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40 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, November 26, 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 Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley 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 May 20, 2004 Fishing and Hunting Report River Outlook ROGUE — Spring chinook salmon fishing should improve as this week’s rains add some depth and color to the river. And it couldn’t have come at a better time because anglers from Gold Beach to the Hatchery Hole are awaiting for the good springer fishing to occur as forecast earlier this year. The best bet for springers remains the upper Rogue’s Hatchery Hole, where anglers continue to hook fish consistently despite relatively low numbers of springers in the upper Rogue so far. Gold Ray Dam fish counts updated Monday by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife show the migration is on. Though the run-to-date total was a sparse 4,115 adults, 722 of those migrated into the upper Rogue that day alone. Look for that to continue as more anglers report strong schools of salmon moving from Gold Hill to the river mouth. But getting them to bite has been the problem. Catches remain light in the lower Rogue, where low and clear water has left spring chinook skittish. A few have been caught by boat and bank anglers daily, but the 63-degree water is generally too warm for a good spring chinook bite in Gold Beach. In the middle Rogue, decent catches have occurred this week among bank anglers below Savage Rapids Dam and at Finley Bend, but boat angling is pretty slow for this time of year. However, improved water conditions should increase catches beginning today. Bank anglers are using a mixture of red, orange and chartreuse beads; boat anglers are faring better on roe than Kwikfish. In the upper Rogue, catches at the Hatchery Hole have been the best, with boat anglers spread out and doing fair. Look for a good spring chinook bite to explode in the upper Rogue within two weeks. Advertisement With Lost Creek Lake now full, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is passing in-flow. On Wednesday, that meant 2,963 cubic feet per second of water, an increase of about 500 cfs over the past week. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, telephone 1-800-472-2434. Remember, all wild steelhead must be released unharmed for the remainder of the year. The upper Rogue is loaded with coho salmon and steelhead smolts, which are classified as trout at this time. However, legal trout fishing resumes Saturday on the Rogue downstream of the hatchery. APPLEGATE RIVER — The river opens to angling Saturday, and there should be a mix of late winter steelhead as well as steelhead smolts, some rainbow trout and some cutthroats. All wild fish must be released unharmed. For late winter steelhead, the far lower stretch of the river likely will be best. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — Trout fishing remains excellent for both trollers and still-fishermen. Morning trollers are taking about an hour or so to catch their limits. Trolling in the early morning is best in the top 12 feet of water, with a No. 2 Red Dot Frog Needlefish, red Midge Wobblers, and any of the natural-colored Tasmanian Devils working best. Nightcrawlers behind flashers also work well. Move to deeper water after 10 a.m. Still-fishermen are starting in waters 10 to 15 feet deep early in the morning, but by 10 a.m. they are working in the 30- to 35-foot range. Velveeta cheese and light colored Powerbait are the most productive baits, although a lot of people are picking fish up on red eggs as well. The limit remains five trout a day, with only one over 20 inches a day allowed. HYATT — The lake is sporting better-than-average trout fishing, with trolling and still-fishing generating excellent catches. The early-season water is warmer than it is most years, meaning the trout are far more active than in typical late Aprils. Still-fishing with PowerBait will be best, while worms and single salmon eggs are good back-ups. The limit remains five trout a day, with only one over 20 inches a day allowed. DIAMOND — The lake is fishing well for stocked rainbow trout and chinook salmon, with trolling Rapala, Needlefish and Flat Fish lures excellent choices. Another 3,500 Desert Springs trout were released last week into the lake at the resort, and these fish will be available immediately for anglers. Another batch is due next Wednesday. Fish as large as 18¼ pounds have been taken so far this month. Rainbow colored PowerBait and nightcrawlers also worked well along the south end. The limit remains five trout a day, with only one over 20 inches a day allowed. LOST CREEK — Trout and bass fishing remains good as water levels remain stable and the surface temperature hovers around 57 degrees. Bank fishing remains good for trout with PowerBait near the Takelma ramp and off the intake tower. Trolling for trout is good near the base of the dam and off points near the Lost Creek Lake Marina, with early morning fishing the best. For smallmouth, focus on rocky points and the underwater rocks that will later become islands as the water level drops. The lake is open year-round for trout and bass fishing, with trout anglers out-numbering bass anglers throughout the cold-weather months. APPLEGATE — Fishing for trout is improving at Seattle Bar and around the rim at the far end of the lake. Trolling flies or worms is best. Bass fishing has improved around willows, submerged trees and rocky points. 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. FISH — Trout fishing is picking up as the lake warms. Fish are primarily in the shallows during the morning, then moving into deeper water during the day. WILLOW — Fishing for trout and bass is improving as warmer weather comes in. Bass are hovering off points and along weedlines. LAKE of the WOODS — Fishing for rainbow and brown trout is starting to pick up. Trolling for brown trout has picked up as the water temperature has increased, but it’s still a tad slow. The resort and marina are open Thursday through Sunday. EMIGRANT — Smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing remains good, with fishing best off rocky points and even within the willows. Bluegill and perch fishing is very good in the willows as water levels continue to drop. The lake is open year-round to angling. Ocean Outlook The ocean out of Brookings and Gold Beach was excellent for fishing this week, with light swells and light winds. Bottomfishing has been excellent, with good catches of lingcod still in the mix. The ocean recreational salmon season opened Saturday with lots of boats working out of Brookings. However, catches of chinook salmon were light. Most of the fish are far offshore and in very deep waters not normally touched by recreational anglers. Catches should improve weekly for chinook. The fin-clipped coho season does not start until June 19. Surf perch fishing at Winchuck Beach near the California border and at Nesika Beach just north of Gold Beach remains good, and catches should get better now through June. Clam necks and mussels are good baits, and the fish will aggressively attack bright streamer flies in calmer surf. Hunting Outlook ROGUE — Spring turkey hunting remains strong, but stormy mornings have kept the birds quiet. However, birds are gobbling on warmer days and even calm afternoons. The turkey season runs through May, and tags are available throughout the hunt. Up to three tags are allowed in Jackson and Josephine counties. Spring black bear hunting is open throughout most of the western units that have black bear hunts, and that includes the Rogue and Applegate units. Bears are starting to get more active. Look for bears in calving and fawning areas. The season runs through June 15. KLAMATH — Turkey hunting has been fair in the Keno area, chiefly because of improved weather. 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. NORTHWEST — Brown pelicans are common along the northern Oregon Coast in the fall. They can be seen roosting along the south jetty of the Columbia River, and on many offshore rocks along the coast. They are also frequently seen feeding in estuaries. 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