The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will stock dozens of lakes and streams with trout before the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend.
In the chart below, we’ve curated a list of the top 10 locations in terms of numbers of hatchery rainbows scheduled to be planted sometime the week of May 20-24.
The top locations stretch from Wallowa Lake in the far northeastern corner of the state down to Applegate Reservoir in Southwest Oregon.
Find the rest of these great spots in the table. Click the linked locations for specific articles about each fishing spot, including full-season trout stocking schedules for each.
Trophies are ODFW’s extra-large hatchery rainbow trout, often weighing 1 to 3 pounds. Brood trout are even larger.
Top 10 Lakes
| LOCATION | ZONE | NUMBER | NOTES |
| Wallowa Lake | Northeast | 18,300 | Includes 300 trophies |
| Applegate Lake | Southwest | 15,500 | Includes 500 trophies |
| Detroit Lake | Willamette | 8,000 | All trophies |
| Howard Prairie Lake | Southwest | 7,450 | |
| Willow Lake | Southwest | 5,500 | Includes 1,500 trophies |
| McKenzie River, below Leaburg | Willamette | 5,000 | |
| Foster Reservoir | Willamette | 3,800 | |
| Clear Lake, Mount Hood | Central | 3,225 | Includes 400 trophies, 55 brood trout |
| Lost Lake, Mount Hood | Central | 2,815 | Includes 200 trophies, 25 brood trout |
| Timothy Lake | Willamette | 2,650 | Includes 550 trophies |
More Great Fishing
The holiday weekend also promises many other great fishing opportunities across Oregon. Here’s a few ideas:
- Spring Chinook salmon continue to bite in the Willamette River and will be picking up in its tributaries and the Sandy River. The Rogue River in Southern Oregon is another good bet, but we’re waiting for more fish in most coastal rivers.
- We’re off to a much-improved early season for summer steelhead heading into the Willamette Valley and up several other Portland-area rivers. I’d probably wait a bit longer for coastal streams.
- Bass fishing is really taking off, whether you want to chase largemouths or smallmouths. Many are already on shallow spawning beds, depending on location.
- Panfish, including crappie, bluegill, and yellow perch, are hungry, coming out of the cold months and heading toward their spawning season.
- Walleye fishing success on the Columbia River is on the rise and will only get better for eater-size fish in the next few months.
- Shad fishing usually starts to be worthwhile around Memorial Day, although it’s often even better in June. The Columbia River below the dams, the Willamette River below the falls, and the Umpqua River are top bets.
You’ll find information about those fisheries and much more on the Best Fishing in America website. Just use the search function on the website to find whatever you need.