Recreation Report for June 6, 2019 - Fishing Update
/Highlights From The Week's Recreation Report
Stock Photo
Fishing Report
Southeast Oregon fishing update
Hatches of black drake mayflies are exceptional this year on the Upper Williamson River, mainstem Sprague River, lower NF and SF Sprague, lower Fivemile Creek and lower Long Creek.
Best bet for fishing in the Klamath Basin is Lake of the Woods for stocked rainbow trout, Upper Williamson River for native redband trout, Wood River for brown trout and Gerber Reservoir for crappie.
Look for the phenomenal hatch of salmonflies to continue this week on the Klamath River from the Powerhouse to the CA border. Golden stoneflies should also be hatching in good numbers.
Fishing has been excellent at Heart Lake, where all fishing methods seem to produce full stringers of trout.
Holbrook and Lofton Reservoirs will be stocked with more trophy trout for the third week in a row!
Cottonwood Meadows is accessible, and fly-fishing was excellent last weekend.
Several waterbodies are scheduled to be stocked the week of June 3, including the Powder River, State Reservoir, Lofton Reservoir, Phillips Reservoir, Chickahominy Reservoir, Burns Gravel Pond and Holbrook Reservoir.
ANNIE CREEK
brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout
Open year-round. Fishing in Annie Creek is very slow due to cold water temperatures, low productivity and high flows. Access is available year-round off Hwy. 62 at the USFS snow park. There is plenty of public property on USFS, State Forest and Crater Lake National Park -- fishing is regulated by the National Park (541-594-3000). Still lots of snow in the area.
CAMPBELL RESERVOIR
redband trout, largemouth bass, crappie
Access is available. Crappie fishing should be very good. Best fishing is from a small boat. Larger boats cannot be launched at the reservoir as there is no boat ramp. Best fishing is near the dam and near the overhanging willows. The southeastern part of the reservoir is on BLM property. The reservoir is also fed by water from Deming Creek.
Access is available off the FS 34 (Dairy Creek road) and 335 roads near Bly. Much of the reservoir is on private property so please respect this area.
UPPER KLAMATH AND AGENCY LAKES
native redband trout, yellow perch, kokanee, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead, tui chub and blue chub
Catch rates remain very low. The lake is turbid. All boat docks and boat ramps are open and accessible. Most anglers are bank fishing using dead minnows. The lake is 0.3 feet below full pool.
Please remember that once you retain your one redband/rainbow trout limit you must stop fishing for redband/rainbow trout. Also, all radio tagged redband trout must be released unharmed.
Best bets for weekend fishing (statewide)
From halibut in the Pacific to trout in the forest ponds of northeast Oregon, there’s good fishing across the state. For example,
In the last two weeks, dozens of waterbodies have been stocked with thousands of rainbow trout, and fishing should be excellent!
After a couple of weeks of warmer weather, fishing for bass and other warmwater species has really picked up. Many lakes on the north and mid-coast offer great warmwater fishing – something to consider when planning a getaway to the beach.
Chinook fishing is heating up in the McKenzie below Leaburg and in the Middle Fork Willamette.
Freeway Lake is one of the best places in the Willamette Valley to fish for large crappie.
Chinook harvest has picked up on the Hood River in the last two weeks as the majority of the run has reached the river.
Anglers should expect an excellent hatch of black drake mayflies on the upper Williamson River. Fishing should be excellent for redband trout near the Rocky Ford area.
Smallmouth bass fishing on the Columbia River has been great.
The mountains in northeast Oregon are green and beautiful, and with wildflowers in bloom, now is a great time to grab a map (or GPS) and take a tour of the stocked forest ponds.
Walleye fishing has been good in The Dalles and John Day pools of the Columbia.
The next Central Oregon Coast spring all-depth fixed opening is June 6-8, and the weather forecast looks promising.
Take the Trout Challenge and help native fish
Take the Western Native Trout Challenge and challenge yourself to catch at least six native trout species in four different states. At the same time, you’ll be helping protect, restore and recover 21 native trout and char species in 12 states. Learn more and register
Hunting
How to hunt for deer and elk course
It’s not too early to start thinking about your fall deer and elk hunt. If you’re new to big game hunting, or could stand to brush up on few basics, take the ODFW online How to Hunt for Deer and Elk Course.
Wildlife
Leave wildlife in the wild
As spring progresses, the chance to notice and watch young wildlife increases. Enjoy these moments, but be sure to leave wildlife where you find it. Even if the babies and toddlers seem abandoned, Mom is probably nearby foraging and will return soon. More tips on what to do if you find young wildlife
Wildlife Viewing
Spring migration is in full swing. There’s excellent viewing for greater white-fronted geese and snow geese in the Klamath Basin. Geese can be found foraging on private agricultural lands. The migratory geese will spend the next month here prior to finishing their migration back to arctic nesting areas. Other species to keep an eye out for are sandhill cranes, American avocets, black-necked stilts, white pelicans and white-faced ibis.
Bald eagle nesting is well underway. Bald eagles generally nest near the top of very large conifer trees. Nests are usually found in close proximity to waterbodies.
The Tule Lake and Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuges offer excellent viewing opportunities during the late winter and spring. An auto tour route is available on the Lower Klamath NWR just south of Stateline Road.
The Link River trail below Upper Klamath Lake is an excellent place to view many species of wildlife including deer, river otter, muskrat, mink, buffleheads, goldeneye, great-blue heron and great egret.
Mule deer migration is complete for the season and deer can be found concentrated on lower elevation winter ranges. Some key migration corridors and wintering areas are under restricted motorized access to protect the integrity of those areas during this critical time of year. Use caution driving near wintering areas, and please respect seasonal road closures.
Information provided by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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