If you search for Cassimer Bar, a popular tourism page describes it as a 514-acre area south of the Columbia, reached from Highway 97. The acreage and the south-bank location match the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's page for a different site, Bridgeport Bar. WDFW lists Bridgeport Bar at 514 acres, east of Brewster on the south side of the river, and directs visitors to it from Highway 173. Douglas County PUD describes the real Cassimer Bar as a 116-acre riparian and wetland area where the Okanogan River joins the Columbia. It sits on the Colville Reservation and is managed by the PUD in cooperation with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.
So a winter morning with the eagles east of town starts with picking a bank, because each side has its own roads, rules and birds. Then you pick a day, because from now through January 31 the same wetlands and grain plots are also open to waterfowl hunting.
Four Sites, Two Banks of Lake Pateros
Wells Dam turns the Columbia here into a reservoir called Lake Pateros. On the north bank, a network of wetlands, ponds and side channels runs almost three miles east from the mouth of the Okanogan River, mixed in with farmland that's either in use or abandoned, according to the North Central Washington Audubon Society. The south bank has Bridgeport Bar. Bridgeport State Park sits back on the north side, off SR 17 near Chief Joseph Dam.
| Site | Bank | How you get in | Who manages it | Facilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cassimer Bar | North | Cassimer Bar Access Road off SR 97 | Douglas County PUD with the Colville Tribes | Small parking area at the end of a rough road |
| Washburn Island | North | SR 17, east of the SR 97 junction | WDFW, Wells Wildlife Area | Limited parking, no restroom |
| Okanogan Unit | North, about a mile above the river | Monse Road off SR 97 | WDFW, Wells Wildlife Area | No developed parking, no restroom |
| Bridgeport Bar | South | Grange Road and Moe Road, off Highway 173 | WDFW, Wells Wildlife Area | Several parking areas, no restroom |
The north-bank sites are close together. From Brewster, NCW Audubon puts the SR 97 and SR 17 junction about 4 3/4 miles north and east of town. Cassimer Bar and the Okanogan River mouth are reached west of that junction, and Washburn Island east of it. There are no services along that route. Gas and food are back in Brewster, Pateros or Bridgeport.
The North Bank Takes a Scope and a High-Clearance Vehicle
Fort Okanogan historical marker. If you only stop once, NCW Audubon's directions point here. The gravel access road is short and in good shape, and the viewpoint looks out over the whole confluence. Audubon calls a spotting scope essential at this stop because the birds are spread across a wide view.
Cassimer Bar. Turn south onto Cassimer Bar Access Road about half a mile east of the Okanogan River bridge on SR 97. Drive half a mile to a right-angle bend, then turn right onto a minor road for another half mile to a small parking area. Audubon says that last half mile can be badly rutted and calls for real care in low-clearance cars. From the lot, you walk west along dikes lined with trees between the ponds and wetlands.
Washburn Island. WDFW places the island about four miles southeast of Brewster, on the Colville Reservation in Okanogan County. The road to the causeway parking area is paved at the top and gravel at the bottom, and Audubon says careful drivers of low-clearance cars can manage it. From the lot you walk south across the causeway onto the island. The WDFW unit page notes limited parking with no room for trailers and no restroom. Overnight parking and camping aren't allowed. The species WDFW lists for the island include bald eagle, waterfowl, sandhill crane, osprey and American white pelican.
Okanogan Unit. This one sits about a mile north of the Columbia, off Monse Road. It has shrubsteppe, wetland and riparian habitat along the river. The WDFW page lists California quail, waterfowl and other water birds as what you're likely to see, and notes there's no developed parking area or restroom. Monse River Road is paved and sees very little traffic.
NCW Audubon counts winter among the best seasons at Cassimer Bar, Washburn Island and the Okanogan mouth, when waterfowl and other waterbirds show up in notable numbers.
