Fall Chinook fishing is starting in Tillamook Bay

Tillamook Bay - Bay City, OR (Tillamook County)


by OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Staff
9-10-2025
Website

Fall Chinook fishing is starting in Tillamook Bay. Overall fishing is still slow, which is no surprise this early in the season, but there are some fish being caught in both the lower and upper bay. Tillamook Bay and the rivers that empty into it have reduced bag limits for wild fall Chinook this year. The limit for wild adults is 1/day and 2/ season as part of the daily salmon and steelhead bag limit. Check the regulation updates online for more details.

A wild coho salmon retention fishery opened in Tillamook Bay on September 10th. The Bay is open for wild coho three days a week (Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays) through October 26th. The bag limit is 1 wild adult coho per day and 3 for the season as part of the daily salmon/steelhead bag limit. See regulation updates online for more details.

Sea-run cutthroat trout fishing in the bay and tidewaters is slow as most fish have moved upstream into the rivers, but there is still some opportunity.

Fishing for rockfish and kelp greening should still be decent near the mouth of the bay (by boat or off the North Jetty). Lingcod fishing will start slowing down inside the bay as the summer goes on, but there is still a chance. Surf perch fishing also slows down in the bay and anglers will find better success on the beaches during the summer.




More Reports

OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Reports
for Wednesday, September 10th

Agate Lake: Agate Lake is 34 percent full
Applegate Reservoir: The lake level is 1931 ft and the surface temperature at Applegate is 74F
Cooper Creek Reservoir: The reservoir hasnt been stocked for awhile, but there should be lots of trout from the spring
Coos River: Anglers have been catching rockfish around the jetties in the lower Coos Bay estuary
Diamond Lake: Diamond Lake Fishing Report
Emigrant Reservoir: Emigrant Lake is 30 percent full
Fish Lake : Fish Lake is 51 percent full and plenty of trout are still available
Galesville Reservoir: Galesville Is slowly being drawn down, but the boat ramps are still accessible
Hemlock Lake: Hemlock was recently stocked with trophy-sized trout
Howard Prairie Reservoir: Howard Prairie is 82 percent full
Hyatt Lake: Hyatt is 75 percent full and the BLM boat ramps should still be available
Lemolo Lake: Brown trout fishing should be good
Lost Creek Reservoir: Lost Creek Reservoir Report
Medco Pond: Fishing should be good for warmwater species
Plat I Reservoir: Warmwater fishing has been decent lately
Rogue River - Middle: The water temperature droopped to around 61F with the recent rain
Rogue River- Upper (Above Lost Creek): The flow at Gold Ray is around 1,850cfs
Smith River: Smith river closes to all fishing above Spencer Creek after September 15
Tenmile Lakes: The main lake water temperature is in the upper 60s to low 70s
Umpqua River: Summer steelhead fishing should pick up as we move into fall
Umpqua River- South : The South Umpqua River will close under permanent rule to all fishing starting September 16
Alsea River: Fall Chinook is open on the Alsea but has been a slower start to the season
Kilchis River: Sea-run cutthroat should be in the river by now
Necanicum River: The Necanicum is very low, but concentrate on deep pools with cover, and you should find success
Nehalem River: Coho salmon should be starting to show up in the Nehalem basin this month
Nestucca River: Resident cutthroat are throughout the fishery and sea-run cutthroat are in the river as well
Salmon River: Fall Chinook is open on the Salmon River!
Siletz River: Fish have started moving lower in the system
Siuslaw River: Wild Coho retention opens on the Siuslaw Saturday 13 September!