Where to Fish in the Hood River area- Eagle Creek (near Cascade Locks, OR)

Part of our series on fishing locally in the Hood River/Columbia Gorge area. 

Species:  Rainbow, cutthroat trout. 

Seasons:  Trout: Late May-October 31. 

Location:  Just east of Bonneville Dam, near Cascade Locks, OR.  Parking Fee. 

Link:  Eagle Creek Trailhead

Eagle Creek is one of the prettiest creeks you will ever see.  A famous waterfall called Punchbowl Falls (a different Punchbowl than the one on the Hood River) lies about 3.5 miles upstream, accessed by a popular trail that follows the creek.  The trail allows some excellent access to the creek, plenty to keep someone busy for a day.  Eagle Creek drains out of Whatum Lake, which is also a favorite mountain lake in the Hood River area.

Fishing in the creek is fair.  Every spot that should have a trout probably does.  While healthy creeks in Montana would have a dozen, you should find a trout or two in most places on Eagle Creek where you would expect them.  Rainbow trout in Eagle Creek do have the potential to reach decent sizes.  They top 12" occasionally.  From my experience, they average around 10".

A pretty little trout stream

Accessing the creek from the trail is not always easy.  There are several long stretches where the creek is well below the trail at the bottom of a steep slope.  There are also several spots where the creek is right next to the trail.  Given the lack of pressure, I do not believe that you have to scramble off of a cliff in order to find some trout that has never seen a fly.  Most of them have never seen a fly.  Just be careful if you do scramble down a cliff please. There is a lot of "juicy" water at the bottom of those cliffs.

I know I said it is one of the prettiest creeks in America.  I remember reading about it when I first moved here.  It was previously known locally as one of the most iconic trails of the area.  In 2017 a reckless teenager threw a firework into the forest and started one of the biggest fires in our area's history.  50,000+ acres burned right up to the edge of the town of Hood River.  It was completely terrifying.  Many of you have seen a photo of someone playing golf with a raging wildfire behind him.  That was the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire.

The fire did some major damage to Eagle Creek.  The creek has received a lode of silt, as well as increased temps due to a lack of tree cover.  This has affected the fishing in the creek, but has not shown to be detrimentally.  There is still good fishing to be had, but it will take a decade or two to recover.  Less than a decade later, there are a lot of small trees and shrubs growing along the banks and the river is just as beautiful as it once was.

The fire did not damage the popularity of the trail.  The parking lot will fill nearly every day.  Go early or late to avoid a parking headache.  There is still little to no fishing pressure on the creek despite the immense popularity of the trail.  

Salmon fill the lower creek

It is a great place to spend a day, and it is totally worth fishing if you are going to do the hike or your friends/family want to go hiking while you fish. 

Fishing is great up past Tunnel Falls at mile 6.  I would say that between Punchbowl and Tunnel falls is the most productive stretch.  Tunnel Falls is also worth the extra hike if you are going to do Punchbowl... 

Eagle Creek, as of 2021, follows general trout regulations.  It opens on the 4th Saturday in May and closes on October 31 for trout fishing. Trout fishing is catch and release.

There are steelhead as well as salmon in Eagle Creek.  The lowest mile of creek hosts a hatchery and plenty of returning salmon.  A weir located where the trail starts prevents salmon or steelhead from venturing upstream any further.  Steelhead have been documented above the weir, but it is an exception when that happens.  Fishing off the mouth of the creek for salmon is incredibly popular, but few folks venture upstream to look for trout. 

Some folks have had success with winter steelhead in the lower part of the creek (when open in the winter).  It used to stay in good shape after heavy rains when other rivers would blow out.  The big fire likely changed that, and the crew here has not attempted to chase steelhead there in almost a decade now.