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66 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, July 7, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds 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 Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 27, 2004 FISHING AND HUNTING REPORT River Outlook ROGUE — Spring chinook salmon fishing has improved daily throughout the middle and upper Rogue, where the spring chinook run continues to run behind schedule. Spring chinook fishing is slow in the lower Rogue, and the first few summer steelhead of the season have crossed Gold Ray Dam. The best bet for springers remains the upper Rogue’s Hatchery Hole, where anglers continue to hook fish consistently despite relatively low numbers of springers in the upper Rogue so far. Good catches came Wednesday morning from the hatchery side of the hole, and the area is getting more and more crowded. As many as 60 people were fishing the hole Tuesday afternoon alone. The hole and other waters downstream to the Highway 62 bridge closes to all angling at 7 p.m. through July. Gold Ray Dam fish counts updated Friday by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife show the migration is finally starting. The run-to-date total as of Friday was a sparse 6,213 adults, with about 2,000 of those migrated into the upper Rogue that day alone. Also, only 731 spring chinook were counted by Monday at Cole Rivers Hatchery, and that’s the lightest return to date in the past five years. But getting them to bite has been the problem all along the river. Catches remain very light in the lower Rogue, where 63-degree water has really kept the salmon off the bite. A few have been caught by boat and bank anglers daily, but the catches and effort remain light. In the middle Rogue, decent catches have continued this week among bank anglers below Savage Rapids Dam and at Finley Bend, but boat angling remains very slow for this time of year. Bank anglers are using a mixture of red, orange and chartreuse beads; boat anglers are faring better on roe than Kwikfish. In the upper Rogue, catches at the Hatchery Hole have been the best, with boat anglers spread out and doing fair. Look for a good spring chinook bite to explode in the upper Rogue within two weeks. Advertisement With Lost Creek Lake still full, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is passing in-flow. On Wednesday, that meant 2,274 cubic feet of water per second of water, a decrease of about 600 cfs over the past week. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, call (800)472-2434. Remember, all wild steelhead must be released unharmed for the remainder of the year. The upper Rogue is loaded with coho salmon and steelhead smolts, which are classified as trout at this time. However, legal trout fishing resumed Saturday on the Rogue downstream of the hatchery. APPLEGATE RIVER — The river is open to angling for rainbow trout and cutthroat trout, and there should be a mix of late winter steelhead as well as steelhead smolts, some rainbow trout and some cutthroats. All wild fish must be released unharmed. Some fly-fishing can be good. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — Trout fishing remains excellent for both trollers and still-fishermen. Morning trollers are taking about an hour or so to catch their limits. Trolling in the early morning is best in the top 12 feet of water, with a No. 2 Red Dot Frog Needlefish, red Midge Wobblers, and any of the natural-colored Tasmanian Devils working best. Nightcrawlers behind flashers also work well. Move to deeper water after 10 a.m. Still fishermen are starting in waters 10 to 15 feet deep early in the morning, but by 10 a.m. they are working in the 30- to 35-foot range. Velveeta cheese and light-colored Powerbait are the most productive baits, although a lot of people are picking fish up on red eggs as well. The limit remains five trout a day, with only one over 20 inches a day allowed. HYATT — The lake is sporting better-than-average trout fishing, with trolling and still-fishing generating excellent catches. The early-season water is warmer than it is most years, meaning the trout are far more active than in typical late Aprils. Still-fishing with PowerBait will be best, while worms and single salmon eggs are good back-ups. The limit remains five trout a day, with only one over 20 inches a day allowed. DIAMOND — The lake is fishing well for stocked rainbow trout and chinook salmon, with trolling Rapala, Needlefish and Flat Fish lures excellent choices. Another 3,500 Desert Springs trout were scheduled for release Wednesday into the lake at the resort, and these fish will be available immediately for anglers. Another batch is due in two weeks. Fish as large as 18¼ pounds have been taken so far this month. Rainbow-colored PowerBait and nightcrawlers also worked well along the south end. The limit remains five trout a day, with only one more than 20 inches a day allowed. LOST CREEK — Trolling for trout remains very good near the dam and off the points near the marina, with lots of trout hovering about 40 feet from the surface. Troll slowly, with flashes and Wedding Ring lures or even worms. Bass fishing remains best off rocky points and near the shoreline. The lake remains full and the surface temperature has risen to 61.5 degrees. Bank fishing remains good for trout with PowerBait near the Takelma ramp and off the intake tower. Trolling for trout is good near the base of the dam and off points near the Lost Creek Lake Marina, with early morning fishing the best. The lake is open year-round for trout and bass fishing, with trout anglers out-numbering bass anglers throughout the cold-weather months. APPLEGATE — Fishing for trout is improving at Seattle Bar and around the rim at the far end of the lake. Trolling flies or worms is best. Bass fishing has improved around willows, submerged trees and rocky points. Anglers can keep up to five rainbow trout, stocked salmon or recycled winter steelhead a day, but only one fish can be more than 20 inches long. No bass between 12 inches and 15 inches can be kept, and only one bass larger than 15 inches can be kept. FISH — Trout fishing is picking up as the lake warms. Fish are primarily in the shallows during the morning, then moving into deeper water during the day. WILLOW — Fishing for trout and bass is improving as warmer weather comes in. Bass are hovering off points and along weedlines. LAKE of the WOODS — Fishing for rainbow and brown trout is starting to pick up. The lake was stocked with more than 500 extra trout Tuesday for Saturday’s Youth Angling Program, and adults were urged to leave the area around the resort marina to the kids Saturday. The resort and marina are open Thursday through Sunday. EMIGRANT — Smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing remains good, but the lake is dropping rapidly and the good sports are changing each week. For smallmouth, concentrate on the rocky points regardless of depth, and fewer of the willows are now submerged. The upper end of Emigrant Arm is loaded with perch, with some more than 10 inches long. Trolling for trout is fair early in the morning near the county park before skiing traffic hits the lake. Ocean Outlook The ocean out of Brookings and Gold Beach was forecast to be a bit rough and rainy today and Friday, then possibly lay down for the weekend. That could mean good bottomfishing for black rockfish and lingcod along near-shore reefs. The ocean recreational salmon season has opened early but catches remain light despite a fair amount of effort out of Brookings. The season is now open just for chinook salmon, and most of the chinooks are in deeper off-shore waters not normally fished by the private recreational fleet. The fin-clipped coho season does not start until June 19. Surf perch fishing at Winchuck Beach near the California border and at Nesika Beach just north of Gold Beach remains good, and catches should get better now through June. Clam necks and mussels are good baits, and the fish will aggressively attack bright streamer flies in calmer surf. Hunting Outlook ROGUE — Spring turkey hunting remains strong and birds should be taken regularly through Monday, when the season ends. Stormy mornings have kept the birds quiet. However, birds are gobbling on warmer days and even calm afternoons. Tags remain available through the end of the season. Up to three tags are allowed in Jackson and Josephine counties. KLAMATH — Turkey hunting has been fair in the Keno area, chiefly because of improved weather. The season closes Monday. 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 on Whetstone Pond, just north of the ODFW office. 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. 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 ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times