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L/RAIN Temp: 51 °F Wind: ESE at 6 mph Tuesday, April 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate 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 Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend April 3, 2003 FISHING AND HUNTING REPORT River Outlook ROGUE — The lower Rogue is red-hot for spring chinook salmon now, as both bank anglers and boat fishermen are catching fish anywhere from the top end of tidewater all the way to Agness. The middle Rogue is tough for steelhead now because of degrading water conditions amid the local storms, and the upper Rogue has been sporadic for winter steelhead — but the stretch already has seen its first spring chinook catch of the season. The best bet is the lower Rogue, where the start of one of the river’s best fishing seasons is beginning now in earnest. Bank fishermen and boat anglers are catching up to 50 spring chinook daily. Boat anglers are anchoring in the Elephant Rock and John’s Hole area, with best success coming on anchovies with green-bladed spinners. Others are anchoring in shallow water from 2 to 8 feet deep, intercepting the chinook as they migrate upstream. Bank anglers also are doing very well at places like Huntley Park and Lobster Creek, with anchovies or gray ghost Spin-Glo’s the top choices. Use Spin- Glo sizes No. 0 or No. 2. In the far upper Rogue, water releases from Lost Creek Lake were down to 2,747 cubic feet per second Wednesday. Couple that with dirty flows from Big Butte Creek and Elk Creek from this week’s cold rains and most of the upper Rogue was too murky for winter steelhead fishing. However, the stretch from the Hatchery Hole down to Casey State Park is definitely clear enough for winter steelhead fishing, and catches have been good for bank anglers in the Hatchery Hole and boat anglers around the New Bridge Hole and waters near the Sand Hole. Bait is out-fishing plugs, but that’s because most anglers are bait-fishing and shying away from plugs in the high water. If the rains slow and the colder weather curbs tributary flow, look for good steelhead catches from Elk Creek upstream to the Hatchery Hole. Already almost 1,000 fresh adult winter steelhead have entered Cole Rivers Hatchery, indicating that the fish are well distributed now in the upper Rogue. The Grants Pass area was too high and muddy for winter steelhead fishing Wednesday. The river needs to drop to 15 NTUs to start fishing, with clarity levels of 7-11 NTUs best for bait angling. High flows out of Lost Creek Lake make midge fishing and leech fishing poor in the "Holy Water" impoundment between the dam and Cole Rivers Hatchery. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, telephone 1-800-472-2434. Anglers can keep one wild steelhead over 24 inches as part of their two-fish daily limit throughout the Rogue through April 30. APPLEGATE — The river closed Monday night to all angling. CHETCO — The river closed Monday night to all angling. ILLINOIS — The river closed Monday night to all angling. COOS/COQUILLE — The river closed Monday night to all angling. ELK/SIXES — The rivers closed Monday night to all angling. UMPQUA — Spring chinook fishing has been very good in the main-stem Umpqua around Scottsburg and Elkton, while steelhead fishing was fair to good in the North Umpqua. The South Umpqua is closed to angling. Lake Outlook LOST CREEK — Fishing for rainbow trout is improving now that a new complement of legal-sized rainbow trout have been released into the lake. The Lost Creek Lake Marina is in operation now, and more boaters are starting to use the facilities. The lake was less than 10 feet from full Wednesday, and surface temperatures remain a trout-friendly 47 degrees. Trolling has been the most productive, while till-fishing with PowerBait and nightcrawlers, or casting Roostertails and other small spinners from the bank, have worked well. No adult steelhead will be released into the lake this year over concerns about possibly contaminating lake water with viruses that could get into Cole Rivers Hatchery just downstream of the dam. The daily limit is five trout at least 8 inches long, but only one trout over 20 inches. 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 — About 500 adult winter steelhead were released into the lake last Tuesday, and these fish have since spread out. There are probably some still milling around Hart-Tish Park, but look for the catches to be best around Carberry Creek as the steelhead look for spawning grounds soon. Trout fishing is improving for those trolling points and coves, while the smallmouth bass bite remains just fair. Bass anglers are reminded that they cannot keep any bass between 12 inches and 15 inches, and just one bass longer than 15 inches can be part of the five-bass daily limit. The lake is open year-round. EMIGRANT — Fishing for legal-sized rainbow is good near the dam and in the upper arms, while early bass fishing is good for crankbaits fished near willows. All adult steelhead stocked into the lake are legally considered trout and can be kept as part of the regular trout bag limit of five a day, but