September 3, 2026

Includes updates to fishing, hunting, crabbing, clamming, and wildlife viewing.

The arrival of fall weather across Oregon signals an ideal time to explore the outdoors as cooler temperatures re-energize regional fish and wildlife.

View the 2026 Big Game Hunting Forecast, a great source for local hunting information, provided directly from staff in the field.

Best bets for weekend fishing:

• Fall salmon seasons on coastal rivers are underway and there is more opportunity to catch wild Chinook and coho this year.
• Rockfish are picking up with a good average catch rate.
• Buoy 10 offers both boat and bank fishing opportunities through September.
• Beat the crowds and go fishing for sea-run cutthroat in coastal streams, bays and tidewaters.
• Fish for trout or change up to warmwater game species. See specific zone reports for best bets.

Northwest:

• Trout season is open for Northwest Zone streams. See the regulation booklet for limits, open areas, and bait restrictions.
• Cutthroat trout are present in most areas open to angling and provide a good fishery in the rivers and streams and will continue to improve from now through the end of the season (October 31). Sea-run cutthroat are dispersed throughout the fisheries. Fishing has been good recently.
• Nehalem Bay has fall Chinook in the bay and tidewater. Fishing has been fair and consistent the past week with multiple fish being caught daily. The Bag limit is one wild adult Chinook per day and five for the season (July 1 to Nov 30) as part of the overall daily bag limit. A few hatchery coho have been caught in the bay as well.
• Nestucca Bay and Tillamook Bay are both starting to produce a few Fall Chinook, it's early but there are some around and this week's rain may bring in some more.
• Look to higher elevation lakes that are cooling off for the best chances of success. Lost lake, South Lake, Hebo Lake, Lake Tahoe, and Town Lake are all good options for late summer trout fishing.
• Warm water fisheries for bass and sunfish are active and provide some good opportunity for weekend fishing. Cape Meares Lake, Coffenbury Lake, Cullaby Lake, and Vernonia pond all have decent populations of warm water species available to catch. Lake Lytle has a good largemouth bass population, but it is very weedy. The bass populations in Cape Meares and Coffenbury are healthy with decent numbers and size of fish. The population is down in Town Lake.
• Summer steelhead fishing on the Siletz River has been slow, but this week's rain should get some fish moving again. Multiple batches of summer steelhead were recycled to the lower river for additional angler opportunity in May and June. Recycled steelhead have a colored tag at the base of the dorsal fin. Anglers are asked to please report tagged steelhead caught in the Siletz River to caleb.w.yann@odfw.oregon.gov with the date, tag color, and general location where fish were caught to monitor recapture and harvest rates in the basin. Additional summer steelhead were also recycled to Olalla Reservoir to provide angler opportunities.
• The Siuslaw, Siletz and Alsea rivers are starting to produce a few fall Chinook lower in the systems. It's still early, but this week's rain should bring some more fish into the rivers.
• Warmwater fisheries can be a great option this time of year. Siltcoos and Tahkenitch lakes can be great places to target largemouth bass, yellow perch, and bluegill. Largemouth bass are doing well at both locations.
• Siletz River HWY 229 remains closed at approximately milepost 14 due to a large land slide covering the road.

Southwest:

• Some of the more popular spots to fish for red-tailed surfperch are along beaches like Horsefall Beach and Whiskey Run. Anglers have the best success fishing with sand shrimp weighted gear on the bottom although power grubs can also work.
• Try warmwater fishing for bass at Ben Irving, Howard Prairie and Hyatt Reservoirs.
• Cooper Creek Reservoir looks nice and clear. Go earlier in the morning or fish deeper for success.
• This is a good time of year to look for cutthroat in the Chetco River estuary. The estuary has very little bank access. Please be mindful of out-migrating salmon and steelhead smolt. If you catch these young salmonids, consider switching to barbless hooks and/or moving to a new location.
• Hemlock and Lake of the Woods are accessible, and people are catching good numbers of trout.

