Sandy River smelt season opens for one day at Troutdale

Published 11:15 am Thursday, March 27, 2025

By staffreportsportland

Hundreds of dippers of all ages made their way to the Sandy River Thursday, March 30, 2023, to net smelt.

The recreational harvest of smelt on the Sandy River begins todday, March 27, from noon to 7 p.m. Fishing will be allowed from the mouth of the Sandy River upstream to the Stark Street Bridge.

Fishing Guidelines:

  • Harvest is permitted using a dipnet, and smelt can only be caught from the riverbank.

  • The limit is 10 pounds per dipper.

  • Each participant must have their own container.

  • Anglers aged 12 and older must possess a valid 2025 Oregon angling license. Children 11 and under are not required to have a license but must use their own container and be capable of catching smelt independently.

The 10-pound limit is approximately one-quarter of a five-gallon bucket or a full five-quart bucket. Anglers are advised to bring scales to ensure they stay within the legal harvest limit.

“This is a short window to catch eulachon smelt on the Sandy,” said Tucker Jones, Columbia River Program Manager. “We hope this afternoon fishery provides a fun and unique spring break activity for anglers.”

Public Access Points:

  • Lewis and Clark State Park
  • Glenn Otto Community Park
  • Dike along perimeter way near Troutdale Airport
  • Pullouts along the Historic Columbia River Highway

Smelt fishing was a popular annual pastime on the Sandy River through the 1970s, when it was common to see hundreds of people lining the banks of the river armed with dipnets while the fish were making their spawning run. But the fish species all but disappeared, leading to the end of the dipnet tradition.

Although eulachon smelt were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2010, their population has grown enough to allow for a controlled, limited harvest.

While smelt migrate annually to the Columbia River, they return to the Sandy River only sporadically. The last such fishery was a one-day event in 2023, following a similar opening in 2015.

Eulachon smelt spend most of their lives in the ocean, migrating up rivers like the Columbia and its tributaries to spawn. Most adults die after spawning, so it is common to see large numbers of dead smelt along the river. It is illegal to collect dead smelt for use as bait.

For updates on future smelt fishing opportunities on the Sandy River, anglers can subscribe to ODFW news releases via email. This is the primary way the public is informed about these events. A subscription link is available at the top of the ODFW news page.

 

 

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