Smallmouth Bass in Oregon
smallmouth bass: Oregon bag rows, records and waters.
- 5 a daybag
- 8 lb 1.76 ozrecord
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Quick notes on Oregon smallmouth bass
The booklet row covering smallmouth bass reads "Bass". For the Northwest Zone, ODFW wrote: Lakes: 5 per day, 3 daily limits in possession unless noted under Exceptions. Streams: No limit.
Oregon record book: 8 lb 1.76 oz by Nick Rubeo (2005, Henry Hagg Lake). It turns up on 60 lake, river or bay pages, Lake Umatilla, Lake Wallula and Brownlee Reservoir among them.
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| Zone | Row as printed | Bag and size | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Zone | Bass | Lakes: 5 per day, 3 daily limits in possession unless noted under Exceptions. Streams: No limit. | Lakes: Open all year. Streams: (including tidewaters and bays): Open during trout, salmon or steelhead seasons, except tidewater. |
| Northwest Zone | Bluegill, Catfish, Crappie, Other Sunfish, Walleye, Yellow P. | No limit. | Lakes: Open all year. Streams: (including tidewaters and bays): Open during trout, salmon or steelhead seasons, except tidewater. |
| Southwest Zone | Bass | Lakes: 5 per day, 3 daily limits in possession unless noted under Exceptions. Streams: No limit. | Lakes: Open all year. Streams (including tidewaters and bays): Open during trout, salmon or steelhead seasons. |
| Southwest Zone | Bluegill, Catfish, Crappie, Other Sunfish, Walleye, Yellow P. | No limit. | Lakes: Open all year. Streams (including tidewaters and bays): Open during trout, salmon or steelhead seasons. |
| Willamette Zone | Bass | 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. |
| Willamette Zone | Bluegill, Catfish, Crappie, Other Sunfish, Walleye, Yellow P. | 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. |
| Central Zone | Bass | 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 only, except portions of Columbia River tributaries. |
| Northeast Zone | Bass | 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 only, except portions of Columbia River tributaries. |
| Southeast Zone | Bass | Lakes: 5 per day, 3 daily limits in possession unless noted under Exceptions. No limit in the southwest corner of the Southeast Zone. Streams: No limit. | Lakes and Reservoirs: Open all year. Streams: Open during trout season. |
| Snake River Zone | Bass | Lakes/Reservoirs: 6 per day, 3 daily limits in possession unless noted under Exceptions. Streams: No limit. | Open all year. |
| Columbia River Zone | Bass, Striped Bass, Bluegill, Catfish, Crappie, other Sunfis. | No limit. | Open all year. |
| Marine Zone | General Marine Species: Rockfish ("sea bass", "snapper"), Gr. | Bag limits are set after this book is printed. Check current regulations before fishing on the Sport Bottomfish Seasons page. Retention of yelloweye and quillback rockfishes is prohibited. | Waters are open 24 hours per day. The offshore long-leader fishery is limited to fishing seaward of the 40-fathom regulatory. |
| Marine Zone | Striped Bass and/or Hybrid Bass | No limit | Waters open all year, 24 hours per day, unless noted under Management Designations for Marine Areas. |
Limits as printed in the 2026 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations (ODFW, eRegulations edition) (eRegulations), read November 2, 2026.
Oregon record-book smallmouth bass
| Listed as | Weight | Angler | Water | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bass, Smallmouth | 8 lb 1.76 oz | Nick Rubeo | Henry Hagg Lake | 2005 |
Oregon record fish as listed by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (record fish article, dated March 4, 2026), read November 2, 2026.
Where Oregon smallmouth bass turn up
Impoundments mapped with smallmouth bass
- Lake Umatilla50,097 acres
- Lake Wallula32,492 acres
- Brownlee Reservoir13,880 acres
- Lake Owyhee11,112 acres
- Lake Billy Chinook3,852 acres
- Prineville Reservoir2,861 acres
- Lost Creek Lake2,522 acres
- Hells Canyon Reservoir2,301 acres
- Phillips Lake2,244 acres
- Howard Prairie Lake1,981 acres
- Dorena Lake1,662 acres
- Cold Springs Reservoir1,440 acres
- Lake of the Woods1,227 acres
- McKay Reservoir1,174 acres
- Oxbow Reservoir1,106 acres
- Henry Hagg Lake1,086 acres
- Foster Lake1,051 acres
- Ochoco Reservoir970 acres
- Applegate Lake949 acres
- Unity Reservoir921 acres
- Dexter Reservoir884 acres
- Hyatt Reservoir844 acres
- Emigrant Lake807 acres
- Woahink Lake784 acres
Currents that hold smallmouth bass
- Willamette RiverMultnomah County
- Deschutes RiverSherman County
- Columbia RiverClatsop County
- South Umpqua RiverDouglas County
- North Umpqua RiverDouglas County
- Coquille RiverCoos County
- Middle Fork Willamette RiverLane County
- Grande Ronde RiverWallowa County
- South Fork Coquille RiverCoos County
- South Santiam RiverLinn County
- Molalla RiverClackamas County
- North Fork John Day RiverGrant County
- Snake RiverUmatilla County
- Owyhee RiverMalheur County
- Santiam RiverMarion County
- Yamhill RiverYamhill County
- Calapooia RiverLinn County
- Luckiamute RiverPolk County
ODFW Fish Habitat Distribution layers (ODFW ArcGIS), read November 2, 2026; a mapped species is habitat use ODFW records, not a catch report.
Species ODFW groups with smallmouth bass
- Hybrid White Bassfreshwater
- Largemouth Bassfreshwater
- Striped Bassboth
Shorelines and riffles near Smallmouth Bass, photographed
Photo: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, Public domain
Photo: Bonnie Moreland, Public domain
Photo: Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, CC BY-SA 2.0
smallmouth bass under Oregon rules: short answers
What does ODFW allow per day for smallmouth bass?
The Northwest Zone reads Lakes: 5 per day, 3 daily limits in possession unless noted under Exceptions. Streams: No limit. The table above shows every zone.
When was the Oregon smallmouth bass record set?
ODFW lists 8 lb 1.76 oz, Nick Rubeo, 2005, Henry Hagg Lake.
Which water pages on this site name smallmouth bass?
60 Oregon pages, Lake Umatilla, Lake Wallula and Brownlee Reservoir first.
Where does the smallmouth bass rule change in Oregon?
No water changes its limit.
Can I fish for smallmouth bass all year in Oregon?
Season in the Northwest Zone: Lakes: Open all year. Streams: (including tidewaters and bays): Open during trout, salmon or steelhead seasons, except tidewater areas of Columbia. ODFW posts in-season changes online.
Which Oregon license do I need for smallmouth bass?
An Oregon angling license ($50 resident, $138 nonresident for 2026) covers anglers 12 and older; salmon, steelhead, sturgeon and halibut go on a Combined Angling Tag ($69 resident).
How is a record smallmouth bass checked in Oregon?
Send the claim to ODFW, which keeps the official record list.
What do Oregon anglers call smallmouth bass?
ODFW uses Bass, Smallmouth and Smallmouth Bass.
Pick Oregon water for smallmouth bass
Every water listed above has launches and limits on its own page.