley fishing report highlights improving steelhead action in the Santiam rivers and upcoming trout stockings in local lakes. Anglers can find both kokanee and trout in Detroit Lake. Dry weather is expected for the Eugene area through early next week, with only light showers anticipated later, keeping river flows moderate and clear. Trout stocking occurred the week of January 26–30, adding fresh opportunities for weekend fishing across several locations, including the Santiam River (North and South Forks), Detroit Reservoir, Coast Fork and Middle Fork Willamette River, and Junction City Pond.
Sandy and Clackamas River reports by Jeff Stoeger and Bob Rees
Clackamas River Fishing Report – With low, clear and continued dropping conditions, anglers weren’t all that excited about fishing on the Clackamas this week. None-the-less, there were some die-hards, especially when air temperatures climbed a bit earlier this week. The east wind is bad here, but not nearly as bad as it typically is on the Sandy River. It can be bitterly cold, even blowing at your back on the Clackamas while in a driftboat. I’m not as dumb as I used to be, can’t bring myself to fish in these conditions so much anymore.
For the few fishing it, the Clackamas hasn’t been overly productive. Many of the Clackamas die-hards have been going over to the Sandy River, which seems to be putting out better possibilities. That said, there were still a few boats floating from Barton downstream, going either to Carver or Riverside in pursuit of steelhead. Their success however, has been limited.
Sandy River Fishing Report – Avid angler Jeff Stoeger shares: Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you had a chance to get out on the water this week and try your luck. Fish are scattered throughout the river system, providing opportunities for those out on the water.
According to the hatchery, they have captured 41 hatchery fish and 10 wild fish for the broodstock program as of this report. The hatchery team is currently waiting for the next rain to bring in another wave of fish.
The weather has been pleasant, but the steady wind has been a challenge. Winds have been blowing around 20 mph almost all week, which has kept most guides off the river. With temperatures in the low to mid-30s, the river has been extremely cold. The water level was at 8.82 feet and slowly dropping at the time of this report.
During my float on Wednesday, I heard about a couple of fish being caught. As the river continues to drop, new features from the last flood are becoming visible, including new gravel bars and channels. Please be cautious if you plan to float from Dodge Park down, as there is a tree stretching three-quarters across the river, leaving just enough space to pass by.
North Coast Winter Steelhead with Mike Hazen
Join Mike Hazen of Hazen’s Guide Service to learn the tips and tricks of successful North Coast winter steelhead fishing.
Bob Rees will host this event for The Guide’s Forecast.
North & Central Coast Fishing Report by Bob Rees
Steelheaders on the north and central coast continued to struggle in search of biting steelhead, but the mainstem Nehalem has been in the best condition for boaters and bank anglers to utilize. Catches have been steady for the challenging north coast conditions.
Anglers also got “outside” for bottomfish several days over the last week, with the exception of the most recent days. Lingcod and sea bass catches were good, but predictably, ocean crabbing was challenging given the number of commercial pots still fishing.
The Trask, Wilson, Nestucca, Siletz and Alsea have all been challenging for steelhead given the low water conditions, but that is slated to change as of the time of this writing.
Big Creek tallied an impressive 2,100+ adults so far this season, the largest return since 1976. Other north coast early season systems were seeing similar, surprisingly good returns. That should bode well for later-season returnees, just now starting to peak along the north and central coast.
District lakes are full of surplus steelhead, a great still water opportunity for young and old alike. Coffernbury, Sunset, and Lost Lakes, to name a few, Vernonia Pond as well.
Although crabbing is not a great option anywhere on the coast, there’s a great set of minus tides headed toward us over the weekend, which should provide good digging along Clatsop Beaches for razor clam digging.
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 – A Lucky Local Lager. A Portland brewery is rolling out a first‑of‑its‑kind Sportsmen’s Show lager, complete with seasonal wildlife labels and a conservation tie‑in, giving outdoor fans a sneak peek at the buzz behind this year’s big event. 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
Cold inversion weather has kept anglers at home. Rivers low and cold. Lakes mostly closed or iced over. Columbia walleye also slow.
Best bets for the weekend
The Crooked and Metolius Rivers may provide decent winter angling opportunities with the weather change.
Anglers report fair to slow dry fly and nymphing opportunities on Fall River.
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.
The Deschutes River low and cold, weather is improving soon.
Trout stocking
Excess brood stock trout were recently released in Taylor Lake, Pine Hollow, and Haystack Reservoirs.
Weekly fish stocking will resume in March 2026.
You can check the ODFW trout stocking schedule here.
Weather
Dry weather is expected to continue for central Oregon over the next week. The inversion of cold air that made fishing difficult has broken, but cloudy skies are forecast for the rest of this week and into next weekend. In the rivers, the warmer but cloudy conditions could mean decent hatches of Blue Wing Olives in the afternoon. The weather is expected to warm up, but it is unlikely to unlock ice on some of the lakes.
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
Columbia River
The good folks at the Gorge Outfitters Supply in Rufus report that few anglers tested the river for walleye during the last week during the inversion, and those that did were disappointed. The inversion is gone, but the river is still too cold for good fishing.
Metolius River
Jeff at The Fly Fishers Place in Sisters reports that there have been few reports from anglers fishing the Metolius. Given the recent weather, that is no surprise. The only good things he has heard is that the bull trout fishing has been okay. At least, anglers are getting a few.
Crooked River
No reports on angler success, but with the weather never getting out of the 20’s, and cold water, even some ice at the edges, very few anglers may have given the Crooked a try. The trout were probably lethargic and unlikely to bite.
Lake Reports
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.
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. Fall sampling also indicated good numbers of largemouth bass averaging 10-12 inches and smallmouth bass averaging 9-11 inches.
Lake Billy Chinook
The Metolius Arm of Lake Billy Chinook closed to angling on November 1 and will reopen on March 1, 2026. Anglers are reporting excellent kokanee fishing with nice-sized fish being landed on the Crooked and Deschutes Arms. The schools have been moving deeper in the water column over the last few weeks as water temperatures decline.
Eastern Oregon
Best bets for weekend fishing
Best fishing for wild, native trout in the Klamath Basin will be the Klamath River.
The Upper Williamson River above Kirk Road Bridge is now open year-round. Access remains available.
There are some nice holdover trout in the Malheur River below Warm Springs right now.
Trout fishing has been great at Chickahominy Reservoir
Crappie are abundant in Wolf Creek Reservoir, with some nicer fish around 8 inches available.
Crappie fishing in Owhyee Reservoir has been good.
Anglers have been catching good numbers of perch and some nice-sized tiger muskies in Phillips Reservoir.
Agency Lake
Closed to angling for salmon. Open year-round for Redband Trout. The lake is frozen in a few locations but is starting to thaw. The Petric Park Boat Ramp is frozen. Angling is very slow for Redband Trout. Try for yellow perch at the mouth of Sevenmile Canal. Many Redband Trout are near peak spawning, leaving few fish in the lake. The lake is approximately 2 feet below full pool.
Catch rates are very slow at the north end of Agency Lake near the Wood River.
SW Oregon Fishing Report – Contributor Jeff Rome reports
Another crucial week of winter steelhead season has slipped by, and unfortunately, the weekend outlook isn’t getting any brighter. With no meaningful rain in the forecast, the prime coastal rivers—Chetco, Elk, and Sixes—remain low, clear, and tough to fish. At this point, bank anglers are the only ones with workable access, and even then, success will take patience and finesse. Farther north, the Coos and Coquille systems are in the same boat.
The Rogue River from the mouth up to Agness, along with the main Umpqua just above tidewater, could offer a decent shot for weekend anglers, but expectations should stay modest until we get a good dose of rain to freshen things up. The mid‑Rogue below Hog Creek is one of the brighter spots, with better flows and a few encouraging reports from guides who’ve been finding some fish.
For those heading to the salt, Saturday looks like the best window to get out after lingcod and bottom fish, depending on where you launch. Crabbing continues to be good to excellent in the bays, making it a solid backup plan if ocean winds pick up or conditions turn marginal.