OCEAN OUTLOOK

SOUTH COAST: The ocean is ramping back up to its surly self this week. Gale warnings are in effect through Thursday afternoon, but that doesn’t mean things are looking that much better. Thursday’s forecast calls for 25-knot winds and 9-foot wind waves as well as 12-foot swells. That’s a total non-starter for bottomfishing and crabbing. Friday’s forecast calls for 25-knot winds and 17-foot swells, with things backing down Saturday to just 15-knot winds and 15-foot swells. Winter storm-watch from a safe height this weekend.

All ocean salmon fishing and halibut fishing is closed along the California coast.

Bottomfishing had been quite good earlier this week, particularly for lingcod and near-shore reefs. This is a great time to fish near shore for lings as large males are guarding egg nests. Taking males at this time of year has no impact on the overall lingcod biomass, and it should not be considered taboo.

For bottomfishers when you can get out, remember that cabezon are off limits until July 1. Quillback and yelloweye rockfish are also on the catch-and-release ledger for all of 2024.

Surfperch fishing is very surf-dependent but has been decent at times when the surf calms down. But this weekend’s winds and high surf make this a non-starter now. 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 when weather allows. And don’t sleep on the various beaches along pullouts north of Gold Beach, either.

The ocean is now open to recreational crabbing, but conditions have kept crabbers in bays like Charleston and Coos Bay near Charleston. A new set of afternoon minus tides begins Wednesday.

Razor clamming remains closed along the South Coast from Cape Blanco to the California border, but bays are open for butter and gaper clams. Bay clamming and mussel harvests are open statewide. Before digging, call the shellfish hotline at 1-800-448-2474.

LAKE OUTLOOK

AGATE: The lake has been off most anglers’ charts thanks to low and muddy water conditions. The lake has risen quickly this past week and has jumped again to 76% full. Electric trolling motors are OK but not gas motors. The park closes at dusk.

APPLEGATE: The French Gulch ramp is the only one usable for trailered boats as the lake’s mid-winter season has crept in. The lake is starting to fill aggressively and it was up to 1,923 feet Tuesday, reaching its typical filling schedule for late February. Outflows still hover around 250 cubic-feet-per-second. The lake has a 10 mph speed limit.

DIAMOND: The lake still has ice on the northeast shore but open water due west of it. The ice has a new sheet of snow and will get more snow through this weekend. Very little ice fishing has occurred, and anglers should be very wary of ice thickness. All tiger trout and brown trout must be released unharmed. Some are eclipsing 8 pounds.

EMIGRANT: The lake has risen significantly to 39% full and likely will start creeping up. Trout fishing is available but slow, and bass fishing remains slow and will until we get a series of warmer, sunnier days. The county launch is too low for launching trailered boats at the county ramp.

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

FISH: The lake has plenty of open water, but access to the water is hampered by snow and near-shore ice. That has fishing interest still very light. Catches would be best with worms or PowerBait near submerged springs near the Forest Service ramp and out past the marina. The lake was stable this past week to 57% full Tuesday. That’s basically inflows from underground springs and very little runoff as snow levels have been sparse.

HOWARD PRAIRIE: The lake is open to angling, but the marina is closed. Some ice is around the lake, but it’s thin. The lake was listed Tuesday at 39% full, which is identical to last week.

HYATT: The lake was up slightly to 51% full this past week as some runoff is finding its way into the reservoir. Ice is starting to form, but it remains too thin for fishing.

LAKE OF THE WOODS: The lake remains mostly ice-free in front of the resort and fishing decently for perch and some rainbows in shallow water just off the marina. However, afternoons have been plagued recently by stiff finds that are blowing what few anglers are there off the water.

