An Oregon license, tag and shellfish license run out on December 31, so January takes 2027's. Winter steelhead enter the rivers in November and December and run through April, and from December 1 the Rogue and the south coast need the Rogue-South Coast validation. Crabbing is open all year in the bays, but the ocean is closed to it until November 30, and biotoxins can close razor clams and crab at any time.
What to fish for in early November
Oregon's winter belongs to the steelhead. Hatchery and wild fish fill the coastal rivers from December, the Portland and Willamette Valley rivers run from late fall, and the south coast opens under its own validation; east of the mountains the Grande Ronde's canyon water carries steelhead too. The bays give Dungeness crab all winter, the beaches razor clams whenever the toxin tests allow, and the spring creeks of central Oregon and the Klamath country keep trout feeding.
Steelhead
Pushes upriver on each rise of water and stacks in the tailouts as the river clears, so the days a river spends dropping back after a storm are the ones to fish.
Where. The Wilson, Trask, Nestucca and Siletz, the Alsea and the Siuslaw, the Clackamas, the Sandy and the Santiams, the Umpqua, and the Rogue and Chetco.
The steelhead waters we forecast Water Usual water now Forecast Trask River near Tillamook about 49F Best Tue, Nov 10, A+Today's forecast Clackamas River at Estacada about 47F Best Wed, Nov 11, A+Today's forecast Rogue River near Agness about 50F Today's forecast Chinook Salmon
The first spring fish of the year reach the lower rivers in late winter, a handful at a time.
Where. The lower Willamette and the Columbia at Portland.
Rainbow Trout
Rises to small mayflies and midges on mild afternoons in the spring-fed rivers, and the big wild redbands of the Klamath country feed through the cold.
Where. The Metolius, the Crooked below Bowman Dam and the lower Deschutes, and the Klamath below Keno with the Williamson and the Wood.
The rainbow trout waters we forecast Water Usual water now Forecast Deschutes River near Madras about 52F Today's forecast Upper Klamath Lake about 51F Best Mon, Nov 16, CToday's forecast Rockfish
Holds on the jetties and nearshore reefs through the winter, the calm days between storms the ones to fish, with lingcod in the same water as they come in to spawn.
Where. The jetties at the mouths of the bays, Tillamook, Yaquina and Coos among them, and the nearshore reefs off the ports.
Usual water now is that water's normal for this point in the season: a lake's modeled seasonal curve or a river gauge's long-run average, not this year's reading. The forecast link reads this week's.
What changes soon
The next six weeks of this report's calendar for Oregon.
- Tue December 1The Oregon ocean reopens to crabbing. The Rogue-South Coast steelhead validation is required from today, to April 30.
Every date for Oregon from November to February (3)
- Tue December 1The Oregon ocean reopens to crabbing. The Rogue-South Coast steelhead validation is required from today, to April 30.
- Thu December 31Every Oregon license, tag and shellfish license expires.
- Fri January 1Oregon's bottomfish limits for 2027, set in December, take effect.
This week's fishing reports
This report covers the season. For what was caught this week, read the people who report on this water.
ODFW reports every zone weekly through the winter, and its shellfish biologists update the crabbing and clamming report weekly. The Guide's Forecast publishes a free statewide report every weekend, with members' zone reports on Thursdays. In central Oregon The Fly Fisher's Place reports weekly and Deschutes Angler most weeks, while Fly and Field stops for the winter; the south coast has ODFW and a Brookings guide's occasional posts.
Where to fish in Oregon, area by area
Each water links to its live forecast. The engine outlook in these areas was generated November 3, 2026, for the 14 days from that date; good hours are the hours at or above a B+.
The north coast rivers
Wilson River · Trask River · Kilchis River · Nestucca River · Siletz River
The short, rain-fed rivers that drain the Coast Range into Tillamook Bay and the sea, the Wilson, Trask, Kilchis, Nestucca and Siletz among them, with hatchery and wild winter steelhead from December and a road along most of them.
Who reports here. ODFW's Northwest Zone report and The Guide's Forecast's free weekend report both ran through the winter, and the members' north and central coast report came every Thursday.
