Freestone · Volcanic · Oregon

Clackamas River

The Clackamas is the Sandy's quieter sibling on the south side of Portland — another metro steelhead river with winter and summer runs, salmon in season, and the useful bonus of a hard run-strength number, because adult fish are counted at River Mill Dam as they pass PGE's hydro projects.

Species

About as good as it gets

Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.

75% confidence in this read
Water temperature for steelhead
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
Why this score · for steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time5013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity6012% weight
Conditions
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp
12.1°C
Estimated
Clarity
Clear
Air temp
19°C
Wind
SW 21 km/h
Moderate breeze
Pressure
1020 hPa
Rain · 24h
0.0 mm
No rain
Rain · ahead
0.1 mm
No meaningful rain · next 48h

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

How to fish it · for steelhead
When
Winter steelhead Dec–Apr; summer fish summer into autumn. Best on the steady drop after a rise.
Where
The Clackamas is the Sandy's quieter sibling on the south side of Portland — another metro steelhead river with winter and summer runs, salmon in season, and…
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though time of day could be better.
Through the year
0–3 scale · June highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Retain hatchery steelhead, release wild (ESA-listed Lower Columbia DPS)
  • Reach/run/season-specific — verify ODFW Northwest Zone.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
About this water

The Clackamas is the Sandy's quieter sibling on the south side of Portland — another metro steelhead river with winter and summer runs, salmon in season, and the useful bonus of a hard run-strength number, because adult fish are counted at River Mill Dam as they pass PGE's hydro projects. That count is the closest thing a steelheader gets to certainty: pair the trend at River Mill with the flow and the clarity and you have a genuinely informed read on whether it's worth the drive. The river itself is part-managed by the upstream dams, so it runs a touch steadier than a wild freestone, and it takes a hatchery-and-wild mix of fish that keeps the rules complicated and the wild-fish handling important — Lower Columbia steelhead are ESA-listed. Swing flies through the classic runs on the steady drop after a bump, keep the hatchery and wild fish straight, and use the dam count the way it's meant to be used.

  • Volcanic
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Other water nearby · 1