OCEAN OUTLOOK

SOUTH COAST: The ocean is settling down to a point where there may be some very good near-shore lingcod and black rockfish catches through the weekend. Thursday’s forecast calls for 10-knot winds and 5-foot swells, but expect much better conditions in near-shore reefs north of Brookings that tend to be alee to these winter events. Friday’s forecast calls for much of the same, followed Saturday by 10-knot winds and swells as low as 4 feet. That’s all doable — by even those with sketchy sea legs who still want a shot at the first lings of the year.

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.

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. No new minus tides are in the works for the following week.

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 73% full. Electric trolling motors are OK but not gas motors. The park closes at dusk.

APPLEGATE: The French Gulch ramp is now 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 1,918 feet Tuesday, up 9 feet from last week but still 2 feet shy of the normal filling curve. That’s normal for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as it hedges its bets on flash inflows from possible storms. Tuesday’s in-flows were more than doubled from last week and up to 936 cubic feet per second, while outflows still hovered around 250 cfs. The lake has a 10 mph speed limit.

DIAMOND: The lake is starting to ice over more near the north boat ramp, and some ice fishing has occurred in the cove near the ramp. However, there is still open water, and the ice is not that great, so show immense caution. All tiger trout and brown trout must be released unharmed. Some are eclipsing 8 pounds.

EMIGRANT: The lake has risen significantly to 35% 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 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 actually up a hair 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 up over the past week.

HYATT: The lake holding steady at 49% 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.

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. The reservoir was listed at 64% full this week and about 5.5 feet shy of normal for this week as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers keeps hedging its bets on future rain-on-snow events that could fill the reservoir fairly quickly later this winter and early spring. Flows out of the reservoir were down to 1,179 cfs and inflows were up to 2,500 cfs Tuesday. 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 gearing up for good winter steelhead fishing river-wide for the first time this season. Also, rumors of the first spring chinook salmon of the season are dribbling around the lower Rogue, but no one has come forth with a carcass yet to prove they’re coming.

That makes the middle Rogue the best bet of the weekend, largely because the upper Rogue hasn’t seen a great influx of winter steelhead yet, and the lower Rogue should only be good for bank anglers chucking Spin-Glo’s off the bank.

Flows at Grants Pass were forecast to be about 3,900 cfs Thursday, starting to drop incrementally through the weekend, and that should bode well for boat anglers from Grants Pass all the way to Galice. Bank anglers are fishing Spin-Glo’s or plugs off side-planers at places like Chair and Rainbow riffles. Driftboaters are doing decent on a mix of fake egg clusters, pink worms under bobbers or pink or chartreuse plugs. The fish remain quite spread out, and water temperatures are cool, and that has slowed the bite a bit. Start looking for Applegate River-bound winter steelhead to get caught from the Applegate mouth down past Whitehorse Park.

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 drift boats. 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 2,700 cfs Thursday before dropping slowly through the weekend. 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 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. 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 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 holding steady at 258 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.

CHETCO: The river was forecast to peak Wednesday around 6,700 cfs before dropping through the weekend, and that should make for a nice flurry of winter steelhead catches river-wide. Already a few spawned-out kelts have been reported, but most of the fish are late-run steelhead that are still in good shape. Winter steelhead are well distributed river-wide. A $2 South Coast Steelhead validation along with a fishing license is needed to fish here, even if it’s all catch and release.