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CLEAR Temp: 27 °F Wind: S at 4 mph Monday, February 10, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend January 30, 2003 Fishing and Hunting Report River Outlook ROGUE — Winter steelhead fishing could be very good beginning today and through the weekend if the rains forecast for Southern Oregon don’t hit as hard as originally believed. If the rain holds off, look for good catches of winter steelhead from the Grants Pass area all the way down to tidewater. But enough rain on the melting snow could keep the river high and too muddy for most angling for several more days. That was the case last week, when rains swelled and dirtied the Rogue enough that little or no angling for winter steelhead occurred since Saturday. Conditions were pulling back into good shape Wednesday, meaning today and Friday could be very good from the Grants Pass area on down. Use roe and orange puffballs, concentrating on near-shore areas where the water flows are deeper and a bit slower, as well as the heads of pools. Fresh winter steelhead could be on the move. The Merlin area could continue as a hot-spot for steelhead fishing for those using roe. Expect lots of interest in waters from the mouth of the Applegate River on down, where catches are often better at this time of year because anglers can target not only the Rogue fish but also those headed into the lower Applegate. Water flows from the Applegate River, however, remain high and that can dampen success in the Whitehorse Park area. In the lower Rogue, some good catches of winter steelhead were reported Wednesday from angling plunking very close to the bank. Boat traffic was slowed because of the high and dirty water, but conditions were improving by the hour. Use Spin- Glo’s at plunking hot-spots like Lobster Bar, Quosatana Creek and Dunkelberger Bar. Anglers are allowed to keep one wild steelhead over 24 inches a day, and up to five a year, now on the lower Rogue from the river mouth to Whiskey Creek near Rainie Falls. The wild-fish rule kicks in for the rest of the Rogue on Saturday. In the upper Rogue, a few late-run summer steelhead and are still available for catching, but most of these fish are dark and should be released unharmed. Bait-fishing is allowed again in the upper Rogue, and will remain open until fall. The Hatchery Hole is only fair for late-run summer steelhead and coho, but most of the fish are dark. No more hatchery summer steelhead will be recycled in the upper Rogue this season. Flows out of Lost Creek lake crept up Wednesday to 2,939 cubic feet per second. That’s nice and low for angling conditions. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, telephone 1-800-472-2434. APPLEGATE — The river was still high and virtually unfishable this week for winter steelhead, but fresh fish were present Wednesday throughout most of the lower stretch. When the Applegate gets winter steelhead in early January, it usually indicates that the run will be very good to excellent. The water releases from Applegate Lake were high — 1,907 cubic feet per second — on Wednesday. When the water drops and clears, look for excellent steelheading from the town of Applegate on down. The high flows will drag the early fish upstream of Murphy Dam, so anglers will be able to spread out as well. All wild steelhead must be released unharmed. No fishing from floating devices is allowed. CHETCO — The river was high but just pulling into fishing shape Wednesday afternoon. Winter steelhead fishing could be very good Friday and Saturday, but another storm front is forecast for the region this weekend. If the rains are light, look for steelhead from the forks all the way to tidewater. Roe and puffballs always out-produce plugs in high water, so concentrate on drift-fishing from driftboats. Anglers may keep one wild winter steelhead a day, and up to five wild steelhead a year, under new bag limits. ILLINOIS — Winter steelhead fishing was slow this week because of high water flows, but look for large adult fish to be spread throughout the system as soon as the stream levels drop and clear. The Illinois is open only to catch-and-release fishing, with only artificial flies and lures allowed. No bait is allowed. COOS/COQUILLE — Winter steelhead are present and bountiful on both river systems, but high flows have hampered recent successes. When water levels in the Coquille drop, focus on catching winter steelhead in the North and South forks, with roe and plugs out-producing flies. ELK/SIXES — Both streams were high and in poor shape for winter steelhead fishing this week, but look for solid catches as soon as the water drops and clears — possibly by Friday. Anglers can now keep one wild winter steelhead a day, and up to five a year, from the Elk and Sixes. UMPQUA — Winter steelhead fishing is slow in the all-angling section and the fly-only section, but catches are fair for fresh winter steelhead in the main-stem river from the forks downstream to Scottsburg. In the South Umpqua, winter steelhead fishing is good in the lower stretch, and just fair in the Tiller area. Lake Outlook LOST CREEK — Fishing for rainbow trout is fair near the dam, with trolling a good bet now that the water levels have steadied around 43 degrees on the lake’s surface. No adult steelhead will be released into the lake this year over concerns about possibly contaminating lake water with viruses that could get into Cole Rivers Hatchery just downstream of the dam. The daily limit is five trout at least 8 inches long, but only one trout over 20 inches. For bass, the limit is five a day with no more than three over 15 inches long, but most bass fishing is catch and release. Angling is open year-round. APPLEGATE — Trout fishing is fair for those trolling points and coves, while