ODFW Recreation Report

Fish Report for 3-23-2023

ODFW Recreation Report

3-23-2023
OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Staff

Best bets SPRING BREAK fishing

If your plans for spring break don’t include fishing, you need to change your plans. Consider adding trout and steelhead fishing, and/or bay clamming to your agenda.

Several ponds, lakes and reservoirs in the NW, SW, Central and NE zones are being stocked with trout just in time for spring break.
In addition, trout fishing in several rivers with year-round fisheries – think Deschutes, Fall Metolius, Crooked, Blitzen and Wallowa – will be picking up thanks to recent warmer weather.
Winter steelhead fishing is winding down, but anglers are still catching bright steelhead in places like the north and mid-coast, Willamette Valley and northeast Oregon.
Low tides next week will have shifted to mid-afternoons. A much more convenient time for some bay clamming. Here’s how to dig for bay clams.

Need more details? Check out the zone reports.

Youth turkey hunting clinics April 1

There’s still room in the youth turkey hunting clinics at the Denman and White River wildlife areas. Young hunters will learn what they need to know to go turkey hunting. Learn more and register.

Spring kokanee fishing

Kokanee fishing starts to heat up in April, and we’re already getting reports of good kokanee fishing. And here are 9 kokanee fishing tips to help you land your limit.

March 31 is the last day to buy spring bear tags

If you’ve drawn a tag and hope to go bear hunting this spring, the last day to buy your tag is Friday, March 31. Looking for a little refresher before the season starts? Here are some spring bear hunting tips to help.

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More Reports

OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Reports

for Thursday, March 23rd, 2023

Grande Ronde River: Anglers have been catching steelhead on the Grande Ronde River
Hat Rock Pond: Hat Rock Pond will be stocked during the week of March 20
McNary Channel Ponds: Kids’ fishing derby is planned on Saturday, March 26
Umatilla River: To date there have been 1,595 steelhead counted at Three Mile Falls Dam
Wallowa Lake : Boat anglers have been out recently and have reported catching both kokanee and lake trout
Wallowa River: Steelhead fishing has been quite good on the Wallowa River
Haystack Reservoir: The reservoir is currently 63 percent full
Prinevile Reservoir: Prineville Reservoir is slowly filling but still very low at 15 percent full
Rock Creek Reservoir: Rock Creek Reservoir is scheduled to be stocked this week
Blue River Reservoir: The reservoir level is extremely low
Fall Creek Reservoir: Has not been stocked due to extremely low reservoir levels
Foster Reservoir: The reservoir is slowly being refilled for the summer and has come up a few feet over the last week or so
Santiam River ( North Fork) : River is currently running around 2,800 cfs at the gauge in Mehama
Santiam River (South Fork): Currently flows are around 2,000 cfs at the Waterloo gauge as of March 21
Willamette River: River visibility was poor last week and not much effort
Alsea River: This fishery has been fair to good over the last week
Kilchis River: The Kilchis still fishable but will be getting low by the weekend
Miami River: The Miami is getting back on the low side but is still fishable
Necanicum River: Will be getting back on the low side this week but is still fishable
Nehalem River: The lower Nehalem is still high but has good color
Nehalem River- North Fork: The North Fork is a little low, but still fishable and should be through the week
Salmon River: The river is low and clear and fishing pressure has been consistent
Siuslaw River: The colder temps have made the Siuslaw challenging but conditions have remained fair
Trask River: Trask River Fishing Report
Wilson River: Steelhead fishing was good on the Wilson last weekend
Yaquina River: Fishing has been fair and should be good
Applegate River: River is back in shape with some color
Ben Irving Reservoir: Warmwater fishing should be picking up on warmer days
Chetco River: Anglers still have a couple weeks before the river closes to fishing April 1
Coos River: There was a small run of steelhead that pushed upstream on the Coos Basin
Coquille River: The last rain brought some new winter steelhead up the South Fork Coquille and North Fork
Emigrant Reservoir: Emigrant is 34 percent full
Fish Lake : Fish Lake is at 43 percent full
Galesville Reservoir: The level at Galesville is still rising quickly
Howard Prairie Reservoir: Howard Prairie is at 19 percent full
Hyatt Lake: Hyatt has started to fill and is 17 percent full
Illinois River: River conditions should be good through the weekend
Lake Marie: Lake Marie was stocked with trout last week and fishing should be good
Rogue River- Lower: The first spring Chinook of year were picked up last week
Rogue River - Middle: Current flow is around 3,400 cfs
Rogue River- Upper: The release from Lost Creek Reservoir is in the 1,000 cfs vicinity
Sixes River: Fishing conditions have been near perfect
Umpqua River: We have confirmed reports of Chinook being caught on the Umpqua mainstem
North Umpqua River: Relatively fewer steelhead have been moving over the dam
South Umpqua River : Steelhead fishing has been decent on the South Umpqua
Winchuck River: River conditions have been near perfect for steelhead fishing

3-16-2023
Youth turkey hunting clinics April 1 There will be clinics at the Denman and White River wildlife areas, and each will...... Read More