Upper Rogue River Report

OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Staff

Report Date:

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

The Hatchery Hole, which encompasses the reach of river from Cole Rivers Hatchery Blocker Dam to 1,200 feet downstream, is currently closed to ALL FISHING through July 31. In the remainder of the upper Rogue, only hatchery steelhead, hatchery trout and hatchery spring Chinook can be retained.

Wild Chinook can be retained if caught below Dodge Bridge. No wild Chinook can be harvested upstream of Dodge Bridge. Chinook Angling above Dodge Bridge closes on Aug. 1.

Many anglers are still targeting spring Chinook in the upper River right now. Plugs wrapped with an anchovy/herring are usually the ticket. Back-bouncing with bait such as roe, roe and sand shrimp/ghost shrimp, or even tuna bellies are good tickets. 

Given current water levels, drift boat anglers should be aware of Rattlesnake Rapids between Dodge Bridge and Modoc. For the novice, tt’s a good idea to float this section with an experienced boat handler. The Denman Wildlife area on the Modoc access site is a good float if one doesn’t want to deal with Rattlesnake.

As of July 14, 142 spring Chinook brought this year’s total to 1,586 fish, far below the long-term average but closer to meeting broodstock needs. 108 fresh summer steelhead also entered the ladder bringing the total to 495 fish for the year.                                                                            

As inflows to Lost Creek Lake have dropped, managers have been forced to drop flows by about 100 cfsf, with 1,353 cfs and a temperature target of 54 degrees coming out of William L. Jess Dam.

Locally-owned and operated tackle and fly shops in Medford, Shady Cove, and Ashland have excellent gear and very fresh bait, local flies and knowledge that is specific to the Rogue and to your particular technique. Go check them out and offer them your support.

For the latest fish counts, call into the Lost Creek Reservoir hotline or check the MyODFW.com fish counts page.

For the most current releases of water out of Lost Creek Reservoir, call 1-800-472-2434. For real time streamflow from USGS gauges on the Rogue click here.

More Reports


OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Reports
for Wednesday, July 21st, 2021
Upper Klamath Lake: Water temperatures are extreme on the water surface but much colder in deeper water
Miller Lake: Fishing should be excellent as the lake has been heavily stocked
Wood River: Best section is from Fort Klamath to Weed Road
Butterfield Lake: Boat and bank anglers are still catching an occasional trout
Chetco River: Upper Chetco watershed or tributaries has some great cutthroat trout fishing
Coquille River: Striped bass fishing is starting to pick up again in the lower Coquille River
Eel Lake: Boat anglers have been picking up a few trout
Emigrant Reservoir: Emigrant will likely be very close to reaching deadpool by mid-summer
Fish Lake : Irrigation withdrawals are continuing to make Fish Lake drop quickly.
Howard Prairie Reservoir: Emergency Regulations Chang
Rogue River- Lower: Numerous summer steelhead are being caught
Rogue River - Middle: Emergency Drought Regulations:
Sixes River: This is a good time of year to fish the estuary for cutthroat
Kilchis River: Decent numbers of cutthroat trout have been seen and reported
Trask River: Anglers will find cutthroat trout throughout the Trask
Wilson River: Fishing on the Wilson remains slow
Detroit Reservoir: The reservoir has been stocked several times in recent weeks
Green Peter Reservoir: The water level in the reservoir has dropped below the bottom elevation of Whitcomb boat ramp
Leaburg Lake: Will be stocked again this week with 933 legal-size rainbow trout
Quartzville Creek: The river is currently running at around 30 cfs
Santiam River ( North Fork) : “Hoot owl” regulations have been rescinded below Big Cliff dam
Santiam River ( North Fork) Above Detroit Lake: The highway along the upper North Santiam has re-opened
Grande Ronde River: Due to the recent Elbow Creek Fire, access to fishing on the Grande Ronde is closed throughout most of the river downstream


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