Weekly Fishing Report For

Coho Salmon Season
June 20 to August 31, 2009
Limit is 2 fish 16 inches and over, healed adipose finclipped

King Salmon season
August 29 to September 7, 2009
Trophy Season October 2009
Limit is 2 fish over 24 inches per day

August 29 to August 31, 2009
Limit 1 Chinook & 1 Coho or 2 Chinook or 2 Coho

June 22th, 2009 - Southern Oregon's 2009 Coho season is on!

For weeks now we have heard reports from a number of bottom fish anglers how they were hooking a number of Coho while jigging subsequently kicking them loose.

From Coos Bay to the Oregon California State Line the hottest spot on the coast was Coos Bay. It was reported that Coos Bay was fair to good with surprisingly few unmarked fish. Winchester Bay was the bright spot on the entire Oregon Coast, the action there was described as HOT!

The Brookings area was just the opposite, it seemed high winds were the culprit keeping anglers off of Coho water. Brookings is being hammered by winds 18 to 25 miles per hour and it appears it will continue for a much of the week of the 24th. Keep an eye on this.

When anglers do get out the salmon alley area out in front of Bird Island seems to be one of the more productive areas to target.

There are a multitude of variables that go into a successful day on the water. Degrees of difference, fish movements, and weather conditions all have their place.

If you're not catching fish try different depths, speed adjustments by either making sweeping turns not varying speed but it will give you two different rod speeds, the inside rod on a turn will always slow and drop out otherwise kick it up to 3.2 mph if the water is between 58 and 60 degrees or drop her back to the 2.8 mph if temps are closer to the 55 degree mark. Try different colored flashers or lures, try a fillet of anchovy on a fly or bait holder, if you're using a fillet do not fold it in half, fold it off set to allow the tails section of your bait to flap. Hoochie use, many anglers make the mistake of rigging them with to light of leader, even though you are catching fish under 15 pounds you should use fifty to eighty pound line simply due to catch the action of the flasher.

Piano wire works well, you want that hoochie to dart back and forth, and if your leader is too flexible, you loose lure movement. If anglers use Purple Haze Hoochies rig them with a red bead in the head or a red gum pukie, this will cast a pinkish red spot in the hood of the rig and appear to salmon as bait that is injured, they can see the difference, and they will take it. Make sure to use only one bait per rig, the fine is steep if you're in violation.

Bait balls, many anglers make the mistake and troll right through a bait ball where birds are active simply put, DON'T! Troll to the outside of these birds, try not to spook them. This is where a side planner comes in, now you can work the near surface with a spoon or bait holder without spooking birds.

Bottom fishing is also held at bay until winds subside otherwise it is simply RED hot action to both the North and South of the Brookings Harbor. Lead fish, stinger rigs and white rootbeer and motor oil twin tails are the ticket for limits. Again check sea conditions prior to heading out.

June 16th, 2009 - Brooking's sea conditions continue prime

While Oregon Rivers are quiet, the saltwater continues to take off with Rockfish and Lingcod action from House rock to the Oregon California Border.

Chetco Outdoor manager Dave Pitts and WONS field reporter says the sea conditions have been lake like for more than two weeks. What this translates into is anglers now have the opportunity to make longer runs in less time. Anglers are able to fish some six to nine miles up the coast to areas that are virtually unfished for most of the year. Lings in the low and mid twenty pound class and Cabezon near ten pounds have been crossing the cleaning table on a daily bases. Lead fish the new P-Line diamond jig in holographic and the P-Line Farrolan Feathers in Green and Chartreuse and Black and Purple are working well.

Divers are cleaning up on scallops and spear fisherman are taking some phenomenal lings and rock fish in less than twenty feet of water.

Anglers should try to get on the water before sea conditions go south on us, according to some reports the forecast looks like she might just get a tad bumpy for the Coho opener on June 20th.

Pitts continued by saying live fisherman and sport anglers report catching coho salmon while jigging for bottom fish. They are releasing all of them but said the silvers caught are between six to twelve pounds.

Angler reports say there are clouds of both candle fish and other bait fish along the Brookings coast line keep a large number of Coho Salmon in the area, in fact at this time they are within a mile and a half of the Chetco river by both buoys. The opener should be a good one for trollers, just stay shallow, no need to go deep on these guys. Coho will be caught in less than 12 feet and more times than not right in or just outside your prop wash.

Look for the Aces high flies and the new UV hoochies to take control of fish in the box. Make sure to look at the fish as it comes along side your boat before netting it, no need to kill a wild fish or one your not going to keep due to size.

Other news Albacore fisherman get ready, some anglers fishing out of Trinidad California connected on fourteen albacore tuna between 15 and 19 pounds. They said they traveled 38 miles. Keep an eye pealed on the terrafin, word has it they should come into the Brookings area within the next month, let hope so.

June 10th, 2009 - Brookings Oregon, World Class fishing

It doesn't matter what direction you head, right out front to the north or south you’re going to catch fish. The Ocean has been flatter than Folsom or Klamath lakes and appears it will remain that way for the next week. The only thing anglers will need to keep an eye on is the drift. Even during flat sea’s the drift can be a deal breaker, if this happens try to tuck in behind a large group of rocks or fish in a water column of less than forty feet.

Even with lake like conditions, anglers didn't have to go far, most were fishing well within a four mile range and were catch consistent on a variety of rock fish including Blacks, Blues, Vermillion, Cabezon and Ling cod.

Brookings Local anglers Jerry Kemper, Neil Ozment and George Morrison headed out with Wayne Barker on his boat the "Gin Gin" to connect on limits of rock fish. The four jigged Flies, lead fish, Lead head jigs and anchovies.

Happy anglers who fished with Brookings Based Tidewinds Charters displayed limits of rockfish and lings while fishing the lake like conditions.

Crab and Surf Perch action is still very good with anglers rigging up with Gulp and Camo worms and two inch nuclear Chicken shrimp for limits. Bill Hobbs of Brookings has been catch consistent with very large Redtail perch while fishing the coast line just south of Brookings. Some of Bills fish tipped the scales at more than three and a half to four pounds. Its been a BIG perch year this season.

Anglers are reporting when jigging for bottom fish they are hooking into Coho that were estimated between three to five pounds and released.

This is a good sign showing fish are in the system and ready to bite.

Anglers are casting the Crab Hawk which attaches to your rod and tossing them right from the crabbing dock by the coast guard station for pretty good success. The Crab are firming up from their molt and are once again meaty.

With the opener of Coho salmon less than two weeks away, anglers are prepping to hit the water. Chetco Outdoor Store Manager and Western Outdoor News Coilumnist Dave Pitts said we are gearing up with cases of anchovies and herring. I think one of the top producers this season will be the New Aces high flys for Coho. Anglers who are bottom fishing have been hooking silvers they say range in size from three to five pounds while jigging from bottom fish.

We have a large anchovy population in the Brooking Harbor at this time so this also means there are bait balls in the Brooking Bay. Look for working birds don't troll through them and spook them off of the bait, this is a locator, have an extra rod set up with a spoon on it you can cast with just change the hooks out to a single barbless.

More times than not you can stay just off of the feeding birds and cast to them and catch Coho right off of the top water on light tackle. If you're a troller then try a side planner or try to troll as close as possible without spooking the flock.

Keep a sharpe eye on the Terrafin this could be another good tuna year for albi's, it is swinging in right out front of Trinidad California and working its way North.

June 2nd, 2009 - Brookings Surf Perch is solid.

