Oregon has many great types of fishing, but when it comes down to it, more anglers spend more days chasing trout than any other fish. Oregon is blessed with terrific fishing for native rainbow, cutthroat and bull trout. Introduced species such as brown, lake and brook trout thrive here.
What follows are links that take you to some of Oregon’s best trout fisheries, many of which focus on trophy fisheries.
You also will find a ton of information by going back to the Oregon page and using our interactive map or region/county menu to find places to catch trout wherever you are.
Stocked Trout
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife annually stocks hundreds of thousands of hatchery-raised rainbow trout into waters across the state.
The following table lists the waters that receive the most trout that are at least legal-sized (sometimes larger).
Some of the smaller waters are stocked in smaller doses but many times during the season, while big lakes and reservoirs may be stocked fewer times each year but with giant truckloads.
The seasons in colder rivers and lakes often run from spring into fall, while the main stocking season in low-land lakes often occurs during the cooler months.
Here’s a caveat: When we built this table, ODFW hadn’t yet listed more than a single planting at Detroit Lake, albeit with quite a few trophy-sized trout. This reservoir is typically among the most stocked spots in Oregon, so we won’t be surprised if they update their schedule. A few other spots may also add additional stocking lakes and reshuffle our list below.
Another caveat: Our table does not list waters that aren’t stocked with ready-to-catch trout. That means it doesn’t include some of Oregon’s top trout lakes, several of which are covered in our complete fishing guides linked tfurther down in this article.
All that said, see our list of exceptionally well-stocked lakes, rivers and other waterways (linked place names go to articles about those locations):
The Most-Stocked Trout Spots in 2024
Location | Total |
---|---|
McKenzie River (below and above Leaburg Lake) | 84,350 |
Lost Creek Lake | 66,100 |
Henry Hagg Lake | 51,302 |
North Fork Reservoir | 47,268 |
Detroit Lake | 44,000 |
Rogue River (above Lost Creek Lake) | 40,000 |
Wallowa Lake | 37,200 |
Alton Baker Canal | 31,693 |
Foster Reservoir | 31,500 |
Walter Wirth Lake | 30,049 |
Cleawox Lake | 27,418 |
Applegate Lake | 26,300 |
St. Louis Ponds | 25,191 |
Green Peter Reservoir | 24,400 |
Junction City Pond | 24,300 |
Timber Linn Lake | 23,409 |
Rainbow Trout
Stocked trout: Find the major stocked waters in all 36 Oregon counties by starting with this map.
Five Top Rainbow Trout Fishing Lakes in Oregon
Detailed information about rainbow trout fishing in select* waters:
- Davis Lake (Fly Fishing)
- Lower Deschutes River (Fly Fishing the Salmonfly Hatch)
- Diamond Lake
- East Lake
- Henry Hagg Lake
- Miller Lake
- North Fork Reservoir
- Odell Lake
- Pine Hollow Reservoir
- Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes
- Wallowa Lake
- Williamson River
*Find LOTS more trout fishing close to home here.
Brown Trout
Oregon’s Top Six Trophy Brown Trout Lakes and Reservoirs
Detailed information about brown trout fishing in select waters:
Lake Trout
Best Lake Trout (Mackinaw) Lakes in Oregon
Detailed information about lake trout (mackinaw) fishing in select waters:
Trout anglers may also be interested in:
- Best Fly Fishing Rivers in Oregon
- Best Fly Fishing Lakes in Oregon
- Best Steelhead Fishing in Oregon
- Best Kokanee Fishing in Oregon
Return to Best Fishing in Oregon page
For month-by-month ideas of when and where steelhead and other types of fishing are best, see our Oregon Fishing Calendar.
Oregon Resources
ODFW Weekly Fishing Report
ODFW Trout Stocking Schedule
Oregon Fishing Regulations
National Weather Service