|
 |
|
| December 8, 2011, 4:22 pm |
WEATHER COLD BUT STEELHEAD BITE STAYS HOT ON ROGUE Southern Oregon fishing reportThe oddly satisfying December has continued for anglers seeking steelhead on the middle section of the Rogue River, as dry conditions have kept an usually high number of fish in the mainstem.By this time in most years, the river has been blown out a few times and steelhead have swam into the tributaries. Because of the dry conditions, however, that hasn’t happened.The result has been a good bite that’s been present the past few weeks, which has given anglers their best chance to catch fish all season.“It’s been a weird December for sure,” Josh White of the Rogue Fly Shop said. “There are a lot more fish in the water than normal. And since they don’t usually start spawning in large numbers until January and early February, and there’s no rain in the forecast, I think we still have a while.”The only complaint — and it’s more of a grumble than full-throated dismay — is that the cold weather has slowed the bite slightly. If the weather warms up, fishing guides say, fishing could pick up even more.As it stands, the easiest way to catch fish in bulk is pulling plugs. Troy Whitaker of U-Save Gas and Tackle said plugs have been far and away the best method.“Guys running plugs have brought in four to six fish per day,” Whitaker said. “Right now, plug fishing is the way to go.”Whitaker said pink and silver plugs have worked well, along with black and silver with a red dot.He added that anglers could put down a plug with red, pink or gold and perhaps lure a coho salmon as well. The coho bite has been slow, however.Those fishing with flies have been finding their best success using dark colored nymphs. White said reports indicate the best fly-fishing has been further upsteam, but he added that that might be because more people are fishing there. In other words, there might well be a good bite for fly-anglers in the Grants Pass area but few people have actually gone out onto the water.Both White and Whitaker have said that with the colder weather, the best bet is to fish slow and deeper water.“There are plenty of good reports and a few bad, as always,” White said. “But the bottom line is that there are fish in the river right now.”All non-adipose fin-clipped rainbow trout, steelhead and coho must be released unharmed.CHETCO RIVERFishing reports from the Chetco have been fair but not spectacular by any means. Water levels have been low and clear, making it a challenge to catch fish.Anglers fishing the Chetco are reporting a mix of chinook and steelhead in the river. Look for the lower river to be the best fishing as the water starts to drop.APPLEGATE RIVERThe river is open for adipose fin-clipped trout. All non adipose fin-clipped (wild) rainbow trout and all cutthroat trout must be released unharmed. Fishing should be fair to good for trout with spoons, spinners, and flies.The river is closed to salmon and steelhead fishing.APPLEGATE RESERVOIRApplegate Reservoir was stocked with legal- and larger-sized rainbows, so trout fishing should be good. The Hart-tish boat ramp and facilities are closed, but the French Gulch low-water ramp is open. While the French Gulch boat ramp is open, it is muddy and may be difficult to use. A variety of techniques can produce trout at Applegate, including trolling lures, flies, or wedding ring and worm combinations, as well as fishing with bait.LAKE SELMACLake Selmac was stocked with legal- and larger-sized rainbow trout a few months ago. Given its low elevation and the availability of stocked rainbow, Lake Selmac offers good trout fishing throughout the winter.o o oPast blogsMINER FACES TRIAL FOR ILLEGAL OPERATION ON GALICE CREEKA SLOW DAY FISHING ON THE UPPER KLAMATHWILLIAMS MAN SAVES GOAT BY KILLING COUGARLOCAL RAFTERS FLIPPED IN GRAND CANYONWANT TO FEEL BETTER AND SAVE MONEY? DRINK LESS BOOZE AND RIDE YOUR BIKE PLACES |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |