Best Steelhead Fishing in Oregon

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Somewhere in Oregon, on this very day (whatever month it is) there most likely is some good (or even great) steelhead fishing.

In the first few months of the year, winter steelhead are running strong across western Oregon.

By early spring, wild winter steelhead are bending rods in western Oregon, this year’s summer steelhead are arriving, and last year’s fish are still biting in northeastern Oregon.

By the time the first 90-degree days arrive, summer steelhead have spread across the western valleys and are making their way up the Columbia River into Oregon’s dry central and east side.

By fall, summer steelhead can still be caught from coastal streams to the Idaho border, and a new run of winter fish will be here for the holidays.

As you can see while scrolling down this page, we have a ton of steelhead fishing information on this website. For now, follow any of the links below to learn more about Oregon’s best steelhead rivers.

After that, check out the top 10 steelhead fishing rivers ranked according to their annual harvests as reported to ODFW.

And then at the bottom of this article, we’ll link you to our simple guide with the very best ways to catch steelhead.

Northwest Oregon

Best Winter Steelhead Rivers on Oregon’s North Coast

For additional details of select rivers in the North Coast area:

• North Fork Nehalem River steelhead
• Wilson River steelhead
• Nestucca River/Three Rivers steelhead

Best Winter Steelhead Rivers on Oregon’s Central Coast

For additional details of select rivers in the Central Coast area:

• Siletz River steelhead
• Alsea River steelhead
• Siuslaw River/Lake Creek steelhead

Best Small Steelhead Streams in Oregon’s Northwest Zone

For additional details of select small rivers in Northwest Zone:

• Necanicum River Fishing
• Kilchis River Fishing
• Nestucca River/Three Rivers Steelhead Fishing
• North Fork (and mainstem) Alsea River Steelhead Fishing
• Lake Creek (and Siuslaw River) Steelhead Fishing
• Klaskanine River Fishing
• Big Creek Fishing
• Gnat Creek Fishing
• Sandy River (upper) Steelhead Fishing

Best Summer Steelhead Fishing on the Oregon Coast

For additional details about summer steelhead fishing on coastal rivers in the Northwest Zone:

• Wilson River Steelhead Fishing
• Nestucca River Steelhead Fishing
• Siletz River Steelhead Fishing

Southwest Oregon

Winter Steelhead Fishing in the Coos, Coquille and Umpqua Rivers

• Coquille River Fishing
• Umpqua River Fishing

Best Winter Steelhead Fishing in the Rogue and South Coast

For additional details about winter steelhead fishing on on Oregon’s South Coast:

• Sixes River Fishing
• Elk River Fishing
• Rogue River Fishing
• Applegate River Fishing

Best Small Steelhead Streams in Oregon’s Southwest Zone

• Winchuck River Fishing

Best Summer Steelhead Fishing on the Oregon Coast

For additional details about summer steelhead fishing on coastal rivers in the Southwest Zone:

• Umpqua River Fishing
• Rogue River Fishing

Portland and Willamette Valley

Best Winter Steelhead Fishing Near Portland

For additional details about specific winter steelhead fishing rivers near Portland:

• Clackamas River Steelhead Fishing
• Sandy River Steelhead Fishing

Best Summer Steelhead Fishing Near Portland

For additional details about specific summer steelhead fishing rivers near Portland:

• Clackamas River Steelhead Fishing
• Columbia River Fishing
• Sandy River Fishing
• Willamette River Fishing

Best Summer Steelhead Fishing in the Willamette Valley

For additional details about specific summer steelhead fishing rivers in the Willamette Valley:

• McKenzie River Fishing
• Middle Fork Willamette River Fishing
• Santiam River Fishing
• Willamette River Fishing

Central and Eastern Oregon

Best Steelhead Fishing in the Mid-Columbia Area

For additional details about specific steelhead fishing rivers in Oregon’s Mid-Columbia River area:

• Columbia River Fishing
• Deschutes River Fishing
• Fly Fishing for Deschutes River Steelhead

Best Steelhead Fishing in Northeast Oregon (Snake River drainage)

For additional details about specific steelhead fishing rivers in Northeast Oregon:

• Grande Ronde River Fishing
• Imnaha River Fishing
• Wallowa River Fishing

Top 10 Steelhead Rivers

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife collects annual catch records from salmon, steelhead and sturgeon tag data. I’ve organized it into the top 10 rivers. In a few cases below, the locations are sections of larger rivers such as the Sandy and Rogue.

Rank	River	Total Numbers
1	Wilson River	7,353
2	Umpqua River, South Fork	3,548
3	Nestucca River & Bay	3,396
4	Siletz River & Bay	3,150
5	Alsea River, North Fork	3,076
6	Sandy River (Mouth to Revenue Bridge)	2,772
7	Umpqua River & Bay	2,633
8	Alsea River & Bay	2,562
9	Rogue River (Above Fishers Ferry Boat Ramp)	2,517
10	Coquille River, South Fork	2,324

Catch More Steelhead

We’re betting you’d like to learn how to catch more steelhead in all these great places, right?

Read our easy guide, Steelhead Fishing: Simple How-To Techniques and Tips.

And for a wealth of other information, try the following resources…

Return to Best Fishing in Oregon page

For month-by-month ideas of when and where steelhead and other types of fishing are best near you, see our Oregon Fishing Calendar.

Oregon Resources

ODFW Weekly Fishing Report
ODFW Trout Stocking Schedule
Oregon Fishing Regulations
National Weather Service