Freestone · Glacial · Oregon

Sandy River

Sandy River venue image
Fair · Steelhead
Intruder · 12–16
Fairlive now
A side-water session, not the main event
River high but settled. Tributary pocket water is the better play today.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level2.39 m
  • Water temp17.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Intruder
Intruder12–16
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
2.39 m
Water temp17.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather16°C
WindSE 5 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Warm — slow
17.3°Cideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Winter steelhead Dec–Apr on the drop; summer fish through summer into autumn.
Where
The Sandy is Portland's home steelhead river — close enough to fish before work, glacial off the flanks of Mount Hood, and free-flowing again since Marmot Dam…
Why this works
Good — water clarity is working for you, but water temperature is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 5pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 2 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July 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
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2
American March BrownHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Steelhead fly box
MT
Marabou Tube
8–10 · Salmon fly
Swing it through the holding lie at a steady pace.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Retain hatchery steelhead, release wild (ESA-listed Lower Columbia DPS)
  • Run-, reach- and season-specific rules — verify ODFW Northwest Zone.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 1
Clackamas River
18 km
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Lower Columbia River steelhead (the Sandy's fish) are ESA-listed threatened. There is a legal fishery on hatchery fish — retain fin-clipped fish, release wild steelhead in the water. We read whether the river is in shape and whether the run is in; we never score wild fish as a harvest target. Chinook and coho present, hatchery/wild mix; targeting rules vary.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Sandy River' (OR_SR_1708000107_02_103616), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Temperature, pH Acidity Caustic Conditions, Metals Other Than Mercury. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · OR_SR_1708000107_02_103616

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature2728% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time8013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity4812% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts