Oregon Salmon Fishing

So many choices. That is what makes Oregon the place for salmon fishing. Here, you have the option of fishing for record breaking Chinook salmon on pure backcountry rivers with overnights in riverside wilderness lodges. Or, you can drive 30 minutes from major metropolitan areas and be sitting in a drift boat with no one else around except you, your guide, and a thousand coho salmon. Still want more? How about going out into the ocean for halibut in the morning and then setting a hook up a river that evening? Okay, one more option: we have salmon in our waterways virtually year-round. No need to wait for the midnight sun here at the end of the Oregon trail.

Oregon chinook fishing has two full seasons. In the late summer and fall, the big daddies (an mommas) return to spawn in rivers from Portland to Ashland. The list of drift boat trips for these fish, some up to 80 pounds is topped by the Rogue, where you have the option of one to four-days on the river. The three and four day trips take place on one of the original Wild and Scenic rivers, and feature unsurpassed solitude, great wildlife viewing (bear, deer, bald eagle, osprey, river otter), fun whitewater, and historic wilderness lodges with gourmet meals, hot showers, and warm beds.

In the spring, "springers" swim upriver and are available for the patient fisherman. These chinook are not as big as their fall counterparts and a bit tougher to catch, but they are fighters and among the best tasting fish in the world. They are found throughout Oregon anywhere from late January through June.

Coho salmon begin moving off the coast and up river canyons to spawn varying times of year depending on where you are in Oregon. These fish are smaller than the chinook but are fun to catch. They begin their migration on some northern Oregon rivers in July or August. Down south, especially in the roadless Rogue river canyon, their peak season is October through early December.

Our recommendations for Oregon salmon fishing are:
Fall Chinook: Rogue river from late August through early October. Try the lodge trips. You won't be sorry!
Spring Chinook: Sandy river or Rogue river. These are wily fish, so be patient.
Coho: Clackamas river (hatchery supported). The Clackamas river reportedly has the last wild coho run of the entire Columbia river drainage. Fall is a good time to try you luck for these fish near Portland.