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| Rogue River - Upper - September 14th, 2004 |
FISHING: Excellent
September14th: On the water report................floated down to Tou Velle today with one angler. The fish were very active in the morning to wet flies. We hooked adult steelhead swinging the Tou Velle Twinkie and the Steelhead Addiction. Nymphing was good. Agent Orange was the nymph of choice, and fish are hitting the fly as the dead drift ends and the fly is swinging to the surface. Don’t count on this everyday, but look for it as of current. Good luck on the water..................
September 13th: River flows have been steady at 2,000 for a couple of weeks now. The river temp has been holding steady around the low 50’s and as of today it is 52.8 degrees. The fish count as of September 4th is 6,446 steelhead over Gold Ray Dam. So, if you are not familiar with the Rogue River, this means that in the upper 30 miles of the river we have about 215 steelhead per mile. Also one, yes 1, as in UNO Coho has cleared the dam. If you have caught a Coho already above Gold Ray, PLEASE show me your fly. Thank you.
No surprises on current hot flies. One day of guided fishing yielded every fish hooked on an Agent Orange, the copper nymphs have been great in plain copper and red or olive as well. We use a #12 for the steelhead. The Rogue is continuing to fish very well. Low fishing pressure on weekdays, and the weekends are definitely bringing out the boat traffic
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**Remember as a courtesy to everyone using the boat ramps to do all preparations before occupying the ramp so a quick launch can be accomplished. Putting on waders or inflating a boat with a vehicle monopolizing the ramp is a poor reflection of character and is punishable for up to seven years bad fishing luck by the fishing gods.**
photos
current conditions
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| Rogue River - Upper - September 1st, 2004 |
RECORDED: 
90 °
FISHING: Excellent
September 1st!! Today is the beginning of 61 days of fly-only regulations. Enjoy...................
August 31st: The river flow remains at 2,000 ish and the fish count is still 5,883 as of the 21st of August. Fishing is consistent right now for both traditional and non- traditional methods. Water temperatures are in the low fifties out of the dam. The river is full of steelhead from Shady Cove down. Fishing above Shady is okay, but there seems to be more empty cupboards up their. Less fishing traffic too!!
On the water report (Aug 29th): Floated to Tou Velle again today. Instead of taking off the river at noon, I put on the river at noon. Lots, lots, lots of fun boat traffic on 100 degree Sunday afternoons. If you have ever wanted to test a theory about whether or not a boat floating over the top of a pool effects steelhead taking your fly………….put in at noon next Sunday and you’ll be able to gather dozens of observations. Consider doing some trout fishing if you put in late and switch to steelhead fishing when the shade arrives and the splash and giggle ceremonies calm down.
Trout fishing was excellent for rainbow and cutthroat. Steelhead fishing was consistent too. And a half pounder/small adult? put a nice bend in my 6wt. The Olive Copper Bob was a steady producer.
On the water report (Aug 28th): Floated to Tou Velle before work today and landed two steelhead and a hand full of trout. Actually about 15 trout, but they were so small it was still just a handful. The first steelhead was a bright hen of the 20 inch variety on Agent Orange. She fought like a 40lb. wolverine fending off a grizzly bear. The second steelhead was the 25 inch variety and fought like a well trained dog on a leash! Nice and bright, but may have been caught a few times already. Both steelyz were on Agent Orange. Caution, full moon……………………….I lost a lens out of my Maui Jims, dropped my headlight in the river bottom, fell in over my head twice, lost my anchor, and loaded my inflatable on top of the car with the sunroof open.
Don’t be afraid of the higher flows, it brings the fish closer to the bank in many areas. It is also a great flow to go for the grab!! That’s right, get out there and swing a fly once in a while, while the flows are higher and warmer. You'll need a little courage to take a hour or two off of nymphing, and……you’ll have to deal with a skilled nymph fisher picking your pocket, BUT…..that tight line grab is the best fresh water take available. K-K-AAA-WAMMM-OOOO……………….no coffee necessary on early mornings when the steelhead are willing to wake you up.
The Nymph Fishing is very consistent right now. Be sure to fish one big and one small dropper fly to cover your bases. Some days the fish are all on the big, some days all on the small, and some days on both. Olive and Black Copper Nymph, Olive Skip Nymph, and Rubber Legg Copper Nymph have all been productive dropper flies in tandem with Agent Orange.
Good Luck on the water…….
