Fish for free during President’s Day Weekend
It’s free to fish, crab or clam in Oregon on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 16-17 of President’s Day Weekend. During these two days, no fishing licenses or tags (including a Combined Angling Tag or Columbia River Basin Endorsement) are required to fish, crab or clam anywhere in Oregon for both residents and non-residents. Although no licenses or tags are required, all other fishing regulations apply including closures, bag limits and size restrictions. Free Fishing Days were approved by the Oregon Legislature as a way to encourage families to get outside and enjoy the outdoors together.
Best bets for weekend fishing
    •    Winter steelhead on coastal rivers. North coast, mid-coast, south coast – there are winter steelhead in rivers, and being caught, coast-wide. Pay attention to the weather and river flows for optimum conditions.
    •    Stocked hatchery rainbow trout in Willamette Valley and mid-coast lakes. Lots of fish are going in this week! Check the trout stocking schedule.
    •    Ice fishing in northeast and southeast Oregon. The recent cold snap should help firm up ice conditions, and both trout and yellow perch should be biting.
Find more details about all the weekend opportunities in the zone reports.
Trout stocking 2019
The 2019 trout stocking season is on for the mid-coast and Willamette Valley lakes and ponds. For anglers who are willing to brave the elements and patient enough to let things happen, it’s not too early for trout fishing. Follow the stocking trucks in the weekly Recreation Report, or plan in advance using the interactive trout stocking schedule.
Hunters have until April 15 to report their 2018 hunts
The deadline to report all 2018 big game and turkey tags has been extended until April 15, 2019 (from Jan. 31) to give hunters more time to report under ODFW’s new licensing system.
Buy your 2019 license
ODFW’s new licensing system lets you decide how to carry your 2019 license, tags and other documents. You can choose paper documents that you buy on line and print at home, or purchase at a license vendor. Or, you can choose electronic and carry your documents on your smartphone.
Check out the How to buy a license or tag page, and the frequently asked questions if you have additional questions.