Anglers Are Catching Winter Fish

OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Staff

Report Date:

http://www.dfw.state.or.us

Trout fishing in the Rogue is closed but will reopen May 22.

Anglers were catching bright winter fish before the rain arrived but the river is blown out and it will take extra time for it to recover after this event. Both bank anglers fishing plugs and side-planners, and boat anglers are catching fish. Recent reports indicated plugs, eggs and yarn balls all producing winter fish from boats. This is the historical peak run timing for winter steelhead in this area so expect fishing to continue to get better.

A few hatchery spring Chinook have reportedly been caught in this section as well but the majority of these fish are lower in the system.

Now through April 30, the entire Rogue from the mouth to Cole Rivers Fish Hatchery is open to steelhead fishing with a limited harvest opportunity of 1 wild steelhead per day and 3 per year SW zonewide. In the Rogue, wild steelhead must be at least 24 inches in length in order to be retained. Consult the 2019 sport fishing regulations for further information and clarification. Good reports of hatchery fish being caught in the Galice and Robertson Bridge area continue to be reported.

Higher water can often be a good thing for bank anglers and plug fishermen as the river will actually “get smaller.” Meaning that fish will be navigating closer to shore and in a narrower migration path.

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.

Popular floats include: Gold Hill to Rogue River, Baker to Lathrop or Ferry Hole, or Griffin Park to Robertson Bridge.

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. This is often referred to the “Galice area”. Boats should not attempt to float through Hellgate Canyon during high water. Also, just downstream of the Alameda boat ramp is Argo Rapid.  Inexperienced boaters should not float this section. If you find yourself here, stay far right. 

Further upstream, Griffin Park and Robertson Bridge are good places to use a side-planer setup with plugs or plunking Spin-N-Glos for bank anglers. In the Galice area, Rand, Rainbow, Chair and Ennis are good bank access locations.

As of Wednesday morning, the flow in Grants Pass was approximately 21,600 cfs. River clarity is currently 142 NTUs. 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.

More Reports


OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Reports
for Wednesday, April 10th, 2019
John C Boyle Reservoir: Brown Bullhead Catfish Are Your Best Bet
: Catch Rates Remain Low
Yellowjacket Lake: Can't Get Within 2 Miles of The Lake
Sprague River: Sprague River Early April Update
Warm Springs Reservoir: 49 Percent Full
Willow Valley Reservoir: Bass FIshing Good In April
Klamath River - Upper - CA: Flows Are High
Klamath River - Middle: Fishing Not Recommended Due To High Flows
Klamath River - Lower: Challenging Fishing Conditions Right Now
Phillips Reservoir: 26 Percent of Capacity and Increasing
Pilcher Reservoir: Fishing is Not Advised
Devils Lake: Reservoir is Ice Free
Dog Lake: Perch Fishing is Good
Blitzen River: Spring Run Off is Here
Ana River: Great For Match-The-Hatch
Ana Reservoir: A Few Hybrid Bass Are Being Caught
Gerber Reservoir: Yellow Perch or Brown Bullhead Catfish Are Best Fishing Right Now
Tenmile Lakes: Fishing Beginning To Turn On
Lemolo Lake: Fishing Can Be Good After Snow Melts
Loon Lake: Fishing is Picking Up
Lost Creek Lake: First Stocking Last Week
Umpqua River: Umpqua River Early April Update
Rogue River- Lower: Anglers Still Catching Winter Steelhead
Chetco River: Fishing Closed Until May 22
Diamond Lake: Ice May Start To Break Any Day
Applegate Reservoir: Successful Trolling
Arizona Pond: Stocked Early Last Month
Lake Selmac: Anglers Having Good Success
Smith River: Great Place For Winter Steelhead
Saunders Lake: Recent Rainbow Trout Stocking
Rogue River- Upper: Upper Rogue is Extremely High
Lake Marie: Stocked Week of April 1
Roulet Pond: Pond is Ice Free
Wallowa Lake : Currently Frozen
Wallowa River: River is Blown Out
Ladd Peach Pond: Tagged Fish Could Have a $50 Reward
John Day River: Flows Are High
Lake Billy Chinook: Anglers Reporting Success With Bull Trout
Metolius River: Good Trout Fishing
Hood River: River is High and Off Color
Deschutes River: River Won't Be Fishable For At Least Another Week
Green Peter Reservoir: Completely Full
Hills Creek Reservoir: Fishing Should Get Better This Week
Detroit Reservoir: Early Season Fishing Can Be Good
OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Reports
for Thursday, April 4th, 2019


ABOUT US

Fly Fishing Reports is the newest member of the SportfishingReportsTM Network of fish reports, boats, landings, guides, locations and more. We open our doors to the Fly Fishing outdoor enthusiasts who have a passion for the sport.