Almost anywhere there’s water. ODFW stocks rainbow trout in the drive-up lakes every spring, from Timothy and Trillium on the south side to Lost Lake on the north, and stocks hike-in high lakes every two years. The rivers are wilder: most forest streams are catch-and-release trout with flies and lures. Anyone 12 or older needs an Oregon angling license, except on Free Fishing Days.
Oregon sets fishing rules by zone, and Mt. Hood sits in two of them. Find your water's zone, then read that zone's rules and the exceptions for your lake or stretch of river. ODFW says anglers must check in-season updates before fishing.
The west side: the Sandy, Salmon, Zigzag, Clackamas, Collawash and Oak Grove Fork, plus Timothy Lake, Trillium Lake and Lake Harriet. Read the Willamette Zone rules.
The north and east side: the Hood River and its forks, the White River, and Lost, Laurance, Clear, Frog, Rock Creek and Badger lakes. Read the Central Zone rules.
ODFW posts changes made during the season on its regulation updates page. The Northwest Zone is the coast and doesn't apply here.
Lakes are the easy way in. In both zones, lakes are open all year with a limit of 5 trout a day, and Willamette Zone lakes add an 8-inch minimum. Some lakes have their own exceptions, so read the rules for yours. Most stocked fish go in between March and August, and most lakes are stocked in May.
Trillium, Lost, Frog, Olallie and Badger lakes ban motors. Laurance Lake and Rock Creek Reservoir allow electric motors only. Timothy, Clear and Harriet hold motorboats to 10 mph.
Kayaks, canoes and paddleboards of any length need an Oregon State Marine Board Waterway Access Permit. Kids 13 and under are exempt, and so is everyone on Free Fishing Days.
Trillium and Lost lakes have accessible fishing piers, Lake Harriet has a fishing dock, and Timothy's Pine Point has an accessible path to the ramp and shore.
Most lake day-use areas charge $10 a vehicle. Some take only the annual Northwest Forest Pass, and Lost Lake and Laurance Lake take no federal passes at all. See recreation passes.
Timothy Lake10 mph boats
South side, FR 42
1,500 acres with rainbow, brook and cutthroat trout and kokanee, stocked weekly from early May into June. Special rules allow 25 kokanee a day and no limit on brook trout. Main ramp and a fishing dock at Pine Point.
Visit websiteTrillium LakeNo motors
South side, off US 26
63 acres at 3,600 feet, stocked with rainbows from mid-May through late August. Accessible fishing pier and boat launch. Day use is $10, Northwest Forest Pass only.
Visit websiteLost LakeNo motors
North side, via Hood River
231 acres, stocked with legal and trophy rainbows for five weeks from mid-May. The resort rents canoes, kayaks and fishing boats. Accessible pier and fish-cleaning station.
Visit websiteClear Lake10 mph boats
East of Government Camp
An irrigation reservoir that gets shallower from early July. Stocked with rainbows every week in May. Wheelchair accessible. Day use is $10, Northwest Forest Pass only.
Visit websiteFrog LakeNo motors
Off US 26 near Wapinitia Pass
An 11-acre lake heavily stocked with legal and trophy rainbows in mid-May and early June. Day use is $10, Northwest Forest Pass only, and a Sno-Park permit Nov 1 to Apr 30.
Visit websiteLaurance LakeElectric motors only
Near Parkdale
A 104-acre reservoir with rainbow, cutthroat and brown trout and a few bull trout. Open Apr 22 to Oct 31, flies and lures only, wild trout released. Rough road: high clearance, no trailers.
Visit websiteLake Harriet10 mph boats
Oak Grove Fork, Clackamas
A 22-acre lake stocked with rainbows from April to August. Fishing dock, barrier-free restrooms, and a launch open all year, weather permitting.
Visit websiteOlallie LakeNo motors
Olallie Lake Scenic Area
Stocked with rainbows in May and June. No swimming. The resort rents rowboats, kayaks and canoes for cash or check only, there's no cell service, and snow closes the area in winter.
Visit websiteRock Creek ReservoirElectric motors only
Barlow district, east side
Stocked early, from mid-March to late April. Rainbows plus bass and bluegill. Wheelchair accessible. Day use is $10, Northwest Forest Pass only.
Visit websiteSpringMar to Apr
Late springMay
SummerJun to Aug
FallSep to Oct
ODFW posts its weekly trout stocking schedule online, and the coming year's weeks often show up months ahead. It lists the week a lake will be stocked, not the exact day, and ODFW says it can change without notice. The weeks above are from the 2026 schedule.
Type the lake into the waterbody box, such as TIMOTHY or TRILLIUM, and pick your dates.
Several Oregon lakes are called Lost Lake or Clear Lake. The Mt. Hood ones are listed under Central / The Dalles.
When plans change, ODFW points anglers to its weekly Recreation Report. ODFW is revamping the report, so its pages may move.
These aren't on the weekly schedule. They have their own high-lakes lists and are stocked every two years.
Mt. Hood's rivers hold wild fish, and the rules protect them. In most forest streams, trout season runs May 22 to Oct 31 with artificial flies and lures only. On the Willamette Zone side, stream trout are catch-and-release unless an exception says otherwise; on the Central Zone side you may keep 2 a day, 8 inches or longer. Bull trout are closed to angling.
Below the Salmon River there's a hatchery salmon and steelhead fishery, open all year. Above it, salmon and steelhead are closed and trout are catch-and-release.
