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51 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, April 12, 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 February 24, 2005 FISHING AND HUNTING REPORT River Outlook ROGUE — Winter steelhead fishing continues its string of poor days as low, clear and cold conditions continue their grip on steelhead and angling for them. Some decent fishing with roe for smaller steelhead and halfpounders is occurring in the Agness area, but poor conditions on both ends of the Rogue have kept winter steelhead catches very low for early February. The best bet is Agness, where driftboaters side-drifting roe are catching a mix of adult steelhead and halfpounders from Foster Bar downstream past the mouth of the Illinois. However, the fish tend to be small, with the adults averaging about 4 pounds. Also, some Rogue anglers are venturing into the lower Illinois to catch winter steelhead on puff balls because bait is illegal there. In the upper Rogue, extremely low flows have kept steelhead from migrating. The outflows have remained at 800 cubic feet per second of water out of Lost Creek Lake in an effort to save as much water now for release during hot-weather conditions in the spring and summer. Winter steelhead are trickling over Gold Ray Dam, with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife logging 1,182 winter steelhead through Friday. The fish are moving slowly; only 14 have reached Cole Rivers Hatchery. Catches are light throughout the upper Rogue, and angling is very poor at the Hatchery Hole. In the middle Rogue, anglers are also fighting very poor conditions. Flows at Grants Pass were less than 1,400 cfs of 44-degree water and the water really is gin clear. A few winter steelhead are getting caught daily, but they are skittish and tough to catch in low-water conditions. With the cold water, don’t even bother fishing until 10 a.m. because winter steelhead in cold weather keep bankers’ hours. 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. Downstream of Hog Creek, the wild-steelhead harvest began Jan. 1. Advertisement In the lower Rogue, water levels were so low and clear that plunking with Spin-Glo’s remained very poor this past week. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, call (800) 472-2434. APPLEGATE — Fresh winter steelhead are present in the lower river, and fishing has been fair to good at times with roe, single-egg flies and spoons. Flows out of Applegate Lake are down to 120 cubic feet per second — which is even lower than last week’s releases of 150 cfs. All wild steelhead must be released unharmed. No fishing from a floating device is allowed, and anglers should get permission before entering private property. CHETCO — Water levels were low and clear Wednesday, causing a drop-off in winter steelhead catches and effort. Look for plenty of fresh steelhead when the water rises and greens during the next rains. Most of the fish are in the 10-pound class, and roe is out-fishing plugs. Anglers may keep one wild winter steelhead a day as part of their two-fish daily limit, and no more than five wild steelhead per year. ELK/SIXES — Both rivers were very low and clear, making for poor winter steelhead fishing conditions and bad boating conditions. Driftboat traffic has halted until the river conditions change. Look for more fresh fish when river levels rise. UMPQUA — Anglers are hitting the deeper water of the main-stem Umpqua, where winter steelhead catches have been good with roe, plugs and occasionally flies. Low flows in the North Umpqua and South Umpqua have kept the fish from moving out of the main-stem river. Sturgeon fishing remains slow in the lower river. COOS/COQUILLE — Winter steelhead fishing has tapered off as low and clear water conditions have kept the fish from moving. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — The lake is closed for the season. HYATT — The lake is closed for the season. DIAMOND — The lake is closed for the season. LOST CREEK — Trout fishing remains slow, with very little effort as the reservoir remains on its filling curve. The lake is at its winter low for flood control. The lake’s surface temperature has warmed slightly to a hair under 43 degrees, leaving fishing still very slow for smallmouth bass. Trolling for trout during the afternoons can be good on sunny days, which draws the trout toward the surface. 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 smallmouth and largemouth 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 is sporadic. APPLEGATE — Fishing for stocked chinook and rainbow trout around 12 inches long is fair during mid-day, especially on warmer days. Bass fishing is very slow. No recycled winter steelhead have been stocked yet this season. Boat access at French Gulch is poor. 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 bass between 12 inches and 15 inches can be kept, and only one bass larger than 15 inches can be kept. Ocean Outlook Crabbing has improved as a lack of recent rains have created his salinity concentrations in the bays. This helps draw more crabs in. Coos and Winchester bays remain excellent crabbing locations. The ocean has re-opened for the recreational rockfish and lingcod catches, and effort has been light so far. Ocean conditions have been rough since the season re-opened Jan. 1, but look for effort and catches to improve once steelhead fishing slows down and choppy seas ease. Anglers can keep up to eight marine rockfish a day, and up to two lingcod over 24 inches a day. Beaches around Port Orford, Gold Beach and Brookings remain closed for razor clam. To check for updates on the closure, telephone the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Shellfish Hotline at 800-448-2474. Hunting Outlook ROGUE — Grouse and quail hunting seasons are over. 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. KLAMATH — Cougar hunters are reporting increasing success using predator calls. Most cougars are taken incidental to other pursuits, and hunters interested in harvesting a cougar are encouraged to have a cougar tag in their possession when hunting other species. BAKER — Coyote numbers remain relatively high and calling and trapping are effective methods. Hunters are reminded to obtain permission before hunting on private property. OCHOCO — Chukar populations are scattered with best opportunities on public lands along the canyon areas of the Crooked and John Day River Rivers . Increased coyote activity is reported on big-game winter ranges. Scout areas with wintering deer and antelope, and coyotes likely will be present or nearby. 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 last week northward migrants were noted. Tundra swan numbers remain good with almost 1,600 birds present on the last weekly count. Duck numbers increased to 7,100 and geese to over 1,400. Migrant greater white-fronted and lesser snow geese were detected during the past week. Wintering raptors can be found scattered throughout the Area as well as on private lands along Highway 31. Northern harriers are especially numerous over marsh and meadow areas and migrant bald eagles should become more numerous as waterfowl numbers increase. 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. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s