Anglers are finding the best times to target BIG red tails is two hours before a high tide and an hour after, three anglers found that fishing a high tide after a minus is even better. WONS Dave Pitts takes his daughter and future son in law and friend perch fishing along Oregon’s south coast only to sit back and watch Big Surf Perch hooking up.

Jeff Fitter, Crystal Pitts and Alec Escobar targeted an incoming tide two hours prior to a high and after a very key minus tide, this proved to produce some of the largest red tails many anglers have ever seen. Four plus pound fish were consistently hooked up with the largest a 4.76 pound redtail.

The group was using 6'6" trout rod and ten pound test casting into the surf just as the second breaker rolls in maybe thirty-five feet on a one and a half ounce weight and using Berkeley Gulp Shrimp, Pitts and Escobar used Berkeley Gulp Sand Worms to connect.

Many anglers blast their four and five ounce weights forty yards or so, Fitter adds there are times when you need to get out there but I target the incoming tides this way I can go light and close. He continued by saying when that surf set comes in and just as it flattens out flowing around you that is the time to lob in just a short twenty feet or so and hook up, they are coming in and feeding on sand crabs.

Another trick Fitter uses is the weight shape he uses cannon ball sinkers. Perch are constantly moving, I do not want my weight to stick and hold like pyramids or surf weights do, I want it rolling around and cover more area, this will also eliminate more fouled hooks because your weights are always on top and moving, keeping your line tight, high and mending it is key,

Areas to try are North of Brookings at the Pistol river, Gold Beach sand Spit and to the South both the North Side of the Winchuck river and Just below Akins point.

Another interesting point brought up by Fitter was he also likes to fish a minus tide at its lowest point. Why, Because he wanted to see the contour of the beach where the drop offs are also he connects on these fish because they are just working along the surf line in deeper water, you’d be surprised at the hook ups you get at this t ime.

Brookings Oregon Bottom fishing is seeing Hot action.

Anglers Wayne Barker and Art Selby connected on Limits of lingcod and a BIG cabezon while fishing out of the Brookings Harbor.

It didn't take long for limits to come a board Barkers boat as he and Selby targeted key rock structures along the South Coast while jigging Crowbars and Lead fish.

Other locals George Morrison and Roland Robertson and friends headed out for limit on blacks and blue rock fish. When the winds comes up by mid morning or early afternoon the unique thing about the Brookings area is the land contour, the way the coast line jets out into the pacific it blocks most of the wind waves and wind from anglers allowing them to fish during the morning hours.

Areas to the South are Camel Rock, Akins Point and Fort Rocks.

WONS and Chetco Outdoor Store Manager Dave Pitts says anglers using Jigs with swirl or twin tails should stay with the following colors, White, Root beer fleck and Motor Oil Green with red fleck. Most of these fish are caught in less than 60 feet of water.

Anglers should also get ready for the Coho Salmon Opener June 20th, it will be here before you know it.

May 4th, 2009 - Anglers fishing Southern Oregon's Brookings Harbor experienced two things, flat oceans and a surface filled with rockfish in every direction.

It didn't mater what direction you headed, North or South just get out through the jaws and look for birds, in fact there were so many fish on the surface their weren't enough birds in the area to eat what these rock fish were pushing to the surface.

Western Outdoor News Dave Pitts said, as I drove to town he was amazed that every where he looked he could see bird action on the oceans surface, birds were pounding the water, diving in every direction hundreds upon hundreds of square yards of birds covered the waters surface, I have never observed that much bird action in this area in my life.

Angler Brian Sutton said it has been World Class fishing, I put away my larger six-foot 15 to 30 pound rod and broke out my six and a half foot trout rod with eight-pound test, it was bass fishing in the salt.

Many anglers were limited out within a fifteen to thirty-minute time span other anglers fishing buddies said it took longer to idle out of the port to the jaws than it did to fill three limits of blacks and blues over 20 inches.

Local angler Duayne McKinney of Brookings while fishing from his drift boat call Dave Pitts at the Chetco Outdoor Store in Brookings with a fishing report, McKinney reported he could not make it to the bottom there are to many fish , I mean they are breaking the surface everywhere I can see fish as far as I can see and right next to my boat even swimming under it. McKinney continued his report by saying he had caught and released over 80 fish in the past 30 minutes.

McKinney was fishing in 40'-50 feet of water from a drift boat in the first 10 feet of the water column with a trout rod. All of the blacks were over the 20 inches a 28" inch cabozon. The next day fishing near his spot near Bird Island rockfish were once again rolling on the surface in every direction; anglers would watch for a splash and cast towards it for a hook up.

The new limit here in Oregon is now 7 rock fish per person McKinney culled his catch bringing in only the larger ones over the 20 inch mark, he and his two other fishing friends brought in a Total of 21 blacks and Blues and 1 ling cod.

Anglers were casting everything from top water baits and stick plastics such as Rapala's to 1-ounce jig heads with swirl tails; some were even throwing Rooster tails.

Several kayakers were (spear-fishing). One of them speared a huge ling that had to weigh over 25 lbs.

A local angler Dan Ambros called me and stated he was fishing up near Mach Arch when he saw "BIG BLACK" things sticking up out of the water more than a 1/2 mile off and closer to the coast line, he heading up to intercept two huge bull orca's he said.
He said they were giant and heading south towards Brookings. Isn't this the time where you get in front of them and usher all the sea lions off the rocks in front of them Two more sightings were one by Bird Island the other was at in front of the Winchuck River.

If you get tired of fishing from a boat try the wetting a line for some BIG surf Perch, the Brookings South Coast is 2nd to none on surfperch and many anglers are hauling in bucket loads with the help of 2-inch Berkley Gulp Sand Worms and shrimp. Other anglers are sticking with the old stand by and producing limits of Redtail using bugs ( Sand Crabs) areas to try are the Coast line out in front of the Winchuck both North and South Side and Sportshaven beach.

So be rigged and in the water two hours before high and an hour afterwards.
Spring King action on the Rogue River is slim to none.

Some anglers are catching a few kings but when you add it up three to four fish between 30 to 40 boats throughout seven miles of river is not a good thing. Speaking with one angler who was in a group of four boats he said I have been fishing this river for almost 52 years, the fish are just not here, when you hear a few days of 10 fish were caught one day between a horde of boats does not make it good fishing, something is broken, I just hope it is not to late to fix it!

April 27th, 2009 - Crabbers in Brooking are having no problem finding fish carcasses to bait pots with.

Anglers traveling to Oregon may 1st will be allowed to keep one additional fish. The bottom fishing limit for rock fish as of May 1st will be seven plus two ling cod.

Kayakers have been doing exceptional! Even on those windy rough days that keep the big boats off the water, they launch and hit all of the coves and protected areas that tuck in behind the big rocks. One Yaker, came by the Chetco Outdoor Store with a limit of dinosaur size rock fish, blacks, blues, cabazon and ling cod it was an impressive limit and food for thought.

What anglers need to understand is the fish are here, it is the sea conditions they need to look at. When the numbers of a swell report reads 3 feet at say 15 seconds that would indicate a great day non the water, the first number is the swell height the second it the time between swells. When these numbers are above five feet at say five seconds this should tell you you are in for a bumpy day. Days when the numbers include a wind wave on top of say a four-foot wave four feet with a two-foot wind wave at eight seconds that again is a bad thing. Here is a site www.salmontroutandsteelhead.com then look for the swell report button, this is a great site for all the fishing info you need be to successful.

The fishing has been good but as said above the sea conditions were very windy this week, which held many anglers back, anglers heading South first thing in the morning were able to get a few hours of fishing each morning due to the cut of the coastal landscape, it blocks a good portion of that North wind. Most of the action came in less than 50' feet of water.

