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CLEAR Temp: 50 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 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 September 26, 2002 Fishing & Hunting Report River Outlook ROGUE — The fall chinook salmon bite remains good from the lower Rogue near Agness all the way to Gold Ray Dam, the current deadline. Summer steelhead fishing is fair in the flies- only area and good around Grants Pass, while the early coho fishing has been very good for surprisingly big fish in the lower Rogue bay. Best bet for the weekend likely is late-run fall chinook in the Galice/Merlin areas, where the bite has been very good in the regular hot-spots like Taylor Canyon, the Morrison stillwater, Finley Bend and Griffin Park. Bank and boat fishing are good, with boaters using size No. 15 Kwikfish to great success. Most of the fish are turning dark, but they are congregating in larger schools near spawning beds and the males are getting quite aggressive. In the Agness area, good schools of fresh and large fall chinook have moved through and are holding in spots along the lower section of the Wild and Scenic stretch as well as holes from Foster Bar down to the Quosatana area. Halfpounder steelhead fishing has been good in the Agness areas on worms, Panther Martin spinners and streamer flies, but the catches of adult steelhead have tapered off. Summer steelhead fishing is good in the Grants Pass area, but catches have risen lately because more people are starting to target the steelhead. In the bay, trolling anchovies with spinner blades in front of them has been good for late-run fall chinook and the fresh schools of surprisingly large coho. Green and chartreuse blades are best colors for the chinook, but those with splashes of pink will work great for the chinook and coho together. Only fin-clipped coho may be kept as part of the limit of two salmon/steelhead a day. In the upper Rogue, water flows of about 900 cubic feet per second out of Lost Creek Lake make for low-water boating conditions and good fly-fishing for steelhead. Nymphs are out-producing streamers and will continue to do so as water release temperatures continue to drop. COOS/COQUILLE — Fishing for fall chinook salmon has been very good, with catches of fish 25-35 pounds caught regularly upstream of Coquille. Just outside the jetties at the river mouth, however, has been excellent for trolling and mooching with anchovies. Recent modifications to the inland salmon fishing regulations allow chinook angling in the Coquille from the tips of the jetties up to the South Fork. Night fishing for striped bass in the lower Coquille has been good recently as well. UMPQUA — Steelhead fishing is slow in the main-stem, while fall chinook fishing remains only fair so far. Most of the main-stem angling now is for smallmouth bass, which is excellent in the Elkton and Roseburg areas. Smallmouth bass fishing is also good to very good in the lower sections of the South Umpqua, which is also open to rainbow trout fishing. In the North Umpqua, summer steelhead fishing is fair in the all-angling and the fly-only sections. The fly-only section is restricted to single-point unweighted flies. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — Trout fishing has changed with the recent snap of hot weather. Still-fishing is best in 20-30 feet of water with PowerBait, and trolling has slowed after a hearty start last week. This spring’s fingerling plant are just shy of the 8-inch minimum length, and they are very plentiful. It is not uncommon to catch 20-30 smaller trout for every one or two large fish now. The daily limit is five trout 8 inches or longer, with only one allowed to be more than 20 inches long. HYATT — Trout fishing is fair in deeper water near the dam, with still-fishing best. Worms, single salmon eggs and PowerBait are all working. Bass fishing is good with small lures, with the Orchard Hole one of the more popular spots. The daily limit is five trout 8 inches or longer, with only one allowed to be more than 20 inches long. DIAMOND — The mouth of Silent Creek has been good for rainbow trout, with a mixed bag of the 2-pound trout as well as the pan-sized legals stocked earlier in the year. The chinook salmon are also present and contributing to the catches, chiefly for bait anglers. Rainbow and Spring Green colors of PowerBait are the top choices among Diamond Lake anglers this summer. The most effective tactic is using 4-pound test leader with an egg sinker and very small hook so the fish do not feel any tension until they swallow the bait. For trollers, early morning and late evening is good for those slowly trolling a No. 2 Needlefish or a No. 7 Rapala, with chub-looking lures the best. The daily limit is five trout more than 8 inches long, but only one can be more than 20 inches long. LOST CREEK — Trout fishermen moved back into the upper portions of the reservoir because of the hot weather, but catches near the water intake tower and around the marina remain good. The lake has dipped another foot this past week. The smallmouth bass bite is good around rock points and ledges, but most action is trolling or bank fishing for trout. Angling access off the water intake tower, along the southeast corner of the dam and along the dam’s upper face is open again. 