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73 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, May 3, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend March 25, 2004 Fishing and Hunting Report River Outlook ROGUE — Winter steelhead fishing has slowed throughout much of the Rogue but is still holding on decently in the Grants Pass and upper Rogue areas, while the lower Rogue is so mired in low, clear and cool water that the spring chinook bite has been abysmal. That makes the best bet winter steelhead fishing in the Grants Pass area, particularly if this week’s rains help raise the Rogue and put some color into it. The steelhead appear to be quite spread out in the Grants Pass area, with catches from Rogue River all the way to Grave Creek. Most of the catches are 6-8 pound hatchery fish now, as well as a mix of spawned-out summer steelhead heading downstream toward the ocean. Roe is working best, with plugs second and spoons third. In the upper Rogue, a huge influx of winter steelhead have hit the upper Rogue, but catches have been slow amid clear and very cold water. In the upper Rogue, winter steelhead fishing has improved daily, with fresh fish pouring over Gold Ray Dam. Through March 15, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has counted 11,610 winter steelhead past the dam. That represents an excellent showing, with more than 4,000 fresh fish in the week prior to March 15. With 1,856 cubic feet per second of 44-degree water released from Lost Creek Lake, the upper river is improving as a March choice for winter steelhead fishing. Some good successes have also been reported with Prince nymph, Ugly Bug and single-egg flies. Think small when choosing flies for upper Rogue steelhead. In the lower Rogue, winter steelhead fishing remains decent downstream of Agness as anglers get a mix of new winter steelhead, spawned-out summer steelhead heading toward the ocean and large halfpounders also heading to sea. Plunkers are faring decently, while boaters using plugs in the inside turns on gravel bars are also intercepting steelhead. Advertisement Early spring chinook fishing remains very slow in the lower Rogue, where anglers are mired in low, cold and clear water. The fish just don’t seem to be moving into the river, and commercial salmon fishermen have reported seeing large schools of salmon about 50 miles offshore in the ocean canyons. But look for catches to improve once the water warms into the mid-50s. Anchovies spun off the bottom from anchored boats is the only way to go for lower Rogue springers early in the season. The entire Rogue is open to the harvest of up to one wild steelhead over 24 inches a day, and no more than five a year. The total daily limit is two adult steelhead. For chinook, the limit is two adults a day, but only one wild chinook a day and no more than three wild chinook a year. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, telephone 1-800-472-2434. APPLEGATE RIVER — Winter steelhead catches have been very good riverwide as anglers are taking advantage of a good return of hatchery fish this year. However, water conditions need to improve this week, and Wednesday’s rains in the Grants Pass area should boost flows and add some color to the river. The lower river near Grants Pass has been most consistent, but catches all the way up to the deadline have been reported daily. There also seems to be a higher ratio of hatchery fish in the catches so far this season, which closes Wednesday evening. Water conditions have improved as outflows from Applegate Lake are back up above 650 cubic feet per second. Afternoon fishing has slowed in the sunlight, which is getting the steelhead a little skittish in the riffles. Fish are starting to stage for spawning. Try roe, worms and watermelon corkies and even spinners tumbled downstream in riffles. Look for the fish to be on the move. No fishing from a floating device is allowed, and anglers should ask permission before fishing on private lands. The river is open to steelhead angling downstream of the deadline below Applegate Dam. The limit is two hatchery steelhead a day. All wild steelhead must be released unharmed. UMPQUA — Winter steelhead fishing was very good on the South Umpqua and good on the North Umpqua as improved weather conditions have allowed both streams to clear and drop into excellent steelheading shape. For the South Umpqua, the fish are spread out all the way to Tiller, but boat angling remains best around Canyonville. Good numbers of hatchery fish are available, and anglers can keep up to two a day. Bait fishing has been good on the South Umpqua, with fly-fishing more suspect amid the higher flows. The South Umpqua closes to steelhead fishing Wednesday evening. North Umpqua anglers are not faring as well as those on the South, but catches remain fair to occasionally good in the all-angling section. ELK/SIXES — Both rivers were low and clear, with late-season winter steelhead fishing a bit slow under these conditions. Bait has been out-producing plugs. Both rivers are now open to the harvest of one wild steelhead a day and up to five a year as part of the two-steelhead daily limit. Both rivers close to steelhead fishing Wednesday evening. COOS — Fishing for winter steelhead has slowed, with most of the catch now dark steelhead that have been in the system for a while. Spawned-out steelhead are starting to show up significantly in the mix. The Coos and Millicoma rivers are open to the harvest of up to two hatchery adult steelhead a day, but all wild steelhead must be released unharmed. COQUILLE — Water conditions were excellent and late-season catches were very good on most of the Coquille forks, but the South Fork remains the top dog in this river system. Catches are good on both roe and plugs, and dark fish are starting to show up regularly in the catches. All four forks of the Coquille close to steelhead fishing Wednesday evening. Bait is out-producing plugs, chiefly because more people are bait fishing than plug fishing. Effort has remained high. The river is open to the harvest of hatchery winter steelhead, but all wild steelhead must be released unharmed. CHETCO — The river was low and clear, and winter steelhead successes have dropped. A few fresh late-run fish have entered the system, but effort is light. More spawned-out winter steelhead are starting to show up in the catches, and effort by anglers is dropping as more try other streams or start targeting spring chinook in the Rogue. The river closes to steelhead fishing Wednesday evening. One wild steelhead may be kept as part of the two-steelhead bag limit. ALSEA — Winter steelhead fishing is good, with more than 1,000 recycled hatchery fish released recently on the river’s lower end. