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OVERCAST Temp: 70 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Saturday, October 4, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend October 2, 2003 Fishing and Hunting Report River Outlook ROGUE — Fall chinook salmon fishing remains excellent throughout the lower and middle Rogue, but it closed Wednesday upstream of Hog Creek. No matter, though, because all the good spots with fair to fresh salmon remain open. Steelhead fishing has slowed a bit in the upper Rogue with the drop in water temperatures, indicating that fly-fishermen need to think more nymphs and less streamers. And the halfpounder run is starting to pick up steam in the lower Rogue and in the canyon. The best bet for the week is the lower Rogue, which is experiencing a boon in late-run fall chinook and early coho that is making for excellent days in the bay. Trolling anchovies with spinners is leading to double-digit hook-ups for river guides this week, and reports of fish eclipsing 50 pounds is almost ho-hum it’s so common. Incoming tides are bringing coho and chinook, with the first large schools of coho showing up this week. Salmon fishing is also good in Agness on downstream, with roe out-producing Kwikfish. The Agness area also is good for halfpounders and adult summer steelhead. Anglers can keep just one chinook a day downstream of the Illinois River, plus an extra fin-clipped coho. All wild coho must be released unharmed. The middle Rogue is getting most of the valley’s interest now because it’s the only salmon show in town. The Gold Ray Dam and Gold Hill fisheries closed Wednesday, herding all the extra boats into the Indian Mary run. Taylor Creek Canyon and the Morrison Stillwater remain the spots of choice for boat traffic, while Rainie Falls remains good for bank anglers walking in. There are plenty of salmon in the 40-pound class and fish more than 50 pounds have been caught and verified. Kwikfish with sardine wraps are working best, while others using spoons and roe are also finding salmon. Back-bouncing roe is also working and the squawfish are less active in the cooling water. Advertisement In the upper Rogue, summer steelhead angling is fair to good for fly-fishermen, but the 45-degree water temperature out of Lost Creek dam has slowed the swinging of streamer flies in the top third of the water column. Use heavy sink-tip lines (but no lead core) and swing those flies along the bottom. Lots of hatchery fish in the 8-10 pound range have been reported this year. Nymphing with Ugly Bugs and Prince Nymphs is good, with the single-egg fly also working well for those fishing behind spawning salmon. Remember, it is illegal to angle for salmon upstream of Hog Creek, so even catch-and-release fishing for chinook is illegal as well as unethical. There are more than 9,000 summer steelhead counted over Gold Ray Dam as of late August. The half-time fish-counter at Gold Ray Dam has been bogged down from heavy fish numbers and the counts are backlogged. Water releases from Lost Creek Lake remain at 900 cubic feet per second to corral fall chinook into the river’s main channels for spawning. The flows are expected to hold through October. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, call 800-472-2434. Anglers can no longer keep any wild steelhead as part of their two-fish bag limit. APPLEGATE RIVER — The river is loaded with spawning fall chinook, but they are completely off-limits to any angling effort, including catch-and-release fishing. Some fly-fishing and bait-fishing for juvenile wild steelhead is available. All wild steelhead and all cutthroat trout must be released unharmed. Water releases are holding steady at 270 cubic feet per second. The river is open to angling downstream of the deadline below Applegate Dam. While the river is open to trout fishing, anglers cannot target any summer steelhead in the system. The limit is two adipose fin-clipped trout per day, 8 inch minimum length downstream from the Applegate Dam. UMPQUA — Good catches of fall chinook as well as early coho are occurring in the main-stem river. The coho are about a month earlier than normal. Only fin-clipped coho may be kept. Summer steelhead fishing is getting good in the North Umpqua, where cooler water temperatures have the fish more active. Fishing is good in both the flies-only and bait sections. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — Trolling remains good for rainbow trout. Fishing out of boats remains the best way to fish the lake, with the best success coming for those trolling 20-35 feet deep. The morning bite is still the most productive and most popular, with the best luck coming with worms behind flashers or Tasmanian Devils. This year's planted fish are ranging up around 6 to 9 inches and the older fish from 13 inches to 19 inches. The smaller fish make up the lion's share of the catch. Fly-fishing is improving. Dusk is best with Brown Baileys and brown woolly buggers the best bet. Bass fishing continues to be good, with worms and jigs best. The limit is five trout over 8 inches a day, with only one of them allowed to be more than 20 inches. HYATT — The lake is less than half-full, but cooler water has brought some good late-season trout fishing days. Needlefish remain the top producers for trollers, but still-fishing with PowerBait is best just off the weed lines and near stumps along the lake’s shore. Catches are best at dawn and dusk by anglers using rainbow PowerBait in 15-18 feet of water off the weed lines. Bass fishing remains very good with plastic worms or grubs right along the weed lines and lily pads. Fly-fishermen using dragonfly nymphs and woolly buggers are also catching a few trout in the evenings near the dam. But the moss and weeds that hamper trollers are also hurting fly-fishers. The limit remains five trout more than 8 inches long, with only one of them allowed to be more than 20 inches long. DIAMOND — Trout fishing is starting to improve again as the trout are getting more active in the cooler water while the chubs are getting less active. Most of the action remains at the lake’s south end, and water conditions are excellent. Most catches are coming on PowerBait fished off the bottom, and trolling is less effective. For trollers, use flashers and a worm as well as Needlefish or silver-bodied Rapalas. The limit remains five trout more than 8 inches long, with only one of them allowed to be more than 20 inches long. No swimming, wading or water-quality contact restrictions are in place. LOST CREEK — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife plans to stock about 2,500 trophy rainbow trout today at the Takelma Ramp. These fish are about two pounds apiece and some of them are actually longer than 20 inches, and only one of them can be kept daily. The trout are the "show fish" that visitors to Cole Rivers Hatchery have been feeding all year. These fish can be caught on PowerBait, small Panther Martin lures as well as worms, flies and something that looks or smells like a food pellet. Wedding Rings with worms as well as Triple Teasers are the trollers’ weapons of choice. The lake remains right at elevation 1,812, which is minimum pool. The Lost Creek Lake Marina boat ramp remains operational. The water’s surface temperature is down to 64 degrees. For bass, the limit is five a day with no more than three over 15 inches long, but most bass fishing is catch and release. Angling is open year-round. APPLEGATE — Fishing for rainbow trout and stocked coho is slow. Trollers are doing best for coho off points and in deeper sections of the lake. When you hit one, work that water heavily because these fish tend to school in good numbers. Worms and Wedding Rings are good first choices. For bass angling, smallmouth are biting well near the dam’s face on anything from slowly retrieved worms to crankbaits, spoons and even bright streamer flies. EMIGRANT — Evening fishing for bullhead catfish is still good with bait, while warmwater fishing is good. Perch, bluegill and crappie catches are good in the areas with underwater structure or near-shore willows, with worms and small spinners accounting for much of the catch. For bass, worms and grubs have been effective. Trout fishing has slowed now that the hot weather and dropping lake level have sent the trout scurrying for deep holes or near creek mouths. Worms or Velveeta cheese remain good first choices. LAKE of the WOODS — Evening fishing for brown trout is good for those trolling lures or worms in deep water. Rainbow trout angling is fair to good in mornings and evenings. The lake is open to night fishing as a way to target the brown trout. WILLOW LAKE — Bass fishing is good and trout fishing is fair to good near the weed lines. The campground, cabins and ramp at the Willow Lake Resort are open, but the restaurant remains closed. Ocean Outlook Chinook salmon season opened Wednesday off the mouth of the Chetco River at Brookings, and catches were good under near-perfect conditions. Fishing around the buoys was good as well as inside the lower end of the bay. The limit is one chinook a day and up to four a year in the ocean season that closes Oct. 12, but you can catch a second salmon in the river. In the ocean, anchovies and herring are working about equally well, while the in-river success is best with anchovies. The chinook are all in tidewater. Ocean beaches and bays north of Tillamook Head opened to razor clamming Wednesday because recent testing showed domoic acid levels to be in the safe zone. Ocean beaches south of Tillamook Head remain closed to the harvest of clams due to the continuing presence of domoic acid along the central coast and PSP along the south coast. Mussel harvest is allowed from ocean beaches between Tillamook Head and Coos Bay. Bay clamming between Tillamook Head and the California border is open for all clam and mussel species, except razor clams. Hunting Outlook ROGUE — Opening weekend rifle hunters should find black-tailed buck deer at high-elevation areas on northern slopes or in draws. The deer have not yet begun migrating, so stalking or driving deer will work best. Bears are starting to move toward the valley floor, and most bears are taken by deer or elk hunters who carry a bear tag. General-season bear and deer tags are on sale through Friday evening. Good hunting for quail is expected after a good hatch of upland game birds this year. The early goose season is over. EVANS CREEK —Buck ratios are good and hunters can expect good success if they can find access to private lands where many of the deer are now. APPLEGATE — Early season success may be low as many of the deer are in thick cover that is too crunchy for good stalking. Buck ratios remain good. SIXES/CHETCO — Buck ratios are good heading into the rifle season, but deer numbers remain low. 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. SUMMER LAKE — Viewing opportunities remain very good because of the increased activity of fall migrants and post-breeding dispersal. Waterfowl are staging in good numbers now, but are difficult to identify due to being in the eclipse plumage. The molt into the breeding plumage is occurring and some drakes are becoming very colorful. Canada geese are dispersed throughout the wildlife area, and their use of recently hayed and re-flooded meadows will afford excellent viewing opportunities along Highway 31. Greater white-fronted geese have returned to the area from Alaskan breeding areas and are increasing in numbers. Migrant ducks are congregating on larger open water areas, many are molting, and others are flighted young birds staging for fall migration. Last Wednesday’s count found more than 30,100 ducks in the wildlife area. Weekly counts are scheduled for the remainder of the year. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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