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photos
current conditions
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| Rogue River - Upper - August 31st, 2004 |
RECORDED: 
95 °
FISHING: Excellent
August 31st: The river flow remains at 2,000 ish and the fish count is still 5,883 as of the 21st of August. Fishing is consistent right now for both traditional and non- traditional methods. Water temperatures are in the low fifties out of the dam. The river is full of steelhead from Shady Cove down. Fishing above Shady is okay, but there seems to be more empty cupboards up their. Less fishing traffic too!!
On the water report (Aug 29th): Floated to Tou Velle again today. Instead of taking off the river at noon, I put on the river at noon. Lots, lots, lots of fun boat traffic on 100 degree Sunday afternoons. If you have ever wanted to test a theory about whether or not a boat floating over the top of a pool effects steelhead taking your fly………….put in at noon next Sunday and you’ll be able to gather dozens of observations. Consider doing some trout fishing if you put in late and switch to steelhead fishing when the shade arrives and the splash and giggle ceremonies calm down.
Trout fishing was excellent for rainbow and cutthroat. Steelhead fishing was consistent too. And a half pounder/small adult? put a nice bend in my 6wt. The Olive Copper Bob was a steady producer.
On the water report (Aug 28th): Floated to Tou Velle before work today and landed two steelhead and a hand full of trout. Actually about 15 trout, but they were so small it was still just a handful. The first steelhead was a bright hen of the 20 inch variety on Agent Orange. She fought like a 40lb. wolverine fending off a grizzly bear. The second steelhead was the 25 inch variety and fought like a well trained dog on a leash! Nice and bright, but may have been caught a few times already. Both steelyz were on Agent Orange. Caution, full moon……………………….I lost a lens out of my Maui Jims, dropped my headlight in the river bottom, fell in over my head twice, lost my anchor, and loaded my inflatable on top of the car with the sunroof open.
Don’t be afraid of the higher flows, it brings the fish closer to the bank in many areas. It is also a great flow to go for the grab!! That’s right, get out there and swing a fly once in a while, while the flows are higher and warmer. You'll need a little courage to take a hour or two off of nymphing, and……you’ll have to deal with a skilled nymph fisher picking your pocket, BUT…..that tight line grab is the best fresh water take available. K-K-AAA-WAMMM-OOOO……………….no coffee necessary on early mornings when the steelhead are willing to wake you up.
The Nymph Fishing is very consistent right now. Be sure to fish one big and one small dropper fly to cover your bases. Some days the fish are all on the big, some days all on the small, and some days on both. Olive and Black Copper Nymph, Olive Skip Nymph, and Rubber Legg Copper Nymph have all been productive dropper flies in tandem with Agent Orange.
Good Luck on the water…….
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photos
current conditions
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| Rogue River - Upper - August 30th, 2004 |
RECORDED:
95 °
FISHING: Excellent
August 28th: The fish count has been updated as of 8/21. So the count of 5,883 has a week of lag factored into it. The count also has four days of rain factored into it!! Summer Steelhead love the rains. The flows are 2,002 cubic feet per second today, and are expected stay at 2,000 ish til the mid of September.
One the water report: Floated to TouVelle before work today and landed two steelhead and a hand full of trout. Actually about 15 trout, but they were so small it was still just a handful. The first steelhead was a bright hen of the 20 inch variety on Agent Orange. She fought like a 40lb. wolverine fending off a grizzly bear. The second steelhead was the 25 inch variety and fought like a well trained dog on a leash! Nice and bright, but may have been caught a few times already. Both steelyz were on Agent Orange. Caution, full moon……………………….I lost a lens out of my Maui Jims, dropped my headlight in the river bottom, fell in over my head twice, lost my anchor, and loaded my inflatable on top of the car with the sunroof open.
Don’t be afraid of the higher flows, it brings the fish closer to the bank in many areas. It is also a great flow to go for the grab!! That’s right, get out there and swing a fly once in a while, while the flows are higher and warmer. It takes a little courage to take a day off of nymphing, and……you’ll have to deal with a skilled nymph fisher picking your pocket, BUT…..that tight line grab is the best fresh water take available. K-K-AAA-WAMMM-OOOO……………….no coffee necessary on early mornings when the steelhead are willing to wake you up.
The Nymph Fishing is very consistent right now. Be sure to fish one big and one small dropper fly to cover your bases. Some days the fish are all on the big, some days all on the small, and some days on both. Olive and Black Copper Nymph, Olive Skip Nymph, and Rubber Legg Copper Nymph have all been productive dropper flies in tandem with Agent Orange.
