Steelhead fishery giving way to chinook
Winter steelhead continue to attract anglers and fish are being caught.The steelhead fishery on the main Umpqua is about over, but spring chinook are gradually working their way up the river and some have been caught.In the county�s lower elevation lakes, reservoirs and ponds, there are plenty of trout to be caught following recent releases.Following is the weekly Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife fishing report that is compiled by regional fisheries biologists. SOUTHWEST REGIONBEN IRVING RESERVOIR � Ben Irving Reservoir, west of Winston, has been stocked with about 3,000 trout to date, and will receive more trout in mid-April. COOPER CREEK RESERVOIR � Cooper Creek has been stocked with about 5,000 catchable trout to date. The reservoir also recieves 50 or so 4 to 5 pound trophy trout each February. One lucky angler caught a 9 pound trout out of Cooper Creek that was probably left over from a year ago. Nearby Plat I reservoir has also been stocked with about 1,500 catchable trout.DIAMOND LAKE � The lake is closed to fishing until April 26, 2008. When the lake opens this year, the boat speed limit will be 10 mph all day. This is the same speed limit that it was in the past prior to the negative impact of the tui chub. It is doubtful that the ice will be off the lake for the opener, but there may be some spots along the bank that are open. Anglers are cautioned not to walk on the ice.GALESVILLE RESERVIOR � Galesville Reservoir is open to angling year-round. Galesville has been stocked with about 5,000 catchable size trout to date. The 25,000 sub-legal size trout stocked last fall are approaching legal size. Some anglers report seeing external �worms� on a few of the trout or in their gills. These are copepods, a fish parasite, which occur naturally throughout the watershed. The copepods can be removed and the fish safely consumed. Galesville was stocked this week with about 55,000 adipose-clipped hatchery coho. These fish were about 6 to 7 inches long, so will take a month or so to grow to legal size. In Galesville Reservoir, all landlocked salmon are considered trout. Thus there will be a 5 per day trout limit, with only one trout over 20 inches in length allowed for harvest.HERBERT�S POND � Herbert�s Pond is a small pond just east of Canyonville on Tiller Highway. The pond has a good warm water fishery for kids including bluegill, crappie, and bass. The pond was stocked with a couple hundred trout to provide some additional fishing opportunity while the pond is still cool enough to keep the trout healthy. The pond has very good bank access. LOON LAKE � Loon Lake has been stocked with about 3,500 catchable trout to date. In addition, there were almost 6,000 sub-legal trout stock last fall that should be approaching 8 inches for legal harvest.PACIFIC OCEAN AND BEACHES � Anglers have been getting out for bottomfish recently and reporting success. Bank anglers fishing from the rocks are catching a few fish and boat anglers are doing real well. Bottomfishing in the ocean always depends on ocean and weather conditions. Spring can be a great time for surfperch fishing from the beaches. Some anglers have been reporting success recently fishing the ocean beaches when the surf is down. The best areas are generally the steeper beaches. Anglers should cast into the surf with enough weight to hold your setup from moving with the current. Sand shrimp is a common and effective bait but others can work well also. ROGUE RIVER, LOWER � Slow. The lower river is low and clear. Both boat and bank anglers are having a tough time getting fish to bite. Boat anglers will want to target the area around Elephant Rock and Ferry Hole to target fish moving in on the tides. Spring chinook usually move along the inside bends of rivers, in about 4 to 6 feet of water. Anglers are reminded that there are new regulations in effect for spring chinook on the Rogue River. ODFW will be radio tagging spring chinook in April, May and June in the lower Rogue River. Spring chinook will be captured by tangle net, seine or hook and line. Efforts to capture spring chinook may interfere with an anglers fishing. The Rogue Spring Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan calls for a research project that determines the relationships between (1) time of freshwater entry, (2) passage timing at Gold Ray Dam, (3) spawning time, and (4) spawning distribution for early-run, mid-run, and late-run spring chinook salmon.ROGUE RIVER, MIDDLE � The flow on April 14 was 3,400 cubic feet per second at Grants Pass. Angling for winter steelhead has been good throughout the middle Rogue, with fish being taken on plugs or by side drifting yarn balls or bait. Spring chinook are arriving in the Grants Pass area, and beginning to show up in the catch. Anglers are reminded that the Rogue is closed to angling for trout until May 24th to protect migrating steelhead and coho salmon smolts. In addition, new regulations are in effect for spring chinook angling on the Rogue River. Please see the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for more information.ROGUE RIVER, UPPER � As of April 14, the flow out of William Jess Dam (Lost Creek) was 1,400 cubic feet per second and the outflow temperature was 47 degrees. 6,415 winter steelhead and no chinook salmon have been counted at Gold Ray Dam as of April 10.Angling has been fair for steelhead. Fish have been caught on nightcrawlers, yarn, puffballs and roe. Anglers are reminded that the Rogue is closed to angling for trout. until May 24th to protect migrating steelhead and coho salmon smolts. In addition, new regulations are in effect for spring chinook angling on the Rogue River. Please see the Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for more information.SODA SPRINGS RESERVOIR � Soda Springs reservoir is open for trout angling, but tributaries upstream of the reservoir are closed to angling until April 26th.SMITH RIVER � The Smith is currently open for adipose-fin clipped steelhead from the mouth upstream to Sisters Creek on the mainstem and the North Fork Smith from the mouth upstream to Bridge 10. Striped bass angling should be improving as strippers move upstream to feed before spawning. Striped bass season is open year round, 2 fish per 24 hours, 30-inch minimum size. The North Fork is open to Johnson Creek for stripers.TOKETEE LAKE � Fishing is open in Toketee all year round. Fishing has been slow but the best fishing occurs early in the morning. UMPQUA ESTUARY � Both sturgeon and striped bass fishing have been slow in the lower Umpqua. UMPQUA RIVER MAINSTEM � Remember the mainstem Umpqua is now closed to wild steelhead harvest; it remains open year-round for adipose fin-clipped steelhead. Spring chinook have started coming up the Umpqua and anglers have been catching good numbers of springers. From Scottsburg to Elkton tends to be the best angling for the early spring chinook. Water flows will continue to drop through the weekend and water temperatures should rise as the weather warms. This should cause the fish to start moving.UMPQUA RIVER, NORTH � The North has remained fishable. The most success has been from Colliding Rivers down. The warmer weather expected this week will get the fish on the move. To date, over 8,300 winter steelhead have passed Winchester Dam. Remember that only adipose fin-clipped steelhead can be harvested on the North Umpqua. The first spring chinook has crossed Winchester Dam. UMPQUA RIVER, SOUTH � Angling conditions have been good recently. The few anglers fishing the South are still catching good numbers of fish, with a few bright hatchery ones too. In addition to several good drift boat floats between Canyonville and Roseburg, there are good bank angling opportunities at Templeton Beach, the Myrtle Creek bridge, Stanton Park, and behind Seven Feathers Casino. Remember the South Umpqua is open for adipose fin-clipped steelhead only. The South Umpqua is open for steelhead through April 30.WINCHESTER BAY � Fishing remains slow for sturgeon.
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