OCEAN OUTLOOK

SOUTH COAST: The ocean is creating a decent, albeit short window for near-shore rockfish angling this week. Thursday’s forecast calls for 15-knot winds and 4-foot wind waves off the South Coast, which usually means decent conditions for morning near-shore forays into lingcod country near kelp beds and rock reefs. Friday’s forecast shows a bit of deterioration, with winds starting at 10 knots but doubling by the afternoon and swells up to 6 feet. Saturday looks like a stay-at-home day, with 20-knot winds and 11-foot swells.

All ocean salmon fishing and halibut fishing is closed along the Oregon 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. Beaches north of Gold Beach can also yield great surfperch catches. There are a dozen varieties of surfperch along the Oregon Coast, and most are quite tasty.

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. Also, razor clamming is now closed between Cascade Head near Lincoln City to Seal Rock near Waldport because of elevated domoic acid levels recently found.

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 significantly to 88% full. Electric trolling motors are OK but no gas motors. The park closes at dusk.

APPLEGATE: The French Gulch ramps now 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 1,936 feet Tuesday, reaching its typical filling schedule for late February. That puts its capacity currently at 42 percent full. Look for the reservoir to fill this spring. 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. But snow has made access very poor. No real ice fishing effort has occurred because of thin ice conditions. The ice has a new sheet of snow and will get more snow through this weekend. All tiger trout and brown trout must be released unharmed. Some are eclipsing 8 pounds.

EMIGRANT: The lake has risen significantly to 43% 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 U.S. Forest Service ramp and out past the marina. The lake was stable this past week to 58% 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 40% full, which is identical to last week.

HYATT: The lake was up slightly to 52%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, but access has been hampered by heavy snow and biting winds on the lake. When you can get out, fishing has been decent for perch and some rainbows in shallow water just off the marina.

LOST CREEK: The lake’s winter trout fishing has remained 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. Flows out of the reservoir were back up this week to 1,206 cfs. The lake was listed at 71% full and 6 feet below the regular filling schedule. That won’t be a problem because there is enough runoff in the forecast to fill the reservoir this spring.

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 earlier this week has swelled the Rogue to generally poor fishing conditions, but a break in the rain forecast for the next few days should help create some good winter steelhead fishing conditions in the middle and lower Rogue while perhaps jump-starting an early spring chinook salmon bite in the lower Rogue.

That makes the middle Rogue the best bet, but the window will be short. Catches of mostly wild winter steelhead were quite good between freshets last week and look for more of the same. Flows at Grants Pass are forecast to peak early Thursday at about 11,500 cfs then drop rather quickly to about 4,800 cfs before rising again Sunday. Since steelhead bite best on the drop of water levels, Friday and Saturday are the best windows for winter steelhead.

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 3.5s are also great choices.

In the upper Rogue, it’s still early for good numbers of winter steelhead, but enough are around to keep anglers at least interested when conditions present themselves. Flows at Dodge Bridge were up this week and forecast to peak at about 4,300 cfs before starting to drop Thursday and bottoming out late Friday at about 2,500 cfs before rising again into next week. That makes Thursday and Friday peak trip dates.

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.

The lower Rogue in the Agness area is set to see a peak flow of 25,000 cfs early 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 OK at places like the old Champion mill site and Dunkelberger Bar as well as the Quosatana and Lobster Creek bars. But the winter steelhead season is definitely petering out there, with early spring chinook on the immediate horizon.

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 250 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 Thursday and peak late Wednesday at around 13,000 cfs before dropping through Saturday to about 5,000 cfs at the gauge at Ice Box. Late-season winter steelhead fishing could be OK high in the system, but anglers are reporting large volumes of spawned-out kelts heading back to the ocean.

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.