the smallmouth bass bite remains fair near the dam’s face. Bass anglers are reminded that they cannot keep any bass between 12 inches and 15 inches, and just one bass longer than 15 inches can be part of the five-bass daily limit. The lake is open year-round. EMIGRANT — Fishing is fair for the 3,500 adult summer steelhead transplanted last week into the lake, with a variety of methods working. Some people trolling small spinners with worms are picking up steelhead, while a few are getting them still-fishing with worms and bobbers from the dam or from boats scattered along the lake. The fish are starting to congregate near the mouth of Emigrant Creek and in the creek’s lower section, which is open for angling year- round. All adult steelhead stocked into the lake are legally considered trout and can be kept as part of the regular trout bad limit of five a day, but only one of those can be over 20 inches long. Ocean Outlook Ocean-fishing effort continues to be slow because of high and rough seas. Some shore anglers on the central coast targeted lingcod and perch during the week, but fishing was slow. Anglers in Coos Bay are landing some perch pile perch under bridges and near docks. Bottom fishing should be good when rough conditions break. Crabbing was very good at Coos Bay and Winchester Bay, where dropping river levels have remained high but bay salinity has held stable. The daily limit is 12 male crabs. Hunting Outlook GENERAL — Hunting opportunities are starting to get limited now that the main big-game, upland game-bird and waterfowl seasons are over. The season for common snipe remains open through Feb. 23 statewide and the crow season is open through Friday statewide. Chuckar, Hungarian partridge and California quail seasons are open in eastern Oregon (except Morrow and Umatilla counties) through Friday evening. Eastern Oregon upland seasons are closed. Northwest Oregon goose hunters should check the regulations for open areas and take note that goose hunting on Sauvie Island is closed for the season. The 2003 general cougar season is open statewide for those hunters with a 2003 hunting license and cougar tag. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife reminds hunters and anglers to buy their 2003 license and tags before making plans to go afield. ROGUE — Duck and goose seasons are over, so there is very little hunting activity now in Jackson and Josephine counties. However, there are some antlerless elk hunts in the Evans Creek and Rogue foothills areas through March, with small numbers of tags already allocated through the controlled-hunt drawing process last summer. Cougars are secretive and difficult to hunt, but numbers are high in Southwestern Oregon. The best method of finding cougars is by predator calls in areas with good deer numbers. UMPQUA — Duck and goose hunting was fair before the season closed last weekend. There remains some limited-entry hunting for antlerless elk throughout Douglas County, but tag numbers are limited and they were all allocated through last summer’s limited-entry draw. BAKER — Cougar season in the Blue Mountain Zone is open. Cougar numbers appear to be increasing, and hunters should look for animals where deer and elk are congregating on winter range. Coyotes are abundant. Be sure to ask permission to hunt on private properties. KLAMATH — Cougar-hunting conditions are improving with more typical winter weather. A few cougar have been taken in the county. A combination of snow tracking and predator calling are the best methods to employ. Most furbearer seasons are under way. Consult ODFW’s "Furbearer and Hunting Regulations" for details. Bobcat and river otter must be checked in at ODFW offices. 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 located on Whetstone Pond, just north of the ODFW office. KLAMATH — Viewing opportunities remain good throughout the Klamath Basin. A fair number of tundra swans still remain in the Klamath Basin. Be sure to look for any trumpeter swans that are larger than the tundra swans. More winter weather should improve viewing for bald eagles as they congregate in the Klamath Basin, most notably in the state line area near the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Fair numbers of rough-legged hawks can be viewed in pastures and fields hunting for rodents. SUMMER LAKE — Since most game bird hunting seasons are closed many species will be easier to view. Fair numbers of wintering waterfowl, are scattered throughout the Summer Lake Wildlife Area now, and early breeding species such as Canada geese and mallards are beginning to pair up and search for territories. Most passerine species have departed, but a few wintering species, especially song sparrows and marsh wrens can be found throughout the marsh in tall emergent vegetation. Sparrows and other passerines can be found at wildlife area headquarters, the rest area and at homestead sites where they are attracted to the tree and shrub cover found at those locations. The major dike roads (Bullgate, Windbreak and Work roads) and the tour loop are now open to motor vehicle traffic and will remain that way until March 15, when they are closed to reduce disturbance to nesting and migrant waterbirds. NORTH COAST — Elk are on Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area consistently during daylight hours, especially morning and evening. Several different herds occupy the various parts of the area, with the herd of larger bulls generally in the western-most portion. Gray whales are migrating south along the Oregon coast from their summering grounds off Alaska to the Baja, California, area where they winter. Whales can be seen from prominent coastal heads such as Cascade Head, Cape Lookout, Cape Meares and Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S