Fishing in Portland

Portland may be best known for its craft culture and green spaces, but it's also a secret river angler’s haven. Framed by the Columbia and Willamette Rivers and threaded with beautiful tributaries, the city offers front-door access to premier sport-fishing destinations—including salmon, steelhead, trout, bass, and even sturgeon—all within an hour’s drive. Whether you're casting from a riverside park or drifting through mountain-fed river bends, Portland delivers a unique blend of metropolitan convenience and wilderness angling realism.

From downtown access points like the Eastbank Esplanade and Cathedral Park to suburban lakes and remote canyon rivers, you can be fishing within minutes almost anywhere. The Willamette River runs through the city and offers seasonal salmon runs, sturgeon, shad, and smallmouth bass, with multiple parks offering public bank access . A short drive brings you to the Clackamas River, where rugged forest settings hide Chinook, coho, trout, and steelhead runs—a popular float-and-fish destination just southeast of town. The Sandy River offers calmer, family-friendly bank and wading access for trout and steelhead, just 20 minutes east of Portland. Meanwhile, reservoirs like Henry Hagg Lake and stocked urban ponds offer easy, walk-in fishing for trout, bass, bluegill, and crappie. And for those craving guided expeditions, operators launch full-day backcountry trips to the Willamette, Columbia, and iconic Buoy 10 salmon grounds.

Portland's waterways teem with a broad variety of species. Headliners are, of course, steelhead and salmon. Chinook, coho, and steelhead runs abound in the Willamette, Clackamas, and Sandy Rivers. Even one of the biggest freshwater species, sturgeon, cruise the river conduits through downtown. Smallmouth bass thrive in rivers and local lakes, which also yield trout in spring and stocked populations through summer. Urban ponds also deliver easy-going fun with crappie, bluegill, catfish, and channel catfish.

For salmon and steelhead in the city rivers, both fly fishing and spinning techniques bring good results. Drift float rigs, spinners, and bait setups are common, especially during peak runs in spring and summer. Sturgeon anglers typically resort to bottom fishing, dropping heavy baited rigs in deep river holes below bridges. Bass are best targeted with small plugs, jigs, or soft plastics near structure or vegetation. Trout fishing at nearby lakes pairs topwater lures or spinners with reeds and drop-offs. Guided trips generally employ drift boats or rafts on rivers.