The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will begin stocking its Central Oregon Zone lakes and ponds with hatchery rainbow trout during the week of March 18-22, just ahead of spring break.
Depending on location, trout plantings will continue throughout spring, summer and into the fall before wrapping up for the year. All told, ODFW plans to stock more than 175,000 trout into Central Oregon waters over the next eight months or so.
Most of the fish in these early stockings are headed to lower-elevation locations, such as Pine Hollow and Rock Creek reservoirs south of The Dalles.
Also being stocked are several city ponds in and around Bend and Prineville. Several of these spots are set aside for young anglers or those with disabilities and have lower harvest limits. Be sure to read the regulations before fishing anywhere in Oregon.
Later plantings will include Cascade Mountain lakes from Century Drive to Mount Hood, East and Paulina lakes in Newberry Crater, desert lakes to the eastern part of the region, and the crystalline waters of Fall River near Sunriver.
To get you started, here are Central Oregon waters that ODFW has scheduled to stock during March:
| Location | Number |
|---|---|
| MARCH 18-22 | |
| Pine Hollow Reservoir | 2,740* |
| Rock Creek Reservoir | 3,115* |
| Shevlin Pond | 666 |
| Taylor Lake | 1,235* |
| Bikini Pond | 510* |
| MARCH 25-29 | |
| Bend Pine Nursery Pond | 875* |
| Prineville Youth Pond | 325 |
*Trout stocked in these waters will include some larger and/or brood trout.
To see the full Central Oregon stocking schedule for 2024, check the ODFW link above.
However, for detailed fishing guides including 2024 stocking schedules individually tailored to many of Central Oregon’s best lakes and rivers, we suggest you start with our county-based articles for the area you want to fish. In the Central Zone, we have them for Crook (Prineville), Deschutes (Bend), Hood River, Jefferson (Madras) and Wasco (The Dalles) counties. From there, you can choose your own fishing adventure.