Paul Cataldo, of Ashland, makes a cast while fly-fishing the Holy Water section of the Rogue River. 

OCEAN OUTLOOK

SOUTH COAST: The Thursday forecast calls for 10-knot winds and 6-foot swells with showers, followed Friday by winds up to 20 knots and 5-foot swells. Saturday’s forecast is a tad worse, with winds kicking up to 25 knots in the afternoon with 6-foot wind waves.

All ocean salmon fishing is closed from Humbug Mountain near Port Orford to the California border. There is no so-called “Bubble” fishery off the mouth of the Chetco River for chinook this year. 

Bottomfishing continues to be very good recently for those fishing close to shore.

This weekend’s forecast means few longer trips and more opportunities along near-shore reefs tucked alee from the winds. Lots of lingcod in the catch, but black rockfish continue to dominate. The best catches this past week remained in depths of at least 100 feet, but those areas will be tough to fish amid the forecasted winds.

Halibut fishing out of Brookings has been fair in recent weeks but nothing over the past few days because of poor weather. When the weather cooperates, look for halibut in 180 feet of water or deeper north of Brookings. Focus on the sandy bottoms where halibut are most prevalent. The daily limit is two halibut.

Surfperch fishing is very surf-dependent and has been good at times when the surf calms down. But this weekend looks a bit dicey for shore fishing. Shrimp, mussels and Berkley Gulp sandworms or shrimp are the best baits when the weather cooperates. The surf perch have moved off the Rogue River sand spit, but there’s good action around the rocks north of the Winchuck River mouth.

A new set of minus tides starts Sunday but they are all at night and therefore not that helpful to clam diggers. The mud flats at Charleston will be the best for butter and gaper clams. Before digging, call the shellfish hotline at 1-800-448-2474.

Mussel harvest is closed from Bandon to the California border.

LAKE OUTLOOK

AGATE: The lake has not seen a new infusion of trout since June. Bass and perch fishing have been good in the mornings and evenings. The lake has dropped a hair to 12% full, with turbid water. Fishing is slow. Electric trolling motors are OK but no gas motors. The park closes at dusk.

APPLEGATE: The Copper and French Gulch ramps are usable, but there was little effort on the lake this past week other than some midday bass anglers. The lake was last stocked with rainbow trout in June. Fish for rainbows with PowerBait or worms from the bank or slowly troll Tasmanian Devil lures spiced with a piece of worm. Bass fishing has been solid off rocky points with crankbaits. The lake is 27% full, with outflows at 300 cfs and inflows up from this week’s rains to 171 cfs. The lake has a 10 mph speed limit.

DIAMOND: Trout fishing is starting to reach that late-September bump in the bite as cooler water and air temperatures make for better fishing and no mosquitoes at the boat ramps. The lake has a mix of mostly rainbow trout as well as brown and tiger trout that are stocked to prey on the lake’s small but omnipresent tui chub population. That’s why fly-fishing with muddler minnows or other imitations of small chub can be a boon for those on the south end near Silent Creek. Fly-fishing with leeches has also been good on the south end for some brown trout eclipsing 24 inches. Bait fishing is best due west from the resort in 19 to 21 feet of water. Worms deep under bobbers or PowerBait floated 5 feet or so off the bottom are the best bets. All tiger trout must be released unharmed. Some are eclipsing 8 pounds.

EMIGRANT: The lake has finally settled at 13% full now that the irrigation season is over. Bass fishing has been good with crankbaits and top water baits early in the day off rocky points.

EXPO: State wildlife biologists stocked 1,500 legal-sized rainbow trout here more than two months ago, and their numbers are now thin. Try Panther Martin lures, single salmon eggs or worms under bobbers. Parking fees are required.

FISH: The lake was stocked Sept. 21 with 800 1-pound trout at the Forest Service ramp near the resort. These fish are biting worms under bobbers, small lures and PowerBait, and they are already starting to fan out into the lake. The lake was up a hair to 35% full Tuesday, which is far better than recent late-September levels. Catches have included a mix of rainbow and tiger trout, mostly around the submerged springs near the resort and the bay near the Forest Service boat ramp. Worms are outproducing PowerBait. Tiger trout must be released unharmed

HOWARD PRAIRIE: The lake is open to angling, but the marina is closed. Boat access is best at the dam. Fishing for rainbow trout is a bit slow for trollers using Little Cleo and other lures. Bait fishing in deeper water is OK with PowerBait, mostly chartreuse garlic or rainbow flavors. The lake was listed Tuesday at 34% full, which is holding steady thanks to the end of the irrigation season.

