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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 26, 2005 Fishing and Hunting Report River Outlook ROGUE — The Rogue has pulled itself into good fishing conditions and spring chinook salmon are biting throughout the system, which is a rarity for the end of May. Action is running from the Hatchery Hole all the way to Elephant Rock just atop tidewater, but the middle Rogue is likely the top place to go. The best bet is the Savage Rapids Dam and Pearce Riffle area, where anglers have benefited from the de-watering of the fish ladders at Savage Rapids Dam while the Grants Pass Irrigation District prepares for the summer irrigation season. Bankies are faring well with beads and corkies, while bouncing roe has been good in the Boil Hole as well as the flatwater upstream of there. In the upper Rogue, counts over Gold Ray Dam have started coming, but the run so far hasn’t materialized quite yet. Through Tuesday, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife had counted just 4,046 spring chinook over the dam. That’s about half of what it should be at this time, but the run appears late. Anglers are hitting fish in migration lands of the upper Rogue, and the springers are just starting to hole up upstream of Shady Cove. Kwikfish and roe are working about equally well. The Hatchery Hole had a decent morning Wednesday, with more than a dozen fish coming out after the first couple hours of daylight. Effort and catch results, therefore, remain fair. Flows out of Lost Creek Lake are at 2,267 cubic feet per second — a solid late-May flow. The release temperature is just a hair under 50 degrees, which is fine for spring chinook fishing as long as the temperature remains stable. Advertisement The lower Rogue has had some very good days and some slow days, indicating that waves of fish are moving upstream on various tide sets. That’s typical of early April, indicating that the run could simply be late this year. A few good days were reported recently in the lower river all the way up to Agness, with bank fishing slowing dramatically in the past week. Flows at Grants Pass were good for spring chinook fishing Wednesday. The flows were about 3,200 cfs of 58-degree water. The river-wide limit for spring chinook now is up to two adults a day, but only one of those adults can be a non-finclipped wild fish. Only three wild spring chinook are allowed per angler per season. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, call 800-472-2434. The upper-Rogue reaches upstream of Lost Creek Lake are now open to angling, with catches poor amid heavy stream flows. APPLEGATE — The river opens to angling Saturday. A few late-run and spawned-out winter steelhead may be in the lower river, but these fish should be released unharmed. A mix of steelhead smolts are also present. Effort should be light. CHETCO — The river opens to fishing Saturday, but the absence of adult fish should make for light effort. UMPQUA — The Umpqua has been pulled into good shape for chinook fishing, which remains fair in the main-stem river. Sturgeon fishing has eased as the water has dropped and cleared, while shad fishing has picked up in the main-stem river. COOS/COQUILLE — Sturgeon fishing is fair to good in the lower Coos Bay near the Highway 101 bridge. Shad fishing is slow, but catches should improve when the river drops and warms. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — With the succession of storms finally over, the trout bite has picked up and steadied at the lake. Anglers are still doing well targeting rainbow trout in the 15-20 foot depths. Trollers are doing best on the east side of the lake, with night crawlers working well behind flashers and Tasmanian Devils also a productive choice. Bait fishermen are doing best around Buck Island and the Cheese Hole, focusing on water depths of 18 feet or less. Chartreuse PowerBait remains a lake favorite. The daily limit remains five trout per day, with an 8-inch minimum length. Only per day can be more than 20 inches. HYATT — Trout fishing has stabilized and remains good thanks to stable weather patterns. The larger trout are cruising the shallows in the morning and evening, allowing for good bait-fishing near snags and weed lines. Trollers can do well, provided they troll large Needlefish or Tasmanian Devil lures slowly in search of the bigger, predatory trout. The daily limit remains five trout per day, with an 8-inch minimum length. Only one of those trout per day can be more than 20 inches. DIAMOND — The lake is fishing very well for stocked rainbow trout. Limits have been taken in front of the Diamond Lake Lodge in 10 feet of water. Rainbow and pink PowerBait are top colors. Trollers working the east shoreline near Diamond Lake Campground "M" Loop boat ramp had good success recently using No. 2 red Needlefish lures. Trout to 22 inches have been caught. The daily limit remains five trout per day, with an 8-inch minimum length. Only one of those trout per day can be more than 20 inches. LOST CREEK — The lake is full pool and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now spilling more water than the lake is capturing. The surface temperature has climbed over 61 degrees, helping trigger an improved bass bite. Trollers are doing well for trout near the dam and the marina, while wind-drifting for trout is good near the lake water sources upstream of Peyton Bridge. The lake is open year-round for trout and bass fishing, with trout anglers out-numbering bass anglers throughout the cold-weather months. EMIGRANT — Fishing for smallmouth bass has been good early in the morning and late evenings around rock outcroppings and brush. The yellow perch remain dominant in the willow along the lake’s upper reaches. Trolling for trout is fair, while bank-fishing for trout has been good near the dam’s face. Crappie fishing remains poor. No excess adult winter steelhead will be stocked into the lake this year. ALL-SPORTS POND — The pond at Grants Pass was stocked last week for a Youth Angling Enhancement Program event last Saturday. The event is over, so adults can target these fish guilt-free as well as kids. Worms and PowerBait have worked best. APPLEGATE — The lake remains at full pool. Trout fishing is improving off the bank at Seattle Bar, and smallmouth bass fishing is good near the dam. A mix of trout and stocked spring chinook salmon are available year-round, and the Hart-Tish Park boat ramp is operational. No excess hatchery winter steelhead will be recycled into the lake this season. 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 winter steelhead will be released from the Applegate River to the reservoir this year. No bass between 12 and 15 inches can be kept, and only one bass larger than 15 inches can be kept. EXPO POND — The pond has been stocked with rainbow trout. FISH — The lake is fishing fair to good for rainbow trout. Ocean Outlook Surf perch have moved out of the Rogue River estuary because of the high, turbid flows. The ocean was rough and out of shape for fishing after 50 mph winds recorded Wednesday along the South Coast . The beaches coast-wide are now closed to razor clam digging. To check for updates on the closure, call the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Shellfish Hotline at 800-448-2474. Hunting Outlook ROGUE — Turkey hunters are getting good calling conditions for the last week of the season, which ends Tuesday evening. Late-season success can be good, especially if hunters can find birds that haven’t been worked hard by callers so far this season. Most birds remain on private lands surrounding the valley. Turkey tags are available throughout the season. Cougar hunters can expect an average year. Cougars are abundant throughout with indicators pointing to stable or increasing numbers and distribution. Hunting cougar is a challenge because these animals are very secretive, but harvest success is greatest adjacent to private land with high deer populations using a predator call. 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. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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