P ay attention to the fine print there. Hells Canyon has three reservoirs: Brownlee, Oxbow and Hells Canyon, and that encompasses about 75 miles of water between upper end of Brownlee and Hells Canyon Dam.

That’s a whole lot of water and obviously a lot of places to fish. Claiming you can catch a fish anywhere is probably a stretch, but I feel confident saying you stand a good chance of catching a fish anywhere.

But things have finally stabilized. Brownlee is nearly full. The downstream reservoirs have quietly been fishing well throughout, and I heard Oxbow has had a banner year for crappie, which always draws a crowd.

Most people are familiar with these reservoirs, but here’s a quick refresher. Brownlee is big. Huge big. It’s a great place for boats that can cover a lot of water, but it’s prone to wind and rough water, so you not that friendly for small boats. There’s road access on the Oregon and Idaho sides, but lots of places without road access, too. There are also several large, fully developed campgrounds with full facilities.

Oxbow and Hells Canyon are both smaller and narrower. Both have good road access on at least one side, and they’re more friendly to small craft, including nonmotorized boats. But beware there is mild current there, so if you’re rowing, paddling or kicking with fins, you will have to deal with some current.

There’s also good bank access along those reservoirs, and lots of cool little pullouts where you can get off by yourself and camp without being packed into a big campground.

The reservoirs offer everything from bluegill to sturgeon, and a whole lot of options in between including bass, perch, crappie, catfish, trout and more.

Some people target a single species, while others just cast a worm and see what they come up with. It’s going to be hot down there, so prepare accordingly, but if you want a fun weekend with good fishing, you can’t go wrong in Hells Canyon.