Dust off your gear, secure a fishing license and hit the water – you’ve got some fish to catch this summer.

In Oregon, the diversity and quality of angling is unlike any other place in the world. This summer alone, you can fish for trout, salmon, halibut, panfish, ling cod and so much more. On top of it all, you’ve got your pick of gorgeous places to drop a line.

This month, the prize catch is Oregon’s signature “redband” rainbow trout. Choose from a number of famed trout rivers, including the Deschutes in Central Oregon, the McKenzie in the Willamette Valley and southeast Oregon’s Donner und Blitzen River.

Later this summer, head to the Pacific Ocean’s salty waters for the peak of halibut and salmon fishing—or, you can try your hand at reeling in a prehistoric looking ling cod and other rock fish. And in August, be one of the many salmon anglers who flock to the mouth of the Columbia River in Astoria for the fall run of Chinook and Coho salmon.

For a true family friendly catch this summer, head to central and Eastern Oregon’s lakes and reservoirs—Owyhee, Prineville, Chickahominy—where panfishing is popular.

And this is all just one season of fishing in Oregon – just wait until fall!

Licenses
Even if you don’t keep your catch, you need a current Oregon fishing license before you wet your line. You can purchase licenses online at Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife.

Free Fishing Weekend – June 6 and 7, 2009
This June 6 and 7, try your hand at the rod and the reel—for free. For two days each year, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife sponsors more than two-dozen free (no license needed) fishing events across the state.

Guides
Why not increase your chances of catching Big Walter by hiring an Oregon licensed fishing guide?