OCEAN OUTLOOK

SOUTH COAST: The ocean is starting to settle down a bit, but it still may be a little rough for the average angler. Thursday’s forecast calls for 10-knot winds and 11-foot swells, followed Friday by 10-knot winds and 7-foot swells. Saturday sees another day of 10-knot winds, but the swells are forecast to grow to 9 feet.

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

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.

Bottomfishing looks possible for those making early morning trips and staying close to shore and alee of the wind. Jigging for lingcod has been very good out of Brookings when weather has allowed, particularly at near-shore hot-spots like Mack Arch.

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.

The ocean is now open to recreational crabbing, but conditions have kept crabbers in bays like Charleston and Coos Bay near Charleston. A new series of afternoon minus tides hits this week, with some very low tides in the late afternoons. Coupled with seasonally high tides, the tidal swing will be as much as 9.4 feet Friday. That will create major surges in estuaries and that will make crabbing and fishing in bays difficult other than around the days’ slack tides.

Razor clamming is 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 63% full. Electric trolling motors are OK — no gas motors. The park closes at dusk.

APPLEGATE: The French Gulch ramp is now is the only one usable for trailered boats as the lake’s mid-winter season has crept in. The lake is back down to 1,827 feet of elevation Tuesday, with inflows of 724 cubic feet per second and outflows of 850 cfs. The lake is a hair beneath the regular filling schedule, but it’s the first week of filling, and that’s not egregious by any means. Fishing pressure is extremely light. The lake has a 10 mph speed limit.

DIAMOND: The lake is sporting snow and ice along the outer areas but lots of open but unaccessible waters further out. The ice is not safe for fishing. 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. All tiger trout and brown trout must be released unharmed. Some are eclipsing 8 pounds.

EMIGRANT: The lake has risen a hair to 25% full and likely will stay that low once the snows start up on the Dead Indian Plateau. 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 and accessible water, but fishing interest remains light at best. Catches are best with worms or PowerBait near submerged springs near the Forest Service ramp and out past the marina. The lake was actually up a hair this past week to 55% full Tuesday. That’s basically inflows from underground springs and very little runoff as snow levels climb.

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 37% full, which is up over the past week.

HYATT: The lake was up a hair to 55% 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 ice-free and fishing well for perch and some rainbows in shallow water just off the marina.

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. The reservoir was listed at 56% full this week and slightly lower than normal for this week as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers siphons off some of last week’s inflows. Flows out of the reservoir were at 2,125 cfs and inflows were down to 2,590 cfs as the reservoir inches upward. Drier weather is in the forecast.

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: Water levels are dropping, and winter steelhead fishing is starting to kick into gear in the Grants Pass area while the upper Rogue is seeing a few fresh winter steelhead but not enough to really target them just yet. The lower Rogue is high but fishing well for winter steelhead by bankies using Spin-Glo’s while plunking.

High waters river-wide have turned anglers into NFL viewers, and the only difference between last weekend and this weekend will be a possible Taylor Swift sighting.

That makes the best bet the middle Rogue, where flows at Grants Pass were at a respectable 3,200 cfs Tuesday and slowly dropping well into next week. Plug fishing in migration zones and the edges of deeper water is best now, while side-drifting roe and scented yarn balls is better at some slower water areas like those downstream of Whitehorse Park. Flows are forecast to drop slowly deep into next week. Fly-fishing will be tough until the flows drop decisively.

The lower Rogue in the Agness area is pulling nicely into shape for plunkers at places like the old Champion mill site and Dunkelberger Bar as well as the Quosatana and Lobster Creek bars.

In the upper Rogue, a decisive drop in flows out of Lost Creek Lake has boosted fishing conditions as the first winter steelhead of the season are starting to show. A handful of fresh winter steelhead hit Cole Rivers Hatchery in the past two weeks and more are to come. Prospect for them with plugs and bait on the inside turns of gravel bars and at the tops of pools like at the mouth of Bear Creek. Flows at Dodge Bridge were at 2,840 cfs Tuesday and forecast to drop slowly but steadily into next week. Flows at the old Gold Ray Dam site were at 3,484 cfs.

A few fresh winter steelhead were caught this week at the Hatchery Hole, but catches and effort have been light so far.

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 steelhead harvest on the Rogue is now closed.

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 down to 850 cfs, so flows are pretty crisp at the upper end. Fishing likely will be best around the Tavern Hole and other spots lower in the system as fresh winter steelhead should be showing up this week.

CHETCO: The river was dropping and in very good winter steelhead fishing shape higher in the system. Flows Tuesday were a fetching 5,590 cfs at Ice Box, so there’s plenty of water and steelhead remain on the move. A $2 South Coast Steelhead validation along with a fishing license is needed to fish here, even if it’s all catch and release.