ODFW’s Oct. 16 sheet: bay salmon holding, Malheur rainbows to 22 inches

Oregon’s weekly recreation report for Oct. 16, 2026, says mild fall weather is keeping fish from pushing upstream until more rain arrives. On the north coast, fall salmon fishing is fair to good on Nehalem, Tillamook, and Nestucca bays, with Chinook and coho in all three basins. Rivers there are still low, so the department says the bite is in the bays and tidewater until flows come up. Summer steelhead are still available on the Nestucca and Wilson, mostly in the upper reaches. Many coastal streams stay open for cutthroat through Oct. 31.

Farther south, fall Chinook fishing is fair to good in the Siletz, Alsea, Siuslaw, Yaquina, and Salmon rivers. Coho are being caught in the Siletz and Yaquina. The Siuslaw closed for wild coho retention on Oct. 13. Siltcoos and Tahkenitch lakes are open for wild coho retention, but ODFW says most of those fish will not show until there is measurable rain. In the Willamette zone, coho are moving into the lower North Santiam, with the better water described from Green’s Bridge down to Jefferson and on into the mainstem Santiam. Walleye fishing has been good on the Willamette from Peoria downstream to Independence, in 12 to 18 feet, trolling a worm spinner a little faster than the current.

The central and southeast notes are about trout. After trophy stockings, the Fall River has been fishing exceptionally well, and Pine Nursery Pond in Bend was recently stocked with brown trout. At Malheur Reservoir, sampling this week found rainbows from 10 to 22 inches, with a common size of 12 to 16 inches. Staff fly-fished morning and evening at more than 10 trout an hour, and people were catching fish trolling and from the bank on bait. Water was in the mid-50s, and the level was up to the old school bus. Yellowjacket Reservoir, sampled last week, held trout from 8 to 18 inches, commonly 12 to 15, also in mid-50s water. At Phillips Reservoir, tiger muskie fishing should stay good while the water is in the low 50s and until it drops below 45 degrees.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: ODFW — Weekly Recreation Report (Oct. 16, 2026).