Share your catch

Fern Ridge Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Willamette Valley’s shallow lake: Fern Ridge holds crappie, bass and birds west of Eugene.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Flow
35 cfs
Air / High
64 / 64 F
Wind
SSW 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 14166500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Fern Ridge Reservoir stays in its summer rhythm: early magic, midday siesta, evening reprieve. The river is running 35 cfs, on the rise. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSW around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 64. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 69 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Long Tom River near Noti (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 14166500.

14243335 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp64 F
High / Low64 / 55 F
WindSSW 8-15 mph
Pressure1012.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 71%
Sunrise / Sunset06:40 / 19:44
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Rain, 64/55 F, wind 14 mph, rain 71%

Slow. High rain chance; fish the front edge before it arrives.

Species guide

The species that matter on Fern Ridge Reservoir: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Fern Ridge Reservoir calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Fern Ridge Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 62 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 62 F, wind to 14 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 69 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Oregon requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Oregon license. Crappie, bass and panfish limits per current ODFW regulations.

Access

Corps ramps and day-use areas around the reservoir west of Eugene; wildlife area access nearby.

About this water

A 9,000-acre Corps flood-control reservoir on the Long Tom River west of Eugene, Lane County, Oregon.

Fishing Fern Ridge Reservoir: the full guide

A flood-control lake on the valley floor

Fern Ridge Reservoir spreads about 9,000 acres at summer pool on the Long Tom River west of Eugene, a shallow Corps flood-control lake surrounded by wetlands and wildlife areas. It averages only a few feet deep, warms quickly and grows fish accordingly: crappie, largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish and yellow perch, with excellent birding alongside.

Crappie and bass

Crappie are the local favorite, holding around any structure, docks and the flooded brush, best in spring as fish move shallow. Largemouth relate to the vegetation and wood: work frogs, plastics and spinnerbaits over and along the weeds through the warm months. The shallow water means shallow-water tactics dominate.

Levels and the season

The reservoir is drawn down to a fraction of its size each winter for flood storage, exposing mudflats and closing ramps: the fishing season runs roughly spring through early fall. Summer brings sailing and windsurfing to the open water given the valley wind, which anglers work around by fishing the coves and edges.

Lane County logistics

Corps ramps and day-use areas serve the reservoir, with Eugene fifteen minutes east. The surrounding wildlife area is a significant birding destination, particularly during migration. Wind is a regular feature of the valley and stirs the shallow water quickly, affecting clarity.

Common questions

How shallow is it?

Only a few feet on average: it warms fast, grows fish quickly and stirs up in wind.

Is it drawn down?

Substantially each winter for flood storage, which effectively limits the season to spring through early fall.

What is the main species?

Crappie by local preference, with largemouth bass in the vegetation and abundant panfish.

Is fishing good at Fern Ridge Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Siletz River53 miUmpqua River55 miWillamette River59 miDetroit Lake67 miCoos Bay73 miOdell Lake73 mi
Share your catch