The South Bank Is Farmed for the Birds
Bridgeport Bar feels different because it's managed differently. WDFW plants annual food plots and keeps rows of shrubs and trees for cover. One of the agency's stated conservation goals for the unit is protecting the perches where bald eagles spend the winter. Douglas County PUD says the grain crops feed wintering Canada geese and dabbling ducks. It also names yellow-billed loons and northern hawk owls as uncommon winter visitors that bring birders out. WDFW adds common loons, American white pelicans, river otters and beavers to what you can see from the shoreline viewpoints.
The habitat has been rebuilt in recent years. A WDFW management update reports about 5,300 shrubs, trees and grasses planted on Bridgeport Bar, partly to restore ground burned in the 2020 Pearl Hill Fire. In November 2022, crews also used a masticator to clear roughly 10 acres of Siberian elm that was crowding out other plants.
WDFW's two access points are Grange Road and Moe Road. Motor vehicles have to stay in the parking areas. The interior service roads are open for walking, biking, horseback riding, skiing and snowshoeing. Overnight parking and camping are allowed in the established lots.
Across the river from the town of Bridgeport, on the north bank, Bridgeport State Park is open this winter. NCW Audubon's directions take SR 17 south from the SR 97 junction about 8 miles, then Half Sun Road 2 miles to the park. The Washington State Parks winter schedule lists the campground, day-use area and boat launch as open. Camping is first-come, first-served from Nov. 1 through April 30, and the winter water supply is near the trailer dump. In winter, NCW Audubon's park guide suggests checking the small evergreens in and around the campground for saw-whet owls.
The Calendar That Shares the Dikes
The grain plots that draw geese and ducks to Bridgeport Bar also make it a hunting area. WDFW names waterfowl and California quail as the main game there. Hunters have to fill out a registration card at a drop box in each parking area, and only shotgun and archery hunting is allowed. Washburn Island also requires hunter registration and lists waterfowl among its hunting opportunities.
The 2026–27 duck regulations set the regular season at Oct. 17–25 and then every day from Oct. 28 through Jan. 31. Geese follow a different pattern. Douglas and Okanogan counties are in Goose Management Area 4, where the 2026–27 goose rules allow hunting only on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays from Oct. 17 through Jan. 24, then every day from Jan. 25 to 31.
A handful of holiday dates are added to that weekly pattern this season. Here's how the next stretch falls on the calendar:
- Thursday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27. Thanksgiving and the day after are added goose hunting days in GMA 4.
- Nov. 30 through Dec. 22. White geese, meaning snow, Ross' and blue-phase geese, are closed in GMA 4. Canada and white-fronted geese stay open on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays.
- Thursday, Dec. 24; Friday, Dec. 25; Monday, Dec. 28; Tuesday, Dec. 29; Thursday, Dec. 31. All are added goose days.
- Friday, Jan. 1, and Monday, Jan. 18. Two more added goose days.
- Jan. 25 through 31. Goose hunting runs every day, and duck season closes Jan. 31.
- Saturday, Feb. 6. A statewide special hunt day for youth, veterans and active military.
So the eagles and the hunters overlap more on some days than others. Duck hunting is open every day of the season. Goose hunting in GMA 4 mostly falls on weekends and Wednesdays, with extra days clustered around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. The busiest stretch for both is the last week of January. These dates come from published regulations and are general information, not legal advice. Check WDFW's alerts page and the current rules before you go.
The Pass Goes on the Dash
Every WDFW unit on this list, including Bridgeport Bar, Washburn Island and the Okanogan Unit, requires a Discover Pass. The exception is if you already carry the Vehicle Access Pass that comes with a qualifying annual hunting, trapping or fishing license. On a cold morning, one pass on the dash covers a scope stop at the Fort Okanogan marker, the walk out across the Washburn causeway, and an afternoon on the Moe Road service roads looking for eagles on the south bank.
Many of us at Valley and View spend our winter mornings out on these same dikes and service roads. If you're thinking about a home where the river, the eagles and the drive to the confluence are part of your week, we'd love to walk you through the properties that fit how you want to spend those mornings.
