|
12/30/2016 - Fishing Report
Winter steelhead showing up locally on the Rogue (Fishing report)Local anglers are starting to see winter steelhead come through the Grants Pass portion of the Rogue River.Local fishing guide Troy Whitaker of U-Save Gas and Tackle recommends using yarn balls or small pieces of roe to attract the fish.People can also try their luck with small plugs. Though the water is getting colder, nightcrawlers may still work as bait for the time being.The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is offering free fishing days on Saturday and Sunday.You do not need a license to fish, but must obey all rules and regulations pertaining to catch limits, rod limits and all other guidelines.Beginning Monday, anglers will need to possess a 2017 fishing license in order to cast out without risking penalty.Whitaker believes the new year is shaping up to be a good one for fishermen, and recommends those interested visit their local sporting goods store or other purveyor of fishing licenses as soon as possible.• APPLEGATE RESERVOIR. Fishing for trout should start picking back up with the decreasing reservoir temperatures.Trout anglers will want to try trolling, and a good bet will be a Wedding Ring and bait combination. One angler reported a flasher tipped with a worm had produced good results during afternoon hours. Fishing with bait from shore in the upper reservoir should also be successful.The lake is 16 percent full. French Gulch is the only boat ramp that is currently useable.• APPLEGATE RIVER. Beginning Sunday, the Applegate River is open for trout angling and steelhead angling, but will remain closed to chinook fishing.Only hatchery steelhead may be retained and anglers must take care in releasing wild fish.Steelhead fishing in the Applegate is usually slow in January, however, with the high flows we have had this year, fishing could be good.Wild trout must also be released unharmed. Rainbow trout over 16 inches are considered steelhead and must be released through Saturday.• ILLINOIS RIVER. Wild steelhead over 24-inches long may be harvested in the Illinois between Klondike Creek and Pomeroy Dam; one per day and five per year.Look for fishing to be good early in January on the Illinois. Fishing is restricted to artificial flies and lures.The Illinois River is open for trout fishing.• LAKE SELMAC. Trout fishing should be improving with decreasing water temperatures however there are a lot of aquatic weeds.The lake was stocked with 600 pounders this fall and fishing should be good.• LOST CREEK RESERVOIR. Lost Creek Reservoir was recently stocked with legal and trophy-sized fish and fishing should be good.Recent reports have been encouraging. One angler caught seven trout in about six hours fishing a green Wedding Ring and a worm behind an oval egg sinker and dodger.Surface water temperatures have dropped to 43 degrees and the winter months are shaping up to continue the good trout fishing here. Bank anglers are catching fish near the Takelma ramp and near the marina and spillway using PowerBait or by threading a nightcrawler below a bobber.
|
« Back to fishing main page
| |
|