Good Luck on the water…….
Photo Gallery , Home Page
photos
current conditions
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| Rogue River - Upper - August 26th, 2004 |
RECORDED:
75 °
FISHING: Excellent
August 26th: The fish count has been updated as of 8/15. So the count of 5,544 has two weeks of lag factored into it. The count also has four days of rain factored into it!! Summer Steelhead love the rains. The flows are 1,800 cubic feet per second today, and are expected to ramp to 2,000 ish tonight. And, stay at 2,000 ish til the mid of September.
Don’t be afraid of the higher flows, it brings the fish closer to the bank in many areas. It is also a great flow to go for the grab!! That’s right, get out there and swing a fly once in a while, while the flows are higher and warmer. It takes a little courage to take a day off of nymphing, and……you’ll have to deal with a skilled nymph fisher picking your pocket, BUT…..that tight line grab is the best fresh water take available. K-K-AAA-WAMMM-OOOO……………….no coffee necessary on early mornings when the steelhead are willing to wake you up.
The Nymph Fishing is very consistent right now. Be sure to fish one big and one small dropper fly to cover your bases. Some days the fish are all on the big, some days all on the small, and some days on both. Olive and Black Copper Nymph, Olive Skip Nymph, and Rubber Legg Copper Nymph have all been productive dropper flies in tandem with Agent Orange.
Good Luck on the water…….
Photo Gallery , Home Page
photos
current conditions
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| Rogue River - Upper - August 13th, 2004 |
RECORDED:
99 °
FISHING: Excellent
August 13, 2004: Fishing remains consistent, remember it’s only August. Not even mid August. The fish are red hot,chrome, and tuff, tuff, tuff. A week of guide trips and fishing trips have reminded me how many ways a steelhead can escape when they want too. I lost a nice steelhead this morning that was jumping and shaking so hard her spots fell off. So did my Silver Lightning bug that was stuck to her lip for a short while. We stock the Steelhead Lightning Bug in two sizes and the smaller one has been working well.
Red Copper Nymph, Olive Skip Nymph, and Rubber Legg Copper Nymph have all been productive dropper flies in tandem with Agent Orange.
The current fish count is 4,877 steelhead. The river is flowing 1813 cubic feet per second and the temperature is 53.6 degrees.
With about 700 steelhead at the hatchery already, pick you turf for finding a strong pull in your favorite spot.
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August 3rd: 4,512 steelhead over the dam. 1,697 cfs of water out of the dam. River temperature 52.6 degrees out of the dam. 200 Agent Oranges out of the vise, six beers in the cooler, five handfuls of cashews in my pocket, four hours of day dreaming at work, three mends to my indicator, two labs in their kennels, AND one S T E E L.....H E A D.....tight to my line.............................
Stop by Trophy Waters to see the hundreds of new flies that make up the best selection of Upper Rogue River patterns anywhere. Service with an enthusiastic smile, and, helpful suggestions on where you can locate your next steelhead.
Get out there (Tou Velle, Rogue Elk, etc.) and learn where these fish are holding at this water level. Next year when the water is at 1,700 cfs you’ll know where to start looking. If you wait until the water drops below 1,000 cfs every season you’re cheating yourself out of 2 ½ months of great steelhead fishing. Don’t forget your steelhead first aid kit complete with Agent Orange, Copper Skull River Taxi, Copper Nymphs, and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of Tou Velle Twinkies along.
July 28th: WOW!!………the river is at a great level and temperature, for swinging a fly on a floating line or sink-tip. And, of course, the nymph fishing is dead on too. The dam release is 1,705 cubic feet per second and the river temperature out of the dam is 50.7 degrees. The fish count as of July 15th is 3,727 over Gold Ray!!!
Steven Miller put Matt York to work for a half-day float trip and he and his wife both landed nice size steelhead. Way to go!! Agent Orange, and the curved hook prince were the flies that brought steelhead to the boat.
If you’re an experience Rogue angler and you thinking to yourself “what the…. hey, It’s a bit early to be guiding the river”, you’re right…most years. Many seasons the fish count will be 500-900 fish over Gold Ray by the end of July. So, 3,727 by mid-July is a huge number of fish in the river. I can remember years in the ‘90’s when the count at the end of October was less than 5,000.
