Spring fish runs in Oregon

Oregon Spring Fish Runs: American Shad and Eulachon

American shad run up the Columbia, Willamette and Umpqua rivers from May until mid July; eulachon reach the Sandy River only in some years.

Oregon at a glance

Read October 13, 2026

4

Runs

on 4 waters

2

Species

American shad and eulachon

May

First to start

American shad on the Columbia River

60 to 65°F

Spawning water

for American shad

5

USGS gauges

on the rivers of 4 runs

Months, temperatures and places are the agency’s own, quoted on each run below. The verdict on each card is worked out in your browser against today and the latest reading at the gauge on that river.

Is the run on?

Every Oregon run, and where it stands today

American shad

American shad on the Columbia River

When: Usually May through July.
Spawns at: 60 to 65°F Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, for the species

The best time to fish for shad is when they return to spawn from May until mid-July.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Notes from the agency

Note

Today millions of shad still return to the Sacramento, the Umpqua, the Siuslaw, the Columbia, the Willamette and other rivers.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

American shad

American shad on the Willamette River

When: Usually May through July.
Spawns at: 60 to 65°F Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, for the species

The best time to fish for shad is when they return to spawn from May until mid-July.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Notes from the agency

Note

Today millions of shad still return to the Sacramento, the Umpqua, the Siuslaw, the Columbia, the Willamette and other rivers.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

American shad

American shad on the Umpqua River

When: Usually May through July.
Spawns at: 60 to 65°F Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, for the species

The best time to fish for shad is when they return to spawn from May until mid-July.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Notes from the agency

Note

Today millions of shad still return to the Sacramento, the Umpqua, the Siuslaw, the Columbia, the Willamette and other rivers.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, read October 13, 2026. Read it at the source

Eulachon

Eulachon on the Sandy River

When: Runs in spring; the water temperature tells you when.
The run: Troutdale
Where to go: Lewis and Clark Park, Glenn Otto Park

Smelt return to the Columbia River every year, but their runs into the Sandy River occur only periodically. In recent years, few, and very limited, recreational fisheries have occurred - most notably a two-day fishery in 2015 and one-day fisheries in 2023 and 2025.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, published March 9, 2026. Read it at the source

The rules on this water (2), where to fish and notes

Limit2026 regulations

When runs are plentiful enough to have a fishery on the Sandy River, you can help by weighing your harvest to be sure you're not over the 10-pound limit

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, published March 9, 2026. Read it at the source

Rule2026 regulations

Runs can be unpredictable and fisheries are only opened when conditions allow.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, published March 9, 2026. Read it at the source

Where to fish

Lewis and Clark Park, Glenn Otto Park, and along the dike off Perimeter Way near Troutdale Airport are popular spots.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, published March 9, 2026. Read it at the source

Note

Returns to Oregon tributaries do not occur with any regularity and are primarily limited to the Sandy River.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, published March 9, 2026. Read it at the source

Two slender silver and bronze eulachon laid head to tail on a white paper towel — Eulachon caught at the Twentymile River in Alaska on May 15, 2005. They are small and oily, and they come into the Cook Inlet rivers by the thousand for a few weeks in May. “Eulachon”, James Crippen, Public domain

Sources

Where the Oregon runs come from

Every month, temperature, place and rule on this page is quoted from these pages, read October 13, 2026. Rules change every year, so check the current regulations before you fish.

American shad Fishing, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
All about smelt (March 9, 2026), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Pennsylvania Fishes, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

Oregon fish run questions

When do American shad run in Oregon?

When do eulachon run in Oregon?

What water temperature do American shad spawn at in Oregon?

Where can I watch or fish the Oregon runs?

How can I tell if a run in Oregon is on today?

5 USGS gauges on the Columbia River, the Willamette River, the Umpqua River and the Sandy River report the water temperature through the day. Each run card sets the latest reading against the spawning temperature: more than 5°F below the spawning temperature is Not yet, within 5°F is Getting close, inside the range is On, and above it late in the run is Winding down. The other runs follow their usual months.

Does a run start on the same date every year?

Why do fish run in spring?

Runs, months, spawning temperatures, places and rules read October 13, 2026 from the pages listed under sources. Where a state gives no temperature for a species, the figure is the species figure its publisher gives, and the card says so. Water temperatures are the latest reading at a USGS gauge on the run’s own river, fetched when the page opens; a run without one goes by the months.