Willamette:

• Two-rod validation has been extended through Dec. 31 upstream of Willamette Falls.
• ODFW stocked Blue Lake, St. Louis Ponds, Adair Pond, and Bond Butte Pond in July with channel catfish. These fish, sourced from an approved facility, averaged approximately one pound each and are expected to provide excellent summertime fishing opportunities in these valley ponds.
• Try warmwater fishing for smallmouth bass and yellow perch near underwater structures and drop-offs in Foster Reservoir.
• Fishing for walleye and smallmouth bass on the Willamette River between Salem and Corvallis can be very fun and exciting.

Columbia River:

• Columbia River fall salmon seasons continue, remember regulations can change throughout the season so always check the regulation updates page for details.
• Walleye fishing was good in The Dalles and John Day Pools last week. See the fishing regulation update page for summer fishing opportunities.

Central:

• Anglers can still fish for trout throughout the lower Deschutes. Using a large stonefly nymph or a double nymph setup with an indicator typically does well during the summer months.
• Water clarity and overall conditions at Kingsley Reservoir are great for fishing, should still be good opportunity for trout this summer.
• As the reservoir storage level recedes, anglers report productive brown trout fishing at Wickiup Reservoir.
• Anglers report excellent fishing for recently stocked and holdover trout at Three Creek Lake.
• Anglers report smaller than average 12-16 in but abundant rainbow trout and 15-in kokanee and good fishing at Crane Prairie Reservoir.
• Anglers report good trout fishing and excellent kokanee fishing at Paulina Lake. Kokanee at Paulina Lake is amongst the largest in Central Oregon this year averaging 13-14 inches.
• Positive reports keep rolling in from East Lake with large numbers of rainbow trout in the 16-18-inch range, trophy brown trout over 24-inches, and kokanee 13-15-inches.
• The Metolius River is an excellent trout fishery in September and October.
• Fall River was recently replenished with stocked trout, and anglers report good nymphing opportunities near the hatchery and the headwaters.

Northeast:

• Fishing for trout will be best near shore especially on the South end of the lake near the inlet of the Wallowa River.
• Try Willow Creek Reservoir for trout, bass, and crappie.
• Penland Lake is producing limits of rainbow trout.
• Try warmwater fishing for bass in the lower Grand Ronde.

Snake:

• Bass and trout can be caught downstream of Hells Canyon Dam.
• Fall Chinook salmon reopened on August 18 on Snake River downstream of Hells Canyon Dam, harvest limits have been adjusted due to low return numbers. See the regulation updates page for more information.

Southeast:

• Catch and Release for Redband Rainbow Trout with no bait is now required through October 31 on all of Upper Klamath Lake including but not limited to Pelican Bay, Crystal Creek, Recreation Creek, Harriman Creek, Odessa Creek, Short Creek, Fourmile Creek, Thomason Creek, Fourmile Canal, Barkley Springs Channel below highway 97 and mouth of Williamson River.
• Yellow perch angling 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 crappies.
• The Wood River below Weed Road is fishing well for Brown Trout.
• Crappie fishing in Owhyee Reservoir has been good.
• Perch fishing at Dog Lake continues to be good.

Marine:

• There have been some changes to ocean salmon regulations so be sure to check for updates. See the ocean salmon regulations in either a time and area graphic view or as a map.
• All ports are seeing soft, recently molted, male crab. While these are legal to keep, it is worth noting that they will not be as full of meat or the meat may not be as high quality.

Refer to the zone reports for more details and possibilities.

Hunter Education: 

Hunter safety conventional courses and field days have limited availability as hunt seasons begin--seats are filling up fast!

There's still time to register for one of the youth upland game bird hunts!

Find time to sight in at one of these range events before your hunt.

Are you planning to hunt in another state this year? Request your Replacement Hunter Safety Card.

Help protect Oregon's wildlife: Turn in poachers

Poaching takes a serious toll on of Oregon's wildlife. You can help by reporting poaching when you take to the field or hit the water this season. Find out more about poaching in Oregon, including ways you can report it.

View the report