Stop by Trophy Waters to see the hundreds of new flies that make up the best selection of Upper Rogue River patterns anywhere. Service with an enthusiastic smile, and, helpful suggestions on where you can locate your next steelhead.
Get out there (Tou Velle, Rogue Elk, etc.) and learn where these fish are holding at this water level. Next year when the water is at 1,700 cfs you’ll know where to start looking. If you wait until the water drops below 1,000 cfs every season you’re cheating yourself out of 2 ½ months of great steelhead fishing. Don’t forget your steelhead first aid kit complete with Agent Orange, Copper Skull River Taxi, Copper Nymphs, and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of Tou Velle Twinkies along.
July 13th: The amount of steelhead continues to climb in leaps and bounds. The most current (pun) count is 2,454 steelhead above Gold Ray. The flows are down to about 1,700 cubic feet per second. The water temperature out of the dam is 53 degrees.
All kinds of success stories are coming in today via email. Ken Michels, of Medford, managed two steelhead to the boat, one 24 inches and the other (brace yourself) was 29 inches! Jay Spencer landed a beautiful chrome reflection yesterday. I was able to hook two adult steelhead swinging with a floating line last night. True to early season form, I let both ground balls roll between my legs. Yep, sportsman’s release on both of them. DARN IT! Oh well, it was great to feel that tight line grab again, and do battle with these early fish that are sooooooooo scorching.
Get out there (Tou Velle, Rogue Elk, etc.) and learn where these fish are holding at this water level. Next year when the water is at 1,700 cfs you’ll know where to start looking. If you wait until the water drops below 1,000 cfs every season you’re cheating yourself out of 2 ½ months of great steelhead fishing. Don’t forget your steelhead first aid kit complete with Agent Orange, Copper Skull River Taxi, Copper Nymphs, and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of Tou Velle Twinkies along.
July 10th: The fish count has finally surpassed the river level. We now have 1,770 steelhead over the dam and the flow is 1,703 cubic feet per second. Jay Christensen, of Medford, has already hooked and landed some of these fish. Good luck tightening up on the early chromers!!! Don’t forget your steelhead first aid kit complete with Agent Orange, Copper Skull River Taxi, Copper Nymphs, and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of Tou Velle Twinkies along.
July 7th: Another day, and another drop in the river level! Oh yes, the river is below 2,000. The river is below 1,900.................1,891 cubic feet per second!! That is a primo flow for swinging flies. Good luck tightening up on the early chromers!!! Don’t forget your steelhead first aid kit complete with Agent Orange, Copper Skull River Taxi, Copper Nymphs, and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of Tou Velle Twinkies along.
July 6th: The fish are charging in and the water continues to drop. The fish count today is 1,459 over Gold Ray!! The water temp is 51 degrees out of the dam and the flows have dropped again, to 2,035 cubic feet per second.
That is a pile of steelhead for this time of the year.
Update July 2nd: The river continues to drop, weighing in today at 2,479 cfs. That flow, in conjunction with 881+ steelhead over Gold Ray and the water temp in the mid 50’s, means SWING TIME.
The nymphing will also be a great method to get tight to a fresh steelhead, but with more water to cover the swing may be as productive in the river’s larger runs.
I fished Tou Velle Park this morning and had small trout non-stop on my purple skater. And one large cutthroat pounced on the fly as well. So, no steelhead yet. But, what a great bonus fish those cutts are.
Update: As of this morning, June 30th, the steelhead count is up to 881 over the day at Gold Ray. The river dropped a few hundred cfs to 2,674. Also 181 steelhead have made it to the hatchery already. Swwwiinnngggg batter............
I went for a short walk-in fish on the Rogue last night(6/28). With 700 steelhead in the upper river, my steelhead season has begun. I landed one trout, and smoked two cigars. The largest cigar outweighed the trout, and it was a robusto.
However,…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The river is dead clear, 2800 cfs, and the temperature is in the low 50’s (warm for the upper river). This means that some steelhead will be closer to the bank, and a swinging fly will be more effective. Still, set up from last fall, I used a heavy stonefly, and a red copper nymph with a piece of yarn about 7 feet above them. One split shot help the drift slow to a crawl in the faster currents.
