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69 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, September 28, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds 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 Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 16, 2004 Anglers still not happy with bait-bans on upper Rogue By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Bait fishermen promised to continue fighting fall bait-bans on the upper Rogue River, saying a compromise ruling issued Friday does not go far enough to settle the issue. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission doubled the area open to bait-fishing for steelhead Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 on the upper Rogue beginning next year. The new deadline will shift downstream from the Rogue Elk boat ramp to the ramp at Shady Cove Park. Fishing will remain open to flies and lures only Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 from the Shady Cove ramp downstream to Gold Ray Dam. The change goes into effect Jan. 1 and is set for review before the 2009 season. The compromise allows anglers and river guides a full day’s fall bait-fishing float from the ramp at Cole Rivers Hatchery to Shady Cove. The current fall bait-fishing area is a half-day trip. Advertisement "It’s better than nothing, and I ought to be happy," said Roger King, one of the organizers of a group trying to lift the 4-year-old ban. "But I just feel sick." King said his group will seek an alternative venue to get the bait ban rescinded instead of waiting for the next scheduled review in 2008. We’re not planning to wait four years," King said. "There has to be a way around this, but we don’t know what it is yet." Meeting Friday in Salem, the commission also refused to rescind the ban on bait in the lower Rogue Canyon from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31. The 4-year-old ban was set as a way to reduce hooking mortality on wild summer steelhead half-pounders. "That, to me, was the critical one — protecting summer steelhead half-pounders," said Tony Brauner of the Southern Oregon Fly Fishers, which opposed lifting the bans. The commission voted unanimously for the upper Rogue compromise. Bait-fishing groups had balked at it, instead pointing to an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife opinion that the ban does little to protect wild steelhead from catch-and-release mortality. As a social issue, the commission sought a compromise. "There was enough controversy on both sides not to eliminate (the ban) entirely," said commission Vice Chairman Don Denman, who many bait- fishermen blame for the ban. "This, at least, solves the dilemma of the guides and others who want a full day’s drift." The compromise garnered virtually no support in a White City public hearing last spring and was on a list of don’t-pass proposals until Denman had it taken off the kill list in August. Brauner, however, said he believed there was more public support for a compromise than what was aired at the meeting. King alleged that Denman orchestrated the compromise and that bait-fishing interests never had a fair chance. "It’s still a good-ol’-boy club," King said. "The whole place is run by Don Denman, and (other commissioners) just follow the leader Denman denied the claim, saying he had no idea what his fellow commissioners thought about the proposals before Friday’s discussion. "People have to realize these (commissioners) are bright, intelligent folks and you just don’t get your way with them," Denman said. "I tried to keep an open mind and look at both sides right until the end." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] 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 ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities