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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 8, 2005 Fishing and Hunting Report River Outlook ROGUE — The Rogue’s fall chinook fishing is starting to take off in the middle Rogue, while salmon fishing is decent in the lower Rogue amid a thinned out but loyal crowd. Summer steelhead fishing was good for the initial week of the flies-only season in the upper Rogue, while the Agness area continues to shine with a combination of adult summer steelhead and halfpounders. But the best bet shifts to the middle Rogue, where chinook fishing is the best and most consistent it has been all season. Fishing in Taylor Creek Canyon and in waters downstream of Robertson Bridge were very good this week, with several guides catching their clients’ limits each day. Roe is out-producing Kwikfish, in part because the water grass is regularly getting caught on Kwikfish hooks. Water conditions in the middle Rogue are improving daily, with flows at 1,580 cubic feet per second of 61-degree water. Clarity also is excellent. The summer steelhead fishery continues to be fair to good at times. The 55-degree water released from Lost Creek Lake is ideal for steelhead fly-fishing because the fish will remain very active at that temperature, and the flows of 1,800 cubic feet per second of water also is good. Swinging flies is as good now as it will get for the season, based on these conditions and the fact that more than 4,700 summer steelhead have been counted at Gold Ray Dam so far this year. Silver Hiltons, Tiger Paws and purple streamers all work well. Sink-tip lines and heavier sinking lines are good bets, but no lead core is allowed. For spinning-rod casters, bubbles, heavy ugly bugs and single salmon eggs are best. Chinook fishing is banned now upstream of Gold Ray Dam, with even catch-and-release fishing illegal if anglers are targeting the salmon. Advertisement In the lower Rogue, trolling the bay has been slow, but more Gold Beach-area anglers are catching fall chinook in freshwater from Agness down to Clay Banks. Fly-fishermen are catching a half-dozen fall chinook daily at Clay Banks, while bank anglers are doing well at Dunkelberger Bar and the Lobster Creek area. A few coho have been caught in the bay, but effort is light. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, call 800-472-2434. The upper Rogue reaches upstream of Lost Creek Lake are now open to angling, with catches good amid now-normal stream flows. APPLEGATE — Open to angling, the river is home to out-migrating smolts and some resident cutthroat. Some summer steelhead have moved into the lower area, but they must be released unharmed. The river’s only open for steelhead January through March. Fishing pressure remains light. CHETCO — The river is open to fishing, and a handful of chinook have been caught off the jetty so far and at the far lower end of the bay. Chinook are coming into the estuary with the tides, but effort has been light. Look for coastal anglers to start focusing on the estuary next week after the ocean salmon season closes. UMPQUA — Summer steelhead fishing continues to improve on the North Umpqua as more steelhead cross the dam. There’s excellent bank access near Idleyld Park. Summer Steelhead also are being caught in the fly water in early mornings and late evenings in the shade. Smallmouth bass fishing remains very good on the South Umpqua, with top-water lures and flies working best in the mornings and evenings. COOS/COQUILLE — Chinook salmon have entered the lower stretches of both river estuaries now. Sea-run cutthroat also have hit the Coos system, while striped bass are working the waters of the Coquille around Riverton and they can be caught early in the morning on large Rebel lures. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — The bass fishermen are working the shallows and rock piles on the west side of the lake, with the best catches coming in waters at Red Rock Cove and off the end of the jetty at the resort. Nightcrawlers, rubber worms and crawfish lures are working best. Some of the smallmouth have hit the 5-pound range. Evenings are best. Trout have gone deep during the hot weather, with wind-drifting nightcrawlers or slow trolling of them the best bet. The daily limit remains five trout per day, with an 8-inch minimum length. Only one of those trout per day can be more than 20 inches. HYATT — Catches of small bass are out-numbering trout now, but trout remain the target of choice for anglers there. Catches are fair early in the morning and at dusk. Trollers can do well, provided they troll large Needlefish or Tasmanian Devil lures slowly in search of the bigger, predatory trout. The daily limit remains five trout per day, with an 8-inch minimum length. Only one of those trout per day can be more than 20 inches. DIAMOND — The lake has slowed recently for stocked rainbow trout in about 20 feet of water. Trolling for trout should remain decent through the weekend, but catches will drop off once the latest batch of trout are caught. The daily limit remains five trout per day, with an 8-inch minimum length. Only one of those trout per day can be more than 20 inches. LOST CREEK — The lake is now down another four feet this past week to about 52 feet from full and the surface temperature has dropped to 68 degrees, marking good conditions for smallmouth bass fishing. Casting jigs along the northern shoreline has been good for smallmouth, with a good group of 1-2 pound fish in the mix. Trollers are doing fair for trout near the dam and the marina, while wind-drifting for trout is good near the lake water sources upstream of Peyton Bridge. The lake is open year-round for trout and bass fishing, with trout anglers out-numbering bass anglers throughout the cold-weather months. EMIGRANT — Fishing for smallmouth bass remains good early in the morning and late evenings around rock out-crops and brush. The yellow perch remain dominant in the willow along the lake’s upper reaches. Trolling for trout is fair, while bank-fishing for trout has been good near the dam’s face. Crappie fishing remains poor. No excess adult winter steelhead will be stocked into the lake this year. APPLEGATE — The lake has dipped slightly to 33 feet from full Wednesday, pushing the trout further away from the lake’s far upper end. Smallmouth bass fishing is good near the dam. A mix of trout and stocked spring chinook salmon are available year-round, and the Hart-Tish Park boat ramp is operational. No excess hatchery winter steelhead will be recycled into the lake this season. 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. Also, no bass between 12 and 15 inches can be kept, and only one bass larger than 15 inches can be kept. WILLOW — The lake is fishing well for stocked rainbow trout, bass and bluegill. EXPO POND — The pond has been stocked with rainbow trout. FISH — The lake is fishing fair to good for rainbow trout. Ocean Outlook After an excellent weekend of salmon fishing, the ocean started to get a little rough this week from higher winds. Most of the chinook were 3-9 miles offshore, but a 49-pounder was caught recently just off the Chetco River mouth. The weather is forecast to be a bit rough for the end of the season, which is Sunday. The new limit on groundfish is 5 instead of 8 in aggregate per day. Also, all cabezon caught while fishing from boats must be released unharmed. The ocean remains a bit too rough to run far offshore in search of tuna. The beaches coast-wide are now closed to razor clam digging. To check for updates on the closure, call the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Shellfish Hotline at 800-448-2474. Hunting Outlook ROGUE — Early bowhunting efforts have been stymied by hot and dry weather, but cooling trends could help get animals moving some more. Dove season is open, but effort and success have been fair because of recent cooler evenings. General-season bear hunting began Aug. 1, and good bear populations are present. Early harvest has been light, with a few hunters focusing on bears near orchards. Cougar hunters can expect an average year. Cougars are abundant throughout with indicators pointing to stable or increasing numbers and distribution. Hunting cougar is a challenge because these animals are very secretive, but harvest success is greatest adjacent to private land with high deer populations using a predator call. 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. 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. 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