If you’re over anxious and feel like doing some prospecting, there is enough steelhead over Gold Ray to start hooking a few. Flies to try are Agent Orange, Key Lime Fly, Rogue River Red Ant, Green Butt Skunk, and copper nymphs in copper/black/red/or green. Tou Velle Park has some great high water holding areas to find these early chromers. Good Luck!!!!
photos
current conditions
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| Klamath Lake - August 10th, 2004 |
RECORDED:
74 °
FISHING: Excellent
It’s hard to give Klamath Lake an Excellent rating, because some days can be a complete bust. But most days from now til the end of fall will not be. And, I'll continue to rate the lake based on how many fish are in the Rocky Point area, vacationing over the cool spring water. It is almost impossible to find a fish smaller than 18 inches, and catch rates can push two or three fish an hour over the course of a fishing day. Now you know my definition of Excellent fishing on Klamath Lake.
That said, there are plenty of fish occupying the spring areas right now. Practice casting your clear fly lines before you head out. It helps to throw all of it. Many flies are working right now but a couple in particular are getting eat’n all day long and seem to out produce the common stuff. Stop by the store to see these flies.
By the mid of July the fish banks area had 80 degree water temps. On that same day we found a spring that had 45 degree water temps. Do bring a device to measure water temperature; it is an important indication of fish being present.
Don't forget the Ultrathon bug dope, and 5x fluorocarbon leaders and tippet!!
photos
current conditions
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| Rogue River - Upper - July 28th, 2004 |
RECORDED:
85 °
FISHING: Great
July 28th: WOW!!………the river is at a great level and temperature, for swinging a fly on a floating line or sink-tip. And, of course, the nymph fishing is dead on too. The dam release is 1,705 cubic feet per second and the river temperature out of the dam is 50.7 degrees. The fish count as of July 15th is 3,727 over Gold Ray!!!
Steven Miller put Matt York to work for a half-day float trip and he and his wife both landed nice size steelhead. Way to go!! Agent Orange, and the curved hook prince were the flies that brought steelhead to the boat.
If you’re an experience Rogue angler and you thinking to yourself “what the…. hey, It’s a bit early to be guiding the river”, you’re right…most years. Many seasons the fish count will be 500-900 fish over Gold Ray by the end of July. So, 3,727 by mid-July is a huge number of fish in the river. I can remember years in the ‘90’s when the count at the end of October was less than 5,000.
Stop by Trophy Waters to see the hundreds of new flies that make up the best selection of Upper Rogue River patterns anywhere. Service with an enthusiastic smile, and, helpful suggestions on where you can locate your next steelhead.
Get out there (Tou Velle, Rogue Elk, etc.) and learn where these fish are holding at this water level. Next year when the water is at 1,700 cfs you’ll know where to start looking. If you wait until the water drops below 1,000 cfs every season you’re cheating yourself out of 2 ½ months of great steelhead fishing. Don’t forget your steelhead first aid kit complete with Agent Orange, Copper Skull River Taxi, Copper Nymphs, and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of Tou Velle Twinkies along.
July 13th: The amount of steelhead continues to climb in leaps and bounds. The most current (pun) count is 2,454 steelhead above Gold Ray. The flows are down to about 1,700 cubic feet per second. The water temperature out of the dam is 53 degrees.
All kinds of success stories are coming in today via email. Ken Michels, of Medford, managed two steelhead to the boat, one 24 inches and the other (brace yourself) was 29 inches! Jay Spencer landed a beautiful chrome reflection yesterday. I was able to hook two adult steelhead swinging with a floating line last night. True to early season form, I let both ground balls roll between my legs. Yep, sportsman’s release on both of them. DARN IT! Oh well, it was great to feel that tight line grab again, and do battle with these early fish that are sooooooooo scorching.
Get out there (Tou Velle, Rogue Elk, etc.) and learn where these fish are holding at this water level. Next year when the water is at 1,700 cfs you’ll know where to start looking. If you wait until the water drops below 1,000 cfs every season you’re cheating yourself out of 2 ½ months of great steelhead fishing. Don’t forget your steelhead first aid kit complete with Agent Orange, Copper Skull River Taxi, Copper Nymphs, and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of Tou Velle Twinkies along.
July 10th: The fish count has finally surpassed the river level. We now have 1,770 steelhead over the dam and the flow is 1,703 cubic feet per second. Jay Christensen, of Medford, has already hooked and landed some of these fish. Good luck tightening up on the early chromers!!! Don’t forget your steelhead first aid kit complete with Agent Orange, Copper Skull River Taxi, Copper Nymphs, and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of Tou Velle Twinkies along.
July 7th: Another day, and another drop in the river level! Oh yes, the river is below 2,000. The river is below 1,900.................1,891 cubic feet per second!! That is a primo flow for swinging flies. Good luck tightening up on the early chromers!!! Don’t forget your steelhead first aid kit complete with Agent Orange, Copper Skull River Taxi, Copper Nymphs, and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of Tou Velle Twinkies along.
July 6th: The fish are charging in and the water continues to drop. The fish count today is 1,459 over Gold Ray!! The water temp is 51 degrees out of the dam and the flows have dropped again, to 2,035 cubic feet per second.
That is a pile of steelhead for this time of the year.
Update July 2nd: The river continues to drop, weighing in today at 2,479 cfs. That flow, in conjunction with 881+ steelhead over Gold Ray and the water temp in the mid 50’s, means SWING TIME.
The nymphing will also be a great method to get tight to a fresh steelhead, but with more water to cover the swing may be as productive in the river’s larger runs.
I fished Tou Velle Park this morning and had small trout non-stop on my purple skater. And one large cutthroat pounced on the fly as well. So, no steelhead yet. But, what a great bonus fish those cutts are.
Update: As of this morning, June 30th, the steelhead count is up to 881 over the day at Gold Ray. The river dropped a few hundred cfs to 2,674. Also 181 steelhead have made it to the hatchery already. Swwwiinnngggg batter............
I went for a short walk-in fish on the Rogue last night(6/28). With 700 steelhead in the upper river, my steelhead season has begun. I landed one trout, and smoked two cigars. The largest cigar outweighed the trout, and it was a robusto.
However,…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The river is dead clear, 2800 cfs, and the temperature is in the low 50’s (warm for the upper river). This means that some steelhead will be closer to the bank, and a swinging fly will be more effective. Still, set up from last fall, I used a heavy stonefly, and a red copper nymph with a piece of yarn about 7 feet above them. One split shot help the drift slow to a crawl in the faster currents.
If you’re over anxious and feel like doing some prospecting, there is enough steelhead over Gold Ray to start hooking a few. Flies to try are Agent Orange, Key Lime Fly, Rogue River Red Ant, Green Butt Skunk, and copper nymphs in copper/black/red/or green. Tou Velle Park has some great high water holding areas to find these early chromers. Good Luck!!!!
photos
current conditions
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| Rogue River - Upper - July 13th, 2004 |
RECORDED:
85 °
FISHING: Good
July 13th: The amount of steelhead continues to climb in leaps and bounds. The most current (pun) count is 2,454 steelhead above Gold Ray. The flows are down to about 1,700 cubic feet per second. The water temperature out of the dam is 53 degrees.
All kinds of success stories are coming in today via email. Ken Michels, of Medford, managed two steelhead to the boat, one 24 inches and the other (brace yourself) was 29 inches! Jay Spencer landed a beautiful chrome reflection yesterday. I was able to hook two adult steelhead swinging with a floating line last night. True to early season form, I let both ground balls roll between my legs. Yep, sportsman’s release on both of them. DARN IT! Oh well, it was great to feel that tight line grab again, and do battle with these early fish that are sooooooooo scorching.
Get out there (Tou Velle, Rogue Elk, etc.) and learn where these fish are holding at this water level. Next year when the water is at 1,700 cfs you’ll know where to start looking. If you wait until the water drops below 1,000 cfs every season you’re cheating yourself out of 2 ½ months of great steelhead fishing. Don’t forget your steelhead first aid kit complete with Agent Orange, Copper Skull River Taxi, Copper Nymphs, and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of Tou Velle Twinkies along.
July 10th: The fish count has finally surpassed the river level. We now have 1,770 steelhead over the dam and the flow is 1,703 cubic feet per second. Jay Christensen, of Medford, has already hooked and landed some of these fish. Good luck tightening up on the early chromers!!! Don’t forget your steelhead first aid kit complete with Agent Orange, Copper Skull River Taxi, Copper Nymphs, and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of Tou Velle Twinkies along.
July 7th: Another day, and another drop in the river level! Oh yes, the river is below 2,000. The river is below 1,900.................1,891 cubic feet per second!! That is a primo flow for swinging flies. Good luck tightening up on the early chromers!!! Don’t forget your steelhead first aid kit complete with Agent Orange, Copper Skull River Taxi, Copper Nymphs, and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of Tou Velle Twinkies along.