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — The lake is closed to all fishing. HYATT — The lake is closed to all fishing. DIAMOND — The lake is closed to all fishing. LOST CREEK — In-flows to the lake have jumped to almost 3,000 cubic feet per second Wednesday, and another week’s worth of warm weather has kept the surface temperature steady at 50 degrees. Look for smallmouth bass to start getting more active. Most action is for trout, with trolling and bank-fishing working well near the dam’s face. The lake water isn’t warm enough yet for good trout fishing in the far upper end where the river flows into the lake. The lake is up to elevation 1,856 feet, or four feet higher than last week and still 16 feet to go. With heavy snowpack, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has delayed the filling of the lake, which is scheduled to be full June 1 now instead of the traditional May 1 schedule. The lake is open year-round for trout and bass fishing, with trout anglers out-numbering bass anglers throughout the cold-weather months. Trolling for trout is good near the base of the dam. Water levels have risen enough that the ramp at Stewart State Park reaches the water. APPLEGATE — Few people are fishing for rainbow trout or bass, and the heavy in-flows from last week have subsided. Warming temperatures mean the bass should start getting active, but trout fishing in the far upper end has not yet improved with the warming weather. EMIGRANT — The lake is close to full and water has covered much of the willows area, and the warmwater fish that use these submerged willows are starting to get more active in the warming water. Fishing action has risen as well, with more people starting to work the willows each evening for crappie, bluegill and perch. Fishing for stocked winter steelhead has dropped dramatically as most fish have moved out of the lake and into tributaries, mostly on private land. The lake is open year-round to angling. SELMAC — The lake was stocked recently with 4,400 legal-sized rainbow, and catches have been good with worms and PowerBait. The lake is the first in the region for stocking, because its shallow water creates good early-season survival opportunities. Ocean Outlook The ocean out of Brookings was rough and tough for fishing Wednesday after a string of good, calm days that brought excellent bottomfishing in the Twin Rocks and Bird Rock areas. Lots of lingcod have been caught in the mix so far this year. The ocean chinook salmon season is expected to open May 15 and run into early September, but the seasons have not yet been finalized by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. Hunting Outlook ROGUE — Results of the spring bear hunt are available, and leftover tags will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis March 15. There are plenty of southwestern Oregon bear tags available in the leftover sale. Predator hunting is good, with coyote pelts near their prime. Use predator calls near clearcuts. Only a hunting license is needed for coyotes. KLAMATH — Coyote hunting is good this time of year. The use of predator calls is an effective technique. Good hunting can be found throughout the county except at the highest elevations. Don't overlook the forested areas, but be prepared for closer shots than are typical in open country. Watchable Wildlife ROGUE — A covered viewing station on the Denman Wildlife Area provides a good opportunity to view waterfowl, egrets, raptors and songbirds. The structure was built by the Oregon Hunters Association and is accessed by a paved, wheelchair-accessible pathway. It is located on Whetstone Pond, just north of the ODFW office. WILLAMETTE — Snowshoe rabbits are found in both the coast range mountains and in the Cascade mountain areas. In the coast range, these rabbits are brownish in color all year. In the Cascade mountains and throughout the rest of their range, these rabbits turn white in the winter. They are very conspicuous during years when winter snows are late in arriving and they have already molted into their white winter coat. These rabbits can be observed by driving slowly on logging roads early in the morning or by following tracks in fresh snow to where they are hiding. NORTHWEST — Brown pelicans are common along the northern Oregon Coast in the fall. They can be seen roosting along the south jetty of the Columbia River, and on many offshore rocks along the coast. They are also frequently seen feeding in estuaries. Great egrets are tall, white heron-like birds that can be seen along the northeastern portions of Tillamook Bay, especially Larson’s and Miami coves. They often are seen feeding on the mudflats at low tide, but sometimes roost in trees along the edge of the bay. KLAMATH — Viewing opportunities for migratory birds are excellent. Tundra swans and Canada geese are a common sight in the Klamath Basin. Snow geese and white-fronted geese have begun moving back into the area and will remain until spring. Good viewing opportunities exist on the Klamath Wildlife Area and the Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge. SUMMER LAKE — Viewing opportunities will be improving now that spring has arrived. A few hardy waterfowl species are beginning their northward migration. White-fronted geese and some duck species have returned to the area. Tundra swan numbers are beginning to increase as well. Raptors remain well represented and as migrant waterfowl return, viewers can expect to see increased numbers of bald eagles. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! 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