Although mild air and plenty of slush have replaced the arctic outbreak that plunged temperatures well below zero in parts of Northeastern Oregon, the cold snap thickened the ice considerably on many regional lakes and reservoirs, making for good ice fishing.

Not that anglers have to drill a hole in ice to get at the fish.

Rivers such as the Grande Ronde, Umatilla and Imnaha could yield steelhead, trout and whitefish.

Malheur Reservoir

There are some very nice trout in the reservoir, and the ice is about 10 inches thick. Recent sampling showed there are plenty of trout in the 17- to 20-inch range weighing around 2 pounds with good numbers of smaller trout as well.

Owyhee Reservoir

The reservoir is about 75% full, with Gordon Gulch, Indian Creek and Leslie Gulch boat ramps all open and usable. There are some older, larger crappie in the 12-inch range but they are elusive. Trout fishing trolling or fishing streamer flies from the bank can be effective in the lower reservoir near the forebay. Anglers targeting bass may catch some with tags near the dorsal fin. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is studying bass movement, condition and angler harvest of bass. The tags have a four-digit number and can be reported by phone or on MyODFW.com.

Owyhee River

The river is flowing at about 242 cubic feet per second below the dam. Anglers should avoid wading in gravelly areas to protect buried eggs. Some good fishing can be found away from spawning brown trout. Try fishing some of the deeper, slower water with streamers for post-spawn browns or egg patterns for larger rainbows. The best fishing will be in the upper six miles of the Lower Owyhee below the dam. Crankbaits, spoons and spinners also can be productive.

Phillips Reservoir

The ice is about 16 inches thick, and anglers can catch yellow perch and rainbow trout.

Wolf Creek, Pilcher Creek reservoirs

Ice is about 11 inches thick at Wolf Creek, and 8 inches at Pilcher Creek. The ice around the edges will be thinner as the reservoirs continue to fill, and there is decent snow cover on both. Anglers fishing through the ice will find crappie and rainbow trout.

Unity Reservoir

Ice is 8 to 10 inches thick. Unity is one of the more consistent trout fisheries in the region, and anglers can do well near the boat ramp. Trout between 10 and 14 inches are common, with some larger fish likely available.

Grande Ronde and Imnaha rivers

Steelhead fishing may begin to slow as the winter progresses and fish move upstream. However, anglers still can catch fish as the weather and water conditions allow. Trout and whitefish will be available to anglers throughout the winter and into spring.

Umatilla River

Steelhead still are trickling into the river. Anglers seem to have the best success fishing between Rieth and Pendleton using jigs or beads under floats. Fishing on warmer days or after rain events should increase the chance of success. There is now a new regulation in place with a hook gap size that may not exceed 3/8 inch in the section of the Umatilla River above the Umatilla Indian Reservation. This new regulation is to protect bull trout and decrease the chance of hooking mortality.

As a reminder, if you catch a bull trout, recognized by its white spots, keep it in the water and release it as quickly as possible. No targeting of bull trout is allowed in the Umatilla River.

Wallowa County ponds

Marr Pond, Kinney Lake, and many local forest ponds were stocked in the fall of 2024 with rainbow trout. Many techniques will be effective, and these ponds can be great family fishing locations. Kinney Lake is frozen over, and Marr Pond has partial ice cover. The ice at Marr Pond should not be trusted to be strong enough to walk onto. Ice was relatively thin at Kinney Lake last month but should be getting thicker with the recent cold weather.

Wallowa Lake

With the recent cold weather, a thin layer of ice has formed over about 90% of the lake including both boat ramps. Any travel onto the ice is not advisable as it’s likely very unsafe.