River Outlook

The best bet is summer steelhead around Grants Pass, where a run loaded with wild fish starts moving into the area. They are best found feeding on the eggs of spawning chinook salmon, but be careful not to harass the chinook. Chinook fishing is open in the Grants Pass and Gold Hill areas, but catches have been poor recently.

For chinook, roe is out-producing Kwikfish, in part because the water grass is regularly getting caught on Kwikfish hooks.

Water conditions in the middle Rogue are improving daily, with the river’s water temperature down to 59 degrees.

The summer steelhead fishery continues to be fair to good at times. The 54-degree water released from Lost Creek Lake is ideal for steelhead fly-fishing because the fish will remain very active at that temperature, and the flows of 1,800 cubic feet per second of water also is good. Swinging flies is as good now as it will get for the season, based on these conditions and the fact that more than 4,800 summer steelhead have been counted at Gold Ray Dam so far this year.

Silver Hiltons, Tiger Paws and purple streamers all work well. Sink-tip lines and heavier sinking lines are good bets, but no lead core is allowed. For spinning-rod casters, bubbles, heavy ugly bugs and single salmon eggs are best.

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Chinook fishing is banned now upstream of Gold Ray Dam, with even catch-and-release fishing illegal if anglers are targeting the salmon.

In the lower Rogue, trolling the bay has been slow and catches upstream toward Agness have been light despite good numbers of fish in the river there. Summer steelhead fishing remains good in the Agness area on flies and roe.

For daily flow reports out of Lost Creek Lake, call 800-472-2434.

The upper Rogue reaches upstream of Lost Creek Lake are now open to angling, with catches good amid now-normal stream flows.

APPLEGATE — Open to angling, the river is home to out-migrating smolts and some resident cutthroat. Some summer steelhead have moved into the lower area, but they must be released unharmed. The river’s only open for steelhead January through March. Fishing pressure remains light.

CHETCO — The river is open to fishing, but bay fishing has yet to pick up. Anglers will start focusing on the estuary now that the offshore chinook season is closed until Oct. 1.

UMPQUA — In the main-stem, smallmouth bass fishing remains very good with Roostertail lures in the Elkton area, but the water is weedy right now.

Summer steelhead fishing continues to improve on the North Umpqua as more steelhead cross the dam and water conditions improve. There’s excellent bank access near Idleyld Park. Summer Steelhead also are being caught in the fly water in early mornings and late evenings in the shade.

Smallmouth bass fishing remains very good on the South Umpqua, with top-water lures and flies working best in the mornings and evenings.

COOS — Chinook salmon fishing has improved in the bay up to Chandler Bridge. Fin-clipped coho can be kept in Coos Bay and the lower Coos River up to the bridge. Sea-run cutthroat are present in the estuary.

COQUILLE — Chinook salmon fishing is fair for trollers in the lower river up to Riverton. Sea-run cutthroat also have hit the system, while striped bass can be caught early in the morning on large rattling lures.

Lake Outlook

Trout have gone deep during the hot weather, with wind-drifting nightcrawlers or slow trolling of them the best bet.

The daily limit remains five trout per day, with an 8-inch minimum length. Only one of those trout per day can be more than 20 inches.

HYATT — Cooler weather should help jump-start the late-season trout fishing. For now, catches of small bass still are out-numbering trout, but trout remain the target of choice for anglers there. Catches are fair early in the morning and at dusk. Trollers can do well, provided they troll large Needlefish or Tasmanian Devil lures slowly in search of the bigger, predatory trout.

The daily limit remains five trout per day, with an 8-inch minimum length. Only one of those trout per day can be more than 20 inches.

DIAMOND — The lake is starting to pick up for late-season trout fishing. Trolling in waters 20-30 feet deep is offering the best success.

The daily limit remains five trout per day, with an 8-inch minimum length. Only one of those trout per day can be more than 20 inches.

LOST CREEK — Fishing remains good for rainbow trout and land-locked salmon stocked into the lake. The lake has about 3 more feet to drop before it reaches its Oct. 1 draw-down target of elevation 1,812 feet. The surface temperature has dropped 4 degrees to 64 degrees, which should improve trout fishing and bring more trout closer to the surface.

Casting jigs along the northern shoreline has been good for smallmouth, with a good group of 1-2 pound fish in the mix.

The lake is open year-round for trout and bass fishing, with trout anglers out-numbering bass anglers throughout the cold-weather months.

EMIGRANT — Smallmouth bass fishing is fair in cooler water, which has helped jump-start the lake’s trout fishery. The legal-sized rainbow from the spring plant have grown into nice-sized fish. Panfish angling is good around points and submerged vegetation. Anglers are reminded that the crappie must be 8 inches long to be kept.

No excess steelhead were stocked into the lake this year.

APPLEGATE — The lake has been dropping quickly as water releases were increased to 300 cubic feet per second. Smallmouth bass fishing is good near the dam. A mix of trout and stocked spring chinook salmon are available year-round, and the Hart-Tish Park boat ramp is operational.

No excess hatchery winter steelhead were stocked into the lake this season.

Anglers can keep up to five rainbow trout, stocked salmon or recycled winter steelhead a day, but only one fish can be more than 20 inches long. Also, no bass between 12 and 15 inches can be kept, and only one bass larger than 15 inches can be kept.

WILLOW — The lake is fishing well for stocked rainbow trout, bass and bluegill.

AGATE — The lake is low, but catches of largemouth bass, crappie and bluegill remain good with small lures or worms.

EXPO POND — The pond has been stocked with rainbow trout.

FISH — The lake is fishing fair to good for rainbow trout.

Ocean Outlook

The new limit on groundfish is 5 instead of 8 in aggregate per day. Also, all cabezon caught while fishing from boats must be released unharmed.

The beaches coast-wide are now closed to razor clam digging. To check for updates on the closure, call the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Shellfish Hotline at 800-448-2474.

Hunting Outlook

Mountain quail hunting has been very good in the upper Applegate as well as Prospect and Butte Falls areas. Dove season is open, but effort and success have been fair because of recent cooler evenings.

General-season bear hunting began Aug. 1, and good bear populations are present. Early harvest has been light, with a few hunters focusing on bears near orchards.

Cougar hunters can expect an average year. Cougars are abundant throughout with indicators pointing to stable or increasing numbers and distribution. Hunting cougar is a challenge because these animals are very secretive, but harvest success is greatest adjacent to private land with high deer populations using a predator call.

Watchable Wildlife