Oregon fishing · Rules & tagging

Statewide rules and the tag-fish-immediately checklist.

The rules most likely to change what you can keep or use, plus how to fill out a Combined Angling Tag without slowing down on the bank.

Statewide rule deck

The rules that change what you can keep or use

Open PDF

Bag and possession limits

PDF p. 12
  • Possession limits generally equal 3 daily bag limits unless a listed exception applies.
  • Pacific halibut possession is limited to 1 daily bag limit on a vessel or 3 daily bag limits on land.
  • Marine finfish, shellfish, and other marine invertebrates listed in the marine section generally have a 2 daily bag possession limit.
  • Columbia River anglers are limited to 1 daily bag limit and 1 annual bag limit for fish from the Columbia River, even if licensed in Oregon and Washington.

Annual limits

PDF p. 12
  • White sturgeon annual limit: 2.
  • Pacific halibut annual limit: 6.
  • Salmon and steelhead annual limit: 20 in any combination when recorded on a Combined Angling Tag.
  • Hatchery salmon or hatchery steelhead recorded on a Hatchery Harvest Tag do not count toward the annual salmon/steelhead limit.

General unlawful actions

PDF p. 17-18
  • Do not use more than one rod or line unless a validation, age exception, or offshore pelagic exception applies.
  • Do not leave rods or lines unattended.
  • Do not use drones, radio-controlled boats, or other unmanned vehicles to angle or aid angling.
  • Do not snag game fish or keep game fish hooked anywhere other than inside the mouth.
  • Do not continue fishing for the same type of fish after retaining a bag or possession limit, except where an explicit exception applies.
  • Do not buy or sell fish or shellfish taken for personal use except where the booklet lists a narrow exception.

Gear and bait

PDF p. 18
  • Anti-snagging rules restrict gear to an artificial fly, lure, or bait with one single-point hook where those restrictions apply.
  • Bobber rules require a bobber setup with a leader no longer than 36 inches where those rules apply.
  • Live fish may not be used as bait.
  • Goldfish may not be used as bait or possessed for angling.
  • Lamprey, live crayfish, live leeches, live frogs, and live nongame fish may not be used as bait.

Hooks and harvest methods

PDF p. 19
  • Pacific halibut gear is limited to no more than two hooks.
  • Sturgeon gear is limited to one single-point barbless hook.
  • Ocean salmon gear is limited to no more than two single-point barbless hooks.
  • Most salmon, shad, steelhead, sturgeon, trout, and whitefish angling is daylight-only unless a specific waterbody exception says otherwise.
  • Spearfishing is allowed for bass and walleye only in waterbodies with no size limit or bag limit for those species.

Freshwater nongame and shellfish

PDF p. 20
  • Bullfrogs are open all year with no angling license required and no bag limit.
  • Crayfish are open all year in streams and lakes, including streams listed as closed, with a 100 per day limit.
  • Freshwater mussels and clams may not be harvested or possessed.
  • Lamprey harvest is prohibited except Pacific lamprey at Willamette Falls under required ODFW permits.
Tagging

What has to be recorded immediately

4 printed species codes

Tag fish

Adult salmon Steelhead Legal-size sturgeon Pacific halibut
  1. Record the species code.
  2. Record hatchery or wild status for salmon and steelhead.
  3. Record length for sturgeon and halibut.
  4. Record the tag location code.
  5. Record month and day immediately after harvest.
PDF p. 89-91

Species codes

1Chinook
2Coho
3Other salmon: pink, chum, or sockeye
6Steelhead

Popular location codes

1Astoria Coastal port
3Garibaldi Coastal port
9Newport Coastal port
12Winchester Bay Coastal port
17Brookings Coastal port
21Alsea R. & Bay Coastal river
33Coos R. & Bay Coastal river
69Nestucca R. & Bay Coastal river
81Siletz R. & Bay Coastal river
102Umpqua R. & Bay Coastal river
131Deschutes R. below Sherars Falls Columbia tributary
185Willamette R. & Slough below Oregon City Falls Columbia tributary
211Buoy 10 to Tongue Point Columbia mainstem
214I-5 Bridge to Bonneville Dam Columbia mainstem
218McNary Dam to Stateline Columbia mainstem
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Match the rule to the water

Zone exceptions

Statewide rules can be overridden by a named-water exception. Open the zone for the water you're fishing.

Zones

Active updates

Current ODFW in-season changes — closures, openings, and bag limit adjustments.

Updates