PENDLETON — Trout fishing is beginning to improve in parts of Northeast Oregon as the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife stocks thousands of rainbow trout in many ponds, lakes and streams.

Steelhead fishing, which continues through April 30, has slowed recently on the Grande Ronde, Imnaha and Wallowa rivers.

Morgan Lake near La Grande opens for the season on April 22, and the lake is scheduled to be stocked with 500 legal-size rainbows that week.

If you have been out fishing and have a recent fishing report you would like to share with ODFW, send the information to odfw.info@odfw.oregon.gov.

Fishing report Grande Ronde River

Steelhead fishing has begun to slow as fish move upriver into the Wallowa River. However, steelhead will continue to be available into the spring until the season closure on April 30. Trout and whitefish can be caught year-round in the Grande Ronde, and anglers may have some good fishing for trout and whitefish when flows are not too high.

Imnaha River

Steelhead will be available on the Imnaha throughout April although catch rates may slow as more fish move upstream to the hatchery. The best public access is downstream of Horse Creek. Anglers fishing the river closer to the town of Imnaha need to be sure to get landowner permission before accessing private lands. Bait, jigs and flies can all be effective ways of targeting steelhead in the Imnaha River. Anglers should remember they might encounter bull trout in the Imnaha River. They cannot be harvested and must be released.

Morgan Lake

Opens for fishing on April 22, and is scheduled to be stocked that week with 500 legal rainbows.

Wallowa County ponds

Stocked trout are available at local ponds including Marr Pond and Kinney Lake. Kinney Lake may be one of the best local trout fishing spots as it gets a healthy stocking of fish in the fall that grow all winter. Some fish may be available at other local ponds, but fishing at those sites will improve later in the spring as more fish are added. This spring, surplus steelhead were released into Marr Pond. When fishing Marr Pond, anglers do not need to have a combined angling tag or Columbia Basin endorsement to fish for the steelhead in Marr Pond. Any steelhead caught in Marr Pond count toward the angler’s trout limit and do not need to be recorded on a combined angling or hatchery harvest tag.

Wallowa Lake

There have been recent reports of anglers catching good sized kokanee that were up to 19 inches although most were smaller. Kokanee are deep and anglers may do best by jigging in 80 to 120 feet of water. As the weather warms, many kokanee will move into shallower water and may be near the surface until the top layer of the lake warms in late spring. Trout anglers can do best near the south end of the lake whereas kokanee and lakae trout will be more dispersed.

Wallowa River

Steelhead fishing has slowed in recent weeks, but fish will still be available until the season closure on April 30. Fishing for trout and whitefish can be good in the spring, especially when flows are moderate and water clarity is good. Trout and whitefish can be caught on a variety of baits, lures, and flies. Casting flies like wooly buggers and nymphs to pockets of slower moving water near shore can be good ways to catch trout and whitefish on the Wallowa River in the spring.

Phillips Reservoir

Phillips carried over the most water since 2017 and was 55% full on April 10. Holdover rainbow trout from last year will provide fishing opportunities throughout April, and the reservoir will be stocked with new fish starting in May.

Malheur Reservoir

Reservoir was sampled last fall and had some nice-size rainbows Most of the trout are in the 8-inch range but there are some much larger 15- to 17-inch fish available as well. The road in to the reservoir can be muddy, especially during or after periods of wet weather, so a four-wheel drive vehicle is advised. The boat ramp will be in the water now but use caution if you launch from an undeveloped location with muddy shoreline.

Rainbow trout stocking schedule Week of April 8-12

Roulet Pond: 1,100 legals, 200 trophy

Kinney Lake: 1,200 legals, 100 trophy

Highway 203 Pond: 2,250 legals, 825 trophy

Week of April 15-19

Hat Rock Pond: 1,000 legals

Willow Creek 500 legals

Long Creek Pond: 1,000 legals

Seventh Street Pond: 1,100 legals

Tatone Pond: 500 legals

McNary Channel Ponds: 4,500 legals

Holliday Park Pond: 1,100 legals

Bully Creek Reservoir: 7,000 legals

Delintment Lake: 5,000 legals

Week of April 22-26

Marr Pond: 250 legals, 75 trophy

Morgan Lake: 500 legals

Weavers Pond: 250 legals, 75 trophy

April 29-May 3

Cutsforth Pond: 700 legals

Anson Wright Pond: 1,000 legals

Bull Prairie Reservoir: 1,250 legals

Morrow County OHV Park Pond No. 3 (O’Brien): 400 legals

Morrow County OHV Park Pond No. 4 (Wilson): 400 legals

Willow Creek Reservoir: 1,800 legals

Hat Rock Pond: 1,200 legals

Morrow County OHV Park Pond No. 1 (Trout Lake): 800 legals

Morrow County OHV Park Pond No. 2 (Red Rock): 700 legals

McNary Channel Ponds: 5,300 legals

May 6-10

Powder River Pond No. 2: 1,000 legals

Phillips Reservoir: 9,500 legals

Tipton Pond: 600 legals

Trout Farm Pond: 1,150 legals

Magone Lake: 3,500 legals

Aldrich Ponds: 650 legals

Weston Highway Pond: 1,200 legals

Ladd (Peach) Pond: 1,075 legals

Seventh Street Pond: 1,100 legals

Twin Ponds: 1,000 legals

Walla Walla Forest Ponds South: 1,150 legals

Umatilla Forest Ponds North: 1,900 legals

Umatilla Forest Ponds South: 2,150 legals

Holliday Park Pond: 1,100 legals

Rowe Creek Reservoir: 650 legals

McHaley Pond: 500 legals