only one of those can be over 20 inches long. LAKE of the WOODS — The lake is open to angling, with light effort. Try trolling very slowly and very deep for the lake’s large brown trout. The lake is open year-round. The lake’s ice has disappeared and re-appeared three times since Christmas, and a cold snap could re-freeze it again. LAKE BILLY CHINOOK —The entire reservoir is open to angling. Bull trout harvest is limited to one fish over 24 inches, but anglers are encouraged to catch and release. Anglers are reporting good numbers of bull trout present. Kokanee fishing is fair with most fish running 9-11 inches. Both an Oregon state angling license and a tribal angling permit are required in the Metolius Arm. Ocean Outlook Oregon beaches are closed to the harvest of all clam species. The harvest closure includes all beaches, ocean spits, and jetties from the mouth of the Columbia River to the California border. All bays remain open for the harvest of clams except for the jetties at the entrances to the bays. Harvesting of mussels and scallops is allowed, but only the adductor muscle meat should be eaten from scallops. Crab do not concentrate domoic acid in the meat and are not affected by this closure. However, recreational harvesters are advised not to eat the crab viscera (guts) at this time. For more information, call the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s shellfish line at 1-503-986-4728. Ocean-fishing was poor as the newest batch of storms has kept most anglers in bay. Fishing for surf perch was good in the beaches near Brookings, Gold Beach and Port Orford, when the surf was lower, and look for those catches to improve again a day or two after the waves subside. Clam necks are the best bait. Hunting Outlook ROGUE — Spring bear hunting started Tuesday, and hunters are expected to find bears in clearcuts. Turkey hunting begins April 15, but now is a good time to start scouting flocks. Cougars are secretive and difficult to hunt, but numbers are high in southwestern Oregon. The best method of finding cougars is by predator calls in areas with good deer numbers. PRINEVILLE — Coyote opportunities are good, with coyotes concentrating near deer and antelope on lower elevation winter ranges. While this can involve private lands, some ranchers provide access to hunters. Recent warm weather and rain has removed snow and made vehicle travel very difficult off of surfaced roads. Areas to consider include the Paulina Valley, upper Crooked and the South Fork of the John Day River, Camp Creek, South Fork of the Crooked River, and Bear Creek. Hunters are encouraged to carry a cougar tag as they also could be present. Ground squirrels have become active with the warmer spring weather. Lower elevation agriculture lands and crested wheat fields offer excellent hunting opportunities. Hunters are reminded to obtain permission from private landowners for access. 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. KLAMATH — Viewing opportunities remain good throughout the Klamath Basin. A fair number of tundra swans still remain. Be sure to look for any trumpeter swans, which are larger than the tundra swans. More winter weather should improve viewing for bald eagles as they congregate in the Klamath Basin, most notably in the state line area near the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Fair numbers of rough-legged hawks can be viewed in pastures and fields hunting for rodents. CENTRAL COAST — Gray whales are on their return migration from their calving grounds in Baja to their north Pacific range. High viewpoints along the coast and the jetties near Florence provide good vantage points for viewing them as they pass by. Whale watching cruises from port cities also provide good viewing opportunities SUMMER LAKE — Since hunting seasons are closed, many species will be easier to view. Fair numbers of wintering waterfowl are scattered throughout the Summer Lake Wildlife Area now, and early breeding species such as Canada geese and mallards are beginning to pair up and search for territories. Snow geese are very numerous, exceeding 30,000, but spend nearly all the day roosting on Summer Lake proper. During the last hour or two of daylight, snow geese can be found moving into the area to feed. White-fronted geese and tundra swans are well represented at present. Additional species and additional numbers of migrant ducks are increasing on a regular basis. Most passerine species have departed, but a few wintering species, especially song sparrows and marsh wrens, can be found throughout the marsh in tall emergent vegetation. Sparrows and other passerines can be found at wildlife area headquarters, the rest area and at homestead sites where they are attracted to the tree and shrub cover found at those locations. The major dike roads (Bullgate, Windbreak and Work roads) and the tour loop are now closed to motor vehicle traffic to reduce disturbance to nesting and migrant waterbirds. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M 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. Privacy Policy Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S