The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will hit a high point of sorts next week when it stocks a single lake with 20,000 legal-sized rainbow trout.
All of those hatchery-raised trout will be trucked to Lost Creek Lake between March 18 and 22, according to ODFW’s weekly stocking schedule.
This year, no other Oregon location will be stocked with as many catchable trout in the same week, according to the schedule. However, some other Oregon lakes and rivers will also see tens of thousands of planted trout during the 2024 season.
Lost Creek Reservoir, as it’s also known, is located on the Rogue River just over 30 miles northeast of Medford in Southwest Oregon. It will continue to be heavily stocked with a total of more than 65,000 trout, placing it among the most-stocked waters in the Beaver State. Most trout will be planted throughout spring, with a final stocking trip in the fall.
Clear across the state in Northeast Oregon, Wallowa Lake will be stocked with the second-highest weekly number of trout during the week of May 20, when 18,300 are scheduled to be planted. Most of those also are typical-sized trout, with a bonus of 300 “trophy” trout that typically weigh over a pound.
Wallowa Lake will get another 18,000-plus trout stocked across three more plantings in June and July.
Speaking of trophy trout, check this out: Detroit Lake east of Salem will be planted with 12,000 of those larger rainbows during the week of May 13. It also will be stocked weekly with those brutes through June, for a season total of 44,000.
Here are additional premier Oregon trout fisheries that will receive more than 10,000 trout in a single week this year. Several of these locations will also be stocked multiple other times this year besides on those peak weeks. Most released trout will be legal-sized fish, but some of these spots will get a modest number of larger trophies:
- Henry Hagg Lake, near Forest Grove west of Portland: 12,000 trout already planted the week of February 26.
- Thief Valley Reservoir, between La Grande and Baker City: To be stocked with 10,500 trout the week of April 1.
- Krumbo Reservoir, south of Burns: To be stocked with 13,000 trout the week of April 8.
- Applegate Lake (a.k.a. Applegate Reservoir), southwest of Medford: To be stocked with 10,000 trout the week of April 15 and another 15,500 the week of May 20.
- North Fork Reservoir, near Estacada, southeast of Portland: More than 11,000 trout are to be planted the week of August 26.
It’s worth noting that some of Oregon’s best-stocked trout waters aren’t listed above because they get their fish in smaller doses over a longer period. For example, the McKenzie River will see the most hatchery trout this year in Oregon starting in the spring and continuing through the prime fishing season. The Rogue River above Lost Creek Lake is similar.
Several low-elevation Willamette Valley park ponds are regularly planted during the colder months.
The following table lists lakes, rivers, and other waters where ODFW will stock tens of thousands of trout. The links will take you to our complete angler’s guides, including specific stocking schedules for each spot.
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 |
Oregon Resources
ODFW Weekly Fishing Report
ODFW Trout Stocking Schedule
Oregon Fishing Regulations
National Weather Service