For those anglers held at bay with the wind and tore up seas many grabbed their surf perch gear and headed out to the favorite haunts of Sporthaven beach the mouth of the Windchuck and the new State Line State access for both striped and redtail surfperch.

Anglers fishing perch should take advantage of the mid-day high tides when they swing around, these are the ones you want to target for redtail and striped surfperch.

Many anglers prefer a perch rig that digs in and holds on the bottom, many anglers use two different styles of rigs. The first is a double hook up using a cannon ball weight, the reason for this is the weight will roll and not sand in allowing you to use a lighter line, besides perch are always on the move. The second rig is using a 7' spinning rod with 12 lbs line and pencil lead, once you find the desired weight length of the pencil lead cut in into sections so it snakes through rocks for less hang ups.

It is crucial however to hit the tides right, target a three hour slot two hours before a high tide and one hour after.

Get ready for COHO season!

April 20th, 2009 - Brookings Bottom fishing GOOD

May 1st Oregon's bottom fishing limit increases to seven. For some time now Oregon has held on to a six fish limit on Rock fish , the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission decided to increase this limit by one additional fish.

Please note; This is rock fish not ling cod, lings will remain at two fish per day 22 inches and above.

Anglers fishing out of the Brookings Harbor and Gold Beach have been seeing some incredible action. Sea conditions were absolutely flat ! Many boats were able to target areas further up the coastline where large blacks, blues vermillion, and Lingcod were found. Over the next week, anglers will see a few days where ocean conditions will allow smaller boats to capitalize on some of their favorite areas, five feet at nineteen seconds and seven five at fifteen. When the numbers are spread apart such as these that is a great day on the water when they get closer is when you really need to watch what is going on.

Anglers using have been doing exceptional jigging lead fish, Black and Purple P-Line flys with a 6 ounce jig tipped with a twin tails in Motor oil green and Root beer colors.

Anglers who motored up the coast to Twin rocks and house rock saw increased sizes of lings in the teens and rockfish in the three to four pound range.

Those anglers soaking crab pots prior to heading out fishing came back to pull some nice crab. Three pots soaking produced eleven keepers.

Anglers should also prep for the apex of the Peach season, as the red tails move in to the South coast; usually May 1 through the 20th is prime. Gulp camo worms are really working.

April 14th, 2009 - ROGUE SPRINGERS

Springer action continues to be very spotty throughout the River from Agness down river to the Birthday hole, anglers are not seeing consistent numbers as of yet but it has been a better run that in the past two years.

Anglers are seeing more wild fish at this time than hatchery fish from a few weeks ago.

Many reports are coming in that certain stretches of the Rogue are seeing five to six fish days, not true, many anglers and guides report catching is murky for the numbers of anglers on the water. As the old adage goes, 10% of the anglers are hooking 90% of the fish, right place right time.

The larger hawg line areas of the Birthday hole the point and Clay banks have not seen good numbers in more than the past 12 days Some of the more successful anglers are guides are using plain straight baits due to the clarity of the water.

That first week in May is usually one of the best time to hit the Rogue for a final shot at hooking a springers.

Ocean Coho

Oregon anglers can get ready for the biggest coho returns ever.

More than one million Silvers are expected to grace the Oregon coast line of the Pacific Northwest.

The 2009 Season will bring Brookings sports anglers at least four times the quota as last year.

From Cape Falcon to the Oregon-California border the coho season will last for 73 days, from June 20 through August 31, or until the quota of 110,000 coho is reached.

From the Oregon-California border up to Humbug Mountain the limit is two adipose fin-clipped coho per day, but from Humbug Mountain up to Cape Falcon the limit will be an extraordinary three adipose fin-clipped coho per day.

Speaking with Wayne Butler, PFMC Advisory Committee member, this is the first time they have ever allowed a three-fish limit said Butler.

In addition to al l of this a second 30-day season wil be added lasting for the entire month of September from Humbug Mountain north to Cape Falcon or until a 7,000 coho quota is reached, the limit during this season drops to two adipose fin-clipped coho per day. Please note: This section of the coast north of Humbug Mountain will not have a Chinook season at all.

Brookings area residents is that along with the Seventy three day coho fishery in the Brookings area has anglers chomping at the bit, and the added 10-day ocean season for Chinook August 29 through September 7.

The Chinook season will be taking place on the Labor Day weekend. Anglers need to remember the minimum length for Chinook is 24 inches, and only single point, single shank, barbless hooks are required for both fisheries.

Bottom fishing Good , Crabbing fair to good

Lings and things are coming on lead fish and shrimp flies, twin-tail jig in Motor Oil , Rootbeer and White are doing the job for many anglers fishing both to the North and South of the Chetco River. The Camel rock area from 50 feet and less are seeing limit of good Blacks and blues with a scattered Ling Cod Bite.

The rough sea conditions are the only obstacle-keeping anglers from scoring daily.

March 22nd, 2009 - Steelhead out Springers in

With the days counting down the Chetco river is drawing to a close, and ready for a seven a month rest. Some anglers are trying to get a few more lines wet in hopes of that last-ditch effort of hooking one of the Pacific Northwest's most treasured jewels a steelhead.

The South coast got one last shot of rain which colored the water just enough and raised the CFS value where anglers are seeing slow success

Most of the fish the Chetco has to offer at this time are Blue backs but primarily down running spawned out steelhead. These fish are heading back into the saltwater, only to return to spread their genetics'.

Blue Backs entering the system are fresh out of the saltwater and by far better table fare over down running spawned out steelhead, and are aggressive fighters.

SPRINGER Action

Water temps and high surfs are what many anglers feel is what has been slowing the spring Chinook bite down to a crawl. Over the past two weeks the ocean temperatures have been warmer than those in the Rogue yet a few fish did enter the Rogues system. Last week river temperatures climbed out of the low and mid forties into the upper forties and low fifties, this is huge! When temperatures mirror the saltwater or climb above fish enter the system. Many anglers ask why they can catch springers while applying fall tactics.

The reason is simple and relates directly to temperatures. During the fall run, water temps are warmer, more times than not in the upper fifties to mid sixties and as high as seventy degrees. Salmon at this time seek deep slots and hold in areas of cooler water.

The spring run's river temperatures are more consistent throughout the river and is why these fish travel through the River so quickly. They do not hold in slots as fall fish do but rather travel in them and is why it is so essential to target one of these slots that funnel into an area where anglers can anchor up, bounce baits back, put the rod in the holder, and wait. Pitts is not saying one cannot catch a spring king while trolling.

Anglers will see added success using plain baits or Green spinner blades some believe if the river is slightly colored use a rainbow colored spinner blades or other off colored blades, if the water has color to it where visibility is two feet of less, for decade's copper and half-gold half-green spinner blades usually are the go to.

This appears more natural as food source that was stunned which also indicates that other salmon were interested enough to stun it and will usually see a sense of competition and will want to pick it up that wounded bait before another salmon beats them to it.

Get ready because the better part of the season is on the way, lets hope more fish are coming.

Some of the better areas to target in the lower section are the Birthday Hole, Johns Hole, Cannery Riffle, North Slot and Willows. Target water on a low tide that places your inside shallowest bait in three feet of water max and out side rod in water of five to seven feet.

March 15th, 2009 - Rogue River Springers

Stubborn winter refuses to give up as another BIG storm slams into the South Coast of Oregon.

Steelheading on the Chetco is on its last leg as Marches end draws near. The Chetco was near steelhead perfect in both flow and color but heavy rains and winds changed this quickly.

