Fed by glaciers on Mt. Hood and tumbling 56 miles to the Columbia near Troutdale, the Sandy River is Portland’s closest wild-feeling salmon-steelhead fishery. Removal of Marmot Dam in 2007 opened 120 miles of free-flowing habitat, and today winter steelhead, spring/fall Chinook and coho return to a corridor of basalt canyons, old-growth cedars and convenient day-use parks. Optimal flows are 1,200–2,500 cfs at the Bull Run gauge, when visibility turns the river’s trademark “steelhead green.”
**Upper Canyon (Timberline Rd–Dodge Park):** boulder gardens and swift tail-outs best fished from rafts or by hiking the Timberline Trail tributaries. **Middle River (Dodge Park–Oxbow Regional Park):** classic swing runs and bank access at Glenn Otto and Oxbow parks—prime winter-steelhead water. **Lower River (Oxbow–mouth at Columbia):** gravel bars and dike roads where fall Chinook and smelt enter; flows are gentler and boat launches plentiful.
Wild and hatchery winter steelhead (Dec–Apr) average 8–12 lbs, with 20-lb trophies landed each season. Spring Chinook arrive April–June, followed by coho August–October. Resident cutthroat trout and summer-run steelhead linger in cooler tributaries. Smelt runs in March draw hungry steelhead and provide a short, popular dip-net fishery near Lewis & Clark Park.
Fresh steelhead rocket upstream on 46–48 °F rain-bumped flows, holding in boulder pockets and tail-outs until high-pressure clears the water. Early fish devour egg imitations and pink worms; mid-run steelhead prefer swung intruders in black/blue or purple. Spring Chinook gravitate to deeper glides on rising temperatures, inhaling chartreuse Spin-N-Glos or large prismatic flies. Summer trout sip caddis and stonefly nymphs in shaded eddies, while fall coho crush pink flash flies tight to woody cover.
Two-handers rule the Sandy: 12½–13-ft 7- or 8-wt Skagit outfits with 10-ft T-11 sink-tips swing 4- to 6-in intruders through boulder buckets. Gear anglers drift ½-oz slinkies with 6-ft leaders and pink Corkies or beads. Plugs (MagLip 3.5) tempt springers in travel lanes above Dodge. In summer, 5-wt single-hand rods with 4X fluorocarbon and stonefly nymphs tail-water trout behind spawning Chinook. Respect redds and avoid fishing actively spawning salmon.
Bank anglers gravitate to Glenn Otto Park (Stark St Bridge), Lewis & Clark Park, and Dodge Park where Cedar Cr meets the main stem. Oxbow Regional Park offers 4 miles of drift-boat free water perfect for swing purists. Up-river, Revenue Bridge and Pipeline Hole reward hardy waders willing to scramble basalt ledges at 1,500 cfs or less.
Public launches: Revenue Bridge (upper), Dodge Park, Oxbow Regional Park, Dabney State Rec Area, and Lewis & Clark Park. All require $5–$15 day-use fees or annual passes. Bank trails parallel the river in Oxbow and at Glenn Otto. WDFW Columbia Basin Endorsement is mandatory for salmon/steelhead. Use the USGS Bull Run gauge—flows above 4,000 cfs muddy quickly and make wading unsafe.
Flies/lures: black/blue and pink/orange intruders (2/0), 10 mm soft beads in shrimp and glow colors, ½-oz pink worms, MagLip 3.5 plugs in gold/chartreuse, size 6 stonefly nymphs, and #8‐10 October caddis dries for trout. 12-lb fluorocarbon leaders for winter steelhead; 15-lb maxima for springers. Felt or rubber-stud boots plus a wading staff handle slick cobble. Always pack a waterproof shell—Mt. Hood weather shifts fast.
The Sandy hosts ESA-listed wild spring Chinook and winter steelhead. The Sandy River Basin Partnership and BLM have removed nine major barriers since 2007, restoring 120 miles of habitat. Anglers can help by keeping wild fish wet, pinching barbs, and participating in river clean-ups coordinated by the Native Fish Society’s Sandy River Stewards. Respect seasonal closures on Cedar Creek above the hatchery intake to protect spawning fish.
Glacial silt reduces visibility—use a wading staff and never step where you can’t see the bottom. Release pulses from Bull Run and heavy rain can raise flows several feet in hours; monitor the USGS gauge and exit if water browns. Winter hypothermia and swift currents take lives annually—wear a PFD in rafts and when bank fishing over thigh-deep water. Black ice on forest roads makes pre-dawn drives treacherous from December through February.
**Fly Fish USA** (Welches) offers Spey casting lessons and daily flow texts. **The Portland Fly Shop** (SE Portland) guides winter steelhead and stocks custom intruders. **Royal Treatment Fly Fishing** (West Linn) carries Euro-nymph gear and hosts weekly tying nights. All sell Columbia Basin Endorsements and marine parking permits.
Join the **Sandy River Basin Partnership** for habitat-planting days, **Native Fish Society** to lobby for cold-water releases, or **Trout Unlimited Clackamas Chapter** for trash clean-ups at Oxbow. Donations fund wood-placement projects that create juvenile refuge and improve angler access.
The Sandy River (mouth to Dodge Park) is in ODFW’s Willamette Zone. Hatchery winter steelhead may be kept Jan 1–Mar 31 and Dec 1–31 (2 per day); wild steelhead must be released. Spring Chinook retention opens May 15–Jul 31 (2 adults daily), check in-season updates. Coho salmon retention is permitted Sept 15–Oct 31 downstream of the Stark St Bridge (3 adults). The river is closed to all angling May 1–May 21 above the Cedar Creek hatchery intake. Columbia Basin Endorsement and Combined Angling Tag are required when fishing for salmon, steelhead or sturgeon. Always verify emergency rules before your trip.