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But that makes the lower Rogue bay the best bet for the weekend, because wild chinook harvest is back on and it's time to fill the freezer space open from the loss of wild spring chinook harvest. About two out of every three boats have been hitting chinook in the bay, with anchovies trolled at less than 3 mph ideal. Spinners are working OK during sunny afternoons, but bait is the way to go. A good cadre of fish in the 30-40 pound range have shown up so far. The incoming tide is best, while fishing near the mouth at low tide is also good. During higher tides, fish upstream of the bridge along the north end. Wild chinook harvest is open from Whiskey Creek downstream to the mouth, but most of the fishing is in the bay. Early July has sported a strong early return of summer steelhead, with about 100 crossing Gold Ray Dam daily. The run through July 14 is 3,047 summer steelhead, which is excellent for this time of year. These early runs often contain steelhead pushing the 10-pound range and they are very aggressive biters. Crayfish plugs or black-and-silver Wee Warts are good choices for boat anglers, who also can side-drift worms, roe, fake eggs and pink rubber worms for them as well. These fish are best found in fast water next to rocks or other structure and in long glides. Advertisement Upper Rogue water conditions have improved, with out-flows from the lake down to 2,000 cubic feet per second. That greatly improves conditions for fly-fishing with streamers. The upper Rogue remains open for spring chinook fishing upstream of Rogue Elk Park, and effort continues to be lighter than normal. Through July 14, just 8,979 springers had been counted over Gold Ray Dam. Bank fishermen in the Hatchery Hole are faring best, hooking the highest percentage of hatchery fish than anywhere on the river. Early morning fishing is best, with glow-in-the-dark corkies the top choice. All chinook fishing is closed from Rogue Elk Park downstream to Gold Ray Dam, while fishing downstream of the dam is open for chinook. However, all wild chinook must be released unharmed. A few summer steelhead have been caught in the middle Rogue around Grants Pass, but fishing effort is light. The middle Rogue from Whiskey Creek to Hog Creek does not open for wild chinook harvest until Aug. 1. Legal trout fishing is open in the main-stem Rogue below Lost Creek dam, and mid-day fly-fishing has been good. The salmon fly hatch remains light, but fish are rising to adult salmon flies on the river, with dusk best. Also, fresh legal-sized trout were scheduled for stocking this week in the Union Creek and Prospect area. For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, call 800-472-2434. UMPQUA — Shad fishing is tapering off in the Yellow Creek and Sawyers Rapids areas, while late-run spring chinook fishing has been slow in the main-stem. Smallmouth bass fishing has picked up in the Scottsburg area. The North Umpqua remains spotty for spring chinook, while summer steelhead fishing is starting to improve thanks to warming water conditions. COOS — Shad fishing has started to slow down in the tidewater areas. Sunny afternoons remain best, with shad darts or bright flies working well. COQUILLE — Striped bass have been caught during evenings as far up as Arago. Shrimp is the bait of choice, but large smolt-like plugs work best. Lake Outlook HOWARD PRAIRIE — Trolling for rainbow trout remains good in the mornings and evenings about 20 feet below the surface. Tasmanian Devils or Wedding Ring spinners with a night crawler are good choices. Still-fishing with worms or PowerBait is good throughout the day in deeper water. The Red Rock and Buck Island areas are best. Bass fishing has picked up amid warmer water and air temperatures.The lake's limit remains five trout over 8 inches long per day, but only one of those trout can be over 20 inches long. HYATT — Evening trolling remains steady for larger rainbow trout cruising the weed lines. Start with Tasmanian Devils or Triple Teasers, trolling slowly in zig-zag fashion. A worm on a Wedding Ring spinner also is a good choice. The water is warming and the bass catches are picking up during sunny days. DIAMOND — The lake is open with its 20-trout daily limit, and fishing has fallen off during recent warm weather. A few 18-inchers were caught recently near the resort, but none of the remaining Williamson River trout have been caught yet. LOST CREEK — A public-health advisory against water contact has been lifted at the lake. Smallmouth bass fishing should be good around points and underwater rock structures. Trolling for trout should be fair to good down deep near the dam, or wind-drifting worms or single salmon eggs upstream of Peyton Bridge. The lake is 25 feet from full and the surface temperature is up to 75 degrees and should go even higher with triple-digit air temperatures forecast for later this week. EMIGRANT — Fishing has slowed in the reservoir amid high air and water temperatures. Trout are concentrating in deeper waters as well as near cooler tributaries. Bass, bluegill and perch fishing is best, with the upper lake's willows still the hot-spot of activity. A health advisory has been issued about eating all but trout from the lake because of elevated mercury levels. FISH — Almost 200 lunker trout were stocked recently, adding to the lake's trout-fishing interest. Water clarity is poor, so anglers should still-fish with bait or troll slowly. APPLEGATE — Trout fishing has remained good for both legal-sized rainbow trout and stocked salmon, which tend to school at rocky points. Trolling is better than still-fishing, but bait fishing remains good off the water intake tower with worms or single salmon eggs. The Seattle Bar area is falling out of favor for trout and bass fishing because the lake has dropped to just short of 14 feet from full. Bass fishing has been good in the mornings and evenings, with many of the fish holding off rocky points. The Hart-Tish boat ramp and store are open. Anglers can keep up to five rainbow trout or stocked salmon a day, but only one fish can be more than 20 inches long. Also, no bass between 12 and 15 inches can be kept, and only one bass larger than 15 inches can be kept. LAKE of the WOODS — The lake is warming and fishing for kokanee trout remains steady for anglers trolling small flashers with worms or salmon eggs. Focus on the lake's western side, primarily 20 feet of water. Rainbow trout and brown trout catches have been good at dusk for trollers as well as bait anglers. Perch catches are good all day on worms. WILLOW — A few large bass have been caught this past week on spinners and bait. Fishing for legal-sized rainbow trout remains good for still fishermen and trollers alike. Crappie angling has held on thanks to warm water. SELMAC — Largemouth bass fishing has been very good recently on grubs and crankbaits. Trout fishing has slowed due to warming water temperatures. Panfish angling remains good. KLAMATH/AGENCY LAKES — Fishing for large Klamath trout is picking up near the mouths of the Wood and Williamson rivers as well as the springs around Rocky Point. Ocean Outlook Salmon fishing is closed south of Humbug Mountain. Ocean conditions were horrible Wednesday, with 35 mph winds whistling around Brookings. Forecasts are for windy weather for the next few days. Razor clam harvest at Myers Creek and Bailey beaches was still fair to good during low tides, but the best clam beds are not accessible due to the current tide series. Surf perch fishing has been good on the beaches and off the sand spit near the Gold Beach jetties. Silver Castmaster lures have worked exceptionally well. Hunting Outlook JACKSON/JOSEPHINE — Cougar hunters can expect an average year and will find greatest success using a predator call in areas that have good deer numbers. When snowfall occurs, hunters should look for fresh cougar tracks and pursue. Good cougar hunting opportunities exist throughout southwest Oregon. 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 © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. 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