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94 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, May 26, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Britt Festival Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Biz Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 22, 2004 Fishing & Hunting Report River Outlook ROGUE — Spring chinook salmon catches are improving slightly in the lower Rogue but still a far cry from what they should be in late April. Late-run and spawned-out winter steelhead are still getting caught in the middle and upper Rogue, while spring chinook fishing is still spotty around the Grants Pass area. The key is whether this week’s rains will raise and color the water enough that the spring chinook quit milling around in the Pacific and get over the bar and up-river. The lower Rogue’s catches are still light chiefly because of low and clear water that has spooked the salmon off their upstream migration. The coast was hammered by rains this week and that could get fish moving. The middle Rogue bank anglers are picking up a few spring chinook downstream of Savage Rapids Dam, while the Rainie Falls area continues to be slow. Bank anglers also are picking up a fair number of winter steelhead, but the vast majority are spawned-out "kelts" headed back to sea. The river only rose about 4 inches Wednesday in the middle Rogue thanks to locally spotty heavy rain. The upper Rogue continues to see a good late shot of winter steelhead, with about 1,700 new fish over Gold Ray Dam between April 4 and April 11. The run total through April 11, which is the last available count from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, is 19,986 winter steelhead. Advertisement Water releases from Lost Creek Lake dipped again and are now down to 1,639 cubic feet per second of 45-degree water. The entire Rogue is open to the harvest of up to one wild steelhead over 24 inches a day through April, and no more than five a year. The total daily limit is two adult steelhead. For chinook, the limit is two adults a day, but only one wild chinook a day and no more than three wild chinook a year. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, call 800-472-2434. APPLEGATE RIVER — The river is closed to all angling until May 22. UMPQUA — Spring chinook are getting caught regularly but a bit sparsely in the main-stem Umpqua, with several large salmon reportedly caught this past week downstream of Scottsburg. The South Umpqua is closed to angling and will remain closed until May 22. Winter steelhead fishing is slow in the North Umpqua. ELK/SIXES — Both rivers closed to all angling Tuesday and will re-open May 22. COOS — The South Fork of the Coos is closed to steelhead fishing, but the mainstem remains open for steelhead up to the head of tide at Dellwood. The main stem is open for striped bass fishing, and catches have been light. The South Fork from the head of tide up to the concrete bridge near Tioga Creek is closed to striped bass fishing. COQUILLE — The Coquille system closed Tuesday to steelhead fishing and will remain closed until May 22. CHETCO — The river closed to steelhead fishing Tuesday for the season and angling will be off-limits until May 22. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — The lake opens to angling Saturday and the weekend should provide excellent catches of hold-over trout in the 12-16 inch range. The lake is about 7 feet from full, which puts about 5 feet of water under the resort’s floating store and enough water for season-long use of the boat ramps. Trolling and still-fishing should both work, but best catches will be for still-fishermen using chartreuse or flame PowerBait in 5 to 10 feet of water. If you’re not catching anything, move to a new location. The limit remains five trout a day, with only one over 20 inches a day allowed. HYATT — The lake opens to angling Saturday and the early effort will be in the near-shore shallows for the big rainbows cruising for food. The water is cold but the lake is ice-free for opening weekend. 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 ice-free for Saturday’s opening of the trout season, and catches should be good. Early-season anglers should find good trolling for various sized rainbows and stocked spring chinook salmon . Needlefish and Rapala lures look like tui chubs and should be good bets, while still-fishermen will focus most on chartreuse or rainbow-colored PowerBait. The limit remains five trout a day, with only one over 20 inches a day allowed. LOST CREEK — Trout and bass fishing are improving now that the water levels are rising and the surface temperatures are increasing. Bank fishing with PowerBait or worms has been effective in the Takelma Park area, but trollers are out-producing bank anglers. Smallmouth bass had been getting fairly active in the shallower water during the recent warm spells and catches should improve daily through spring. The lake is up to elevation 1,866 feet, or a full four feet higher than last week and still six feet to go. With heavy snowpack, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has delayed the filling of the lake, which is scheduled to be full in late May instead of the traditional May 1. The lake is open year-round for trout and bass fishing, with trout anglers out-numbering bass anglers throughout the cold-weather months. Trolling for trout is good near the base of the dam and off points near the Lost Creek Lake Marina. APPLEGATE — Interest in the lake is picking up now that the Applegate River is closed and improving water conditions have started to get bass more active. The lake is just 8 feet shy of full, but the lake is expected to fill this May. 