Recreation Report
Northeast Zone
Recreation Report
April 10, 2024
If there’s not a photo, it didn’t happen
Submit your fishing photo to ODFW and we might use it here or elsewhere on MyODFW.com.
Best bets for weekend fishing
- Steelhead fishing can be good on the Wallowa and Imnaha Rivers when they are not running murky.
- Kokanee fishing at Wallowa Lake can be good during the spring months.
- Wallowa County ponds will have a mix of holdover trout from last year and new fish stocked throughout April.
Trout stocking
Scheduled to be stocked the week of April 8:
Roulet Pond, Kinney Lake
Recently stocked:
Willow Creek Reservoir
Check the 2024 trout stocking schedule.
Trout stocking maps
Check out the ODFW fishing and trout stocking maps to find nearby fishing locations, driving directions and descriptions of amenities.
Announcements
Ice fishing safety
Ice conditions on many waterbodies have deteriorated quickly. Some waterbodies that were safe for ice fishing a few weeks ago now pose a serious risk. We don't recommend ice fishing right now. If you do go, please exercise extreme caution when venturing on to the ice. Most lowland waterbodies will be completely ice free. However, high elevation waterbodies can hold ice well into the summer.
Fish consumption advisories
The Oregon Health Authority has issued consumption guidelines for various waterbodies in Oregon including the Snake and Columbia Rivers due to high levels of mercury and/or PCBs. Fish with these chemicals look, act, smell and taste like any other fish, so caution is important.
- Statewide advisories
- Bonneville Dam fish advisory
- Safe fish choices for pregnancy and young children
E-tagging tips for anglers
It's important for anglers to tag their salmon and steelhead immediately, which means you'll need to know how to navigate the MyODFW app outside of cell phone range. Here are some tips for e-tagging in the field.
Sign up for the latest information on boater access
Marine Board's Opportunities and Access Report incorporates information from federal and state agencies, local facility operators and fellow boaters to provide up-to-date information so boaters can decide where to recreate and what to expect this season. Subscribe to receive email updates.
Got a good fish story?
If you have been out fishing and have a recent fishing report you would like to share, we would love to hear it! Please send your fishing updates to: odfw.info@odfw.oregon.gov.
Updates by waterbody
ALDRICH PONDS (Roosevelt and Stewart Lakes): trout (2 fish limit)
The access road to the ponds closed on Dec. 1 as part of the annual winter range closure. The access road to the ponds will reopen on April 15, 2024. Last updated 12/13/23.
GRANDE RONDE RIVER: trout, whitefish, steelhead
Steelhead fishing has begun to slow as fish move upriver into the Wallowa River. However, steelhead will continue to be available into the spring until the season closure on April 30th. Trout and whitefish can be caught year-round in the Grande Ronde, and anglers may have some good fishing for trout and whitefish when flows are not too high. Last updated 4/3/24.
HAT ROCK POND: trout
Hat Rock Pond will be stocked during the week of May 1. Anglers should find success using PowerBait, worms or spinners and focusing their efforts in the mornings or evenings. Last updated 5/3/23.
IMNAHA RIVER: trout, whitefish, steelhead
Steelhead will be available on the Imnaha River throughout April although catch rates may slow as more fish move upstream to the hatchery. The best public access is downstream of Horse Creek. Anglers fishing the Imnaha closer toward town need to be sure to get landowner permission before accessing private lands. Bait, jigs and flies can all be effective ways of targeting steelhead in the Imnaha River.
Anglers should remember they might encounter bull trout in the Imnaha River. They cannot be harvested and must be released. Last updated 4/3/24.
JOHN DAY RIVER: steelhead
Weather and river conditions remain highly variable. The John Day has generally been slightly murky, but steelhead are being caught. Fishing has been a little slow likely due to river conditions, and long-term weather outlook is calling for more precipitation in the coming weeks. River visibility will likely continue to vary, but shouldn't preclude fishing.
Bass fishing is still an option, but fishing will likely be slow until the spring. Last updated 2/38/24.
MAGONE LAKE: rainbow and brook trout
The road to the lake is not accessible to vehicles in winter due to snow. Ice fishing can be a good bet in the winter when ice conditions are safe, if you can access the lake with a snowmobile. Last updated on 9/13/23.
McNARY PONDS: walleye, bass and trout.
Trout are likely to be the most active in the morning and late evening hours. Anglers should find success using PowerBait, worms or spinning lures. Last updated 5/3/23.
MORGAN LAKE: rainbow trout and bass
Morgan Lake opens for fishing on April 22. It will be stocked about the same time and should provide some good trout fishing afterward. Follow this link for more information about recreation at Morgan Lake. Last updated 4/3/24.
UMATILLA RIVER: fall Chinook, coho, summer steelhead, trout, bass, walleye
With flows still low and water temperatures starting to finally cool, anglers should head to upper headwaters this Labor Day weekend in search of trout. Anglers should focus on deeper holes. If you catch a bull trout, recognized by its white spots, please keep it in the water and release it as quickly as possible.
The fall Chinook, coho and summer steelhead fishery on the Umatilla River opens Sept. 1, 2023. The bag limit is 3 adult fall Chinook salmon, coho salmon or hatchery summer steelhead in aggregate per day and jack salmon.
The fall fisheries will be monitored very closely by fisheries managers to make sure that enough fish are returning for the Umatilla broodstock programs, but returns should provide angling opportunities to harvest fall Chinook, coho and steelhead this year. Last updated 8/30/23.
WALLA WALLA RIVER:
Steelhead fishing is now closed and due to the very low returns over the past number of years the fishery will remain closed to protect the small number of wild fish that are still returning. Last updated 5/22/23.
WALLOWA COUNTY PONDS: rainbow trout
Stocked trout are available at local ponds including Marr Pond and Kinney Lake. Kinney Lake may be one of the best local trout fishing spots as it gets a healthy stocking of fish in the fall that grow all winter. Some fish may be available at other local ponds, but fishing at those sites will improve later in the spring as more fish are added.
This spring, surplus steelhead were released into Marr Pond. When fishing Marr Pond, anglers do not need to have a combined angling tag or Columbia Basin endorsement to fish for the steelhead in Marr Pond. Any steelhead caught in Marr Pond count toward the angler's trout limit and do not need to be recorded on a combined angling or hatchery harvest tag. Last updated 4/2/24.
WALLOWA LAKE: rainbow trout, kokanee, lake trout
We have heard recent reports of anglers catching good sized kokanee that were up to 19 inches although most were smaller. Kokanee are deep and anglers may do best by jigging in 80 – 120 feet of water. As the year warms, many kokanee will move into shallower water and may be near the surface until the top layer of the lake warms in late spring. Trout anglers can do best near the south end of the lake whereas kokanee and lake trout will be more dispersed. Last updated 4/3/24.
WALLOWA RIVER: whitefish, trout, steelhead
Steelhead fishing has slowed in recent weeks, but fish will still be available until the season closure on April 30. Fishing for trout and whitefish can be good in the spring on the Wallowa River especially when flows are moderate and water clarity is good. Trout and whitefish can be caught on a variety of baits, lures, and flies. Casting flies like wooly buggers and nymphs to pockets of slower moving water near shore can be good ways to catch trout and whitefish on the Wallowa River in the spring. Last updated 4/3/24.
WILLOW CREEK RESERVOIR: trout, crappie, bass
No recent reports. Last updated 11/8/23.