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02/10/2017 - Fishing Report
Wet weather slows angling opportunities (Fishing report)As it has more than a few times this winter, heavy precipitation has rendered local bodies of water unfishable for at least the next few days.The United States Geological Survey recorded a water level of 22.75 feet at the Illinois River near Kerby on Thursday evening.Flood stage for the river is 35 feet, and the water level is not expected to come near that mark.The flow on the Rogue River in Grants Pass has risen from 6,000 cubic feet per second to more than 16,000 cfs over the past 48 hours.Local fishing guide Troy Whitaker doesn't recommend trying to fish via boat or from the bank on the Rogue or at any location until at least Sunday at a minimum."Last year was kind of the same way," Whitaker said. "We're just starting to see fish showing up, but the river keeps blowing out."Whitaker, of U-Save Gas and Tackle, believes conditions will take a turn for the better once the water begins to recede late Saturday into Sunday.Winter steelhead should begin streaming into town and be catchable by way of dark plugs, yarn balls and worms."It's just a matter of Mother Nature cooperating right now," Whitaker said. "I think she's going to have a little bit of fun time very soon."Anglers may be able to attempt side-planing or casting along shorelines by Sunday afternoon.Whitaker advises those who venture out to be careful of loose rocks and other unsafe conditions.The Illinois is currently high and muddy and might not be fishable until next week.Wild steelhead longer than 2 feet may be kept on the Illinois River between Klondike Creek and Pomeroy Dam at a rate of one per day and five per year.Fishing is restricted to artificial flies and lures on the Illinois.The Applegate River also is high and muddy, but when it becomes fishable again, only hatchery steelhead may be kept.Fishing could be good once outflow out of the dam decreases and the river clears. Wild trout must be released unharmed.• DIAMOND LAKE. Diamond Lake is open year-round and ice fishing can be a fun pastime during this season.There are plenty of legal-sized holdover trout currently in the lake from previous year's stockings, and there have been reports of anglers catching trout through the ice. According to a spokesperson at the resort, no one was fishing this morning because of a "ton" of standing water from rain this week. However the ice is still 12 inches thick below the surface water.Diamond Lake was stocked with tiger trout in early June. These fish are intended to assist in controlling illegally introduced tui chub.Tiger trout are catch-and-release only and need to be released immediately and unharmed if caught.
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