Fresh Water Fishing Options – By Body of Water

Lake, stream and river fishing are popular pursuits on Oregon’s Adventure Coast. Early summer and late fall salmon runs offer the best chances for a great river catch, and hearty sportsmen will enjoy the challenges of winter steelhead fishing. The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife also stocks many area lakes with trout , and most lakes and ponds around here also host warm-water species like largemouth bass, yellow perch, croppy, bluegill and catfish, all of which were introduced in the early 1900s.

For the most updated fishing information and scouting reports, contact the Charleston ODFW field office at 541.888.5515.

BLUEBILL LAKE

Available Fish: Rainbow Trout
Description/Directions: Coastal lake in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area of Siuslaw National Forest near Coos Bay. Take Hwy 101 north 2 miles to the Horsfall Dune and Beach sign. Turn left and go 1 mile to the Horsfall Beach sign, then go right at the “Y” 1.7 miles to the campground sign. The trailhead is on the left, campground on the right. There are no signs to Bluebill, so consult a US Forest Service map of the National Dunes Recreation Area for more detailed descriptions. This is a National Forest Recreation Pass area.
Size: The size of Bluebill Lake is approximately 40 acres.

BRADLEY LAKE

Available Fish: Brown Bullhead, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout
Description/Directions: Coastal lake 3 miles south of Bandon, west of Hwy 101. Public boat ramp on the south shore. Most of the remaining shoreline is privately owned.
Size: The size of Bradley Lake is approximately 30 acres.

BUTTERFIELD LAKE

Available Fish: Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Warmouth
Description/Directions: Coastal lake along the west side of Hwy 101, just past Saunders Lake, about 16 miles south of Reedsport. Access is through the Riley Ranch County Park.
Size: The size of Butterfield Lake is approximately 50 acres.

COOS BAY

Available Fish: Chinook Salmon (Fall), Herring, Surfperch
Description/Directions: Mouth of the Coos River at Coos Bay on Hwy 101. Follow Hwy 101 south to North Bend, turn west and follow the signs to Charleston or find one of the many boat ramps along the bay in both North Bend and Coos Bay.

COOS RIVER

Available Fish: Chinook Salmon (Fall), Searun Cutthroat Trout, Steelhead (Winter)
Description/Directions: South coast river entering the Pacific Ocean at Coos Bay off Hwy 101. Only 4 miles long from the mouth up to the confluence of major tributaries, the South Fork Coos and the Millicoma River. Local roads follow both banks upstream.

COOS RIVER, SOUTH FORK

Available Fish: Chinook Salmon (Fall), Searun Cutthroat, Trout, Steelhead (Winter)
Description/Directions: Meets with the Millicoma River to form the Coos River, 6 miles east of Coos Bay. Though county roads follow much of its length, the upper river is on private land. Turn east at Bunker Hill and follow the Coos Bay-Allegany Rd. to South Fork Coos River Rd.

COQUILLE RIVER, EAST FORK

Available Fish: Cutthroat Trout, Steelhead (Winter)
Description/Directions: Joins the North Fork Coquille at Gravelford, 5 miles east of Myrtle Point on Hwy. 42. Local roads follow the river for 30 miles. Wild and hatchery steelhead may be kept.

COQUILLE RIVER, MIDDLE FORK

Available Fish: Cutthroat Trout, Steelhead (Winter), Smallmouth Bass
Description/Directions: Joins the South Fork Coquille south of Myrtle Point. Hwy 42 follows the river. Only hatchery steelhead may be kept. Closed to angling above Myrtle Creek part of the year to protect salmon.

COQUILLE RIVER, NORTH FORK

Available Fish: Cutthroat Trout, Steelhead (Winter)
Description/Directions: Joins the mainstem west of Myrtle Point. County roads follow the river from Myrtle Point on Hwy 42. Only hatchery steelhead may be kept.

COQUILLE RIVER

Available Fish: Brown Bullhead, Chinook Salmon (fall), Smallmouth Bass, Steelhead (winter), Striped Bass
Description/Directions: South coast river entering the Pacific Ocean at Bandon off Hwy 101. Runs from the mouth up to the forks near Myrtle Point off Hwy 42.

COQUILLE RIVER, SOUTH FORK

Available Fish: Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Steelhead (winter), Smallmouth Bass
Description/Directions: Meets the Middle Fork Coquille near Myrtle Point on Hwy 42. Head south from there toward Powers to follow the river its entire way.

EEL LAKE

Available Fish: Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout
Description/Directions: Large lake 10 miles south of Reedsport on the east side of Hwy 101. Access from Tugman State Park.
Size: The size of Eel Lake is approximately 349 acres.

EMPIRE LAKES, UPPER & LOWER

Available Fish: Bluegill, Brown Bullhead, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
Description/Directions: Stocked lakes in Coos Bay. Take Newmark Rd. west from Hwy 101 toward Empire. The lakes are north of the road.
Size: The size of Empire Lakes, Upper & Lower, is approximately 50 acres.

