Idaho Fish Report

Watch wildlife from a distance

Leave them where you find them

Young wild animals are rarely orphaned – mom’s probably just off foraging for food. So if you see a deer fawn, elk calf or other young animal alone, leave it where it is. Chances are an adult animal is nearby. Read more reasons why trying to “save” an animal may do more harm than good.

Best bets for weekend fishing

Weekend fishing opportunities include trout, salmon, steelhead, bass and warmwater species, and a variety of ocean fish.

• Siletz summer steelhead are starting to show up in decent numbers.
• Recent rains have moved more fish into the Lower Columbia Tributaries, Nestucca River, Tillamook Bay and Trask River, which remain best bets for spring Chinook.
• Willow Lake recently received a nice stocking of 4000 legal trout and 1500 “pounders.” It is also the fullest of the Rogue reservoirs, sitting at 98 percent capacity.
• Shad fishing continues on the mainstem Umpqua and Coquille rivers.
• Fishing conditions at Garrison Lake are prime, and there are good opportunities for both native and stocked fish. 
• Diamond Lake has been producing some very nice trout this year. Recent reports say fishing has been good to very good.
• Kokanee fishing has been picking up on Odell Lake. 
• On Paulina Lake, anglers report good fishing for kokanee and brown trout.
• Fishing for trout at Lake of the Woods should be excellent. The lake is getting additional stocked trout originally intended for Fourmile Lake.
• The best bet in the Klamath Basin is the Klamath River below Keno Dam and the Upper Williamson River. Look for black drake mayflies to be hatching on the Upper Williamson.
• Trout fishing on the mainstem Umatilla has been productive and people are catching fish with both lures and flies, as well as bait up to Ryan Creek.
• The mark selective ocean coho season opens Saturday, June 12 from Cape Falcon to the OR/CA border.

Check out the zone reports for more details, including occasional updates on wipers, striped bass and kokanee. 

ODFW braces for drought

What anglers can expect

March, April and May of 2021 were among the driest spring months since the 1890s, and ODFW is bracing for a serious drought as summer arrives. Currently, 72 percent of the state is in severe or extreme drought status.

As the summer progresses, anglers should continue to expect changes to fish stocking, and possible emergency regulations. See more details here. The weekly Recreation Report will be your best source of information on conditions and any emergency regulations.

New map shows wildfire impacts on recreation

Includes a boat ramp status map

Natural resource agencies in Oregon have teamed up to create an interagency status map that shows open, closed and reduced service areas on a single map, regardless of reason for closure. The map now also includes an updated boat ramp status map. 

Register for shotgun skills, pheasant hunting workshops

ODFW is offering several of its popular shotgun skills and pheasant hunting workshops beginning in June. A shotgun skills class is a prerequisite to a pheasant hunting workshop. These classes fill quickly, so sign up soon. See more details and register.