For the next week expect cooler temps and occasional rain, keep your fingers crossed after this storm system moves on anglers will see one more opportunity to hit the Chetco before steelhead season ends.

Moving up the coast to the Rogue River springer action has slowed some, what fish are coming to anglers continue to be hatchery Chinook. With yet another over the 25 lbs mark.

Anglers fishing from a boat in the lower four-mile section need to keep in mind winds will move your boat , drift socks and leaving your kicker motor in the water as a tiller will help stabilize your boat in a straight line.

When fishing for spring kings many anglers bounce their drop sinkers off of the bottom allowing the current to swing both the weight and offering up away from the bottom, here using your thumb allow line to peel off until you feel that thud of the weight hitting the bottom , repeat four to six times, lock her down.

Your bait should be a plain threaded bait rig or one with the optional spinner blade and beads in front of your bait rig. Angler should think about the use of spinners as well.

Greens, golds and Brass all have their place depending on water color and weather conditions.

The lower river has several holes / slots successful anglers have been using for decades and should be aware of, The fence line, The Bush, Birthday hole, John Hole, Elephant R ock and the North Slot.

The key to success on the Rogue is more times than not anchoring close to the bank, least path of resistance from current for these guys.

March 11th, 2009 - Steelhead on the way out Spring Kings comin in!

Once again the Month of March for the past six years has marked the beginning of the Rogue River Spring Chinook run. Three days in a row anglers fishing between Jimmy Hunt Riffle and the Molly Hole, all but two were hatchery fish ( Fin Clipped only, no adipose fin) This is great news since steelheading was dismal along most of the coast.

These spring kings were all taken in the first ten miles of the Rogues system; this also means of course they had to of shot through the old haunts of the lower Rogues favorite's hoes such as the Birthday Hole, Woodruff Riffle, Clay banks and Johns Hole.

Steelhead: For the past two weeks, the Chetco River has been spitting out blue backs, which are a smaller steelhead. They on average tip the scales at the eight-pound mark. The end of March is just around the corner that means roughly three weeks and the season ends.

Reports on fo ur of the main rivers within forty miles of the one another is the Chetco, Elk and Sixes are very low and slow, California's Smith is fair to slow. There are some fish in all of this systems but with water levels and color dropping out things will remain tough.

March 3rd, 2009 - Pink worms on the Chetco

The Chetco River is seeing blue backs. This is a Late March fishery when these guys hit the system. Anglers for the past week have been reporting several Blue Backs taken between Ice Box and the Willow run.

At this time the Chetco is seeing a CFS value of just less than 4,000 cfs but it is predicted at this time is for the Chetco to blow out, the last prediction was wrong, even the updated prediction is once again calling for the Chetco to rise above the 8,000 cfs mark, if this does take place, if, this should bring in more blue backs and push out spawned down runners. Anglers from more than two weeks now have been reporting catch and released of chrome down running fish, according to one fisheries person the only way to tell a down runner is by the collapsed or sunken in stomach of the hens which indicate they have spawned.

Many anglers are releasing these fish to ensure a strong and healthy genetic base for the future of the Chetco.

If you are one of these anglers who's fishing days are limited then you’are like most of the more successful anglers in the Pacific Northwest.

With the economy the way it is be sure to check weather conditions, especially on Coastal rivers such as the Cheto, Rogue , Elk, Sixes and Coquille, if rains hit the lower sections of these rivers it washes directly out to sea and more times than not effects the river flow in any way, it is the rains that high higher in the system that incorporate tributaries , this will effect water color, flow and temperatures especially if it melts snow.

Anglers on the Chetco, Rogue, Coquille, Millicoma and Umpqua are seeing some nice fish coming on Mad River Pink Worms. The most successful method from a boat is side drifting them the other is targeting the mouths of defused light, Riffled water seams and shaded over hanging canopy. The Chetco has all of the above as do most of the other rivers mentioned. The Chetco’s Nook and the upper end of Ice Box and the upper end of Tamba great defuse surface and deep dark areas, Take your time.

Feb 17th, 2009 - Get em while you can.

Over 7 inches of the wet stuff in the past five days did not raise river levels to potential blow out but instead to less than 2,500 cfs but it has kick started life back into the Chetco. The only thing that is saving us at this time from flooding is it is cold and we are not seeing much in the way of run off. One can only hope we don't see all of that snow melt off at one time.

The forecast for Southern Oregon Rivers especially the Chetco is to remain fair to good. Acording to a forty year fishing diary I believe the main run is over but we will see a few more days of good fishing in late February as always. It has held true when this system see's a good number of down runners in mid-January that coincides with the other years in my diary that has logged pages of extremely high water at the start of the steelhead run.

It further indicates the majority of the steelhead in the system at that time did not use the lower tributaries but shot up very high in the Chetco's main river system holding in this portion of the Chetco, as the river levels dropped out on these fish, they held spawned headed back down river and is why we have been seeing down running fish caught during low flow times. It is also why anglers and members of the Brookings Based Northwest Steelheaders have not observed steelhead in lower river tributaries for the past month.

With the combination of rain and raised river levels some fresh fish will be moving into the Chetco, Elk and Sixes we are also hoping to see an increase in the Smiths steelhead numbers aswell.

Anglers now have one advantage, we now have water color, and these fish will not be as spooky as they were in low clear water anglers have seen over the past month.

Some drift boaters are seeing three to four fish each trip many of which are down running fish in the eight to twelve pound class with a few in the mid teens. A few fresh fish are also hooking up and remain in the same pound class.

Get it while you can, anglers need to remember when temperature rise in the drainages the snow melt can and will put these rivers out for a while, keep your fingers crossed it transpires over a long period of time instead of a few day event.

On the other side of the fishing coin if the next few storms remain cold anglers should see continued fair to good success.

Plunkers did see an increase in catching as river levels stayed between 1,300 and 1,800 cfs, floats and jigs began producing for plunkers as the river fell between storms.

Drift boaters and guides like Harvey Young and Hal Borg are seeing success while sides drifting others were pulling hot shots since we now have seems to work.

Tamba, Loeb and the willow run all have fish just take you time and make sure your propane bottles are full it is a bit on the cold side.

Feb 13th, 2009 - Joe Murphy fished with Pro Guide Curtis Palmer of River Secrets Guide Service. The fished Main Umpqua where they connected on this chrome bright steelhead, It took him 40 minutes to bring this chromer in on light tackle. Paler has connected clients into several Steelhead pushing the 20 pound make this year.

Fish in the system:

The Chetco saw a little rain which raised the level just below the 2,500 cfs mark but is now on a steady decline. Small storms over the next week could keep a fairly steady level for steelheaders. Some fresh fish did move into the river, not a large number of fish but enought ot bend some rods.

Drift boaters have had limited access to areas on the Chetco over the past month due to low water but now side drifting is on hand as some anglers are keeping it simple by side drifting what is called a night crawler sandwich (Roe and a half of Crawler) Others are side drifting the new Puff Ball color orange, reports say this color is very effective on the new comers in the Chetco.

Some of the better runs for drifters will be Loeb, Willow Run and the lower end of the Piling Hole, all hold fish. It will take a few days for fresh fish to move higher in the system above the Ice Box area ,WONS field reporter Dave Pitts and Chetco Outdoor Store manager says he would focus on three areas the Willow Run ,Tamba and Pepperwood. In doing so he continued by saying don't just make one run at it row back up and hit it from a different angle. Drifters should cast right up to the waters edge allowing the boats drift to pull their offering into a tail out naturally. Get ready for that pause and the hook up.

