In the coming weeks, anglers will likely be encountering down runner summer steelhead or kelts, and should limit their handling of these fish by not removing them from the water, if possible. Reports of winter steelhead being caught in the Galice area continue to roll in.  Some fish are showing in Grants Pass.  Winter steelhead doesn’t really heat up in the Rogue until later in February. The river is holding steady around 1900 cfs and should rise a bit this weekend with measurable precipitation in the forecast for Friday through the weekend.
One wild steelhead per day and 3 per year may be retained below Hog Creek boat ramp if they are at least 24-inches long.  Beginning Feb. 1 through April 30, the rest of the Rogue River to Cole Rivers Hatchery will open to retention of wild steelhead at least 24-inches long as part of the daily or annual salmon/steelhead bag limit of 1 wild steelhead per day and 3 per year SW zonewide. Consult the 2019 sport fishing regulations for further information and clarification.
Running plugs from a drift boat is not a bad option. Drifting night crawlers, roe, or yarn balls are always a good call. A diversity of bait will always help your chances when steelhead fishing.
Fly anglers that nymph will want to use prince nymphs or copperswans, steelhead brassies, stone flies, ugly bugs, or will want to fish large dark flies if swinging. Don’t be afraid of color such as black and chartreuse, black and blue, black and purple, black and pink, or black and red. If tying your own flies, don’t be afraid to add a little bit of flash dubbing or tinsel in the body of your fly. Also, covering lots of water when working through a run is a good technique when swinging flies. Trying moving 4-5 feet downstream every cast or two.
Gold Hill to Rogue River, Baker to Lathrop or Ferry Hole, or Griffin Park to Robertson Bridge are all good floats this time of year.
Half-pounders are worth targeting throughout the winter. Target these fish from Galice to Grave Creek by boat, or for the hardy angler willing to hike into the Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue. Anglers report great half-pounder fishing downstream of Rainie Falls. Remember, only 5 hatchery rainbow trout may be retained per day. All wild rainbow trout and cuttroat trout must be released throughout the river.
Boaters floating from Hog Creek to Graves Creek should be familiar with the rapids in this section of river, and know their takeouts. Experienced oarsmen/woman are recommended here. There are many BLM public access points to bank fish from Hog Creek to Graves Creek. Boats should not attempt to float through Hellgate Canyon during high water. Drifting roe or night crawlers are very effective.
Further upstream, Griffin Park and Robertson Bridge are good places to plunk or use a side-planer setup with plugs or Spin-N-Glos for bank anglers.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the flow in Grants Pass was approximately 1950 cfs, river stage at 2.09 feet and slowly dropping. The river temperature averaged about 43oF, and the clarity was 6 NTU. For those interested in checking conditions before getting on the river, the City of Grants Pass Water Division’s website offers information on river conditions at Grants Pass as well as a link to a river camera.