Engine outlook
- Best: Tue, Nov 10, A+9 good hours47F measured Nov 3 at TRASK RIVER ABOVE CEDAR CREEK, NEAR TILLAMOOK, ORbest run 9h115 cfsat TRASK RIVER ABOVE CEDAR CREEK, NEAR TILLAMOOK, ORon this water
The Columbia, the Willamette and the Portland rivers
Columbia River · Willamette River · Clackamas River · Sandy River
The lower Columbia and the Willamette where they meet at Portland, with the Clackamas and the Sandy coming down off Mount Hood, winter steelhead water close to the city and the first of the spring Chinook in late winter.
Who reports here. The Guide's Forecast reports these rivers weekly, its free report on weekends, and ODFW's Willamette Zone report ran through January.
Engine outlook
- Best: Wed, Nov 11, A+8 good hours48F measured Nov 3 at CLACKAMAS RIVER AT ESTACADA, ORbest run 8h747 cfsat CLACKAMAS RIVER AT ESTACADA, ORon this water
The south coast rivers
Rogue River · Chetco River · Elk River · Sixes River
The rivers of the southwest corner, the lower Rogue at Gold Beach, the Chetco at Brookings and the Elk and Sixes near Port Orford, where winter steelhead anglers carry a validation of their own.
Who reports here. ODFW's Southwest Zone report ran weekly through the winter, and a Brookings guide posts a few reports a season; The Guide's Forecast's southwest report is for members.
Engine outlook
- Its best day in this outlook has passed.
The Deschutes and central Oregon
Lower Deschutes River · Metolius River · Crooked River · Fall River
The dry side of the Cascades around Bend and Sisters, the lower Deschutes running through its canyon past Maupin, the spring-fed Metolius and Fall rivers and the Crooked River below Bowman Dam, trout water that fishes through the winter on small flies.
Who reports here. The Fly Fisher's Place posted its report every week last winter and Deschutes Angler most weeks from January, while Fly and Field stops when the cold sets in.
Engine outlook
- Its best day in this outlook has passed.
The bays and beaches
Tillamook Bay · Netarts Bay · Yaquina Bay · Alsea Bay · Coos Bay
The estuaries and ocean beaches of the coast, Tillamook, Netarts, Yaquina, Alsea and Coos bays and the long Clatsop beaches near the Columbia, crabbed from docks, jetties and small boats and dug for razor and bay clams at low tide.
Who reports here. ODFW's crabbing and clamming report is updated weekly by its shellfish biologists, port by port, with the biotoxin closures.
The mid-coast rivers
Yaquina River · Alsea River · Siuslaw River
The coast rivers from Newport south to Florence, the Yaquina at Newport, the Alsea at Waldport and the Siuslaw at Florence, winter steelhead water running down out of the Coast Range from December.
Who reports here. ODFW's Northwest Zone report carries these rivers: its edition of February 12 said lots of fish had pushed in, that the Alsea and the Siletz were giving up a decent number, and that the Siuslaw was doing well.
Engine outlook
- Its best day in this outlook has passed.
The Umpqua
Umpqua River · North Umpqua River · South Umpqua River · Smith River
The Umpqua from Reedsport and Winchester Bay up past Elkton to its forks near Roseburg, the North Umpqua coming down from the Cascades with its long fly-only reach and the South Umpqua from the south, and the Smith River joining near the mouth.
Who reports here. ODFW's Southwest Zone report covers the basin: on January 8 it had winter steelhead being caught throughout the mainstem, and the Smith expected to pick up with the rains.
Engine outlook
- Its best day in this outlook has passed.
The Rogue Valley
Rogue River (Grants Pass to Lost Creek) · Applegate River · Applegate Lake · Lost Creek Lake
The middle and upper Rogue from Grants Pass up through the valley past Shady Cove to Lost Creek Dam, with the Applegate coming in below Grants Pass and the reservoirs above both dams, steelhead and trout water fished from drift boats and the bank.
Who reports here. ODFW's Southwest Zone report covers the valley: on January 8 it gave the release from Lost Creek at about 2,000 cubic feet a second and reported trollers doing well for rainbows on the reservoir, with trout stocking to resume in February. The Rogue-South Coast winter steelhead validation applies here too.
Engine outlook
- Its best day in this outlook has passed.
The Willamette Valley rivers
North Santiam River · South Santiam River · McKenzie River · Middle Fork Willamette River · Detroit Lake
The Willamette's big Cascade tributaries above Salem and Eugene, the North and South Santiam, the McKenzie and the Middle Fork, with the reservoirs behind their dams, Detroit and Foster among them, winter steelhead on the Santiams and trout on the McKenzie.
Who reports here. ODFW's Willamette Zone report covers these rivers: on January 15 it had the North Santiam running high, about 4,500 cubic feet a second at Mehama against the 3,000 or less it fishes best at, and the McKenzie open to keeping fin-clipped steelhead.
Engine outlook
- Its best day in this outlook has passed.
The northeast rivers and Brownlee
Grande Ronde River · Wallowa River · Imnaha River · John Day River · Phillips Reservoir
The northeast corner, the Grande Ronde and the Wallowa below the Wallowa Mountains, the Imnaha in its canyon toward Hells Canyon, the John Day across the Blue Mountains, Phillips Reservoir near Baker City, and Oregon's shore of Brownlee on the Snake, shared with Idaho.
Who reports here. ODFW's Northeast Zone report of January 15 had steelhead fishing good in the canyon country and starting below the mountains, whitefish good all winter, and some large perch caught near Baker City. The big Snake reservoir falls in ODFW's Snake River zone report, last captured in November. The outlook leaves the Grande Ronde out: its gauge at Troy carried no reading for two days, and the thermometer offered instead is on the Minam, another river.
The Klamath Basin
Upper Klamath Lake · Agency Lake · Williamson River · Wood River · Klamath River
Upper Klamath Lake and Agency Lake in the basin south of Crater Lake, with the spring-fed Wood and Williamson rivers running into them, big redband trout water, and the Klamath River below Keno running toward California.
Who reports here. ODFW's Southeast Zone report of February 5 called the river below Keno the basin's best fishing for wild, native trout, and noted that the upper Williamson above Kirk Road Bridge is now open all year.
Engine outlook
- Best: Mon, Nov 16, C0 good hours43F modeled from this lake's own seasonal curve
The Columbia pools above Bonneville
Bonneville Pool · The Dalles Pool · John Day Pool · Hood River
The Columbia above Bonneville Dam from the Oregon shore, the Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day pools up the Gorge and past the mouth of the Deschutes into the dry country, deep slow water behind the dams, with the Hood River coming in at its town. The pools are shared with Washington.
Who reports here. ODFW's Columbia zone report covers anglers in the pools: its edition of December 4 found one walleye kept for two boats in The Dalles pool, and said the 2026 sturgeon retention openers in the Bonneville and The Dalles pools would come later, to keep them open longer.
Engine outlook
- Best: Wed, Nov 11, A+9 good hours58F measured Nov 3 at COLUMBIA RIVER AT THE DALLES, ORbest run 5h113000 cfsat COLUMBIA RIVER AT THE DALLES, ORon this water
The rules from November to February
What changed this time
- The Ocean Endorsement has been required since January 1, 2026, for fishing the ocean from beaches, past the ends of jetties or from a boat, unless only salmon, steelhead or shellfish are kept: $9 a year or $4 a day.
- Next year's bottomfish limits are set in December and take effect on January 1; this year's are four general marine fish, no more than two of them canary rockfish, three lingcod and 25 flatfish.
Read on October 20, 2026, from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (its 2026 sport fishing regulations, its license and tag pages, its Ocean Endorsement and bottomfish pages, its crabbing zone pages and its recreation reports) and the Oregon Revised Statutes.
Licenses, and which state's rules apply
- A license runs January 1 to December 31, so this year's lapses mid-quarter. Anyone 12 or older needs one, and children under 12 fish free. This year's prices, which hold until the next increase in the schedule: residents $50 a year and resident seniors $34, nonresidents $138, a one-day angling and shellfish license $29, and a youth license for ages 12 to 17 $10.
- Salmon, steelhead, sturgeon and halibut take a combined angling tag on top of the license, and anglers under 12 need the youth tag: $69 for residents, $89 for nonresidents, $5 for youth. Each adult fish goes on the tag at once, with whether it was hatchery or wild and, for sturgeon and halibut, its length; jacks are not tagged. From December 1 to April 30 every winter steelhead angler in the Rogue Basin and on the south coast also needs the Rogue-South Coast steelhead validation ($4 residents, $8 nonresidents), and keeping a wild steelhead there takes the wild steelhead harvest tag ($20 or $40), one a day and three a season.