Hot shots, the Cop Car produced several nice fish below the pepperwood area for Jamie Traverdict, Brian Sutton and Joey Grimm , nice fish in the ten to twelve pound class.

Drifters should also know once the Chetco reaches below the 1,000 cfs value get ready to put on the hip boots and prepare to pull your boat through a few areas.

Plunkers are connecting on fish at Social Security and the North Fork.

Feb 9th, 2009 - Late season Steelhead

Funny how the farmer almanac can tell you from more than one hundred years ago what the seasons will bring, this year is no exception it looks like it will be a late season fishery in fact late February might be the best part of the season.

The Chetco has felt the ups and downs through this season from a low cfs of 385 to a high of more than 43,000, at this time the prediction indicates the Chetco will once again rise from 640 cfs to more than 5.25 feet which converts over 2,850 cfs.

Chetco Outdoor stores manager and WONS Dave Pitts said If we do see the predicted rain value it could bring in another shot of fresh fish other wise anglers will be continue to hook into down running fish. The first reported down runner was hooked more than three weeks ago, if the river does drop back out I hope anglers will not target spawning fish holding on or near redds. I can only hope ODFW does something to protect these low water spawners for the future of the river.

Most of the Guides have packed up and moved to the Russian river south of the border in California and to the North to the Rogue for half pounder action and the Umpqua. Fish on this river are in the mid teens to low twenties, this river is a snag fest at time so bring plenty of tied leaders.

What rain we did see here along the South coast was sucked up by the ground and did not give much in the form of run off.

Let's hope these next systems hit us and raise the river level.

Side drifting is still the number one method for boaters.

Bottom fishing for the most part over the past few weeks have seemed to be fair to good, anglers throwing lead fish pucci lazer jigs and jigging a combination of Swirl tails and shrimp flies are seeing success, the only obstacle are the sea conditions that do hold anglers at bay.

Bird Island, Black Rock, Akins Point, Twin Rock and House rock are all excellent areas to try.

April 17 is the date to watch Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet to make a decision on whether to increase the rockfish limit or leave it as it is. WONS Dave Pitts stated according to one source within the Sport Advisory Committee they will be looking at an increase to the magic number of eight (8) we will see.

They will also be looking at the ling cod limit that could also be boasted by one additional fish to a three (3) ling limit.

The only issues will raising the bag limit is if they impose a quota it will force anglers off of the water sooner. Many anglers would rather have the lower bag limit and extend days of fishing.

At this time the limit remains six ground fish and two ling cod, until the decision is made this is the limit to go by.

Jan 20th, 2009 - From one extreme to another.

Southern Oregon and Northern California are seeing some dismal times. Many anglers from California are traveling to Southern due to the lack of fish within the Smith River.

WON's Dave Pitts and of the Chetco Outdoor Store in Brookings said he is seeing a increase in out of State license sales by discouraged anglers across the border.

Even thought we are not seeing the numbers of steelhead in the Chetco we normally do it is better fishing than down south, the only issue is with all of the added pressure is boat traffic.

Anglers should not be discourage due to boat traffic, some of the more successful anglers are seeing fish well after the flotilla of boats are well on their way down river.

Anglers fishing Oregon also have a unique opportunity by being able to fish other rivers in close proximity such as the Rogue, Elk and Sixes.

Guide Rich Mossholder went 6 for 6 on Tuesday and hooked up another eight the following day Wednesday. Guide Gary Farley also hooked into fish as did Guide Joe Whaley.

Some of the Brookings area Chapter of Northwest Steelheaders are connecting on nice steelhead and donating them to ODFW for brood stock collection to enhance future runs on the Chetco River. Several collections sites are throughout the Chetco River.

Anglers drifting should down size their offerings with river levels dropping out and clearing. Pitts further said after meeting with Buzz Ramsey he explained pink worms work well on troublesome as do Orange Puff Balls and small tufts of yarn in orange a small piece of white yarn which imitates skein.

When fishing the Chetco after the sun casts on the water target the defused light areas such as tailouts and riffles. Also move to the opposite side of the river if need be and fish under canopy and structures that allow shaded areas where light sensitive fish will hold when water levels are clear and or low.

Another method that works well on the Chetco during these river conditions is to long line plugs, Hotshots or wee warts, the Cop Car is by far one of the most productive color combinations to use. Position your boat where you can split the seam or work the tailout below a riffle area on the slow water side, fish will be resting in this area before heading further up river.

Larry Cody of the Rogue Outdoor Store in Gold Beach said they are catching a few but it is not red hot. The Upper Rogue by Agness is producing some fish; other reports say fish are coming out of the Illinois River which feeds into the Rogue just below Agness.

Keep an eye on weather and river levels dift boaters remember when the Chetco drops out below 1,200 cfs keep a watchful eye for bottom scuffing skinny water.

Dec 22nd, 2008 - Over the past three days Southern Oregon has thrown freezing temperatures from an Arctic blast, snow, high winds, extremely low and clear water flows of less than 650 cfs and now driving rains which are now sky rocketing the Chetcos flow over 2,000 cfs in the past 24 hours.

Over the past three days anglers have reported seeing fair to good pushes of steelhead moving into the Chetco's lower section of Social Security Take out up through the North Fork but please be careful, there are good numbers of Spawning salmon in these areas, if you hook into one think about moving these fish are conserving energy to dig redds and spawn for your fishing future, if you stress them they will dump their eggs and all is lost.

Bank anglers are seeing fair to good results fishing a double trouble rig, after you cast your Corky and roe, the next step is applying another rig to your main line, take approximately two to three feet of leader with a HotShot, FlatFish or another Spin-N-Glo tied on with a snap swivel, by snapping this snap swivel over your main line and letting her slide down your main line, when it hits the water the current will pull it down your main line and stop at your barrel swivel.

This double trouble rig has produces a good number of fish every year to anglers bank fishing.

Another method WONS / Chetco Outdoors Dave Pitts uses is a spawn sack, some anglers us a small cluster of eggs, the three tricks he employs are using individual eggs, a puff ball for buoyancy and the enticer of inserting a small piece of white yarn in the sack and allowing approximately 3/8s of an inch to stick out of the end of the tied sack , when this thing hits the water hold on, if looks just like a chunk of roe with a skein still attached, wham!

Float fisherman should also take a good look at using Sand Shrimp Tails or a very small complete sand shrimp, many anglers rig these guys facing up but more times than not steelhead and salmon will take them facing down, it is a more natural presentation.

Make sure you do not drive a hook through their body and kill them right off the get go, even though they might only live another ten minutes they release more scent by rigging them live. More times than not when they hit the water and move they will be eaten while these little guys are alive, they are releasing scent.. Live bait, dead bait which one would you use?

Brookings Donny Davis fished with Cecil Wilber and connected on several nice steelhead in less than an hour while hitting the area below Ice Box hole against the north bank, one of which was a 14.9-pound.

Spin n Glos I would stay with would be the Tequila Sunrise, grey Ghost, Stop N Go's and flo Pink all with Mylar wings, also stay in the size eight area

Now that the Chetco is seeing some new water and flows when this thing begins the drop anglers rains , snow or driving winds should get on the water and above their favorite riffle the bite should be very good, but be sure to dress warm for it.

Drift boaters two methods I would target would be side drifting and back bouncing roe or small sand shrimp. I would even try to float fish while side drifting.

The best fly has been a egg pattern.

Dec 8th, 2008 - Southern Oregon's Elk, Sixes, Chetco Rogue all have fish but low water conditions.

