Fishing

With the Mighty Columbia feeding into the Willamette River, and the glacier-fed Sandy River to the east, the region has great urban fishing. A handy map from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife details 50 places to go fishing within 60 miles of Portland. Some of the closest include the Eastbank Esplanade on the east side of the Willamette River between the Hawthorne and Steel bridges and George Rogers Park in Lake Oswego, nine miles from downtown. Fish these sites for steelhead, salmon, bass, perch and crappie. Skylen Freet, owner of Sky’s Guide Service, recommends the Chinook Landing boat ramp. “Besides the Columbia’s world famous salmon runs, winter and summer steelhead are also available at different times of the year as well as the opportunity of fighting a trophy white sturgeon,” he said. For a complete list, visit the Department of Fish & Wildlife website.