Willow Valley was sampled with a boat electrofisher last week. There were good numbers of largemouht bass of many size classes. Bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish were also common. Yellow perch dominated the catch but were not in high densities. Crappie were also captured. The reservoir has multiple shallow weed beds currently with the higher lake levels. Hexagenia mayflies were observed hatching in the Antelope Creek arm as well as many small Caenis mayflies. The reservoir is very productive currently.

A total of 302 largemouth bass up to 3 pounds were stocked in Willow Valley Reservoir from Davis Lake in mid May. Fishing for largemouth bass should be excellent. If you have a boat, try the Antelope Creek arm or the face of the dam along the shallows. ODFW and BLM have restocked the reservoir with small numbers of largemouth bass, crappie, and hundreds of pumpkinseed sunfish in 2023.

This fishery seems to be slow due to turbid conditions. Willow Valley is a very turbid, desert like reservoir. The boat ramp is in good condition but there's no dock and launching might be difficult. The reservoir has lots of water.

Bass and crappie can be found at the habitat structures placed by BLM and ODFW in the past. Yellow perch are prolific in the reservoir but stunted. Fishing for yellow perch is your best bet. Please harvest the yellow perch to increase largemouth bass and crappie abundance.