The flows on both the Chetco and Smith are particularly low and very clear. The guys at the Chetco Outdoor store advise anglers at thies time who put their gear away last March when it was low water conditions, don't change a thing. Fluorocarbon leader and Maxima Treazure main line will be the way to go for some time to come, stealth is the word of the month.

Anglers are reporting the piling Hole area has been producing some fair to good fishing but this changes from day to day with the flow, Anglers wanting to fish the Smith should call 707 822-3164, this is the DFG low information hotline when the river is closed due to low flow closures.

Anglers fishing the Chetco have not seen enough rain in over three weeks to raise the river level above 850 cfs and only a small shot is in the forecast for Saturday but this could change as the week progresses. The salmon run for 2008 is well on the down hill slide on the Chetco these fish are very dark odds of landing a fish admirable of the table is getting slimmer by the day and would be better to let them spawn. Chetco anglers would be better suited if they switched over to steelhead, fly's are working in fact I would throw an egg pattern if you're not a fly fisherman even though the flows are leisurely take a few small hot shots and long line the faster tail outs and lock her down.

The cop car has always been a great color. Run a float with a small sand shrimp or roe, again long line them through the faster water and let them glide the seem. Fish in the eight pound class were taken this past week from the North Fork to the South Bank water tower. With it this low and clear these fish are light sensitive and are seeking the areas where trees are shading a slot or the deep water columns.

Rogue River steelhead action is picking up; anglers fishing from Agness to the Lobster creel area are seeing at times some good hook ups. Some anglers are using Smile blades combined with Cheaters to connect on holding steelhead. Anglers said most of the action is coming from anglers wade fishing with boaters a close second. Night crawlers and roe seem to be the best baits used while side drifting. Float fishing with jigs have also began to take off for some. That slow seem water is holding fish. For both shuttle and fishing information anglers should contact the Rogue Outdoor store in Gold Beach.

The Elk River continues to see some fresh fish in its Mouth but this is a long hike if you come in from the State Park side. This is either a side drifting or float fishery, Roe and Sand Shrimp are connecting.

This is the South Coast in a nut shell at this time, lets hope for rain, should bring in a fresh shot of fish.

Dec 1st, 2008 - Southern Oregon is seeing some mighty dry weather in fact short sleeves and sun block are more important than a rod and reel.

The Chetco River is at an all time low of less than 832 cfs, there is however a slight relief in sight with the possibility of rain the first week of December the projection flow forecast says it will rise just above the 900 cfs mark.

WONS Dave Pitts and manager of the Chetco Outdoor store in Brooking says even though the flow is very low when it rains it could color the water just enough to connect on fish that are in the system. This past week the Chetco has been extremely clear, anglers wearing bright clothing shirts jackets etc will more times than not spook holding fish. The best bait at this time is Sand Shrimp and the Chetco Outdoor Store is the only shop in Southern Oregon that has them. The best way to rig these guys is to hook them through the last tail plate and pull it through.

Many run the hook through the bait, which kills them, some say they are only going to live for 10 minutes anyway, that ten minutes is more times than not crucial. Holding steelhead will see this movement and key on it, not to mention the scent a live sand shrimp excretes compared to a dead one.

After you pull your line through that tail plate pull it down to the mid thorax area and use spider thread to hold the hook against the under side of the shrimp. I have also found that rigging these little guys facing down is the best way.

They see the bottom they move it sets steelhead off.

You can also rig them with a bait loop rig and slide in apiece of roe, now you have what is known as a cocktail.

When the Chetco runs this low be sure to bring your waders because you will probably have to pull your boat through a few areas, but on the other hand you will be able to fish the cut banks and over hanging areas where fish seek.

Fish are light sensitive and Low water promotes fish targeting areas where light is defused such as riffles, shaded areas with over hanging trees and riparian.

The upper river is a beautiful and holds fish, several runs can be productive such as the nook to Loeb, Redwood to Loeb and Ice Box to Social Security run.

Reports of a 22 pound steelhead taken by an ODFW netting last week placing that fish back into the system says these fish are coming in on low flows, when you go small on your baits and light on your line and you tie into one of these brutes you will have your work cut out, get ready!

Nov 16th, 2008 - Salmon and Steelhead caught on Chetco River.

The Chetco River is hosting both King Salmon and Steelhead at this time this time, guide Jimmy Dean hooked into a combination of both for Roseburg's Art Moldonado.

When one Fisherman told Dean, salmon weren't hitting plugs; Dean responded you're not using the right ones. Dean lit up the Chetco within the first three minutes hooking a thick twenty eight pound king on his favorite K-16 Kwik fish. Dean continued to hook fish including a nice 8 pound chrome bright steelhead.

The Chetco dropped back into shape and actually cleared very fast. It is almost to clear at this time and the kings that have been in the system for a few weeks are spookey.

Nook Redwood, Miller Ice Box and the Tamba areas are all producing fish but they are scattered throughout the system.

Many are starting to believe it is going to be an early metal head year. One angler, John Copper said he has already taken steelhead on both the Chetco and Smith River in the past two weeks; this is a good thing for steelheaders and area guides.

Most of the salmon in the Chetco are colored at this time a few bright fish remain and they are stretched from the Social security Takeout all the way to the low water bridge.

Fish are being taken on sand shrimp and roe as well. If rains come in the river will come up and allow more steelhead to enter the Chetco, if not then she will be low and clear much like the late March fishery allows.

Nov 14th, 2008 - The Chetco River Kings are begining to slow down just a touch after the heavy rains and rising southern rivers. Many anglers are coming up empty handed while others employ new techniques to connect on holding kings with a touchy bite.

The numbers of fish are lower but fishing higher in the Chetco above Ice box and more towards Nook, Miller and even as high up as low water bridge hosts some good fishing. Anglers back bouncing roe are doing fair on holding fish. Plugs are also working, large Mag Warts in a Blue and chorme theme are also putting a few fish in the boat.

Elk Sixes: The Elk and sixes blew out and came back int big tme, in fact one angler drifted all the way down to the Elks mouth and lost his truck to the tide. The fishing was good he said bbut getting stuck and loosing your truck was not a good thing. These rivers are more of a roe show than plugs at this time.

Smith River: The Smith saw two "HUGE" kings come in caught by two clients of Guide Dave Castellanos. Both fish were over the forty pound mark. Both fish were taken on Castellanos's cure roe. Areas to try aould be above the Brundeen hole, Ruby, Jed Smith and Peacock all held fish before the storm and now we are seeing some fresh fish with a shot of Steelhead. Thrusday November 20th at the Best Western North of town in the conference room next to the Flying Gull 6:00p.m. the Oregon State Marine Board will be hosting public comment with regards to Boat Motors on the Chetco River.

Nov 10th, 2008 - Even Jet Boats were getting into the action and hooking up some big fish. The Chetco is continuing to drop, but another big system is coming in and the river will once again rise, we expect the Chetco to be prime by mid week The Chetco started producing fish at an incredible CFS low of 7,100 cfs. Guide Hal Borg went three for six in that high water and it has not slowed down.

The average size fish is in the low to upper twenties, but many fish shot right up into the upper thirties and forties.

I don't know how much rain we are going to get but the fish are in the Chetco, Smith and Elk, It's good to see anglers having an option and spreading out instead of packing to one system. Even when rivers are a little fast and high this actually can work in your favor, Think like a fish, they are going to be in the water regardless what the flow is, don't fish where you can't row, those fish are going to do exactly what you are going to do. Trying to conserve energy and use the least amount to get what needs to be done.

Look for the places with less flow, behind BIG rocks a small inset, soft seems against a steep cut bank.

Remember the Elk and Sixes are smaller rivers and willclear and clean much faster than the Chetco or Smith. The apex of the salmon run is usually Thanksgiving week tapering as December moves in, but until this time head to a coastal river near you, for up to date and the lastest in river conditions for the Elk, Sixes Chetco and Smith contact Dave at the Chetco Outdoor store 541-469-9151.

Nov 3rd, 2008 - Southern Oregon Salmon season is open.

ODFW decided to open the Chetco River with the date of November 1st but with a few stipulations to protect fall Chinook from the unethical liners and snaggers who prey on these trapped fish holding in the lower section of the Chetco.

The Chetco's flow was right at the 80 CFS, which is extremely low. ODFW Biologist Todd Confer made the bold decision to open the river for the first three miles only and close everything past that point.

This ended up being the right decision according to many anglers from Northern California and Southern Oregon. According to WON's Field Reporter Dave Pitts and Manager of the Chetco Outdoor Store located less than a mile from the Chetco River said it sent a clear message that ODFW not only wants to provide a fishing opportunity for anglers but also wants to preserve the future for anglers by protecting adult fish in those small pools ready to spawn.

Both Pitts' and his long time fishing Buddy relative of Nevada's Secretary of State Brian Heller said it's a win win situation for the fish and anglers, my hats off to Todd Confer for doing so.

Pitts continued by saying the phone was ringing off the hook, many excited anglers were overjoyed with the fact that ODFW opened the lower river which is also an incredible float fishery and we have the sand shrimp over seventy dozen of the little guys and man are they flying out of this place.

We are now receiving rain and the CFS chart is on the rise, in less than 24 hours the Chetco has risen from a dismal 80 cfs to more than 800 cfs and climbing. Until the river opens anglers float fishing should concentrate on the floating sand shrimp along the rivers edge RV Park slot the Pump House slot and below tide rock and Morris Rock. Float fishing Sand Shrimp promotes a volunteer bite, when they get it that float shoots down and it's a fish on situation! Sand shrimp are by far one of the best all around baits for both steelhead and Salmon.

Anglers should note when the Chetco is open all the way, make sure your plugs are cleaned up and pre wrapped with a nice slice of sardine. Other plugs many over look are Mag. Warts these guy will hook up kings. Areas drift boaters should concentrate on when the Chetco is open would be the drifts between the South Fork to Loeb, Redwood to Social Security or Loeb to Social Security.

Anglers should not have to fight to be first on the water, many times those anglers holding back and allowing a few boats to shoot ahead will work fish to one side or the other,, just hold back and watch where the others are working and go opposite but be slow and methodical, let the plugs work. Your rod tips as a good indicator should have a thump, thump, thump to them, if this pulse stops or slows this usually means your plug is fouled with grass , leaves or sticks especially when the river has come up and not much time has be allowed for the system to clean it's self of debris.

K-16's and 15's will be the size of choice, look for the trapper pattern and the good old stand by of Chartreuse head and chrome body.

A trick WONS Dave Pitts employs is double ringing the hooks of adding a bead chain swivel. More times than not one set will be hooked up, this allows the hook set to travel 360 degree's and not 180 out of the package. These big boys will twist a hook right out of their mouth.

Do not be afraid of pulling plugs so close that your oars are right off of a shore line, to hit a slot. One last trick Pitts uses is driving kings; keep those plugs in the water. Many anglers make the mistake when seeing a fish or two roll in front of them they pull up and push down on top of them, Keep those plugs in the water. As you work your plug set towards the area where fish rolled you more times than not will see them roll again, take your time work em slow.

What is happening is these fish are feeling the lateral line stimulation from your plugs and getting mad they are being pushed, as you near the end of the run or slot expect a rod or two to peg down, If you pull up and push down they will feel the vibration of the plugs are non existent and shoot up past your boat.

Oct 20th, 2008 - South coast is primed and ready for salmon opener. With a November 1st opener just over a week away anglers should be prepping drift boats and looking at river flows to make crucial adjustments for a successful day.

If water flows stay as they are close to 100 cfs, drift boaters will have to think float fishing, plugs will be out of the question not to mention replacing the coat it to the bottom of their boats. Ready yourselves by knowing ahead there are going to be areas where everyone in the boat will have to get out so it can be pulled through rocky shallow areas.

The Chetco at this time is packed with Hundreds upon hundreds of Jack salmon; there are adults in the system but large schools of jacks from Ice Box to Social Security Take Out.

Boat and bank anglers should have anchovies, roe and shrimp.

Bank anglers should target the North fork area, Loeb, Ice Box Social security and well above such as the South Fork, redwood, and nook and Miller slots. The water in some areas has more than a twenty foot visibility. On a recent scouting mission jacks were in small schools of twenty to more than sixty at one time, they are all uniformed in size and appeared to be approximately 24 inches or less in length maybe in the five pound range.

On the other side of the coin if we do receive enough rain between now and the opener raising the river level above the 1,000 cfs minimum mark and better towards the 2,200 cfs boaters should target from Loeb Down, hitting pepperwood, tamba and the willow run, above the Ice Box Bridge, making a run from Redwood , Nook or Miller to Social security will put fish in your boat. Make sure your plugs are clean from last season, sardine wrappers or herring work well here. If the flow is not quite enough to work a K Fish switch to hot shots or Wee warts More times than not these smaller plugs will and do get the job done.

Rogue river, Coho and Chinook are starting to taper off, fish can still be caught while trolling the Rogue bay from the sand spit up river under the bridge by the river view. Stay higher in the water column and pick up the speed just a touch, a two ounce weight will be more than enough.

The mouth of the Smith River continues to produce fish from the jack size of three to five pounds upwards to forty pounds, bank anglers and boaters are both scoring well.

Oct 6th, 2008 - The Chetco River received enough rain to raise the river level to 4.68 feet which is an adequate number to allow kings to enter the system. With the wise move of ODFW during these crucial times of a salmon collapse to keep the Chetco closed until November 1st this will hopefully insure some good spawning numbers.

The Chetco is on the drop at this time but more rain is in the forecast. Please note, if ODFW does allow another ocean day to salmon fishing it was stated to me that the jetty it considered part of the river and fishing is not allowed from the jetty's but fishing opportunities are available from the Sportshaven Beach. Please contact ODFW for any and all questions before heading out.

The other question anglers are asking is can we fish Jacks in the Chetco, ODFW said No, Jack king salmon are salmon which means no fishing the Chetco River, this also means no catch and release of salmon in the Chetco River that is fishing, the Chetco is closed until November 1st. Citations are being written to those fishing for salmon in the Chetco River.

The Elk and Sixes rivers approximately 40 miles from Brookings with the rains we had should have triggered salmon to enter their systems. Before heading out please check with ODFW or OSP for those dates of River openings.

Drift boaters should be getting boats, gear prepped and cleaning plugs, fish will key on fresh water influences into the salt.

The Elk and Sixes clear fast due to their size, K 15 and 16 Kwik Fish do well on both of these rivers. Later in the season jet divers and roe work fine.

Please be familiar with Oregon's New 2008 fishing regulations regarding these Southern Rivers especially the Chetco since it is so close to the Smith River in California and will see an influx of anglers as it always does.

The magic number on the Chetco is anything fewer than 4,000 cfs, early rains such as this past weeks will flush a lot of debris from the river and clean out nicely.

Sept 15th, 2008 - The Rogue river is seeing the beginning of the end.

Anglers should get to the Rogue now before the season ends.

Guide Curtis Palmer River Secrets Guide Service is one of the more successful guides on the river at this time.

