Document text
http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery 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 October 12, 2006 Fishing and Hunting Report River Outlook ROGUE — Fall chinook salmon fishing has seen a spurt in the lower Rogue and some flashes of interest in the Agness area, while steelhead fishing was picking up in the Grants Pass area but slowing amid cold-water conditions in the upper Rogue. But the best bet appears to be the lower Rogue, where a mix of migrating fall chinook salmon, coho and some summer steelhead are providing a mixed bag of opportunities. After a great string of fishing days last week in the lower Rogue bay, the action has turned to cohos and the occasional steelhead. Big chinook headed for the Indian Creek Hatchery are getting caught now near the creek mouth. Cast red or pink Blue Fox spinners there. Anchovies trolled for cohos are also working well. Upstream in the Agness area, a mix of chinook salmon, adult steelhead and halfpounders are available, but catches have been a bit erratic this week after excellent fishing last week. Good water levels are present for fly-fishing, with half-pounders and the occasional big summer steelhead getting caught each morning and evening. Advertisement In the middle Rogue, consistently decent to good catches of summer steelhead have been reported from Baker Park downstream to Grave Creek. Worms and puffballs, single egg flies and tiny clusters of roe will work best. The steelhead are starting to key on the eggs from spawning chinook. Salmon fishing is closed from Hog Creek to Gold Ray Dam, where fall chinook still are moving through the counting station in force. Through Oct. 28, there have been 6,885 summer steelhead. The upper Rogue is flies-only through October, and current conditions favor nymphs over streamers. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has called for cooler water to be released from Lost Creek dam to help retard the growth of spring chinook salmon eggs as a way for making up for warmer-than-natural releases in the winter. The result is that summer steelhead become less apt to rise to, or near, the surface for flies. That makes prince nymphs, ugly bugs and single-egg flies increasingly better. Steelhead are targeting eggs of spawning chinook as well. The releases from Lost Creek Lake were 908 cubic feet per second of 44.7-degree water Wednesday. With migration over Gold Ray Dam slowed to fewer than two dozen steelhead a day, the Shady Cove area is probably the best choice for locations. Stick with at least one egg fly because fish are keying on them as the peak of the wild springer spawn is on. Legal trout fishing is open in the far upper Rogue around Prospect and Union Creek, but water conditions are cold and effort is light. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, call 800-472-2434. CHETCO — Fall chinook fishing remains good in the estuary, where increasingly larger groups of anglers are using anchovies and spinner blades catching some big fish. A few jack salmon have been caught in the lower portion of the river above tidewater, but the best action is in the bay. Upstream anglers are using sandshrimp and roe under bobbers. UMPQUA — Smallmouth bass fishing has slowed somewhat in the main-stem river, while summer steelhead catches have improved. In the North Umpqua, steelhead fishing is starting to improve in the all-tackle area, but catches remain light in the flies-only section. The South Umpqua is closed to all fishing until Nov. 15. Sturgeon fishing is slow in the bay. COOS — Good numbers of fall chinook are present in the estuary, and fishing is holding on daily. Most catches have come from trolling cut-plug herring or spinners. COQUILLE — Fall chinook fishing remains best upstream of Rocky Point. Anglers are trolling cut-plug herring and spinners for them. Striped bass fishing has slowed. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — Trout fishing has held its own during recent warm weather. Still-fishing with PowerBait remains best around Buck Island. Focus on waters around 25 feet deep. For trollers, work water 25-30 feet deep with Wedding Rings and small pieces of worm or Needlefish. 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 — Fishing pressure remains light despite decent fishing conditions for both largemouth bass and trout. Trolling the weed lines with Triple Teasers or fishing deep water with PowerBait is good for trout. Grubs and jigs, particularly red ones, are good for bass. DIAMOND — The lake is open to boating traffic but closed to all angling after the Sept. 14 chemical treatment to kill off tui chubs. Boat traffic resumes Sunday. LOST CREEK — The lake's surface temperature has dropped to 58 degrees, helping draw trout closer to the surface for trollers using Needlefish and Triple Teasers. Smallmouth bass fishing remains fair to good in the shallows and around rocky points. The lake was actually up a hair to 2.77 feet above its base elevation of 1812 feet above sea level because in-flows are slightly above out-flows. EMIGRANT — Fishing has started to improve for trout and stocked salmon around areas where tributaries trickle into the river. Bass, bluegill and perch fishing is best, with most of the upper lake's willows exposed and not fishable. 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, with evenings best. The lake is open year-round, but effort remains light. 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 70 feet from full and continues dropping rapidly. 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 for kokanee trout. Trolling worms or salmon eggs behind flashers remains good. WILLOW — Fishing for legal-sized rainbow trout remains fair for still fishermen and trollers alike. Crappie angling has tapered off amid cooling water temperatures. SELMAC — Largemouth bass fishing is tailing off amid cooler weather. Grubs and crankbaits are 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 off the mouth of the Chetco River at Brookings has been fair recently, but more action has occurred in the bay. With rougher seas offshore, most effort and catch has been from the whistle buoy toward the Chetco mouth. The offshore salmon season closes for the year tonight. The limit is one chinook a day and four per season. Bottomfishing remains very good until winds push anglers off the water in mid- to late-morning. Hunting Outlook JACKSON/JOSEPHINE — Hunters have experienced a decent first two weekends of the general blacktail buck season, with the vast majority of the bucks taken at very high elevations and near water sources. Bucks have been more active around dusk than dawn so far. With no rains and mostly warm weather forecast for the remainder of the week, hunters can expect to experience much of the same through Sunday. Focus on higher elevations near thick cover, particularly on north-sloped lands between Butte Falls and Prospect. The general bear season is open, and bears remain 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. Grouse and quail hunters are experiencing average to above-average success. Hunters who kill mountain quail are asked to freeze the wings and tails of their birds and drop them off at local ODFW offices as part of a survey. 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 Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Texas Electric Choice Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com