July 6th: The fish are charging in and the water continues to drop. The fish count today is 1,459 over Gold Ray!! The water temp is 51 degrees out of the dam and the flows have dropped again, to 2,035 cubic feet per second.
That is a pile of steelhead for this time of the year.
Update July 2nd: The river continues to drop, weighing in today at 2,479 cfs. That flow, in conjunction with 881+ steelhead over Gold Ray and the water temp in the mid 50’s, means SWING TIME.
The nymphing will also be a great method to get tight to a fresh steelhead, but with more water to cover the swing may be as productive in the river’s larger runs.
I fished Tou Velle Park this morning and had small trout non-stop on my purple skater. And one large cutthroat pounced on the fly as well. So, no steelhead yet. But, what a great bonus fish those cutts are.
Update: As of this morning, June 30th, the steelhead count is up to 881 over the day at Gold Ray. The river dropped a few hundred cfs to 2,674. Also 181 steelhead have made it to the hatchery already. Swwwiinnngggg batter............
I went for a short walk-in fish on the Rogue last night(6/28). With 700 steelhead in the upper river, my steelhead season has begun. I landed one trout, and smoked two cigars. The largest cigar outweighed the trout, and it was a robusto.
However,…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The river is dead clear, 2800 cfs, and the temperature is in the low 50’s (warm for the upper river). This means that some steelhead will be closer to the bank, and a swinging fly will be more effective. Still, set up from last fall, I used a heavy stonefly, and a red copper nymph with a piece of yarn about 7 feet above them. One split shot help the drift slow to a crawl in the faster currents.
If you’re over anxious and feel like doing some prospecting, there is enough steelhead over Gold Ray to start hooking a few. Flies to try are Agent Orange, Key Lime Fly, Rogue River Red Ant, Green Butt Skunk, and copper nymphs in copper/black/red/or green. Tou Velle Park has some great high water holding areas to find these early chromers. Good Luck!!!!
photos
current conditions
|
| Rogue River - Upper - July 7th, 2004 |
RECORDED:
85 °
FISHING: Good
July 7th: Another day, and another drop in the river level! Oh yes, the river is below 2,000. The river is below 1,900.................1,891 cubic feet per second!! That is a primo flow for swinging flies. Good luck tightening up on the early chromers!!! Don’t forget your steelhead first aid kit complete with Agent Orange, Copper Skull River Taxi, Copper Nymphs, and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of Tou Velle Twinkies along.
July 6th: The fish are charging in and the water continues to drop. The fish count today is 1,459 over Gold Ray!! The water temp is 51 degrees out of the dam and the flows have dropped again, to 2,035 cubic feet per second.
That is a pile of steelhead for this time of the year.
Update July 2nd: The river continues to drop, weighing in today at 2,479 cfs. That flow, in conjunction with 881+ steelhead over Gold Ray and the water temp in the mid 50’s, means SWING TIME.
The nymphing will also be a great method to get tight to a fresh steelhead, but with more water to cover the swing may be as productive in the river’s larger runs.
I fished Tou Velle Park this morning and had small trout non-stop on my purple skater. And one large cutthroat pounced on the fly as well. So, no steelhead yet. But, what a great bonus fish those cutts are.
Update: As of this morning, June 30th, the steelhead count is up to 881 over the day at Gold Ray. The river dropped a few hundred cfs to 2,674. Also 181 steelhead have made it to the hatchery already. Swwwiinnngggg batter............
I went for a short walk-in fish on the Rogue last night(6/28). With 700 steelhead in the upper river, my steelhead season has begun. I landed one trout, and smoked two cigars. The largest cigar outweighed the trout, and it was a robusto.
However,…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The river is dead clear, 2800 cfs, and the temperature is in the low 50’s (warm for the upper river). This means that some steelhead will be closer to the bank, and a swinging fly will be more effective. Still, set up from last fall, I used a heavy stonefly, and a red copper nymph with a piece of yarn about 7 feet above them. One split shot help the drift slow to a crawl in the faster currents.
If you’re over anxious and feel like doing some prospecting, there is enough steelhead over Gold Ray to start hooking a few. Flies to try are Agent Orange, Key Lime Fly, Rogue River Red Ant, Green Butt Skunk, and copper nymphs in copper/black/red/or green. Tou Velle Park has some great high water holding areas to find these early chromers. Good Luck!!!!
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current conditions
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