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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Since We Asked Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend August 24, 2006 Fishing and Hunting Report River Outlook ROGUE — Fall chinook salmon fishing has really taken off in the Rogue bay, while a mix of summer steelhead and fall chinook is keeping anglers busy in the middle Rogue. Decent steelhead fishing remains available in the upper Rogue. But the best bet for the weekend is the estuary, where 100 boats are averaging more than a fish a day over the past four days of the best fishing of the season. Troll anchovies with green spinner blades and hold on. Some great catches and lots of 30-pounders have been caught so far. Also, halfpounders are starting to move through the lower stretch of the Rogue while a mix of adult steelhead also are in the mix. In the middle Rogue, the fall chinook catches have been very light, despite good numbers of fish showing up. Back-bouncing roe or Kwikfish plugs are good bets, but look for effort and catch rates to increase once the salmon start steeling in holes. Most early fall chinook are bound for the Applegate River, so anything downstream of Whitehorse Park is a good bet. In the upper Rogue, 5,743 summer steelhead have been counted over Gold Ray Dam as of Aug. 18. That's about average for this time in the run. Catches have been decent, with more of the fish concentrated around Shady Cove than farther downstream. Water conditions are excellent for bait-fishing and flyfishing. For bait anglers, use worms, roe or shrimp and focus on the faster-moving water around boulders and ledges. Any black and silver plug, or crayfish patterns, will work well. The out-flows at Lost Creek dam were holding steady at 1,859 cubic feet per second of 55-degree water. That means streamer flies swung through riffles with sink-tip lines can also produce good evening catches. Advertisement The upper Rogue remains closed for all chinook fishing upstream of Gold Ray Dam. Legal trout fishing is open in the main-stem Rogue below Lost Creek dam, and mid-day fly-fishing has been good. The salmon fly hatch remains light, but fish are rising to adult salmon flies on the river, with dusk best. Also, fresh legal-sized trout were scheduled for stock this week in the Union Creek and Prospect area. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, call 800-472-2434. UMPQUA — Smallmouth bass fishing remains excellent from Scottsburg upstream to the upper end of the main-stem river. Anything from spinners and crayfish plugs to worms will work for smallmouth now. Summer steelhead fishing is fair in the main stem, and all wild steelhead must be released unharmed. The South Umpqua remains excellent for smallmouth bass on plugs, flies and spinners. Sturgeon fishing is slow in the estuary. COQUILLE — Early fall chinook fishing is best around the Highway 101 bridge. Anglers are trolling cut-plug herring and spinners for them. Striped bass have been caught during evenings as far up as Arago. Shrimp is the bait of choice, but large smolt-like plugs work well. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — Trolling for rainbow trout remains slow as the fish have remained in water 35-plus feet deep. Bait-fishing for them is best with chartreuse PowerBait or Velveeta cheese. Trollers have picked up more bass than trout. Late afternoon and evening are best for trout and smallmouth bass. Red-colored lures work best now for bass. The lake's limit remains five trout over 8 inches long per day, but only one of those trout can be more than 20 inches long. HYATT — Bass fishing is out-stripping trolling for rainbow trout. Plastic worms, red spinners and crankbaits are all working well for largemouth. Evening trout trolling can be fair to good around dusk, with decent catches of legal-sized rainbow trout stocked there earlier this year. DIAMOND — The lake is open with its 20-trout daily limit, and fishing has fallen off during recent warm weather. Catches and effort have been light. A commercial fisherman will conclude the mechanical removal of tui chubs from the lake on Friday. LOST CREEK — The lake's surface temperature has stabilized at 71 degrees, meaning trout are still in deep water upstream of Peyton Bridge. That's where all the coolest water is in the reservoir during late August. Troll worms with flashers deep and slowly. Smallmouth are biting in the mornings and evenings off rocky points and other structure. The lake's inflow is down to 1,038 cubic feet per second, and the lake has dropped to 43 feet from full. A public-health advisory against water contact is no longer in effect. EMIGRANT — Fishing has slowed in the reservoir as water levels drop and much of the lake remains murky. Trout are concentrating in deeper waters as well as near cooler tributaries. Bass, bluegill and perch fishing is best, with most of the upper lake's willows exposed and not fishable. That leaves smallmouth bass concentrating on rocky points and ledges. A health advisory has been issued about eating all but trout from the lake because of elevated mercury levels. FISH — Fishing for rainbow and brown trout remains fair to good, with evenings best. 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. The lake has dropped to about 28 feet from full, much of that in the past week. Bass fishing has been good in the mornings and evenings, with many of the fish holding off rocky points. The Hart-Tish boat ramp and store are open. 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. LAKE of the WOODS — The lake is still fishing fair to occasionally good for kokanee trout. Trolling worms or salmon eggs behind flashers remains visitors' main modus operandi. Focus on the lake's western side, primarily 20 feet of water. Rainbow trout and brown trout catches have been good at dusk for trollers as well as bait anglers. Perch catches are good all day on worms. WILLOW — Bass fishing remains best with spinners or crankbaits. Fishing for legal-sized rainbow trout remains good for still fishermen and trollers alike. Crappie angling has held on thanks to warm water. SELMAC — Largemouth bass fishing is fair to good in the warm water conditions, with grubs and crankbaits good choices. Trout fishing has slowed due to warming water temperatures. Panfish angling remains good. KLAMATH/AGENCY LAKES — Fishing for large Klamath trout is picking up near the mouths of the Wood and Williamson rivers as well as the springs around Rocky Point. Ocean Outlook Salmon fishing is closed south of Humbug Mountain. Ocean conditions remained tough amid strong afternoon winds. Boats are getting out in the morning, when lingcod and black rockfish catches remain good out of Brookings. A 118-pound Pacific halibut was caught at Gold Beach this week, a rarity. Surf perch fishing has slowed on the beaches and off the sand spit near the Gold Beach jetties, but the catch remains fair to good. Silver Castmaster lures have worked exceptionally well. Hunting Outlook JACKSON/JOSEPHINE — Bowhunters can look for deer and elk at high-elevation areas, favoring north slopes near cover. A good acorn crop has deer in good shape. Stalking conditions remain poor, so ambushing animals along game trails is a good method. The general bear season is open, and bears are relatively active now as they search lower elevation areas for food. Focus on berry patches or lands ringing orchards, where bear activity has been heavy. Cougar hunters can expect an average year and will find greatest success using a predator call in areas that have good deer numbers. Good cougar hunting opportunities exist throughout southwest Oregon. 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 © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems California Casinos Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Texas Electric Choice Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews