Fishing times todaySolunar periods, sunrise and moonrise for Columbia County, today and the next 7 days.Best fishing times today
Columbia County, Oregon
Columbia County fishing at a glance
County business for Columbia County happens in St. Helens; the 2020 Census found 52,589 residents. Expect the ODFW Willamette Zone limits on most Columbia County waters; zones are drawn by drainage, so check any water near a divide.
Of the 8 lake guides tied to Columbia County, Sturgeon Lake covers the most surface. The Marine Board layer shows 27 open launches inside the county, 13 for trailers.
8lake pages
27open OSMB launches
3river pages
5shops
Census 2020 population; BLM Oregon NHD lake outlines; OSMB Boating Access Sites; DLCD and ODFW shore access layers; 2026 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations zone lists; read November 2, 2026.
BLM Oregon hydrography lake outlines (NHD), summed by GNIS name (layer), read November 2, 2026. Species: ODFW Fish Habitat Distribution layers (ODFW ArcGIS), read November 2, 2026; a mapped species is habitat use ODFW records, not a catch report. ODFW publishes no lake depths in these layers.
Species
Fish counts across waters by Columbia County
Out to 40 miles from St. Helens, rainbow trout appears on more water pages than any other species.
Rainbow trout17 waters
Largemouth bass14 waters
Coho salmon10 waters
Cutthroat trout10 waters
Chinook salmon9 waters
Steelhead9 waters
Black crappie7 waters
Bluegill7 waters
Mountain whitefish7 waters
Brown bullhead6 waters
Species from ODFW Fish Habitat Distribution layers, booklet exceptions and ODFW records, counted per water page within 40 miles; habitat mapping, not a catch survey.
More water
More lake outlines across Columbia County
Another 27 named outlines fall in Columbia County.
Water
Acres (outline)
Nearest place
Cunningham Lake
157
St. Helens
Resting Lake
114
Columbia City
Henrici Lake
85
St. Helens
Aarons Lake
84
Scappoose
Deer Island Slough
46
Columbia City
Malarky Lake
33
Scappoose
Racetrack Lake
29
Scappoose
Swan Lake
26
Columbia City
Millionaire Lake
26
St. Helens
Seal Lake
25
Scappoose
Petes Slough
23
Scappoose
Guiles Lake
22
Scappoose
Rest Lake
20
Scappoose
Grassy Lake
18
Scappoose
Adams Lake
17
Columbia City
Muckle Lake
17
Columbia City
Bryce Lake
16
St. Helens
Oak Ridge Lake
14
Columbia City
Domeyer Lake
14
Scappoose
Willow Hole
14
Scappoose
Widgeon Lake
13
St. Helens
Daves Slough
12
Columbia City
Whittier Lake
11
St. Helens
Gunners Lakes
9
Vernonia
Scout Lake
6
Clatskanie
Kauppi Lake
6
Vernonia
Floeter Pond
2
Vernonia
BLM Oregon hydrography lake outlines (NHD), summed by GNIS name (layer), read November 2, 2026.
Rivers
Streams that cross Columbia County
Clatskanie RiverODFW maps chum, coho and fall chinook runs, 2 OSMB launches, 1 booklet exception
Gilbert RiverODFW maps coho, fall chinook and winter steelhead runs, 4 booklet exceptions
OSMB status is shown as published: closed launches are listed without a page.
Oregon State Marine Board Boating Access Sites layer (OSMB ArcGIS), read November 2, 2026; status as OSMB publishes it. Oregon Coastal Management Program (DLCD) Shoreline Access Inventory (layer) and the ODFW shore access map, read November 2, 2026.
Stocking
ODFW stocking for waters of Columbia County
Across 2 stocked waters in Columbia County, ODFW plans 10 releases and 21,000 trout.
ODFW weekly trout stocking schedule (planned releases; ODFW prints size classes, not species), myodfw.com, read November 2, 2026.
Regulations
Keeper rules across Columbia County
The zone rows apply across Columbia County wherever no water exception steps in. Annual angling runs $50 for residents of Oregon and $138 for everyone else in 2026. Keep a salmon or steelhead and you need the Combined Angling Tag too, $69 for residents.
Lakes: 5 per day, 3 daily limits in possession unless noted under Exceptions. Streams: No limit.
Lakes: Open all year. Streams: Open during trout, salmon or steelhead seasons, except mainstem Willamette River and sloughs and tidewater areas of Columbia.
Bluegill, Catfish, Crappie, Other Sunfish, Walleye, Yellow Perch, Stri.
No limit, unless noted under Exceptions.
Lakes: Open all year. Streams: Open during trout, salmon or steelhead seasons, except mainstem Willamette River and sloughs and tidewater areas of Columbia.
Pacific Lamprey
Refer to General (Statewide) Regulations for regulations covering the harvest of Pacific lamprey.
Refer to General (Statewide) Regulations for regulations covering the harvest of Pacific lamprey.
Smelt
Closed.
Closed.