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 — The lake is ice-free and some rainbow trout fishing is occurring around the resort, which is open. The water is cold, and that’s keeping the trout a bit less active. LAKE of the WOODS — The lake is ice-free and starting to get a little action among trout anglers fishing near the resort. Trolling for brown trout has been a bit slow, with the water temperature 41 degrees this week. The resort and marina are open Thursday through Sunday. EMIGRANT — Smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing is starting to crank up as expected for mid-April, with fishing best in the shallows and among the submerged willows. Bluegill and perch fishing have all improved as spring takes hold in the reservoir, which is almost full. Trout fishing is better in the lower section of the lake, with PowerBait out-producing lures or worms for bank fishing. Fishing for stocked winter steelhead has dropped dramatically as most fish have moved out of the lake and into tributaries, mostly on private land. The lake is open year-round to angling. SELMAC — The lake was stocked last month with 4,400 legal-sized rainbow, and catches have been good with worms and PowerBait. The lake is the first in the region for stocking, because it’s shallow water creates good early- season survival opportunities. Ocean Outlook The ocean out of Brookings and Gold Beach was rough and not good for pleasureboats again this week, bringing a break in what has been an excellent spring bottomfish season for lingcod and black rockfish. The big lings have been in close for the spring spawn and anglers from Brookings, Gold Beach and Port Orford all have been finding some in less than 200 feet of water. Look for those catches to improve again when the winds die down and the swells subside. Surf perch fishing at Winchuck Beach near the California border and at Nesika Beach just north of Gold Beach was starting to kick in, but the rough surf has made it a bit tough to get at the fish. Clam necks and mussels are good baits, and the fish will aggressively attack bright streamer flies in calmer surf. The ocean chinook salmon season opens May 15 and run into early September, while ocean fishing for hatchery coho salmon opens June 19 for the Oregon coast. Hunting Outlook ROGUE — Early spring turkey hunting has been good despite the erratic weather. Whenever the sun comes out, the turkeys are strutting and gobbling. With calm weather predicted for the weekend, some excellent shooting should occur, especially near dawn. The turkey season runs through May, and tags are available throughout the hunt. Up to three tags are allowed in Jackson and Josephine counties. Spring black bear hunting is open throughout most of the western hunting units that have black bear hunts, and that includes the Rogue and Applegate units. Bears are starting to get more active. The season runs through June 15. KLAMATH — Turkey hunting has been slow in the Keno area, chiefly because of very poor weather. Coyote hunting is good this time of year. The use of predator calls is an effective technique. Good hunting can be found throughout the county except at the highest elevations. Don’t overlook the forested areas, but be prepared for closer shots than are typical in open country. 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. Great egrets are tall, white heron-like birds that can be seen along the northeastern portions of Tillamook Bay, especially Larson’s and Miami coves. They often are seen feeding on the mud flats at low tide, but sometimes roost in trees along the edge of the bay. KLAMATH — Viewing opportunities for migratory birds are excellent. Bald eagle concentrations peak in February. Tundra swans and Canada geese are a common sight in the Klamath Basin. Snow geese and white-fronted geese have begun moving back into the area and will remain until spring. Good viewing opportunities exist on the Klamath Wildlife Area and the Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge. SUMMER LAKE — Viewing opportunities will improve with the weather. A few hardy waterfowl species are beginning their northward migration. White-fronted geese and some duck species have returned to the area. Tundra swan numbers are beginning to increase as well. Raptors remain well represented, and as migrant waterfowl return viewers can expect to see increased numbers of bald eagles. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s