Fly Fishing in Oregon

A regional note specific to this state: the trout fishery here is small but high-quality, and the state agency manages a handful of tailwaters and one or two famous freestone streams, and the most productive water is the tailwater below the state's largest reservoir. Oregon trout fishing is the most diverse in the Pacific Northwest, ranging from the trophy steelhead and trout fisheries of the Deschutes to the wild cutthroat streams of the high Cascades. The state has more than 16,000 miles of fishable trout water, including the famous Deschutes, the McKenzie, the Rogue, the Metolius, and dozens more. The most famous trout river is the Deschutes, a freestone that runs through the high country of central Oregon and produces wild rainbows averaging 14 to 18 inches. The state's trout program is administered through the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the agency stocks the put-and-take lakes and rivers while managing the wild trout water through a combination of slot limits and special regulations. A regular Oregon fishing license is required, and the cost is $44 for residents and $110 for non-residents, and the daily limit is 5 trout combined in most waters with special regulations on the wild trout water. The unique regional quirk is that Oregon requires a special combined angling license to fish for both trout and salmon, and the daily limit is 2 trout in the special regulation water.