Document text
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 10, 2006 Fishing and Hunting Report River Outlook ROGUE — Fall chinook salmon fishing remains hit-and-miss in the lower Rogue, while fly-fishers are finding a few fresh summer steelhead in the middle Rogue and upper Rogue anglers are taking advantage of good water conditions to target a good early run of summer steelhead over Gold Ray Dam. That makes the upper Rogue bay the best bet for the weekend, thanks to good water conditions and plenty of fish. Out-flows at Lost Creek dam were holding steady at about 1,850 cubic feet per second of 53-degree water, which is perfect for fly-fishing as well as bait and plugs. These early steelhead are very aggressive fish and they can be caught on just about anything. But the good fly-fishing conditions mean streamers with sink-tip lines work well under these conditions. Focus on faster water and around ledges and rocks. Through Saturday, 5,073 summer steelhead have been counted at Gold Ray Dam. The upper Rogue remains closed for all chinook fishing upstream of Gold Ray Dam. Beginning Tuesday, the ban on killing wild chinook between Gold Ray Dam and Hog Creek will end. In the lower Rogue, fall chinook catches have been fair in the bay, but the fish sizes are impressive. A high percentage of the catch this past week have been 30- to 40-pounders. The incoming tide is best, with trolling anchovies the offering of choice. Spinners are working OK during sunny afternoons, but bait is the way to go. During higher tides, fish upstream of the bridge along the north end. Advertisement Cooler water temperatures just upstream of the bay have started fall chinook to move up-river, with catches off the bank at Huntley Park considered fair. A few summer steelhead have been caught in the middle Rogue around Grants Pass, chiefly by evening fly-fishers using streamers and sink-tip lines. The middle Rogue from Whiskey Creek to Hog Creek does not open for wild chinook harvest until Tuesday. When open, expect good effort downstream of Hog Creek. 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, while shad fishing has all but ended in the Sawyers Rapids area. Summer steelhead fishing is fair in the main stem, while sturgeon fishing is good in the estuary as well as the lower end of Smith River. The South Umpqua remains very good for smallmouth bass on plugs, flies and spinners. COQUILLE — 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 has slowed as the fish have gone deep. 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, while PowerBait in about 35 feet of water is a good bet for trout. The lake's limit remains five trout over 8 inches long per day, but only one of those trout can be over 20 inches long. HYATT — Evening trolling remains fair, with decent catches of legal-sized rainbow trout stocked there earlier this year as a bonus stocking for a lake that normally gets just fingerling trout. Small bass are dominating the catch, with worms or small spinners working well for bass. 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 fishermen will conclude the mechanical removal of tui chubs from the lake on Friday. LOST CREEK — The lake's surface temperature has dropped to 71 degrees, meaning trout are still in deep water and the smallmouth are offering the most action. Fish points, deep rock croppings and stumps. Trout fishing is best upstream of Peyton Bridge or around other cool-water locations. The lake's inflow is down to 1,185 cubic feet per second, and the lake has dropped to 25 feet from full. A public-health advisory against water contact because of a toxic algae bloom is no longer in effect. EMIGRANT — Fishing has slowed in the reservoir amid high air and water temperatures. Trout are concentrating in deeper waters as well as near cooler tributaries. Bass, bluegill and perch fishing is best, with the upper lake's willows still the hot-spot of activity. 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 good 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 18 feet from full. 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 warming and fishing for kokanee trout remains steady for anglers trolling small flashers with worms or salmon eggs. 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 crank baits. 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 along the southern coast. Bottomfish catches have remained very good on days when boats can get out of the bays. Recent days have seen excellent morning boating conditions, followed by winds later in the day. Surf perch fishing has slowed on the beaches and off the sand spit near the Gold Beach jetties. Silver Castmaster lures have worked exceptionally well. Hunting Outlook JACKSON/JOSEPHINE — The general bear season is open, and bears are relatively active now as they search lower elevations 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. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified 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 Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews Advertisement s