Willamette River (Mainstem)
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.
- Open all year for hatchery salmon and hatchery steelhead.
- Catch-and-release for sturgeon.
- May 1-Aug 31Sturgeon angling is prohibited from the Lake Oswego-Oak Grove RR bridge up to Willamette Falls May 1 - Aug 31.
- Use of bait allowed.
- See Gilbert River.
- Closed : Oregon City Wall Bank Closure Area; see picture/diagram for closure area.
- Closed : Willamette Falls Closure Area; see picture/diagram for closure area.
- Open all year for hatchery Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and hatchery steelhead.
- Open for white sturgeon 1 per day and 2 per year, 38 inch minimum and 54 inch maximum fork length.
- Use of bait allowed.
- Open all year for trout, hatchery Chinook salmon and hatchery steelhead.
- 2 trout per day, 8 inch minimum length.
- Open for white sturgeon 1 per day and 2 per year, 38 inch minimum and 54 inch maximum fork length.
- Use of bait allowed.
- Oct 1-Dec 31 (out of season today)Open for Coho Oct 1 - Dec 31.
- Open all year for trout, hatchery Chinook salmon, and hatchery steelhead.
- Artificial flies and lures only.
- Open for white sturgeon 1 per day and 2 per year, 38 inch minimum and 54 inch maximum fork length.
- Oct 1-Dec 31 (out of season today)Open for Coho Oct 1 - Dec 31.
- Open all year for trout, hatchery Chinook salmon, hatchery steelhead, and wild steelhead greater than 24 inches in length.
- 2 wild trout per day, 8 inch minimum length.
- 5 hatchery trout per day, no minimum length.
- Open for white sturgeon 1 per day and 2 per year, 38 inch minimum and 54 inch maximum fork length.
- Use of bait allowed.
- Oct 1-Dec 31 (out of season today)Open for Coho Oct 1 - Dec 31.
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 stretch 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
Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.
At the water nowContext
Streamflow: 2,140 cfs at middle fork willamette river at jasper, or (2026-07-29 00:30)
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 Willamette River (Mainstem)'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 Willamette River (Mainstem)
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.
Run a shop or guide service on Willamette River (Mainstem)? Get listed.