Mail Tribune Sports - Fishing and Hunting Report - December 21, 2006

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2006-12-21

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The best bet, therefore, is the lower Rogue because fresh fish are always better than old ones. From the mouth of the Applegate River down to Huntley Park, winter steelhead fishing has been very good to great at times for bank and boat anglers. Bankies are using black-and-white Spin Glo's in 3 feet of water at key places such as Huntley, Dunkelberger Bar and Lobster Creek. Fish the inside lanes. Boat anglers are side-drifting roe and hammering adults throughout the system. The vast majority of the catch so far has been wild fish, and these must all be released through December downstream of Grave Creek. Most are cookie-cutter fish 6 to 8 pounds, but some in the 15-pound range are showing up as well. Flows Wednesday were 8,100 cubic feet per second, which works well for boat and bait anglers. The middle Rogue already has some fresh winter steelhead as well, but few people are targeting them. Flows Wednesday were 5,000 cfs at Grants Pass, and that's perfect for winter steelhead fishing there. Advertisement In the upper Rogue, the run over Gold Ray Dam has slowed thanks to cold water, but the Cole Rivers Hatchery truck has more than made up for that. With 730 newly recycled summer steelhead released Wednesday at TouVelle State Park, the TouVelle area is the new hot spot for late-run adult summer steelhead. Most of the released fish are fairly fresh, but some of them definitely are past their pull dates. Flows Wednesday were about 4,300 cfs at Gold Ray Dam and about 3,680 at Dodge Bridge. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, call 800-472-2434. CHETCO — The river was flowing at less than 3,000 cubic feet per second Wednesday and fishing has been red-hot for boat and bank anglers riverwide. Bankies are hitting fish at Social Security Hole, while driftboaters side-drifting roe are catching multiple steelhead. Guide boats are averaging eight to 10 steelhead a day. ELK/SIXES — Both rivers were in decent shape this week and offering a mix of fresh fall chinook, some old fall chinook and fresh winter steelhead. Roe is out-producing plugs because of higher water flows. The fresh chinook, complete with sea lice, were in the lower section near the Iron Gate take-out on the Elk. UMPQUA — The system was high but fishing fairly well for winter steelhead in the main stem. The South Umpqua was flowing more than 3,000 cfs at Winston. Winter steelhead fishing has been very good at times, chiefly on roe or plugs. COOS — Steelhead fishing was good yet hit-or-miss thanks to high water conditions. Fresh fish are dispersed throughout the system. COQUILLE — The South Fork was high but fishing well for winter steelhead while flows were 80 percent bank-full Wednesday downstream of Myrtle Point. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — The lake is closed to angling. HYATT — The lake is closed to angling. LOST CREEK — The lake's surface temperature has remained at 45 degrees, which has slowed the trout bite and put the freeze on smallmouth bass fishing. Bait-fishing upstream of Peyton Bridge remains fair despite an increase in inflows, but effort is very light. The fish are concentrated, so they might be tough to find. EMIGRANT — Winter weather conditions and regular winds have hampered trout fishing near the park and around the earthen dam. Cold water also has slowed the warm-water catches. A health advisory has been issued about eating all but trout from the lake because of elevated mercury levels. APPLEGATE — Trout fishing has remained fair for both legal-sized rainbow trout and stocked salmon, which tend to school at rocky points. Trolling is better than still-fishing, but bait fishing remains good off the water intake tower with worms or single salmon eggs. Anglers can keep up to five rainbow trout or stocked salmon a day, but only one fish can be more than 20 inches long. Also, no bass between 12 and 15 inches can be kept, and only one bass larger than 15 inches can be kept. KLAMATH/ AGENCY LAKES — Fishing for large Klamath trout is picking up and is good throughout the lake. Ocean Outlook The ocean outside of Brookings has been rough during the recent storms, but bottomfishing is open. Bottomfishing has remained good when anglers can get out. Salmon fishing off the mouth of the Chetco River at Brookings is over. The entire Oregon Coast is now open for razor clams, bay clams and mussels. Before doing any clamming, check for any updated health advisories by calling the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Shellfish line at 800-448-2474 for updates. For more information about razor clams and current status of particular areas, see the ODFW razor clam Web page at " target="_blank">http://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/shellfish/razorclams. Crabbing in Coos Bay is excellent now. Winter crabbing can be excellent when the weather and water conditions cooperate. Freshwater from large rainstorms can temporarily push crabs out into the ocean until the heavy runoff subsides. Hunting Outlook JACKSON — Most elk hunts in the county have ended for the year except for a few damage-related hunts on private lands and the current juvenile hunts. Bear hunting has begun to slow, although with the snow levels dropping finding tracks can be easier. Open hillsides during early mornings and late afternoon still provide opportunities for hunter success. Hunters are reminded to turn in bear teeth to ODFW offices. With low snow levels cougars tracks may be easily located along ridge lines. Predator calls have been successful for both cougars and bears. Hunting on local geese should remain good with current weather conditions. Mountain quail and grouse hunting remain fair. Turkeys remain plentiful. KLAMATH — Goose season has reopened, and success on local birds should be good thanks to favorable weather conditions. Most ponds on the Klamath Wildlife Area are frozen over and duck hunting is slow. Pheasant hunting is open there through Sunday, but pheasant plants are over. 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. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com