Scott Cook shows off a big fish that proves why Central Oregon is a good place to put on your fishing itinerary. Photo by Gary Lewis.

April 26 marks opening day of trout season on most Oregon lakes and reservoirs. And from then through October, there’s a lot of action to be found: brook trout in the mountains; cutthroats on the west slope; rainbows in big brawling rivers; ferocious brown trout in placid lakes; and bull trout and mackinaw that chow on 10-inch kokanee.

Here, then, are our recommendations for your best trout fishing -- for the traditional trout opener and beyond.

WILLAMETTE
Henry Hagg Lake, southwest of Hillsboro, provides one of the best early season opportunities for Portland area anglers. Fish it from March through June, and try it again in late September. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife stocks 60,000 rainbows each year here. Rainbows average 10 inches, but can grow beyond 5 pounds.

High in the Cascades, near the headwaters of the Clackamas, you’ll find Olallie Lake, famous for its trophy trout. Snowpack limits access early in the season, but the fishing is good when you can make it through.

Hatchery fish average 12 inches, but the big brood trout make the long drive worthwhile. Olallie regularly produces trophy trout in the 8- to 10-pound class.

Detroit Lake receives more attention from the ODFW than anywhere else in the state. This 3,000-acre reservoir is home to rainbow trout, landlocked chinook salmon and kokanee. A small rainbow-pattern Rapala or a little crawdad pattern crankbait can be a good producer. Best bets are around the campgrounds and at stream inlets. From the shore, fish the Santiam, Breitenbush and French Creek arms.

The Breitenbush River feeds Detroit Reservoir, and it can provide good action. Plan your camping trip around the stocking schedule you can find on the ODFW’s Web site.

On the Middle Santiam River, Green Peter Reservoir is located east of Sweet Home and north of Highway 20. This 3,700-acre reservoir boasts a big population of kokanee and rainbow trout. Nearby, you’ll find Foster Reservoir, a 1,200-acre lake that holds back the South and Middle forks of the Santiam. Rainbows are stocked in April and May.

Timothy Lake, 80 miles east of Portland, is a great place to wet a line in the spring. The lake is famous for producing limits of kokanee and big brook trout. In June, the hatchery rainbow bite picks up, and it is possible to catch trout to 18 inches. Fish the mouths of tributaries, smaller arms and shallow water.

Three miles south of Junction City, find Junction City Pond, an eight-acre former gravel pit that receives a good deal of attention from the ODFW’s fisheries. Expect healthy numbers of rainbows, trophy-size fish and a few surplus steelhead.

In the upper Willamette River, the best trout fishing for rainbows and cutthroats can be found upstream from Peoria. Prospect near the mouths of tributary streams early in the year and again when temperatures warm in the summer.

North Willamette district waters that will receive good stocks of hatchery fish are North Fork Reservoir, Benson Lake, Faraday Lake, Timber Lake, Haldeman Pond and Silver Creek Reservoir.

In the South Willamette district, Dorena Reservoir, Fern Ridge Reservoir, E. E. Wilson Pond, Dexter Reservoir, and Cottage Grove Reservoir are reliable rainbow trout producers.

NORTHWEST
In the Northwest Region, native cutthroat populations are in every watershed. It’s not hard to find a place to fish, but a boat or a float tube will keep you in the action.