GOLD BEACH, Ore – Beginning December 7, low flow angling closures are lifted on the Sixes, Elk, Chetco, and Winchuck rivers.

River conditions improved after recent storms, allowing fall chinook to migrate throughout the mainstems of these rivers after one of the driest Novembers on record in the South Coast.

Closure boundaries were suggested by anglers who attended public meetings this past spring and who overwhelmingly supported low flow closures in October and November knowing those would be lifted once water levels rose.

Gold Beach District Fish Biologist Steve Mazur said current temporary zone harvest limit reductions for wild chinook have not been removed. The Pistol River and Hunter and Floras creeks remain closed.

“Even though we are lifting these low water closures, current zone regulations, some adopted through the Rogue Fall Chinook Conservation planning process, are in place to protect fall chinook spawning areas,” Mazur said.

The temporary fall chinook bag limit reductions remain in effect through December 31, 2019. Anglers should carefully check the SW Zone regulations: https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report/southwest-zone