McKenzie River and Tributaries
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Exceptions to the Willamette Zone rules, as the regulations word them
Willamette Zone · River · OR
The rules for this water, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from OR's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.
- The following apply to open sections below: *
- Open all year for trout, hatchery steelhead, and wild steelhead greater than 24 inches in length.
- 5 hatchery trout per day, no minimum length.
- Wild trout must be released, including brook trout.
- Open all year for hatchery Chinook salmon in the mainstem.
- Oct 1-Dec 31Open for Coho Oct 1 - Dec 31.
- See Mohawk River & Tributaries.
- Open all year for hatchery Chinook salmon in the mainstem.
- Oct 1-Dec 31Open for Coho Oct 1 - Dec 31.
- See Walterville Canal.
- May 1-Jun 15 - does not apply todayGear Restriction: Bait allowed May 1 - Jun 15 when angling for salmon and steelhead with hooks 5/8 inch gap or larger.
- Open all year for hatchery Chinook salmon in the mainstem.
- Apr 22-Oct 31Bait allowed Apr 22 - Oct 31 in the mainstem.
- Gear Restriction: Leaburg Dam downstream to Trout Cr (approx. 1 Mi) any attached weight may be no more than 6 ft from the lowermost hook, in addition to statewide Hook and Weight Regulations .
- See Leaburg Canal & Tributaries and Walterville Canal & Tributaries.
- Closed within 200 ft downstream of Leaburg Dam.
- Apr 22-Oct 31Bait allowed Apr 22 - Oct 31 in the mainstem.
- See Leaburg Lake and Blue River & Tributaries.
- Closed within the Carmen Spawning Channel and in the McKenzie River from Trail Bridge Dam to 200 ft below the Carmen Spawning Channel entrance.
- Willamette Zone regulations apply, including no limit on the size or number of brook trout.
- Closed from Cougar Dam downstream 700 ft to concrete supports of the old adult fish trap.
Willamette Zone rules (base layer)
The Willamette Zone is all waters draining to the Columbia River between the city of St. Helens and Bonneville Dam, except for those portions of tributaries east of the Sandy River that are downstream from the Union Pacific Railroad line (see Columbia Zone for more details). Includes all waters on Sauvie Island except the Columbia River.
- A valid Columbia River Basin Endorsement must be in possession when fishing for salmon, steelhead, or sturgeon in the mainstem Columbia River from Buoy 10 upstream and in all the rivers and their tributaries that flow into the Columbia River.
- See Health Advisory .
| Species | Bag limit | Size and specifications | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Bag Limit | Size Limit and Other Specifications | Season |
| Trout | Lakes: 5 per day, 3 daily limits in possession. Streams: catch-and-release only, unless noted under Exceptions . | Angling restricted to artificial flies and lures in streams. See Exceptions where use of bait is allowed. 8 inch minimum length. Only 1 trout over 20 inches in length may be taken per day. Rainbow trout over 20 inches are considered steelhead in streams. No limit on size or number of brook or brown trout in streams unless noted under Exceptions. Closed to angling for bull trout. | Lakes: Open all year. Streams: Open May 22 - Oct 31 unless noted under Exceptions . |
| Kokanee | 10 per day unless noted under Exceptions. | No size limit | Open all year. |
| Salmon and Steelhead below Willamette Falls and Columbia River Tributaries | In the aggregate: 2 adult salmon or steelhead per day, 20 per year. 5 jacks per day, 2 daily jack limits in possession. | Angling is restricted to artificial flies and lures in streams. See Exceptions where use of bait is allowed. Harvest of wild salmon or steelhead is prohibited in the Willamette Zone unless otherwise noted under Exceptions . There is no annual limit on hatchery salmon or hatchery steelhead as long as the appropriate number of Hatchery Harvest Tags have been purchased to record the catch. | Closed in all waters unless noted under Exceptions . |
| Sturgeon | Catch-and-release only, unless noted under Exceptions . | Closed to retention of green sturgeon. All sturgeon must be immediately released unharmed into the water. Sturgeon over 54 inches in fork length cannot be removed totally or in part from the water. Only one single-point, barbless hook may be used for sturgeon. Angling restricted to artificial flies and lures in streams. See Exceptions where use of bait is allowed. | Catch-and-release: Open all year, except as noted under Exceptions . |
| Bass | Lakes: 5 per day, 3 daily limits in possession unless noted under Exceptions . Streams: No limit. | No more than 3 over 15 inches in length in lakes. No minimum length in streams. Angling restricted to artificial flies and lures in streams. See Exceptions where use of bait is allowed. | Lakes: Open all year. Streams: Open during trout, salmon or steelhead seasons, except mainstem Willamette River and sloughs and tidewater areas of Columbia River tributaries downstream from Bonneville Dam are open all year. |
| Smelt | Closed. | Unless specifically authorized under emergency rules, it is unlawful to take or attempt to take Eulachon smelt in inland waters, including bays, rivers, estuaries, and streams. | Closed. |
2026 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations - Willamette Zone · Captured in the state's own words; checked against the source July 2, 2026.
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide river rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
- This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
- Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.
Where this section begins and ends
The drawn shape is the named water, matched from the official list against OpenStreetMap and accepted only because the name resolved to a single feature in this water's zone.
Different sections of this water can have different rules. The exact section boundaries are not marked on the map yet; each rule above describes in plain words where it starts and ends, and that written description is the authoritative boundary. Map boundaries come water by water, never as a guess.
Season at a glanceDerived
Next change: partially changes Nov. 1, 2026.
Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.
At the water nowContext
Streamflow: 111 cfs at mckenzie river at outlet of clear lake, or (2026-10-12 23:00)
Forecast: National Weather Service. Flow: nearest active USGS gauge in this water's area, which may sit on a different reach. Conditions are context, not rules.
What are you fishing for here?Advice
Pick from the species named in McKenzie River and Tributaries's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.
You also need (Oregon)
- Angling license. Everyone 12 and older needs an Oregon angling license.
- Combined Angling Tag. Required at every age to angle for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, or halibut. One per year, covering up to 20 salmon or steelhead combined; hatchery fish can go on a separate Hatchery Harvest Tag.
- Columbia River Basin Endorsement. Required at every age when angling for salmon, steelhead, or sturgeon in the mainstem Columbia from Buoy 10 upstream and in all rivers and tributaries flowing into the Columbia.
- Two-Rod Validation. Allows two rods on standing waters (lakes, ponds, reservoirs; five lines when ice fishing). Not valid in rivers, bays, estuaries, or the ocean.
Checked against 2026 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations - license information on July 2, 2026.
Receipts
Local services near McKenzie River and Tributaries
Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.
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