LOST CREEK: The lake’s winter trout fishing has been fair to decent near the dam and off Takelma Boat Ramp. Both ramps at Takelma and Stewart State Park are usable. Effort has been very light. Good catches come when trolling worms behind flashers during calm days. Upstream of the bridge is a no-wake zone there. Flows out of the reservoir were down to 950 cfs Tuesday. No other flow or lake-level data were available late Tuesday from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

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

RIVER OUTLOOK

ROGUE: Another series of freshets will bring good winter steelheading conditions river-wide, and most anglers will be favoring the middle Rogue for winter steelhead. The upper Rogue will start getting some attention from more steelhead anglers as water conditions improve, while lower Rogue anglers should see a little late-season winter steelhead flurry while they stalk the first spring chinook salmon of the year.

That makes the middle Rogue the best bet, but the wager is more on when you go than exactly where. Catches of mostly wild winter steelhead were quite good late last week and through the weekend as water levels continued to drop to a slim 2,217 cfs. Flows are forecast to hit 11,000 cfs Friday then drop quickly and significantly through Wednesday. That could make Sunday and Monday quite good if the cold air and possible snow don’t drop the water temperatures too significantly. When it comes to winter steelhead and temperature, worry less about the actual temperature and more about the movement. Going up 2 degrees is much better than going down 2 degrees.

Bank anglers will be fishing Spin-Glo’s or plugs off side-planers at places like Chair and Rainbow riffles. Driftboaters should do well on a mix of fake egg clusters, pink worms under bobbers or pink or chartreuse plugs. Since these steelhead are on the move, hitting migration lanes with plugs like MagLip 3.0s are also great choices.

In the upper Rogue, fewer than two dozen winter steelhead have made it to Cole Rivers Hatchery as of last week, and a few anglers have started running into them while fishing plugs out of driftboats. High-grade the best riffles, focusing on the deeper and slower runs as they are favored by winter steelhead over the more shallow, faster waters that summer steelhead prefer. Plugs are out-fishing roe and plastic baits, though all are legal river-wide now. Flows at Dodge Bridge were forecast to rise to about 4,400 cfs Thursday before dropping slowly into next week after a short uptick late Sunday. That could change if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers increases outflows from Lost Creek Lake, but that seems unlikely through Sunday based on current reservoir levels.

The lower Rogue in the Agness area is set to see a peak flow of 24,000 cfs late Thursday before dropping consistently well into next week. This should see a small flurry of winter steelhead and perhaps the first spring chinook of the season.

Plunkers should do well at places like the old Champion mill site and Dunkelberger Bar as well as the Quosatana and Lobster Creek bars. Flows at Agness were at 10,500 cfs Tuesday but forecast to drop to under 6,000 cfs Saturday before shooting up again Monday. That’s the recipe for good plunking for winter steelhead. No confirmed spring chinook salmon have been caught, but expect the first one to come out of the lower Rogue by the beginning of next week.

Rogue, Applegate and other South Coast winter steelhead anglers will need their new regional steelhead validation to fish. New $2 validations are needed each Dec. 1, even for those catch-and-release fishing. Those are valid for the next 12 months.

All wild springers must be released unharmed river-wide, and anglers may keep one wild winter steelhead over 24 inches a day if they have a special Rogue-South Coast wild steelhead harvest card.

The far upper Rogue in the Union Creek area was stocked in mid-September 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 angling for steelhead, but no winter steelhead have been reported. No winter steelhead have reached the fish trap near the base of Applegate Dam. Outflows from the dam were holding steady at 248 cfs.

Fish these winter steelhead with spoons, small egg clusters or egg flies. There is no fishing from a floating device, and all wild steelhead must be released unharmed. A $2 South Coast steelhead validation is needed to fish this river. It remains open through March. All wild steelhead must be released unharmed in the Applegate.

CHETCO: The river was forecast to rise all of Thursday and peak late Thursday around 10,000 cfs before dropping consistently into next week. That could bring a little decent winter steelhead fishing, but expect to run into more spawned-out kelts that need to be released unharmed. Side-drifting roe or soft egg clusters in the far upper river should be OK, but don’t expect too many clear steelhead. A $2 South Coast Steelhead validation along with a fishing license is needed to fish here, even if it’s all catch and release. Anglers can keep one adult wild winter steelhead a day as part of the Rogue-South Coast rules, but you must have a South Coast wild steelhead harvest tag.