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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 20, 2006 Fishing and Hunting Report River Outlook ROGUE — Both extremes of the Rogue are getting the most interest from anglers either chasing fresh spring chinook salmon in the lower river or playing with the late-run winter steelhead in the upper river. The best bet, however, remains a pick-your-please question ... are you more interested in the chance to catch a fresh springer or content to hook several steelhead close to home? The spring run is starting to heat up this week in Gold Beach, which has seen a string of good catches in the lower six miles of the river. The most action has been on the outgoing tide and boat traffic remains minimal, but the Rogue Outdoor Store in Gold Beach reports of hearing of at least 20 salmon taken Monday and Tuesday. Bank anglers are also catching a few spring chinook as well. The middle Rogue has been something of a dud, with some bank angling for spring chinook in the Savage Rapids Dam and Rainie Falls area. Very little activity for winter steelhead in the area as well. Winter steelhead have been chugging over Gold Ray Dam by the hundreds daily in late March and early April, upping the count to almost 8,600 fish as of Monday, the most recent count by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. That’s still a tad under the 10-year average, but it’s a strong enough showing to make for some good days of late-season steelheading. Roe and plugs work best, but worms and corkies are a decent mid- day bet. Black and white plugs or crayfish patterns are good plug choices for driftboaters. There are lots of wild steelhead in the mix, and anglers can keep one wild steelhead 24 inches or longer and five a year through April 30, when rules revert to catch-and-release only for wild steelhead. Only 14 spring chinook have been counted over Gold Ray Dam through Monday Advertisement Flows at Dodge Bridge were at 2,680 cubic feet per second, while Gold Ray Dam flows were at 3,880 cfs and the river was at 4,600 cfs at Grants Pass. Because of rains that blew out the lower river Saturday, flows at Agness were still high at 9,200 cfs. For spring chinook, the wild chinook limit now is one per day and no more than three per 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 — Sturgeon fishing remains good in the estuary for oversized fish that all must be released unharmed. The main-stem river still has plenty of winter steelhead, with driftboat fishing concentrated in the Glide areas. Spring chinook fishing is slow in the main-stem. Fishing conditions have improved on the South Umpqua and the North Umpqua, where late-run winter steelhead have slowed due to cold water conditions. Anglers in the main-stem river are allowed to keep one wild steelhead a day and up to five per year as part of their legal limits. COOS — Winter steelhead fishing was slow in the Coos and Millicoma systems because of low, cold water conditions. The Charleston boat ramp is now open in the lower end of Coos Bay. COQUILLE — Late-season winter steelhead fishing was slow. ELK/SIXES — Both systems were closed to winter steelhead fishing. KLAMATH RIVER — Fishing for native redband trout has been very slow on flies and lures. River fishing from Keno Dam downstream to Topsy Reservoir is very slow due to high flows. Angling in the cold water reach from J.C. Boyle Dam to the powerhouse is fair for small redband trout, most of which are under 12 inches. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — The lake is ice-free but the water is very cold, which could make Saturday’s opener tough for trout anglers. Vary your depth and try everything from still fishing with worms or PowerBait to slow trolling of Triple Teasers with worms. The bass should not be very active. The lake’s limit remains five trout over 8 inches long per day, but only one of those trout can be over 20 inches long. HYATT — The lake remains iced-over and not an option for opening weekend. The lake’s limit remains five trout over 8 inches long per day, but only one of those trout can be over 20 inches long. DIAMOND — The lake remains iced-over and likely not open for at least two weeks. The lake’s limit remains five trout over 8 inches long per day, but only one of those trout can be over 20 inches long. LOST CREEK — The lake is 5 feet from full and the surface temperature has just hit 50 degrees, which make fishing conditions better for rainbow trout and improving for smallmouth bass. Trolling for trout is best near the dam and at points near the marina. Smallmouth bass fishing remains slow, but it should improve with warmer weather. A few people are starting to troll again for trout close to the surface. EMIGRANT — Trout fishing has started to pick up in the lower reaches of the reservoir, while panfish angling is starting to improve in the upper end in the willows. Mercury levels in smallmouth bass have led to warnings against eating anything but the lake’s trout. APPLEGATE — Trout fishing remains slow, as does bass and panfish. The low-water ramp at French Gulch is open. The lake is about 10 feet from full. 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. Also, no bass between 12 and 15 inches can be kept, and only one bass larger than 15 inches can be kept. WILLOW — The lake is ice-free and recently stocked with legal-sized and lunker-sized rainbow trout. The boat ramp and store are open Friday. ALL SPORTS POND — The pond was stocked recently with larger-than-normal rainbow trout, and fishing has remained good with worms and bobbers or PowerBait along the bottom. WHETSTONE — The pond at the Denman Wildlife Area was stocked again last week with legal-sized trout for last week’s kids derby. Adults and kids can fish the pond. Catch these trout with worms, small spinners and PowerBait. SELMAC — The lake near Selma was stocked recently with larger-than-normal rainbow trout, and catches were still good with worms or rainbow-colored PowerBait. KLAMATH/ AGENCY LAKES — Fishing for large redband trout is slow. Bank anglers around the south end of the lake and Algoma pond are using dead minnows and are starting to catch redband up to 9 pounds. Ocean Outlook Razor clam harvest remains closed along South Coast beaches. Crabbing has been very good in South Coast bays thanks to better salinity levels dragging the Dungeness inside. Lingcod fishing is excellent throughout the coast. Red tail perch and even lingcod are getting caught off the beach near Gold Beach as these species move closer to shore. The new aggregate limit is six marine rockfish a day. Hunting Outlook JACKSON/JOSEPHINE — The spring turkey season finally kicked into gear after bad weekend weather. The birds are most active right at dawn. Cougar hunters can expect an average year and will find greatest success using a predator call in areas that have good deer numbers. When snowfall occurs, hunters should look for fresh cougar tracks and pursue. Good cougar hunting opportunities exist throughout southwest Oregon. KLAMATH — The Keno area should be good for turkey hunters, who have had trouble getting birds active in the cold, wet conditions. Waterfowl hunting has closed. SUMMER LAKE — Waterfowl 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. CURRY — Gray whale migration is occurring, and some can be spotted from shore. Waterfowl are migrating on the coast, so look for them on local beaches and bays. Mud flats at low tide are like bird magnets this time of year. Aleutian Canada geese are passing along the coast toward wintering grounds in Northern California. Look for them around Cape Blanco. SUMMER LAKE — Wintering and resident raptors are scattered throughout the Summer Lake Wildlife Area. Falcons and eagles are generally abundant at this time. Last week’s bird count found less than 5,000 waterfowl at the wildlife area. 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