Lake Oroville Update - December 12, 2025

Salmon Spawning Operations

Annual Chinook salmon spawning activities at the Feather River Fish Hatchery in Oroville have been completed. The Hatchery collected enough eggs to meet its normal production goal of 2 million spring-run fingerlings and 6 million fall-run fingerlings, with additional eggs collected to increase production this year. To help address recent declines in Central Valley Chinook salmon populations, the Hatchery will produce an additional 1 million spring-run fingerlings and 2.5 million fall-run unfed fry, as well as 1 million fall-run Chinook salmon fingerlings to support ocean fisheries.

The Hatchery's spawning process collects eggs from returning adult females and milt (sperm) from returning adult male Chinook salmon to fertilize the eggs. After fertilization, the eggs are placed in incubators to develop for approximately 85 days. Once they reach the fry stage and can consume food, they will either be released into the Feather River or transferred to long ponds called raceways at the facility to grow into fingerlings. Chinook salmon fingerlings raised at the Hatchery will be released in the Feather River and San Francisco Bay between March and June to support inland and ocean populations. In addition, DWR and CDFW continued thiamine treatments to combat B1 vitamin deficiencies. This treatment improves the health of the fish, increasing the survival of Chinook salmon from egg to juvenile.

The Feather River Fish Hatchery is a California State Water Project (SWP) facility built in the late 1960s by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to mitigate impacts on fish migration resulting from the construction of Oroville Dam. DWR owns and maintains the facility and provides funding to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to perform spawning, rearing, and stocking operations.

Snow-cember at the Visitor Center

Stop by the Lake Oroville Visitor Center for free winter-themed craft activities for kids ages three and older! Located at 917 Kelly Ridge Road in Oroville, the Visitor Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Snow-cember weekend craft activities are offered between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and include:

• Dec. 13-14: Salt and watercolor snowflake art, snowflake sun catcher, and ice fishing experiment
• Dec. 20-21: Pipe cleaner snowflake ornament and take-home salt crystal snowflake experiment
• Dec. 27-28: Paper plate swirly snowman and snowman wreath
• Jan. 3-4: Pasta snowflake art and icicle ornament

Craft activities are free and offered while supplies last. Visitor Center activities throughout Snow-cember also include a water drop toss game, snowflake craft station, and 2025 DWR snow survey videos in the theater.

Staffed by knowledgeable guides, the Lake Oroville Visitor Center features interpretive displays on Oroville Dam, area geology, wildlife and habitat, hydroelectric power, and cultural and historical artifacts. View videos in the theater about the construction of Oroville Dam, walk or hike along nearby trails, and visit the 47-foot-tall observation tower that provides unsurpassed panoramic views of surrounding areas. Free guided tours for school and community groups are available by reservation. Parking and admission to the Visitor Center are free.

Feather River Fishing Opportunities

Like Chinook salmon that migrate from the Pacific Ocean to the Feather River to spawn, steelhead trout have similar migratory practices, with most returning in the fall and winter months. With more than 1,600 steelhead trout migrating upstream from DWR's fish monitoring station this year, the cooler months offer prime steelhead fishing opportunities in the Feather River. These fish have typically spent a year or two in the ocean and range in size from 2 to 8 pounds. The Oroville Wildlife Area (OWA) provides walk-in access to several miles of the Feather River for fishing, along with multiple locations for launching fishing boats. In addition, the Thermalito Afterbay offers excellent fishing opportunities for steelhead that were raised at the Feather River Fish Hatchery and range in size from 2 to 4 pounds.

Lake Oroville is also one of the State Water Project's premier recreational destinations and one of California's best fishing spots. The lake provides both warm-water and cold-water fisheries, with excellent bass fishing opportunities during the fall and winter months. Be sure to check California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) fishing regulations. The marinas at Bidwell Canyon and Lime Saddle are open daily and provide a variety of services including a convenience store, gas, boat rentals, and more.

Golden Mussel Inspection Program

DWR is reminding the public that boat ramps at Lake Oroville are no longer open 24/7. Watercraft must be out of the water by ramp closing time or they will be locked into the facility overnight. Please plan ahead. More details about DWR's mussel inspection program are available at water.ca.gov/mussels.

Watercraft Inspection Location/Decontamination Services

North Thermalito Forebay at Garden Drive and HWY 70 in Oroville

Hours of operation: Daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Sealed Vessel Launching

Lake Oroville

Ramp hours: Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Spillway

Ramp hours: Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday-Sunday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Bidwell Canyon

Ramp hours: Monday-Thursday 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday-Sunday 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Lime Saddle

Ramp hours: Daily from 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Loafer Creek/Loafer Point

Thermalito Afterbay

Ramp hours: Daily from 1.5 hours before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset

• Monument Hill

Thermalito Forebay

Ramp Hours: Daily from 8 a.m. to sunset

• North Forebay (Non-motorized vessels only)

Oroville Recreation

Extended closures of the Brad Freeman Bike Trail and the Dan Beebe Trail between the Thermalito Diversion Dam and Powerhouse Road, including Lakeland Blvd., will continue through Summer 2026 during construction work to replace power and fiber-optic communication lines. DWR, the Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks), and CDFW maintain over 92 miles of trails in the Oroville area. An interactive map of recreation facilities, including open trails and their permitted uses (hike, bike, horse, multi), is available on DWR's Lake Oroville Recreation webpage. A paper trail map is available at various locations, including most entrance kiosks and the Lake Oroville Visitor Center.

Between Jan. 30 and April 20, high flows in the Feather River required the temporary removal of fish monitoring equipment resulting in lower spring-run estimates. Upstream migrating fish totals through the Feather River Fish Monitoring Station between Jan. 1 and Dec. 8, 2025 are:

• Spring-run Chinook salmon (April 16 through June 30): 17,712
• Fall-run Chinook salmon (July 1 through present): 43,399
• Steelhead: 1,679
• To see previous year data, visit CalFish.org.

Current Lake Operations

Lake Oroville is at 765 feet elevation and storage is approximately 1.74 million acre-feet (MAF), which is 51 percent of its total capacity and 97 percent of the historical average.

Feather River flows are at 650 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville with 1,100 cfs being released from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet (Outlet) for a total Feather River release of 1,750 cfs downstream. DWR continues to assess Feather River releases daily.

The public can track precipitation, snow, reservoir levels, and more at the California Data Exchange Center. The Lake Oroville gage station is identified as "ORO."

All data as of 11:59 p.m. on 12/11/2025.