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Cole Rivers hatchery fishing starts Tuesday By Mark Freeman TRAIL � The newest hot spot for spring chinook salmon angling opens Tuesday along the upper Rogue River under an experiment meant to help sport-anglers catch and keep more hatchery chinook. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will allow fishing in the 250-yard stretch of the upper Rogue adjacent to Cole Rivers Hatchery and just downstream from the entrance to the hatchery�s fish-collection pond. The stretch often teems with hundreds of spring chinook awaiting their last dash into the hatchery. It has been off-limits to fishing since the hatchery was built nearly 30 years ago, largely because of concerns over congestion, unethical fishing and conflicts between sport-anglers and boaters. But requests by the public and ODFW biologists to find a way to help anglers catch more of the excess hatchery fish enticed state fish managers to sign an order Friday that gives the new "Hatchery Hole" a try. "I�m excited that we can give people this opportunity," says Steve Williams, the assistant director of the ODFW�s Fish Division. "It�s a good move on our part, and the fishermen are excited. Let�s hope it works." Fishing will be allowed from both sides of the river by anglers casting from the bank or wading. No fishing will be allowed from boats in this stretch, a move meant to reduce conflicts between boat and bank anglers. Regular fishing and bag-limit rules for the remainder of the upper Rogue apply there. The stretch will open officially at 4:39 a.m., the first legal moment to salmon fish Tuesday. "I�ll go give it a try, sure," says Dale Wolfard, a Medford resident and devoted upper Rogue bank-fisherman. "We all know there�s a hell of a lot of fish in there. It�ll be interesting to see how people fish it, and how well they do." It is scheduled to stay open through July 31, which is the end of the upper Rogue spring chinook fishing season. Biologists have estimated that opening the stretch will allow anglers to catch about 1,000 more hatchery chinook this season. The hatchery is braced for a return of about 20,000 excess chinook, most of which will be sold to a commercial food-processor. Signs will be posted that show the new upstream fishing deadline that will span the Rogue from the hatchery�s concrete wing-wall to a place on the south bank about 50 feet downstream of McGregor Boat Ramp, a popular launching spot for summer rafters. Both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which runs the boat ramp, and the Oregon State Police have voiced concerns that opening the area to fishing will cause more trouble than it�s worth. The new hole could be back to off-limits status if fishing there triggers fights, unethical fishing practices such as illegal snagging of fish, litter or vandalism as some people fear, says John Thiebes, the ODFW�s Rogue Watershed manager and a chief backer of the proposal. "This is on a trial basis," Thiebes says. "If problems occur, it will close just as fast as it opened." Bank anglers will be encouraged to fish from the rocky dike that separates the hatchery grounds from the river on the north bank. Anglers will be invited to park in the hatchery�s lot, then funneled along a walkway to the new fishing grounds. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.