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. APPLEGATE — Trout fishing and smallmouth bass fishing are both good, but effort there remains light. Smallmouth bass are thick along the face of the dam and around debris piles, with trout in deep water off points. The creeks are all open to trout angling, but be careful to make sure you are fishing only in the Oregon side of the streams. Even though the area is accessible only through Oregon, a California angling license is needed in the upper Carberry Creek areas. EMIGRANT — Bass fishing is fair, with trout fishing fair to good around cool-water creek mouths and in the deeper holes near the northern end of the lake. Ocean Outlook The troll season off the mouth of the Chetco opens Tuesday and should be excellent right in front of the mouth as well as the surf near the Winchuck River beach. Troll large herring or anchovies slowly near the bottom. The limits are one chinook per day, no more than four fish per season. The fishery will run through Oct. 13 or if a 1,000-fish quota is reached, which is possible if the season starts with calm weather. Barbless hooks are required, and the minimum size for chinook is 20 inches. Catches in the Chetco bay have been poor so far this year, but bait fish are starting to move into the estuary and the salmon will soon follow once weather conditions ease. Rockfish fishing was good when weather conditions have allowed, but most of the action is for salmon. Anglers may keep one lingcod a day over 24 inches, with the maximum size restriction lifted. However, of the 10-fish rockfish limit, only one can be a canary rockfish. Hunting Outlook ROGUE — Hot weather has most of the deer at high elevations and on north-facing slopes near timber and water. Buck ratios are good going into the rifle season, which starts Saturday, but look for a light harvest until cooler weather moves in. Early season hunting should be best for those driving deer out of heavy cover, or those working mature timber stands. Extreme fire danger has several fire restrictions in place, and several roads in the Hershberger Peak/ Rabbit Ears area are closed because of tree-sitting protests of an ongoing logging operation. Bear hunters are finding bruins either at very high elevations or in low foothills near residences, food sources and water. The regions around the various wildfire areas are also thick with bears displaced by fire. PRINEVILLE — Deer hunters can expect tough hunting conditions from hot and dry weather, with success likely to be low. But buck numbers are very food in the Maury, Ochoco and Grizzly units, so success should improve with a change of weather. Dove hunting has slowed because recent cold weather pushed many of the birds out of the area. However, agricultural lands around Prineville and Madras, as well as the Crooked River National Grasslands, offer the best chances for success. Much of this will involve private lands where access may be difficult. Forest grouse opportunities will be best on heavier forested north slopes of the Lookout Mountain and Paulina Ranger districts. Check with the Ochoco National Forest at (541) 416-6500 regarding access and camping restrictions. KLAMATH — Good numbers of doves still remain around the basin. Good numbers of bears and cougars exist in the Cascades. Cougars can be found scattered throughout the county. Deer hunting should be slow because of hot and dry forest conditions. U.S. Timberlands has closed its land in Klamath and Lake counties, taking 600,000 acres out of public access. That has forced hunters to crowd into the Winema and Fremont national forestlands and the federal Bureau of Land Management lands that remain open. SUMMER LAKE — Some mule deer hunting will take place on the northern end of the wildlife area, but success should be low. GRANT — Overall deer numbers are down, but the buck ratios are holding, and larger bucks are still a large component. Desolation Unit fires are producing excellent forage. There are areas within East Murderer’s Creek and West Beulah units that are closed to public use due to fire. Check with the Forest Service for maps of those fire perimeters. Forest Grouse are fairly abundant, with ruffed grouse hanging around water sources such as springs, creeks and rivers. Blue grouse will remain congregated on open ridgetops and in dense forest stands. Most mourning dove hunting is occurring along watery ravines below Picture Gorge and Monument. HEPPNER — Deer numbers are down from previous years, and fewer yearling bucks are expected this year. Hunters are reminded that certain private lands are closed to hunting in the Heppner Unit, and hunters should always seek permission before entering. Fewer blue grouse have been found thus far this fall, and hunters should expect somewhat lower success this season. Ruffed grouse production appears to be similar to previous years with birds being found throughout the forested area. Hunters with dogs and who are willing to cover much area should have a fair opportunity for birds. Fewer doves were counted this summer in the Heppner area and hunting is expected to be poor. Better hunting is expected to the north in the Hermiston and Boardman agricultural areas. Hunters should seek permission before entering private lands. UMATILLA — Due to drought conditions, deer are concentrated near green feeding areas and will be found in different locations than normal. Moderately good fawn survival last spring in the Walla Walla, Mount Emily and Ukiah units should provide good numbers of young bucks for hunters this season. NORTH COAST — Most private lands on the north coast are closed to all public entry at this point due to high fire danger. Access is still open on all public lands but could change with continued dry weather. Black-tailed deer hunters should find low success in part because deer numbers are down and forest conditions make stalking very difficult. Hunters seeking bears should watch forest openings and clearcuts in the early morning. Bears will make increasing use of berry patches as the fruit ripen. Predator calls may be used with some success on bears. Finding an active area with fresh sign of bears and having patience are keys to more successful calling of bears. 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. SUMMER LAKE — Large numbers of migrant waterfowl are beginning to congregate on the Summer Lake Wildlife Area. Most ducks were still in eclipse plumage, and are hard to identify since drakes have yet to attain their bright and brilliant winter colors. Canada geese are dispersed widely throughout in marsh areas and on reflooded hayfields on private lands. White-fronted geese are scattered throughout the area and snow geese are beginning to arrive. Resident bald and golden eagles can sometimes be viewed hunting over the wildlife area, and locally nesting and migrant peregrine and prairie falcons have been observed recently. Sandhill cranes are departing from the area, but a few birds can still be found . 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