Northwest Lunker: The Complete Fishing Resource for Oregon and the Pacific Northwest

•Getting ready for fishing season 02/09/2008
•Oregon Steelhead Forecast for 2008 01/24/2008
•Staying warm on the water 12/02/2007
•Editorial: Hatchery vs. Wild Fish 06/19/2007
•Getting the most out of NWLunker.com 11/15/2006
•Illegal species introduction, lessons from Diamond Lake 09/15/2006
•The Smart Angler 08/08/2006
•Use the web to improve your fishing experience 05/04/2006
•Controlling sea lion predation on the Columbia River 03/20/2006
•A Guide's Perspective: Tom Burgess on the Salmon Crisis 05/18/2005
•How does mercury affect health? 01/27/2005
•Mercury Advisories and the Oregon Angler 01/27/2005
•A new and effective trolling technique 04/06/2004
•10 Steps to Angling Success 02/13/2004
•What to do when the fish aren't biting 02/01/2004
Featured Article

Off-season gems
12/08/2004

When the weather gets bad, most people stay indoors. That makes it a great time to avoid the Summer crowds and get in some great fishing.

Note...

As with any outdoor activity during Fall or Winter months, make sure you're properly equiped for bad weather.

The general fishing season for most streams and rivers is now closed until next Spring, but there are still some great places to get your hook wet if you know where to look. Here are our recommendations for some great off-season fishing opportunities. Keep in mind that access to these fisheries is subject to change with little or no notice due to bad weather, so be sure to check weather and road conditions before heading out.

Northwest Zone:

ALSEA RIVER: Fall chinook angling has been good. Chinook have been caught throughout tidewater. Bank anglers have been doing well as far upstream as Fall Creek.
SUISLAW RIVER: Fall chinook angling is good in tidewater. Bank anglers are doing well in Lake Creek up to Deadwood Creek. Early rains have spread some fish throughout the river.
TAHKENITCH LAKE: Open for coho salmon. Coho fishing is starting to pick up. Perch fishing has been good.
YAQUINA RIVER: Fall chinook angling has been very good in upper tidewater. Early rains have spread some fish throughout the river.

Willamette Zone:

DETROIT RESERVOIR: Rainbow trout are plentiful and have been fairly active. Recent stocking has increased the catch.
FOSTER RESERVOIR: Success for rainbow trout has been good, especially for boat anglers.
GREEN PETER RESERVOIR: Kokanee fishing is still good at depths of about 40-50 feet. Fish are in the nine-to-11 inch range.
WALTER WIRTH LAKE (Salem): The lake still holds some trout, as well as bass and sunfish, which should provide good opportunity for anglers. The lake will be stocked this week.

Central Zone:

ANTELOPE FLAT RESERVOIR: Opportunities for 13-to 20-inch rainbow trout are excellent. The reservoir is approximately 50 percent full. The boat ramp is operational only for small boats and canoes. Bank angling for trout may be difficult due to illegally introduced bullhead.
CLEAR LAKE: Trout fishing is good.
KINGSLEY RESERVOIR: The reservoir is full and and fishing is good.
LAKE BILLY CHINOOK: Metolius Arm of the reservoir is closed. The balance of the reservoir is open year round. Opportunities for bull trout in the Deschutes and Crooked Arms are excellent. Harvest limit is one fish over 24 inches.
LOST LAKE: The lake has been stocked and fishing is good.
PINEHOLLOW RESERVOIR:The reservoir has been stocked and trout fishing is good. The reservoir is full.
PRINEVILLE RESERVOIR: Angling for 12-16 inch rainbow trout continues to be good. Fish are reportedly scattered through reservoir in the upper part of the water column.
ROCK CREEK RESERVOIR: The reservoir is full and has been stocked. Trout fishing is good.
SYCAN RIVER: Angling for brook trout is excellent.

Southeast Zone:

CRUMP LAKE: Anglers report fair numbers of white crappie in the 12-inch range. Crappie up to 17 inches have been reported.
LOST LAKE: Angling has been improving for perch and brown bullhead.
MILL FLAT RESERVOIR: Fishing is good.
OWYHEE RIVER-LOWER: Winter water releases are about eight cfs. Fishing remains good for rainbows and browns.
PAIUTE RESERVOIR: Fishing is good for trout up to 18 inches.
PILCHER CREEK RESERVOIR: Trout fishing is good. Some larger fish are being caught. The reservoir is 22 percent full.
ROGGER POND: Fishing is good.
THOMPSON RESERVOIR: There is no limit on largemouth bass. Fishing is fair for trout.
WILLOW VALLEY RESERVOIR: Angling has been good for bass and crappie.
WITHERS LAKE: Fishing is good for brook and brown trout.

Snake River Zone:

BROWNLEE RESERVOIR: Water has come up some and crappie have moved into the Hewwitt Park area (10-15 feet deep). Crappie are large. Perch fishing has been good using worms. Catfish and bass fishing has slowed. The reservoir is eight feet below full.
HELLS CANYON RESERVOIR: Approximately 1000 hatchery steelhead have been released into the reservoir, and angling has been good. These steelhead are considered trout in the regulations for Hell's Canyon Reservoir and above, and anglers may take one per day. Rainbow trout fishing at the mouths of tributaries has been good. Bass, catfish, crappie and perch fishing is slow.
SNAKE RIVER, HELLS CANYON DAM TO THE STATE LINE: Steelhead fishing is open and has been very good below the dam. Rainbow fishing has been good also.

Disclaimer Although we make every effort to provide accurate information, we do not guarantee it is so. We strongly recommend checking current rules, regulations, road and environmental conditions before heading out to go fishing. Please boat safely and responsibly.	Recommended Browser This site has been optimized for Mozilla Firefox because using Microsoft Internet Explorer to surf the web is about as safe as using a rusty needle you found in the park.
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