SRU LAKE (PREVIOUSLY SQUAW LAKE)

Available Fish: Rainbow Trout
Description/Directions: Tiny stocked lake in Siskiyou National Forest south of Powers. From Coos Bay on Hwy 101, take Hwy 42 southeast through Coquille to Myrtle Point, then follow the South Fork Coquille River, Forest Rd. 33, through Powers and south about 22 miles.
Size: The size of Sru (previously Squaw Lake) is approximately 2 acres.

HALL LAKE

Available Fish: Cutthroat Trout, Largemouth Bass
Description/Directions: Small coastal lake in Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area about 15 miles north of North Bend, across Hwy 101 from huge Eel Lake. Turn west onto Wildwood Drive across from the Eel Lake turn-off. While the lake itself is a popular spot for kayaking and floating in inner tubes, the park’s real attraction is its access to a stunning view of the Oregon Dunes. A waterfall cuts migration of cutthroat trout from Hall to Schuttpelz Lake, so it creates an isolated population of cutthroat trout.
Size: The size of Hall Lake is approximately 3 acres.

ISTHMUS SLOUGH

Available Fish: Chinook Salmon (Fall)
Description/Directions: In the bay portion of Coos River near Bunker Hill. Follow Hwy 101 south through Coos Bay and turn east to Eastside where a bridge will take you across the waterway. Hwy 101 south of Coos Bay also follows the slough to the community of Green Acres.

MILLICOMA RIVER

Available Fish: Chinook Salmon (Fall), Searun Cutthroat trout, Steelhead (Winter)
Description/Directions: Main tributary of the Coos River, sometimes called the North Fork Coos, entering the mainstem with the South Fork Coos just 4 miles from Coos Bay on Hwy 101. Coos River Hwy follows the Coos, then the Millicoma up to its east and west forks.

MILLICOMA RIVER, EAST FORK

Available Fish: Cutthroat Trout, Steelhead (Winter)
Description/Directions: Follow Coos River Hwy 10 miles east of Coos Bay to Allegany where the forks meet. Local roads follow the tributaries. Nesika Park on East Fork River Rd., 2.5 miles east of Allegany has good public access. Only hatchery steelhead may be kept.

MILLICOMA RIVER, WEST FORK

Available Fish: Cutthroat Trout, Steelhead (Winter)
Description/Directions: Main tributary of the Millicoma River. Follow Coos River Highway No. 241 10 miles east of Coos Bay to Allegany where the forks meet. Local roads follow the tributaries. Only hatchery steelhead may be kept.

NEW RIVER

Available Fish: Cutthroat Trout, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead (Winter)
Description/Directions: Outlet stream for Floras Lake, west of Hwy 101 above Langlois, running north and parallel to the ocean for about 8 miles. Access the mouth at Storm Ranch (BLM land) just above the Coos/Curry County line (south of Bandon) by way of Croft Rd. Drift boat access at Floras Lake; no motors.

POWERS PARK POND

Available Fish: Brown Bullhead, Crappie (black), Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Bluegill
Description/Directions: Former mill pond at the edge of the Coquille River in Powers Park near the community of Powers. From Roseburg or Coos Bay, take Hwy 42, then County Rd. 33 south. The pond is on the north end of town.
Size: The size of Powers Park Pond is approximately 23 acres.

SAUNDERS LAKE

Available Fish: Bluegill, Crappie (black), Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
Description/Directions: Coastal lake along the west side of Hwy 101, about 15 miles south of Reedsport. Access by the County Park at south end of lake, which has a boat ramp.
Size: The size of Saunders Lake is approximately 57 acres.

SHUTTPELZ LAKE

Available Fish: Cutthroat Trout
Description/Directions: Small coastal lake in Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area about 15 miles north of North Bend, across Hwy 101 from huge Eel Lake. Turn west onto Wildwood Drive across from the Eel Lake turn-off. Hall Lake is closest to the parking lot. A short trail leads from Hall Lake to Shuttpelz Lake. A waterfall cuts migration of cutthroat from Hall to Schuttpelz, so it creates an isolated population of cutthroat trout.
Size: The size of Shuttpelz Lake is approximately 3 acres.

TENMILE CREEK

Available Fish: Steelhead (Winter), Searun Cutthroat Trout
Description/Directions: Outlet of Tenmile Lakes, best accessed at Spinreel Campground off Hwy 101 south of Lakeside, or by trail in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, or by drifting down from South Tenmile Lake.

TENMILE LAKES

Available Fish: Bluegill, Brown Bullhead, Cutthroat Trout, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
Description/Directions: North and South Tenmile Lakes are in Lakeside, south of Reedsport and east of Hwy 101. Many access points. The public dock in Lakeside at the county park on South Lake provides wheelchair accessible fishing. Good place for kids.
Size: The size of Tenmile Lakes is approximately 1,700 acres.

TIOGA CREEK

Available Fish: Cutthroat Trout, Steelhead (Winter)
Description/Directions: Tributary of the South Fork Coos River. It heads in the Coast Range very near the Coos/Douglas county line at the tiny community of Tioga, west of Roseburg, and enters farther north in the middle of nowhere.