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41 °F 5 Day Forecast Monday, December 8, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 4, 2003 Fishing & Hunting Report River Outlook ROGUE — The upper Rogue remains low and cold, but some steelhead are starting to move more now that they are getting ready to spawn. Coho are starting to show up in good numbers in the upper Rogue, but angling for them is tough. And steelhead fishing is good in the middle Rogue as well as in the lower Rogue. The best bet for the week is the lower Rogue, where there are lots of late-run summer steelhead, halfpounders and some early winter steelhead but virtually no one casting for them. Some large adult steelhead remain in the lower Illinois and pockets of late-run adults are in riffles throughout the Agness area waiting for a shot of rain to trigger a mass movement upstream. The lower water conditions are allowing for some good days of fly-fishing in the Lower Rogue Canyon as well. In the Grants Pass area, wild summer steelhead remain stacked near creek mouths waiting to spawn. The percentage of hatchery fish seems to be about 50-50 now in some areas, but the action can be good for catch-and-release fishing. Use roe or single-egg flies. Some spinners and spoons are also working well for anglers casting in riffles, but the eggs are the top draw now. Coho schools are continuing to show in the Grants Pass area, with anglers casting black marabou jigs doing decently at Rainie Falls, the glide downstream of Savage Rapids Dam and in some of the deeper canyon holes in the Grave Creek area. In the upper Rogue, the steelhead bite has improved, but not as good as anglers would expect from a summer steelhead run of more than 14,000 fish over Gold Ray Dam. Water temperatures in the low 40s are the main culprit. Look for a good boost when the water raises from any new storms. The fish will be on the move, and very susceptible to plugs while they bolt through riffles either en route to the hatchery or to stage off a spawning tributary. Advertisement Coho salmon are migrating now in the upper Rogue, but they are tough to catch. Upstream of Rogue Elk Park, fishing for steelhead is best with small clusters of roe, while fly-casters using single salmon egg flies and an Ugly Bug dropper are picking up fish in the slower glides. The water from Lost Creek Lake is a chilly 43 degrees and the 900 cubic feet per second out-flow continues to be low. Bank fishing is fair at the Hatchery Hole, with bait out-producing flies. However, look for a good mix of summer steelhead and coho this weekend as the coho surge toward the hatchery. If they’re going to bite anywhere consistently in the upper Rogue, it will be the hatchery hole. At Gold Ray Dam, 13,303 summer steelhead have been counted as of Nov. 11, which is the most updated count available. Also, there are 24,666 fall chinook in the upper Rogue as well, but only a handful are still alive after their spawning. Also, 5,174 coho have been counted over the dam as well, and look for those numbers to increase dramatically. For cohos, try red spinners, pink or red flies or roe. Most of the cohos will be caught by anglers targeting summer steelhead. Only fin- clipped steelhead and coho may be kept, and an extra fin-clipped coho is allowed along with your regular daily limit of two salmon and/or steelhead. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, call 800-472-2434. APPLEGATE RIVER — The river has held at 172 cubic feet per second, which has slowed what little trout fishing is done there. The river is closed to steelhead fishing until Jan. 1. The spawning fall chinook are off-limits to even catch- and-release angling throughout the Applegate. The river is open to angling downstream of the deadline below Applegate Dam. The trout limit is two adipose fin-clipped trout per day with an 8-inch minimum length. UMPQUA — Chinook fishing is poor, and coho fishing has improved somewhat as higher water levels have gotten the salmon to move. In the main stem, anglers can keep up to three fin-clipped coho a day. The Scottsburg area has slowed for steelhead fishing, and more cold weather has caused the fly-fishing to drop off for summer steelhead in the Steamboat area. ELK/SIXES — Fewer fresh fall chinook salmon are moving into the lower river than in November, and higher flows over the weekend helped move salmon upstream. Most of the effort now is from driftboaters floating downstream from the hatchery, with a mix of roe and Kwikfish working best. The Sixes remains fair for chinook. The Elk has some wild coho salmon showing up in some catches. These fish must be released unharmed. DESCHUTES — The lower Deschutes was fair for summer steelhead, with angling open through the end of the year. All wild steelhead must be released unharmed. COOS — Fishing for fall chinook and fin-clipped coho is slowing down, but anglers can still use anchovies or spinners in the bay and Isthmus Slough. COQUILLE — Fishing for fall chinook salmon was slowing for those trolling spinners in tidewater. Anglers are reporting schools of striped bass in the Riverton and Johnson Pond areas, with the bass hitting worms or surface lures. Fishing is best at dawn and dusk. CHETCO — Fishing has slowed for fall chinook, and more anglers are turning over to winter steelhead as fresh fish move into the river and spread out throughout the system. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — The lake is closed to all fishing. HYATT — The lake is closed to all fishing. DIAMOND — The lake is closed to all fishing. LOST CREEK — The lake got an infusion of 1,000 trophy rainbow trout last week at the Takelma Boat Ramp, and those fish started to spread out around the lower end of the reservoir by the weekend. However, success remains decent for bank anglers using PowerBait, worms and small spinners, but trollers will continue to find these larger rainbows. 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, where the Takelma Ramp is the only useable ramp for this winter. The lake’s surface temperature remains a frigid 47 degrees Wednesday, so look for the trout more toward the surface than farther down the water column. APPLEGATE — Few people are fishing for rainbow trout or bass, but good smallmouth fishing can be had on calm days near the dam. Worms, small crankbaits and grubs all work. Trolling for stocked coho is slow. The lake is open year- round. EMIGRANT — Trout fishing in the lower sections of the lake is fair from the bank or wind-drifting worms off the bottom. The lake is open year-round. Ocean Outlook Late-season bottomfishing is allowed only inside the 27-fathom curve, where canary rockfish and lingcod will be off-limits for harvest and these rules remain in effect through December. Ocean conditions have been rough, and few people are fishing. When the ocean settles down, expect more good catches of black and blue rockfish. All lingcod must be released unharmed. Crabbing has been good to very good off public docks at Brookings, Port Orford and Charleston. Ocean beaches and bays north of Tillamook Head are open to razor clamming because recent testing showed domoic acid levels to be in the safe zone. Ocean beaches south of Tillamook Head remain closed to the harvest of clams due to the continuing presence of domoic acid along the central coast and paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) along the south coast. Mussel harvest is allowed from ocean beaches between Tillamook Head and Coos Bay. Clamming for all but razor clams is open from Coos Bay south to the California border. Hunting Outlook ROGUE — Late-season archers should do very well for blacktails that are now on the march in force toward winter range. The fall turkey season is over. Bears can be up and prowling for food between storms. The season remains open through December, but no new bear tags are available for sale. KLAMATH — Waterfowl hunting success has been poorer now that recent cold weather has frozen some of the wetlands and forced birds out of the basin. COOS — Upland bird hunters are reporting good success hunting ruffed grouse and mountain quail in Coos County. Due to relatively low populations of blue grouse, hunters are less likely to encounter these birds. Blue grouse move up- slope as winter approaches in many areas because they feed in tall conifers near ridge tops in winter. These are the places for hunters to concentrate their efforts if they are targeting blue grouse. Hunters interested in finding ruffed grouse and mountain quail should concentrate in creek bottoms, around grassy clear cuts and along closed forest roads. Duck hunting is reportedly improving in Coos Bay. Apparently some ducks have recently moved into the area with changing weather. As rain fills wetlands in the inland valleys, waterfowl will move there, which will improve hunting in these areas. SUMMER LAKE — Waterfowl hunting success during the past week was fair, primarily due to favorable weather conditions that came to the wildlife area late in the week. Bird numbers were low, but cold temperatures provided for fair to good decoy hunting. Low temperatures in the high teens and low 20s combined with highs in the 30s and 40s resulting in a large portion of the area being frozen over. The weekly bird count conducted Nov. 20 found 6,042 ducks and 2,339 geese present in the area. Habitat conditions remain fairly good, but many of the larger ponds and still-water areas have frozen over. Moving water below headgates, in the canal, and the Ana River remain open. Summer Lake proper continues to increase in size due to increased inflow from Ana River and as marsh units in the wildlife area continue to spill. Prospects for the upcoming week remain fair to good depending on weather conditions. If frozen conditions persist, birds will need to increase their feeding activity. Hunters using decoys and willing to spend considerable time in the marsh should have the best results. Pass shooting from dikes and along refuge boundaries will be very poor due to low bird numbers and the lack of open water along dikes. North-end farmed fields and old homestead sites continue to hold fair numbers of California quail and a few ring-necked pheasants, but hunting pressure has been light. 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. WILLAMETTE — Snowshoe rabbits are found in both the coast range mountains and in the Cascade mountain areas. In the coast range, these rabbits are brownish in color all year. In the Cascade mountains and throughout the rest of their range, these rabbits turn white in the winter. They are very conspicuous during years when winter snows are late in arriving and they have already molted into their white winter coat. These rabbits can be observed by driving slowly on logging roads early in the morning or by following tracks in fresh snow to where they are hiding. 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. Peregrine falcons have finished nesting, but still can be seen along the coast feeding on seabirds and waterfowl. They sometimes can be spotted resting on nearshore rocks, such as Three Arch Rocks. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times