- Fishing the ocean from beaches, past the ends of jetties or from a boat also takes the ocean endorsement, $9 a year or $4 a day for anyone, unless only salmon, steelhead or shellfish are kept. Anglers holding a Washington license and fishing from a boat north of Cape Falcon need no Oregon license or endorsement, though nonresidents of Washington must then land their fish in Washington.
Bait, gear and fish you cannot keep
- No fish raised in an aquarium may be used as bait, and in the Southwest Zone no bait is allowed on rivers and streams above tidewater. Spring feeders are now allowed for carp, and bass and walleye may be speared in rivers and streams. Rockfish released outside the 30-fathom line go down on a descending device. A two-rod validation, $34 this year, lets an angler fish most lakes, ponds and reservoirs with two rods at once.
Lakes, ponds and rivers
- Lakes and ponds are open all year, five trout a day. Rivers and streams open for trout only May 22 to October 31, two a day, except in the Southeast Zone, where they are open all year, and the Willamette Zone, where they are catch and release. Kokanee have their own limit, ten a day. Salmon and steelhead seasons and limits change from year to year, so check the in-season updates: winter steelhead enter the rivers in November and December and run through April, and the south coast season opens in December.
Salt water
- Bottomfish are open at all depths all year. This year's daily limits: four general marine fish (rockfish, greenling, cabezon and others), no more than two of them canary rockfish and, since July 1, one cabezon of at least 16 inches; three lingcod of at least 22 inches; 25 flatfish. Yelloweye and quillback rockfish are never kept. This year's were set last December outside the printed book, so read the bottomfish page again in January.
- Crabbing is open all year in bays, on beaches and from piers and jetties, but the ocean is closed to crabbing from October 16 to November 30. Only male Dungeness of at least 5 3/4 inches across the back may be kept, 12 a day, and each crabber may fish no more than three rings, lines or pots in all. A shellfish license also runs January 1 to December 31. On the Clatsop beaches razor clams close from July 15 to September 30, and diggers keep the first 15 clams dug. Biotoxins close razor clams and sometimes crab: on October 15 razor clamming was closed along the whole coast, so check the Oregon Department of Agriculture's shellfish hotline (1-800-448-2474) before harvesting.
Read on these agency pages: ODFW: Fishing Licensing Info, ODFW: 10 steps to becoming an angler, ODFW: Recreational License Fee Schedule (PDF), ORS chapter 497: Licenses, tags and permits, ODFW: Combined Angling Tag instructions and location codes, ODFW: Rogue-South Coast Steelhead Validation, ODFW: What's New for 2026, ODFW Marine Resources Program: Ocean Endorsement FAQ (PDF, February 9, 2026), ODFW: How to buy an Oregon fishing license, ODFW: Southwest Zone, ODFW: Sport bottomfish seasons, ODFW: Northwest Zone, ODFW: Southeast Zone, ODFW: Willamette Zone, ODFW: How to crab, ODFW: Crabbing & Clamming, Columbia Zone, ODFW: Crabbing & Clamming, Northwest Zone, ODFW: Crabbing & Clamming, Southwest Zone, ODFW: Crabbing & Clamming Licensing Info, ODFW: Crabbing & Clamming Seasonal Opportunities, ODFW Marine Resources Program: Razor clams, ODFW: Crabbing & Clamming Report, Marine Zone.
The season at a glance
What these months usually do
Each lake's own seasonal curve, the one the engine scores the lake on: what these dates usually do, modeled rather than measured, and not a forecast for this year.
| Water | Nov 1 | Dec 1 | Jan 1 | Feb 1 | Feb 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Klamath Lake | 52F | 45F | 41F | 41F | 41F |
Each river's own gauge: its average for these dates across the years it has recorded, measured, and not a forecast for this year.
