Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Owyhee Dam Bureau of Reclamation | Dam / hazard | 43.64205, -117.24287 | Upstream limit of the tailwater; the bellmouth spillway is part of the same structure. |
| 2 | McGinnis Park Malheur County | Park / conservation area | 43.65144, -117.24667 | Day-use park on the first bend below the dam. |
| 3 | Owyhee Dam Campground Below the dam | Campsite | 43.65149, -117.24777 | The only mapped campground on the tailwater. |
| 4 | USGS gauge 13183000 - Owyhee River below Owyhee Dam Live stage and discharge | USGS gauge | 43.65444, -117.25583 | The gauge this water page reads from; release from the dam sets the whole reach. |
| 5 | Snively Hot Springs BLM day-use | Spring | 43.73023, -117.20322 | Hot spring on the river bank, the reach's best-known landmark; three OSM nodes merged to one point. |
| 6 | Diversion weir Unnamed in OpenStreetMap | Dam / hazard | 43.74590, -117.15278 | Weir straight across the channel; portage or take out above it. |
| 7 | Martin Landing Near the Snake confluence | Campsite | 43.80819, -117.02197 | Campsite close to the mouth; it sits between the lower Owyhee and the Snake. |
Gauge: USGS 13183000 — OWYHEE RIVER BELOW OWYHEE DAM, OR. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Black Crappie, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass
Regulations: myodfw.com/fishing/regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Owyhee Dam and the top of the canyon - the coldest water and the start of the tailwater reach.
The canyon road below the dam - continuous roadside pull-offs along the fishable eleven miles.
Snively Hot Springs - a well-known access point and the busiest parking on the river.
Greeley Bar and the lower canyon pull-outs - walk-in water toward the end of the trout reach.
Owyhee Reservoir boat ramps - still-water launching above the dam.
Nyssa and the lower river bridges - warmwater bass and catfish access below the canyon.
Rome and the upper Owyhee - the wilderness whitewater reach well above the reservoir.
Spring: prime season, with low pre-irrigation flows, blue-winged olives and the best wading of the year.
Summer: high irrigation releases, difficult wading and an evening caddis and streamer game.
Fall: releases drop back, water clears and the big browns move onto the shallow tails to spawn.
Winter: cold, low, lightly fished midge water with road access that can be uncertain after snow.