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56 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, April 4, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | 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 March 18, 2004 FISHING AND HUNTING REPORT River Outlook ROGUE — Winter steelhead fishing continued to pick up speed throughout most of the Rogue as good water conditions and plenty of fresh fish are giving anglers lots of reasons to ignore March Madness and hit the river. The first spring chinook have reached the lower Rogue as well, but catches remain pretty light. The best bet remains the middle Rogue, where excellent water conditions have made bait- and plug-fishing for winter steelhead very good. Anglers are pretty well spread out from Gold Hill down to Grave Creek, and the concentration of anglers downstream from the Applegate River mouth has diminished as more steelhead leave the Rogue and enter the Applegate. Roe is best on the Rogue, with corkies or small egg flies the next best choices. Some decent plug fishing is happening, with copper or black and silver plugs working best. Most of the fish are in the 6-8 pound range, and the vast majority of them are fresh winter steelhead. In the upper Rogue, winter steelhead fishing has improved daily, with fresh fish pouring over Gold Ray Dam daily. Through March 6, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has counted 7,454 winter steelhead past the dam. That represents an excellent showing, and anglers are taking advantage of the good fish numbers, consistent angling conditions and warm weather. With 1,802 cubic feet per second of 42.5-degree water released from Lost Creek Lake, the upper river is in excellent shape for drift-fishing roe or using plugs from driftboats. Some good successes have also been reported with Prince nymph, Ugly Bug and single-egg flies. Think small when choosing flies. In the lower Rogue, winter steelhead fishing remains good downstream of Agness as anglers get a mix of new winter steelhead, spawned-out summer steelhead heading toward the ocean and large halfpounders also heading to sea. Plunkers are faring decently, while boaters using plugs in the inside turns on gravel bars are also intercepting steelhead. The first spring chinook was caught Friday, and since then a handful have been taken daily, but the action remains slow. The water is low and clear, and some changes to angling conditions will be necessary to get the springer season going in Gold Beach. The entire Rogue is open to the harvest of up to one wild steelhead larger than 24 inches a day, and no more than five a year. The total daily limit is two adult steelhead. For chinook, the limit is two adults a day, but only one wild chinook a day and no more than three wild chinook a year. Advertisement For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, call 800-472-2434. APPLEGATE RIVER — Winter steelhead catches have been very good river-wide as anglers are taking advantage of fresh fish and good river conditions to do well wherever they can get access. The lower river near Grants Pass has been most consistent, but catches all the way up to the deadline have been reported daily. There also seems to be a higher ratio of hatchery fish in the catches so far this season, which closed March 31. Water conditions have improved as out-flows from Applegate Lake are back up to about 500 cubic feet per second. Afternoon fishing has slowed in the sunlight, which is getting the steelhead a little skittish in the riffles. Fish are starting to stage for spawning. Try roe, worms, watermelon corkies and even spinners tumbled downstream in riffles. Look for the fish to be on the move. No fishing from a floating device is allowed, and anglers should ask permission before fishing on private lands. The river is open to steelhead angling downstream of the deadline below Applegate Dam. The limit is two hatchery steelhead a day. All wild steelhead must be released unharmed. UMPQUA — Winter steelhead fishing was very good on the South Umpqua and good on the North Umpqua as improved weather conditions have allowed both streams to clear and drop into excellent steelheading shape. For the South Umpqua, the fish are spread out all the way to Tiller, but boat angling remains best around Canyonville. Bait fishing has been good on the South Umpqua, with fly-fishing more suspect amid the higher flows. North Umpqua anglers are not faring as well as those on the South, but catches remain fair to occasionally good in the all-angling section. ELK/SIXES — Both rivers were a bit low and clear, with late-season winter steelhead fishing a bit slow under these conditions. Bait has been out-producing plugs. Both rivers are now open to the harvest of one wild steelhead a day and up to five a year as part of the two-steelhead daily limit. COOS — Fishing for winter steelhead has slowed, with most of the catch now dark steelhead that have been in the system for a while. Spawned-out steelhead are starting to show up significantly in the mix. The Coos and Millicoma rivers are open to the harvest of up to two hatchery adult steelhead a day, but all wild steelhead must be released unharmed. COQUILLE — Water conditions were excellent and late-season catches were very good on most of the Coquille forks, but the South Fork remains the top dog in this river system. Catches are good on both roe and plugs, and dark fish are starting to show up regularly in the catches. Bait is out-producing plugs, chiefly because more people are bait fishing than plug fishing. Effort has remained high. The river is open to the harvest of hatchery winter steelhead, but all wild steelhead must be released unharmed. CHETCO — The river was a bit low and clear, and winter steelhead successes have dropped. More spawned-out winter steelhead are starting to show up in the catches, and effort by anglers is dropping as more try other streams or start targeting spring chinook in the Rogue. One wild steelhead may be kept as part of the two-steelhead bag limit. ALSEA — Winter steelhead fishing is good, with more than 1,000 recycled hatchery fish released recently on the river’s lower end. 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 — In-flows to the lake are holding steady at 2,500 cubic feet per second Wednesday, and the week’s worth of warm weather has raised the lake’s surface temperature already to 50 degrees. Look for smallmouth bass to start getting more active. The annual Spring Break trout derby will be held at Takelma Park near the dam Saturday, and catches of rainbow trout are likely best on PowerBait, worms drifted in the water column, small lures or wooly bugger flies. Trolling, though, is out- producing bank anglers. The lake is up to elevation 1,852 feet, three feet higher than last year and still 20 feet to go. With heavy snowpack, the lake is expected to fill on schedule May 1. 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. Water levels have risen enough that the ramp at Stewart State Park reaches the water. APPLEGATE — Few people are fishing for rainbow trout or bass, and the heavy in-flows from last week have subsided. Warming temperatures mean the bass should start getting active. EMIGRANT — The lake is close to full and water has covered much of the willows area, and the warmwater fish that use these submerged willows are starting to get more active in the warming water. Fishing action has risen as well, with more people starting to work the willows each evening for crappie, bluegill and perch. Fishing for stocked winter steelhead has dropped dramatically as most fish have moved out of the lake and into tributaries, mostly on private land. The lake is open year-round to angling. SELMAC — The lake was stocked recently with 4,400 legal-sized rainbow, and catches have been good with worms and PowerBait. The lake is the first in the region for stocking, because its shallow water creates good early- season survival opportunities. Ocean Outlook The ocean out of Brookings was fishable Tuesday and Wednesday amid warm-weather conditions, with private boaters and charterboat anglers doing very well for bottomfish, especially lingcod. However, the cloudless and warm days have brought strong winds by noon each day, so keep trips short and expect to stay closer to shore so you don’t get caught in heavy chop. Crabbing has improved in the bays, with salinity levels better for crabs this week than last week. Remember, a shellfish license is now needed for crabbing and clamming. Hunting Outlook ROGUE — Results of the spring bear hunt are available, and leftover tags will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis March 15. There are plenty of Southwest Oregon bear tags available in the leftover sale. Predator hunting is good, with coyote pelts near their prime. Use predator calls near clearcuts. Only a hunting license is needed for coyotes. KLAMATH — Cougars are harvested either by tracking in the snow, using predator calls, setting on kills or a combination of these techniques. Recent snowfall has improved cougar hunting conditions. Cougars are available throughout the county but will concentrate in areas with wintering deer. Coyote hunting is good this time of year. The use of predator calls is an effective technique. Good hunting can be found throughout the county except at the highest elevations. Don’t overlook the forested areas, but be prepared for closer shots than are typical in open country. 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. KLAMATH — Viewing opportunities for migratory birds are excellent. Bald eagle concentrations peak in February. Tundra swans and Canada geese are a common sight in the Klamath Basin. Snow geese and white-fronted geese have begun moving back into the area and will remain until spring. Good viewing opportunities exist on the Klamath Wildlife Area and the Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge. SUMMER LAKE — Viewing opportunities will be improving as winter fades and spring nears. A few hardy waterfowl species are beginning their northward migration. White-fronted geese and some duck species have returned to the area. Tundra swan numbers are beginning to increase as well. Raptors remain well represented and as migrant waterfowl return, viewers can expect to see increased numbers of bald eagles. 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