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Click Here 60 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, March 6, 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 February 12, 2004 Fishing and hunting report River Outlook ROGUE — Winter steelhead fishing has slowed some this past week, primarily because of poorer angling conditions and not because of a lack of fish. Steelhead are present throughout the river now, but catches have dropped because of low, cold and clear water. However, look for an explosion in catches over the weekend if rains raise and warm the river as well as give it some color. The best bet, though, remains the Grants Pass area, but it’s primarily by default. Flows at Grants Pass dropped to 2,400 cubic feet per second and the water was a frigid 43 degrees, down four degrees since last weekend. That often puts the steelhead off the bite. Catches remain fair in the Whitehorse Riffle area, as well as near the mouth of the Applegate River. However, everyone west of the Rockies seems to know this, and the pressure was extensive last weekend. If you don’t feel like fighting the crowds, drag roe and puffballs through the deeper canyon waters farther downstream. Fish bankers’ hours now; with the cold weather, there’s no use in getting up early and freezing in a metal boat because the fish will bite off and on all day. The upper Rogue is starting to see the beginning of an excellent winter steelhead run. Through Sunday, 2,199 winter steelhead had been counted over Gold Ray Dam since Jan. 1. That’s an excellent early showing. However, the water conditions are cold, clear and low, with just 1,116 cfs of water coming out of Lost Creek Lake now. Fish roe, concentrating on the deeper and slower riffles of the upper Rogue. When the river rises and colors, look for excellent catches of a mix of late summer steelhead, early winter steelhead (among which there are good numbers of hatchery fish) and spawned-out wild summer steelhead heading downstream. In the lower Rogue, anglers plunking with large Spin-Glos have done poorly lately in the gin-clear water. The fish continue to migrate upstream, but they are moving slower and favoring deeper water not normally associated with plunking. Boat anglers side-casting roe and working the deeper runs have been consistently picking up fish, and some fly-fishing is fair with streamers and heavy sinking lines in the deeper, slower water. Nymphing is also fair. In the lower Rogue Canyon, steelhead fishing has remained fair amid similarly poor water conditions. Advertisement The entire Rogue is open to the harvest of up to one wild steelhead over 24 inches a day, and no more than five a year. The total daily limit is two fish. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, telephone 1-800-472-2434. APPLEGATE RIVER — Winter steelhead catches have slowed dramatically riverwide amid low and clear water conditions, and the fish are starting to either stack in deeper pool refuges or dart erratically in riffles. Now is a good time for spoon fishing, with those tumbling lures down through the pools faring well. Releases from Applegate Lake were a sparse 148 cubic feet per second of 41-degree water. Neither number is angling-friendly. If the river rises and warms amid the expected rains, go straight to worms and corkies or single-egg flies and nymph flies. Catches will improve as the water rises, and fresh fish will be drawn in from the Rogue. Without the rains, the pickings will be tough. 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 has slowed due to low and clear water conditions. The main stem has slowed for plunkers, but the South Umpqua is fair to good in the lower end for driftboat anglers side-casting roe. ELK/SIXES — Winter steelhead catches have been fair recently due to low and clear water conditions. The steelhead are well spread out in both river systems. 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 recently in the Coos and Millicoma systems, with some fly-fishermen faring well on single egg or nymph patterns. Effort has been light, but catches should increase with rain. COQUILLE — Winter steelhead fishing has slowed in the South Fork downstream from Powers, where water conditions are low and clear. Bait is out-producing plugs. CHETCO — The river was low and dropping, but the river has kept some color to it thanks to a slide in the Ice Box area. Small clusters of roe are the best offerings. The fish are well spread out, and most good catches came from driftboaters floating from Miller Bar to the Market take-out. Roe was outproducing plugs. A few spawned-out steelhead are starting to show up in the catch, but most fish remain fresh now. 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. SILTCOOS — The lake is closed to angling for wild coho salmon. TAHKENITCH — The lake is now closed to angling for wild coho salmon. LOST CREEK — The lake level continues to rise daily as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins the process of filling the reservoir, and that’s causing the trout to go off the bite at times. Pressure is light, and most of the effort is centered at the reservoir’s lower end. 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. The lake’s surface temperature dropped again to 41 degrees Wednesday. APPLEGATE — Few people are fishing for rainbow trout or bass, but good smallmouth fishing can be had on calm and sunny afternoons near the dam. Worms, small crankbaits and grubs all work. Trolling for stocked coho is slow. The lake is open year-round, but most of the reservoir is muddy. EMIGRANT — Fishing for stocked winter steelhead has slowed as most fish have moved out of the lake and into tributaries, mostly on private land. Water levels are low and somewhat muddy, so catches and effort remain light. The lake is open year-round to angling. SELMAC — The lake is scheduled to be stocked next week with 4,400 legal-sized rainbow. Ocean Outlook The ocean out of Brookings was smooth the past three days and bottomfishing was very good Wednesday. Two charterboats were working the reefs Wednesday, and two others remained in port for repairs. Those should be back on the water next week. Jigging for black and blue rockfish was excellent, as were catches of lingcod. The coast is open to the harvest of shellfish, with no species limited due to health risks. Crabbing is excellent again coast-wide, thanks to high salinity in estuaries triggered by the general lack of recent rainfall. Brookings, Port Orford and deep-water bays such as Coos Bay sport the best estuary opportunities because they hold their higher salinity levels longer than shallow estuaries, but places like Bandon, Brookings and Port Orford are good bets for crabbing now. Remember, a shellfish license is now needed for crabbing and clamming. Hunting Outlook ROGUE — Predator hunting is good, with coyote pelts near their prime. Use predator calls near clearcuts. Only a hunting license is needed for coyotes. Hunters with furbearer licenses can also call in bobcats, focusing on clearcuts or areas where deer, elk or cattle congregate. Evening is best. BAKER — Cougar populations continue to increase. Tracking and calling should be good around concentrations of deer. This technique should work especially well after snow covers the winter ranges. Coyote hunting is good this time of the year. The use of predator calls is an effective technique. Good hunting can be found throughout the county especially on deer winter ranges. Be sure to ask permission to hunt on private property. 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. SUMMER LAKE — Waterfowl seasons are over. 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 can be recahed via a paved, wheelchair-accessible pathway. It is located 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. 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. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! 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