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45 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, April 7, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 7, 2005 Fishing and Hunting Report River Outlook ROGUE — The typical mix of early chinook fishing and late winter steelhead fishing has hit the Rogue, with both extreme ends of the stream sporting good opportunities for this time of year. But the best bet is the freshest bet, and that means spring chinook in the lower Rogue, where a good early April bite has anglers finally smiling after a horrific winter of poor water conditions. In the Gold Beach area, at least 30 fish are getting caught daily by anglers anywhere from Elephant Rock and the old mill site. Fresh springers that had not been trickling in last month are showing up in force this week. Catches have been good all the way to Agness, where some springers are even getting caught by steelhead anglers side-drifting roe from driftboats and powerboats. The middle Rogue continues to be good for a mix of spring chinook and winter steelhead, with a few springers caught this week at Rainie Falls and just downstream of Savage Rapids Dam. Water conditions have dropped and cleared, and another rain should bring a fresh contingent of spring chinook. The current spring chinook limit is one wild fish a day as part of the two-chinook limit. The wild spring chinook limit is three a season. In the upper Rogue, winter steelhead are starting to scream over Gold Ray Dam, and look for catches to remain steady for the remainder of the month until anglers change over to spring chinook. As of April 1, 9,244 winter steelhead had crossed the dam, and that’s a fantastic number. Most have come in the past month, because migration has been slow due to low-water conditions. Out-flows from Lost Creek Lake were a paltry 736 cfs as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers struggles to get the reservoir closer to its regular spring filling schedule. Advertisement Rogue anglers can now keep up to one wild winter steelhead 24 inches or greater a day and no more than five wild steelhead a year. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, call 800-472-2434. APPLEGATE — The river is closed to all angling. CHETCO — The river is closed to all angling. UMPQUA — The Umpqua is pulling into good spring chinook fishing shape after high waters late last week, with catches good up to Elkton. The North Umpqua was starting to pull itself into fishing shape after a week of heavy rains, and winter steelhead catches should be best around Rock Creek. The South Umpqua is closed to steelhead angling. Sturgeon fishing remains slow in the lower river. COOS/COQUILLE — The four forks on the Coquille all close to winter steelhead fishing tonight, but the main-stem remains open. The main-stem Coos remains open for steelhead fishing, which is spotty. Striped bass have moved into the lower Coquille and have been caught as high as Arago. TENMILE — The creek remains open to winter steelhead fishing through April, and a few fresh fish can still be in the mix. Most of the steelhead, however, are spawned-out and heading back to sea. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — The lake opens to angling on April 23. HYATT — The lake opens to angling on April 23. DIAMOND — The lake opens to angling April 23. LOST CREEK — Trout fishing as well as small-mouth fishing have both improved. Trollers near the dam are doing well for rainbows, while most of the shallows have been producing good catches of small-mouth. A few brown trout have been taken in the far upper reaches of the reservoir while drifting the bottom with nightcrawlers. The lake is starting to fill more rapidly and is now less than 26 feet from full. The surface temperature remains a hair under 50 degrees. 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 small-mouth and large-mouth bass has been very good during the days, especially during the warmer weather. The shallow lake warms faster than most area waterways. Fishing for trout has improved. Crappie fishing remains poor, but the yellow perch are getting very active. ALL-SPORTS POND — The pond near Grants Pass recently was stocked with rainbow trout. APPLEGATE — Fishing for stocked chinook and rainbow trout around 12 inches long is fair during mid-day, especially on warmer days. Bass fishing is improving. No recycled winter steelhead have been stocked yet 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. No winter steelhead yet have been recycled from the Applegate River to the reservoir. No bass between 12 inches and 15 inches can be kept, and only one bass larger than 15 inches can be kept. EXPO POND — The pond has been stocked with rainbow trout. FISH — The lake is ice-free and boat anglers are doing well for rainbow trout. Ocean Outlook The ocean has remained rough off the Southern Oregon coast all week thanks to the recent series of rainstorms. Crabbing has been fair in the bays. Anglers can keep up to eight marine rockfish a day, and up to two lingcod over 24 inches a day. Surf perch were starting to get caught along the Winchuck beach as well as the open surf north of Coos Bay and the mouth of the Rogue River before the surf churned things up. Beaches around Port Orford, Gold Beach and Brookings remain closed for razor clam. To check for updates on the closure, call the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Shellfish Hotline at 800-448-2474. Hunting Outlook ROGUE — Turkey hunters out scouting for the start of the season April 15 report that the birds are already responding to calls. Early-season scouting can help track flocks well before the season opener. 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. DOUGLAS — Grouse and quail hunting has closed. 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. SUMMER LAKE WILDLIFE AREA — Wintering waterbird populations are still present and northward migrants are appearing in good numbers now. Migrant goose numbers (esp. snow geese) are in excess of 25,000. Early nesting Canada geese and mallards have paired and are beginning to establish nesting territories. Nesting Canada geese have been observed recently. Waterfowl and other waterbirds are widely dispersed throughout the Area taking advantage of excellent habitat conditions and very favorable weather. An influx of migrants, especially arctic nesting geese (lesser snow and greater white-fronted) and ducks is now occurring. Tundra swans are beginning to depart the area en route to northern staging areas and ultimately arctic breeding grounds. Snow geese are scattered in several flocks, with one large raft on Summer Lake. Major movements to feeding areas occur near dusk each day. Tule greater white-fronted geese are most numerous in the Gold Dike Impoundment. 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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