Recent Fishing Reports for Oregon. 7/13

[tubeN2]

Rogue River - Upper - July 10th, 2004
supplied by: [url "http://www.fisheyesoup.com/redir.php?recKey=12,re"][#0000ff]Trophy Waters[/#0000ff][/url]
RECORDED: 85 ° FISHING: Good
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 [url "http://www.trophywaters.net/galleryPopup.php?recKey=560"][#0000ff]Agent Orange[/#0000ff][/url], [url "http://www.trophywaters.net/galleryPopup.php?recKey=2030"][#0000ff]Copper Skull River Taxi[/#0000ff][/url], [url "http://www.trophywaters.net/galleryPopup.php?recKey=565"][#0000ff]Copper Nymphs[/#0000ff][/url], and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of [url "http://www.trophywaters.net/galleryPopup.php?recKey=636"][#0000ff]Tou Velle Ties[/#0000ff][/url] 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 [url "http://www.trophywaters.net/galleryPopup.php?recKey=560"][#0000ff]Agent Orange[/#0000ff][/url], [url "http://www.trophywaters.net/galleryPopup.php?recKey=2030"][#0000ff]Copper Skull River Taxi[/#0000ff][/url], [url "http://www.trophywaters.net/galleryPopup.php?recKey=565"][#0000ff]Copper Nymphs[/#0000ff][/url], and Key Lime Fly. If you’re going for the grab take a couple of [url "http://www.trophywaters.net/galleryPopup.php?recKey=636"][#0000ff]Tou Velle Ties[/#0000ff][/url] 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 [url "http://www.trophywaters.net/galleryPopup.php?recKey=2024"][#0000ff]purple skater[/#0000ff][/url]. And one large cutthroat pounced on the fly as well. So, no steelhead yet. But, what a great [url "http://www.trophywaters.net/galleryPopup.php?recKey=2022"][#0000ff]bonus fish those cutts are[/#0000ff][/url].

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 [url "http://www.trophywaters.net/custom.php?page=99"][#0000ff]Gold Ray[/#0000ff][/url] 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!!!!