OCEAN OUTLOOK

SOUTH COAST: The ocean has been very good for near-shore anglers chasing lingcod and beating the winds and swells. The next few days look like more of the same.

Thursday’s forecast calls for winds up to 20 knots and swells up to 8 feet. That’s pretty marginal and usually too rough for casual ocean anglers. Friday’s forecast shows a bit deterioration, with winds starting at 10 knots but doubling by the afternoon and swells down to 6 feet. So it’s an early half-day on the briny Friday. Saturday looks even better with winds dying down to 10-knots but the 6-foot swells sticking around.

All ocean salmon fishing and halibut fishing is closed along the Oregon Coast. Halibut opens in May and early indications are that the South Coast will have an ocean chinook salmon season with a two-fish daily limit. Dates will be set next month.

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. The final afternoon minus tides of this series are at 9:45 a.m. Thursday and 10:44 a.m. Friday.

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 month, but it’s held steady this past week at 88% full. Electric trolling motors are OK but no gas motors. The park closes at dusk.

APPLEGATE: The French Gulch and Copper ramps are open and useable for trailered boats as the lake continues to fill right on schedule. The lake’s elevation Tuesday was at 1940.3 feet above sea level, which lists it at 46% full. Flows in were up to 577 cubic-feet-per-second, while out-flows were holding steady at 250 cfs. Look for the reservoir to fill this spring. The lake has a 10 mph speed limit. Fishing pressure is very limited now.

DIAMOND: The lake is covered with ice, slush and deep snow that has largely kept ice fishers off the lake. Also, heavy snows have made access difficult. All tiger trout and brown trout must be released unharmed. Some are eclipsing 8 pounds.

EMIGRANT: The lake has held steady this past week at 43% full and likely will start creeping up with this week’s freshets. Trout fishing is available but slow, and bass fishing remains slow and will until we get a series of warmer, sunnier days.

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 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 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 that of last week.

HYATT: The lake was up slightly to 50% 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. Warm temperatures are on the immediate horizon as well, so the window for ice fishing here seems to be over.

LAKE OF THE WOODS: The lake remains 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 there. Flows out of the reservoir were holding steady at 1,200 cfs. The lake was listed at 73% full and 8 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 are forecast to peak on Wednesday, and conditions for winter steelhead fishing should be very good in the middle and upper Rogue. Also, the lower Rogue will be dropping into shape just as the first spring chinook salmon of the season has started to get caught.

That makes the middle Rogue the best bet, but the window will be short and sweet. 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 late Wednesday at about 5,800 cfs before dropping consistently until another bump in flows is forecast to start Sunday morning. That makes Friday and Saturday likely pretty hot days for winter steelhead, now that the steelhead are starting to show themselves. The run has been late this year river-wide. Steelhead bite best on the drop of water levels, so any combination of plug fishing as well as bait and fake gobs of eggs will work well in migration lanes and near the tops of deeper glides.

Bank anglers will be fishing Spin-Glo’s or plugs off side-planers at places like Chair and Rainbow riffles.

In the upper Rogue, the first decent wave of winter steelhead could show up this weekend, but the run has definitely been late despite the good water levels. Fish MagLip 3.0 lures through deeper, slower steelhead runs and drag bait or fake egg clusters through places like Frenchmen’s. Fish a larger, deeper-diving plug and you might run into the upper Rogue’s first spring chinook salmon of the season.

Flows at Dodge Bridge were up this week and forecast to peak at about 3,730 cfs Tuesday before dropping through Saturday before creeping again. That makes Thursday and Friday peak trip dates.

The lower Rogue, at least a dozen spring chinook have been caught largely by plunkers off banks in the lower 14 miles of river. There’s a high ratio of hatchery fish so far, and most are 30-year-old chinook weighing about 16 pounds. These are the Rogue’s best-tasting fish of the year. Only hatchery chinook can be kept. Flows in the Agness area were set to peak around 17,000 cfs Wednesday and drop consistently through next week. Also, late winter steelhead are still in the mix, with more plunkers catching steelhead than chinook. Boat anglers will get into the mix beginning this weekend with the drop in flows. Lots of debris in the water also has deterred boat anglers, but look for that to ebb.

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.

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 peak Wednesday at around 17,000 cfs before dropping all week. Still, this may be the swan song for the river’s winter steelhead season as most of the fish will either be dark or spawned-out kelts that should be released unharmed.

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.