| Water | Nov 1 | Dec 1 | Jan 1 | Feb 1 | Feb 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alsea River near TidewaterALSEA RIVER NEAR TIDEWATER, OR, 1980 to 2026 | 51F | 46F | 47F | 45F | 47F |
| Clackamas River at EstacadaCLACKAMAS RIVER AT ESTACADA, OR, 2001 to 2026 | 48F | 42F | 40F | 41F | 40F |
| Columbia River at The DallesCOLUMBIA RIVER AT THE DALLES, OR, 1996 to 2027 | 57F | 48F | 42F | 39F | 40F |
| Deschutes River near MadrasDESCHUTES RIVER NEAR MADRAS, OR, 1987 to 2026 | 52F | 49F | 45F | 44F | 44F |
| Rogue River at Grants PassROGUE RIVER AT GRANTS PASS, OR, 1986 to 2026 | 48F | 44F | 42F | 43F | 44F |
| Rogue River near AgnessROGUE RIVER NEAR AGNESS, OR, 1986 to 2026 | 51F | 46F | 44F | 45F | 46F |
| Trask River near TillamookTRASK RIVER ABOVE CEDAR CREEK, NEAR TILLAMOOK, OR, 2011 to 2015 | 49F | 47F | 43F | 45F | 45F |
The moon from November to February
| Month | New moon | Full moon |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | Sun, Nov 8 | Tue, Nov 24 |
| December 2026 | Tue, Dec 8 | Wed, Dec 23 |
| January 2027 | Thu, Jan 7 | Fri, Jan 22 |
| February 2027 | Sat, Feb 6 | Sat, Feb 20 |
The U.S. Naval Observatory's dates, on local time.
Daylight in each area from November to February
Worked out for one place in each area, on its own clock.
| Area | Shortest day | Earliest sunset | Latest sunrise |
|---|---|---|---|
| The north coast riversat Trask River near Tillamook | 8h 42m, Dec 21 | 4:33pm, around Dec 10 | 7:56am, around Jan 2 |
| The Columbia, the Willamette and the Portland riversat Clackamas River at Estacada | 8h 44m, Dec 21 | 4:28pm, around Dec 10 | 7:50am, around Jan 2 |
| The south coast riversat Rogue River near Agness | 9h 3m, Dec 21 | 4:44pm, around Dec 9 | 7:48am, around Jan 3 |
| The Deschutes and central Oregonat Deschutes River near Madras | 8h 48m, Dec 21 | 4:26pm, around Dec 10 | 7:44am, around Jan 2 |
| The bays and beachesat Newport, on Yaquina Bay | 8h 48m, Dec 21 | 4:37pm, around Dec 10 | 7:54am, around Jan 2 |
| The mid-coast riversat Alsea River near Tidewater | 8h 50m, Dec 21 | 4:37pm, around Dec 10 | 7:53am, around Jan 2 |
| The Umpquaat Umpqua River near Elkton | 8h 56m, Dec 21 | 4:39pm, around Dec 10 | 7:49am, around Jan 2 |
| The Rogue Valleyat Rogue River at Grants Pass | 9h 4m, Dec 21 | 4:42pm, around Dec 9 | 7:44am, around Jan 3 |
| The Willamette Valley riversat North Santiam River at Minto | 8h 48m, Dec 21 | 4:30pm, around Dec 10 | 7:48am, around Jan 2 |
| The northeast rivers and Brownleeat Grande Ronde River at Troy | 8h 39m, Dec 21 | 4:06pm, around Dec 11 | 7:33am, around Jan 2 |
| The Klamath Basinat Upper Klamath Lake | 9h 4m, Dec 21 | 4:36pm, around Dec 9 | 7:38am, around Jan 3 |
| The Columbia pools above Bonnevilleat Columbia River at The Dalles | 8h 41m, Dec 21 | 4:22pm, around Dec 10 | 7:47am, around Jan 2 |
The lowest tides from November to February
| Station | Lowest, Nov | Lowest, Dec | Lowest, Jan | Lowest, Feb | Biggest range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garibaldi | -1.9 ftWed, Nov 25, 7:15pm | -2.0 ftThu, Dec 24, 7:02pm | -1.8 ftFri, Jan 22, 6:44pm | -1.2 ftSat, Feb 20, 6:21pm | 12.4 ftDec 24 |
| Yaquina USCG Sta, Newport | -2.1 ftWed, Nov 25, 6:48pm | -2.2 ftThu, Dec 24, 6:37pm | -1.9 ftFri, Jan 22, 6:19pm | -1.3 ftFri, Feb 19, 5:14pm | 13.0 ftDec 24 |
| Charleston | -2.0 ftWed, Nov 25, 6:41pm | -2.1 ftThu, Dec 24, 6:30pm | -1.8 ftFri, Jan 22, 6:13pm | -1.1 ftFri, Feb 19, 5:09pm | 11.7 ftDec 24 |
NOAA's predictions, in feet above the average of each day's lower low tide, so a minus tide falls below it. Wind and air pressure move the water off the prediction.