HYATT: The lake was unchanged from last week at a whopping 40% full, making it the best reservoir water-wise on the Talent Irrigation District system. Fishing has been best for rainbow trout in the old creek channel for those trolling small spoons or dark spinners. Lots of bass are getting caught in the shallows with a variety of baits and lures, but they’re small. The limit is five trout a day, with just one over 20 inches.

LAKE OF THE WOODS: The lake was still fishing well for a mix of black crappie and bass from the resort on up, but the bass bite will start to drop off significantly as the water cools. Trout fishing has been somewhat slow but should kick up as the water temp drops.

LOST CREEK: The lake continues to kick out rainbow trout of various sizes. Get more 10-inchers trolling near the dam, but bigger rainbows wind-drifting worms above Peyton Bridge in the no-wake zone. Inflows are holding steady this week at 1,800 cfs. Bank-fish with PowerBait near the Takelma ramp or at the Medco access point off Highway 62. Bass fishing has been good near rocky outcroppings of late, with crankbaits and rubber worms the top offerings. The lake was listed Tuesday at 4 feet shy of the normal Oct. 1 level, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in recent years has not worried too much about dropping below the so-called minimum pool in fall. The volume was listed Tuesday at 40% full. That’s not bad compared to previous years.

MEDCO: The lake was stocked in June with 2,000 legal-sized trout. Catch what’s left of them on PowerBait or worms. 

SELMAC: The lake was stocked with 1,000 legal-sized trout more than a month ago, and that’s it for the season. Fish for them with worms or PowerBait.

RIVER OUTLOOK

ROGUE: The flies-only season is starting to morph on the upper Rogue as steelhead are starting to key in more on single egg imitations fished under indicators and less on conventional streamers. The middle Rogue is picking up a bit for summer steelhead adults, while the lower Rogue remains surprisingly good this late in the season for a mix of large fall chinook and fin-clipped coho.

That makes the best bet the lower Rogue Bay, but check on Highway 199’s open status before going. Expect about an hour of extra time to get through the fire zone, but the occasional rockslide means this route can close at any moment. If closed, the next best route is through Highway 42 to Bandon, and that’s a haul. Bear Camp Road is congested and not a good choice for people hauling powerboats to the bay.

The lower Rogue Bay remains a solid spot for fall chinook, and the thinning crowds continue to hit plenty of large fall chinook daily. Coho are really starting to show up now as well, and only fin-clipped coho can be kept. A few fin-clipped coho hovering in the 15-pound range were caught this past week.

Chinook bound for the Indian Creek Hatchery are starting to show up, giving bankies west of the creek mouth something to cast spinners for. The best bet, however, is in boats. Troll medium-sized anchovies or cut-plug herring behind flashers. Fish the incoming tides hardest as well as the start of the outgoing tides. The bay limit is two salmon a day, with wild chinook allowed in the catch.

The middle Rogue has been predictably slow for summer steelhead, and that usually turns around in October. Until then, casting black and yellow Panther Martin lures can be good bets at dusk. Focus on the tail-ends of rapids where the water has more oxygen.

Rogue, Applegate and other South Coast winter steelhead anglers will need their new regional steelhead validation to fish. All wild steelhead harvest on the Rogue is closed.

For upper Rogue fly-fishers, nymph with salmon fly droppers and small egg imitations under strike indicators. Use a heavy stonefly nymph imitation as the dropper fly. No molded single eggs. Swinging streamers like articulated leeches has started to taper off as water-release temperatures from Lost Creek Lake are now dropping to slow the incubation rates of chinook salmon eggs in redds. Fishing flies under plastic bobbers is also legal in the upper Rogue, but there can be no other added weights or attachments. That includes swivels.

Conditions are very good for steelhead fishing riverwide, with flows of 1,272 cfs at Dodge Bridge. That’s 100 cfs higher than last week, thanks largely to tributary flow from Monday’s rains. Flows were up to 1,483 at the old Gold Ray Dam site and a somewhat robust 1,314 cfs at Grants Pass.

The far upper Rogue in the Union Creek area was stocked two weeks ago for the last time this year. Fish around the Union Creek Campground and the mainstem Rogue near River Bridge. Worms, single salmon eggs and small pieces of worms are the traditional favorites.

APPLEGATE: The river is open to summer trout fishing, but anglers cannot target or keep any steelhead. All wild trout must be released unharmed, and it is not stocked with catchable fin-clipped rainbows. A few nice cutthroat trout have been caught recently near the Highway 199 bridge as well as all the way up toward McKee Bridge.