Special rows reaching Columbia County (24)
Water
Species
Rule
Booklet
Clatskanie River (Mouth to Swedetown Bridge)
hatchery steelhead, chinook, salmon
Open all year for hatchery steelhead and hatchery Chinook salmon.
p. 28
Fishhawk Lake
trout
Open for trout May 22 – Oct 31.
p. 28
Fishhawk Lake
trout
2 trout per day, 8 inch minimum length.
p. 28
Fishhawk Lake
Artificial flies and lures only.
p. 28
Nehalem River (Mainstem) and Bay (Up to Foss Rd (CC) Bridge (RM 15.1))
hatchery steelhead
Open all year for hatchery steelhead.
Nehalem River (Mainstem) and Bay (Up to Foss Rd (CC) Bridge (RM 15.1))
steelhead, chinook, salmon
Open for Chinook salmon Jan 1 – Sep 15. Wild Chinook salmon may be harvested; 1 per day as part of daily salmon/steelhead bag limit.
Nehalem River (Mainstem) and Bay (Up to Foss Rd (CC) Bridge (RM 15.1))
chinook, salmon
Open for Chinook salmon Sep 16 – Dec 31.
Nehalem River (Mainstem) and Bay (Foss Rd (CC) Bridge (RM 15.1) to Hwy 26 bridge at Elsie)
hatchery steelhead
Open all year for hatchery steelhead.
Nehalem River (Mainstem) and Bay (Foss Rd (CC) Bridge (RM 15.1) to Hwy 26 bridge at Elsie)
salmon
Closed all year to all salmon angling.
Nehalem River (Mainstem) and Bay (Above Hwy 26 bridge at Elsie)
hatchery steelhead
Open for hatchery steelhead Jan 1 – Mar 31 and Dec 1-31.
Nehalem River (Mainstem) and Bay (Above Hwy 26 bridge at Elsie)
Closed Sep 1 – Nov 30.
Nehalem River (Mainstem) and Bay (Above Hwy 26 bridge at Elsie)
salmon
Closed all year to all salmon angling.
Nehalem River, North Fork (Mouth to Hwy 53 bridge)
hatchery steelhead
Open all year for hatchery steelhead.
p. 29
Nehalem River, North Fork (Mouth to Hwy 53 bridge)
steelhead, chinook, salmon
Open for Chinook salmon Jan 1 – Sep 15. Wild Chinook salmon may be harvested; 1 per day as part of daily salmon/steelhead bag limit.
p. 29
Nehalem River, North Fork (Mouth to Hwy 53 bridge)
chinook, salmon
Open for Chinook salmon Sep 16 – Dec 31.
p. 29
Nehalem River, North Fork (Mouth to Hwy 53 bridge)
Angling from Nehalem Hatchery Platform open only to anglers with Disabled Veteran Angling License or Oregon Disabilities Hunting and Fishing Permit.
p. 29
Nehalem River, North Fork (Hwy 53 bridge to 4th bridge on Hamlet Rd near MP 6)
hatchery steelhead
Open all year for hatchery steelhead.
p. 29
Vernonia Pond
bass
1 bass per day.
p. 31
Vernonia Pond
crappie
10 crappie per day.
p. 31
Gilbert River (From the upstream end of the Gilbert River Fishing Pier located near the confluence of the Multnomah Channel upstream to Stur
hatchery steelhead, salmon
Open Apr 16 – Sep 30 for hatchery salmon and hatchery steelhead.
p. 45
Limits as printed in the 2026 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations (ODFW, eRegulations edition) (Willamette Zone page), read November 2, 2026. Water exceptions as printed in the 2026 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations (ODFW, eRegulations edition) (booklet PDF; printed page shown), read November 2, 2026. In-season changes from ODFW override them. Fees as printed on the ODFW license, tag and permit fee page of the 2026 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations (ODFW, eRegulations edition) (fees page), read November 2, 2026.
Records
State records from water by Columbia County
Neighbouring waters, all within 80 miles of Columbia County, hold these records.
How many boat launches are open in Columbia County?
27 open launches on the OSMB layer, 13 of them for trailers.
Which reservoir or lake tops Columbia County by size?
Sturgeon Lake, about 3,163 acres on its mapped outline.
Which fish lead the water pages near Columbia County?
Rainbow trout lead the count of water pages within 40 miles, then largemouth bass, coho salmon and cutthroat trout.
Which Columbia County stores stock salmon and trout tackle?
5 in all, Fins Custom Tackle first.
Is there a drift-boat or fishing guide listed in Columbia County?
No guide gives an address here.
Which town is the administrative centre for Columbia County?
It is St. Helens.
Do I need a license for water in Columbia County?
Oregon residents pay $50 for the annual angling license, visitors $138. Salmon, steelhead, sturgeon and halibut also go on a Combined Angling Tag ($69 resident).
Which counties touch Columbia County?
Start with Washington County, Clatsop County and Multnomah County.
What zone table do Columbia County waters use?
The ODFW Willamette Zone rows cover most of the listed water in Columbia County; a drainage that crosses the line can carry another zone.
Which Columbia County waters get their own booklet rows?
The 2026 booklet prints 24 water exceptions reaching this county, starting with Clatskanie River; the table above shows each.
How many Columbia County waters are on the stocking schedule?
Yes: 2 waters on the ODFW schedule, such as Vernonia Lake and Salmonberry Reservoir; releases are planned, not confirmed.
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