Fish, crab and clam for free June 4 & 5

Oregon’s traditional Free Fishing Weekend is coming up June 4 & 5 – two days when you don’t need a license, tag or endorsement to fish, crab or clam anywhere in Oregon that’s open. This year sees the return of the popular family fishing events in several locations.

Best bets for holiday weekend fishing

A three-day weekend gives you lots of time for fishing. And if you’ve made plans to spend time with the family, take ‘em along!

• Spring Chinook are running in rivers throughout the state, including the Columbia, Willamette (above and below the Falls), Clackamas, Rogue, Umpqua, Hood and a handful of places on the North Coast.
• In anticipation of the holiday weekend, tens of thousands of trout have been stocked in all the trout fishing zones.
• With the onset of warmer temperatures, bass fishing has been picking up anywhere the water temperatures have hit 50 degrees or more. That’s a lot of places.
• Check the zone reports for more about specific locations and recommendations.

If you’re looking for something different, here are some interesting options:

• Striped bass should be moving up the Coquille.
• Largemouth bass in Tenmile Lake are transitioning into the shallow in anticipation of spawning.
• In the Coquille, anglers may now use spears and spear guns to harvest smallmouth bass.
• Surfperch anglers are reporting good catches of redtail surfperch from the sandy beaches in the Coos Bay area.
• Kokanee fishing is kicking off in several locations like Detroit Reservoir and Paulina Lake.
• Shad are starting to arrive in the Smith River.
• Anglers have been catching catfish in the upper reaches of Hells Canyon Reservoir below Oxbow Dam by trolling crawdad like lures.

Have you bagged your spring turkey and/or black bear?

If not, you’ve got until May 31 to fill your tag.