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FISHING REPORT Fishing Report: Friday, April 15 By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Apr. 15, 2016 @ 12:01 am By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Apr. 15, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> OCEAN OUTLOOK COASTWIDE: Ocean anglers took a hit this week when Wednesday and Thursday storms roiled near-shore waters and high winds battered the coast. No advisories were issued Thursday for this weekend, so that's a start. But 15-knot winds and 11-foot swells are forecast for today out of Brookings, then 10-knot winds and seven-foot swells through the weekend. That could lead to some early morning rockfish fishing for those with larger boats and strong sea legs. Limits of lings and rockfish are coming in daily from Coos Bay and Brookings when anglers are getting out. Lingcod are spawning and aggressive. There also appears to be no shortage of them. The ling limit is two fish, and jigging just off kelp beds is very good. Anglers can keep up to one canary rockfish as part of the seven-fish bottomfish aggregate limit, but anglers should release canaries to ensure the quota is not filled, which could close the bottomfishing season. The ocean and bays are open to crabbing coastwide. Catches will slow in bays amid the current freshwater buildup in estuaries but things should improve into next week. Razor clamming remains closed south of Tillamook Head, while bay clams and butter clams are available coastwide. Mussels can be taken coastwide. Before digging, check the shellfish hotline at 1-800-448-2474. LAKE OUTLOOK AGATE: The lake is full. It is still pretty murky, but some bass, crappie and perch have been caught with night crawlers or larger plastic worms fished very slowly around submerged structure. This week's warm weather will get the bass more active. The boat ramp is usable and closes at sunset. No trout stockings are planned this year. APPLEGATE: The lake got another 10,000 legal-sized rainbow trout and they are complementing a good fishery for holdover rainbows, particularly where creeks flow into the reservoir. The best action for holdover trout is near the mouth of Carberry Creek and other water sources on worms, PowerBait and small spinners. The new rainbows will be caught predominantly near the Copper boat ramp. The lake is at 1,977 feet above sea level, up five feet this past week and just 10 feet shy of full. Trolling for trout is always a good choice with Wedding Ring lures spiced with a piece of worm and small flashers farther down in the reservoir and in the Seattle Bar area. Watch for floating debris. DIAMOND: The lake ice has melted significantly in the past week, thanks in part to rising water levels and warmer days. Open water has lured some anglers out of the resort, but catches have been slow amid cold water conditions. Worms anywhere from five feet to 15 feet beneath bobbers is a great early-season offering, as is chartreuse or rainbow PowerBait. Glitter is good; garlic is not. EMIGRANT: The lake was 96 percent full Thursday. Bass are starting to bite thanks to warming water, but the recent stormfronts have put the bite off. Fish plastic worms or grubs very slowly around structure. Look for an improved bite next week amid another round of warm afternoons. The lake received a shot of 1,000 legal-sized rainbows this week, and they'll be hanging in the lake's lower end for a few weeks. FISH: The lake was up a bit to 55 percent full Thursday, and pockets of open water are forming. Soon anglers will be bait-fishing with worms or PowerBait for a mix of holdover rainbows, land-locked chinook and tiger trout, which must be released unharmed. When the water warms, start casting lures and flies that look like small chubs. HOWARD PRAIRIE: The lake is ice-free and fishing fairly well from the bank near the dam for rainbow trout up to 19 inches. Worms under bobbers and PowerBait in the shallows are good bets, as the bigger fish will be patrolling the shallows for early-emerging insects. The Willow Point boat ramp is open and usable, but the other public ramps remain closed. The marina is closed, but water is floating the docks for the first time in about two years. The water is cold, and the trout are somewhat sluggish. The lake is up to 66 percent full and rising steadily but not spectacularly. HYATT: The lake is open, and the ice has melted, but no boat ramps are open, and there is little activity there. The lake is at 67 percent full, up 8 percent in the past week. The best access should be near the dam, but cold water has trout lethargic and bass inactive. LOST CREEK: Inflows are up and so are the trout numbers after 10,000 more legal-sized trout and the first 800 trophy-sized rainbows for this year were stocked last week. They were split between the two boat ramps. The best bank fishing remains near the Takelma ramp, and trollers are working the water around the dam's northwest edges. Trollers should start with green Wedding Ring lures with a piece of worm. Land-locked salmon remain in the mix and they've been holding deeper than the trout. The lake is on the rise and was listed Thursday at 1,868 feet above sea level, up 3 feet from last week and 4 feet from full. LAKE OF THE WOODS: The ice is breaking up and there is some open water around the banks but not much fishing activity. There is a little open water around the shore, but significantly more melting is needed before decent fishing can return. When more ice melts, look for bait fishing to start for trout and perch in the shallows near the resort. WILLOW: Trout fishing is improving now that another 4,000 legal-sized rainbows were stocked there last week to go with the 4,000 stocked there last month. Most of this weekend's catches will be around the county ramp where the stocking truck stopped. The lake is almost full. RIVER OUTLOOK ROGUE: Early spring chinook salmon continue to trickle into Cole Rivers Hatchery, while the upper Rogue's winter steelhead run is starting to heat up but still underachieves. The middle Rogue is seeing a surprising number of late-run but bright winter steelhead in the Grants Pass area and the lower Rogue has been spotty for spring chinook, but bankies and boat anglers can expect a decent bite this weekend and into next week as water levels drop. That makes the best bet the upper or middle Rogue, generally based on where you live. The upper Rogue winter steelhead are biting a mix of worms, pink plastic worms, yarn balls and plugs. The Mag Lip 3.5 lures with pink or gold have been best. In the upper Rogue, outflows from Lost Creek dam were increased this week to 3,350 cubic feet per second. Coupled with the runoff, that makes for some swift water that still has good color for fishing. Flows Thursday afternoon at Dodge Bridge were just under 4,000 cfs and forecast to peak Friday around 4,500 cfs. Another 2,764 new winter steelhead were captured Wednesday at Cole Rivers Hatchery, so the run is definitely moving. The count is up to 1,169 steelhead to date, which remains under the running 10-year average of 1,824 fish. Not great, but not bad enough to ignore winter steelhead. Anglers riverwide can keep one wild winter steelhead 24 inches or longer per day and five per year through April. However, most of the wild fish are getting dark or already have spawned, so they should be released unharmed. In the middle Rogue, a wad of hatchery and wild winter steelhead that have been spotted in the Lower Rogue Canyon showed up in the Grants Pass-to-Robertson Bridge run this week, biting a mix of yarn balls and Mag Lip plugs. Flows at Grants Pass were forecast to peak about 5,900 cfs Friday, which is good for fishing high-water holes Sunday and into next week. In the lower Rogue, plunkers continue to find an occasional spring chinook from Indian Creek to Huntley Park using a mix of lime-chartreuse and pearl-pink Spin Glo's in about 6 feet of water. Weights of up to 8 ounces have been used. Boat fishing has been slow with Kwikfish or anchovies. Look for the action to pick up next week. A bright, 30-pound hatchery springer was caught this week, so there are a few gems out there. Flows at Agness are forecast to peak late Friday at about 9,000 cfs. They were about 7,700 cfs Thursday. APPLEGATE: The river is closed for the season and will reopen in late May. CHETCO: The river is closed for the season. ELK: The river is closed for the season. By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Apr. 15, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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