A Wild and Scenic river since 1988, with steelhead, coho, spring Chinook and native cutthroat. Above Final Falls you may keep 2 trout a day, 8 inches minimum; below it, zone rules apply.
Above Faraday Dam, salmon and steelhead are closed all year and bull trout go back. Bull trout were brought back here starting in 2011, after none were seen since 1963.
Hatchery spring Chinook, coho and steelhead on the mainstem; trout are catch-and-release. The West Fork is closed above a deadline 200 feet below Punchbowl Falls, and Clear Branch is closed.
Open all year for trout above the first falls. Below the falls it follows Deschutes River rules.
Off limits. It's inside the closed Bull Run Watershed.
Bull trout go back in the water. They're listed as threatened and closed to angling on Mt. Hood. Watch for them in the upper Clackamas, where the returned population is slowly spreading, and in Laurance Lake, which holds a small population.
ODFW stocks high lakes every two years with brook, rainbow and cutthroat trout fingerlings about 3 inches long, mostly dropped by helicopter. The newest Mt. Hood lists date from July 2023, and some lakes were skipped that year, so there's no promise a lake has fish right now.
Rainbow trout in an 8-acre lake. The trailhead takes a recreation pass or $5 a day May 1 to Oct 31, and a Sno-Park permit in winter.
Burnt and Cast lakes are listed for rainbow trout.
Brook trout in Rainy, North, Black, Bear, Dublin and Scout lakes. Wahtum Lake, also brook trout, is 57 acres and 177 feet deep.
Brook trout in Upper, Averill, Red and Timber lakes, and rainbows in Lower Lake.
Big Slide, Ercrama, Silver King and Welcome lakes are on ODFW's list. Big Slide has no limit on the size or number of brook trout.
Wilderness trailheads such as Ramona Falls ask for a free self-issued wilderness permit May 1 to Oct 31. See our wilderness guide.
Everyone 12 and older needs an Oregon angling license to fish, or to help someone else fish. Licenses cover the calendar year, Jan 1 to Dec 31, and daily and multi-day licenses are sold too. Prices change each year, so check the current regulations.
No angling license needed.
One Youth License covers angling, hunting, shellfish and the Columbia River Basin Endorsement.
Anglers of any age need a Combined Angling Tag. A Columbia River Basin Endorsement is also required in Columbia River tributaries such as the Sandy and Hood rivers.
Online at ODFW's license site, in the MyODFW app, at ODFW offices or from license agents. Licensing help: 503-947-6101.
Free Fishing Days: Nov 27-28, 2026. On the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, anyone, resident or not, can fish in Oregon without a license or tags, including the Combined Angling Tag, Columbia River Basin Endorsement and Two-Rod Validation. You don't need a Waterway Access Permit either. Bag limits, closures and all other rules still apply. The 2026 free days were Feb 14-15, Jun 6-7 and Nov 27-28; ODFW sets new dates each year, so check its free fishing page.
Do
Don't
Yes, if you're 12 or older. You need an Oregon angling license to fish, or to help someone else fish, anywhere on the mountain. Kids under 12 don't need one. On Free Fishing Days nobody needs a license or tags, but all other rules still apply.
In 2026 they were Feb 14-15 (Presidents' Day weekend), Jun 6-7 and Nov 27-28, the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. ODFW sets the dates each year, so check its free fishing page for 2027.
In 2026 ODFW stocked Timothy, Trillium, Lost, Clear, Frog and Laurance lakes, Lake Harriet, Olallie Lake and Rock Creek Reservoir, mostly with rainbow trout. Of these, Timothy got the most, about 17,050 fish. Hike-in lakes get fingerlings every two years instead.
On ODFW's weekly trout stocking schedule. Search for your lake by name. It shows the week, not the day, and can change, so check the Recreation Report too. The Mt. Hood Lost Lake and Clear Lake are listed under Central / The Dalles.
On a few. Timothy Lake allows motorboats at 10 mph, with the main ramp at Pine Point, and the Forest Service lists a 10 mph limit at Clear Lake and Lake Harriet. Laurance Lake and Rock Creek Reservoir allow electric motors only. Trillium, Lost, Frog, Olallie and Badger lakes allow no motors at all.
Trillium Lake has an accessible fishing pier and boat launch, Lost Lake has an accessible pier and fish-cleaning station, and Timothy Lake's Pine Point has a paved lot and an accessible path to the ramp and shore. Lake Harriet has a fishing dock, and Clear Lake, Laurance Lake and Rock Creek day use are listed as wheelchair accessible. ODFW also keeps a disabled angler access map.
Lakes are open all year in both zones, but snow closes many roads. Timothy's Pine Point ramp is open year round, weather permitting, though snow often blocks access until spring. Frog Lake needs a Sno-Park permit from Nov 1 to Apr 30, and the Olallie Lake Scenic Area closes for snow. Most stream seasons end Oct 31.
Only in certain hatchery fisheries. The Sandy below the Salmon River has a hatchery salmon and steelhead fishery, and the Hood River mainstem opens for hatchery spring Chinook Apr 15 to Jun 30 (1 a day) and for hatchery coho and steelhead all year. Salmon and steelhead are closed in the upper Sandy and above Faraday Dam on the Clackamas, and wild steelhead can't be kept anywhere in the Central Zone. You also need a Combined Angling Tag.
Rules, seasons and stocking dates change every year. These pages are the source of truth.