Kings are beginning to feed daily it seems between the imaginary lines of fifty yards above and below the Sand Spit area. Another thing that is Key here. These fish are in the upper water column, go light on your dropper or banana weight 2 1/2 ounces is to much, one to 1 1/2 will put you in the target zone.

These fish range from Jacks upwards of 50 plus pounds. Plug cut herring and sardines are working exceptionally well, threaded anchovy baits are also working with green spinner blades.

The main issues anglers fishing the lower river need be concerned with are the following. Once you travel below the sand spit area keep in mind the wave action, you are now on the seaward side, rollers have come in and swamped those not paying attention. The other is boat traffic. Stay with the flow, for the most part everyone establishes a trolling pattern that usually heads down river on the North side and up river on the South side . With the number of boats on this river when the bite is good plan on being on our toes.

The last is the seagulls , you must drop your baits in the water asap and get them sub surface fast of you will be feeding these guys. The wind blows at times so hard heading up river anglers point their boats due North and actually head up river almost sideways.

It is also crucial to keep you baits and hands clear of gasoline or oils. These fish smell bits per million as they enter into a coastal river influxes by fresh water.

Guides Greg Idie, Dave Anderson and Jeff Fischer all connected clients into some nice fish, Anglers Victor, Josh and Penny Terry boated three fish as did Guide Curtis Palmer of River Secrets Guide Service. Dave Pitts fished with Monty Moncrief and Guy Ives in the Hawg Fest "Brawl in the Fall" Salmon Championships taking first place, Moncrief hooked a 29.9 lbs king that was first by less than seven ounces.

Out of thirty fish taken 98% of all of the fish were taken in the lower section of the river below the 101 bridge in less than 14 feet of water.

Sept 2nd, 2008 - Sea conditions are holding tuna chasers off the water as terrafin Surface Temperatures shows a huge continent sized stretch of 60 degree plus water but it is out a little ways out at just over 30 miles, keep a sharp eye on this it has albacore written all over it.

Those who read terrifin should also key on the following; chlorophyll reading, in short this displays plankton values, the lower the reading the bluer the water. Look for a defined edge between 58 and 60 degree water and how wide the band is and what is behind this area you do not want cool water.

Some anglers say there might only be a short window to head out and try for long fin but it is one they want very badly.

Three main areas to try are the three points, the duck bill and hotdog, these areas range from 33 miles out to 60 plus but with warm water well within the 25 mile mark and that is with a 14 knot wind blowing. Expect when winds lay down a fleet of boats will be heading out of the Brookings Harbor.

Many anglers heading in from out of town need to know when forgetting or getting crucial lures broke off that a store called the Chetco Outdoor store in Brookings will give you a terrefin report, wave and swell conditions and has a wide open tackle selection. Speaking with them the last time albacore were taken most of the fish came on Black and Purple clones, Dorado colored and natural cedar plugs and marauder plugs black and purple.

Some anglers heading out of Crescent City and Brookings harbor last time triangulated into a large mass of kelp some several hundred yards in length and pretty wide but albacore were found at the South end of it was all. While pulling cedar plugs. The hot spot thus far in on the Pacific Northwest coast has been the New Port area but expect anglers can expect this could change in a heart beat when the winds die.

Bottom fishing out of the Brookings harbor is always a great choice but at this tie is maybe fair at best. This is simply due to sea conditions at this time. Big swells and winds are keeping anglers at bay but this could and has changed in the past within a few days. This area North and South produces excellent opportunities for Ling cod, black and blue rock fish.

When anglers were able to get out one person in particular use what appeared to be a huge Wooly Booger Fly, both blacks and blues torn these flies up. He rigged them as you would any shrimp fly and dropped them down with a 6 ounce jig head. The area he was fishing was inside the Twin rocks area in approximately 35 to 40 feet of water.

Keep an eye on sea conditions before heading out, if you're reading swells anytime the numbers are squared such as 9 feet and 9 seconds it's going to be a rough one, ou want them spaced such as 3 feet at 15 or more seconds that my friend is a prime day on the water.


Lower Rogue Kings:

The Rogue River according to past history is ready to bust wide open for at least one more shot of big fish, look for it to come any time now until the third week in September. Three determining factors are all lining up once again, the exceptional jack take thus far this season, the river temps and sea conditions and the earlier big fish bite that took place in the first weeks of August. This has happened four times in the past twelve years and each time it was a big fish year with a capper in September.

Every week you reports say , it's a scattered bite with no consistency a large fish here and there over the span of four days then one day twenty plus fish are taken including fish tipping the scales at more than 40 pounds this also slide right in line with past seasons.

Several bait rigs anglers are using in the Rogue bay with success is the Mack's Sledge hammer in both green and in the early and late day light hours the glow in the dark with a fillet of sardine, herring or anchovy. The old spinner bait rig is also another choice for those who can't stand to stray far from the old reliable. Green blades and a thread anchovy or other bait fish trolled with a drop sinker. And the new concept of trolling the Big Al green flasher above a threaded bait. This has been producing and has prompted additional experimentation with other trolled mackinaw rigs.

With water temps being so warm in the lower river anglers might try mooching but watch the breakers in the event it is rough in the ocean. These fish are coming and going all the time and do move throughout the lower system and up as far and the North Slot especially when there is extreme boat pressure in one small area.

Fish will push up river in low light conditions early a.m. and p.m. hours. Tide influence can be crucial but for the most part most anglers are targeting incoming tides fishing on either side of it. Do not disregard an evening outgoing tide, sometimes these fish will move into the heads of deep slots getting ready to shoot up river as it gets dark.

Aug 18th, 2008 - The Rogue River at this time is hosting both Chinook and Coho. Many anglers catching what they believe are smaller Jack Chinook are actually hooking and boating Coho.

Guide Gene Garner hooked his client into a Monster River Coho that was at least 15 pounds releasing it at the boat.

Please check regulations if you're not sure, that is the safest way. More than 100 boats hit the Rogue trolling for Chinook salmon what we are finding is lower estuary waters are very warm even right at the mouth where temperatures hit the upper sixty degree mark.

Make sure you salt your baits, get them firmed up or else they will fall apart in a short time. Baits become soft and the bellies blow out looking anything but natural to salmon that will pass on them.

Some anglers like that tight spin something that will spin inside an imaginary three inch pipe while others like the larger rolling baits; some anglers are now combining either a larger Kone Zone flasher clear with Chartreuse prism tape on one side silver on the other.

Some fish are coming on this combo but for the most part bait is king especially in the evening. The late big is by far out fishing anything during the day. There have been a few mid afternoon days where more than a dozen fish were taken with a few large fish over the 40 lbs mark but all in all the quality (Size) is coming in that last few hours of light you don't hearing much about.

Dave Pitts of the Chetco Outdoor Store and Western Outdoor News states I believe the majority of the larger kings are still outside in the ocean where they have not only an abundance of food (Bait fish) but they also have crucial cooler water temperatures. Looking back into a 22 year fishing diary it tells me in 2001, 1999 and 1986 all hosted warm water and Coho before August 16th. Big fish were taken in the month of September and the Rogue saw an exceptional run the following season for kings in the mid twenty's to upper thirty pound mark, keep you fingers crossed.

Plug Cut baits, Spinner bait anchovies and naked bait are all being dragged throughout the lower section; the bite on the Rogue at this time is not consistent on any one rig no matter what your hearing, right place right time.

The food source in the river is anchovies; there are clouds of them in fact so thick when trolling in twenty feet of water your fish graph will give you a false reading of four feet or less.

Kings that are being caught and as of late no real size but this could change in a days notice has been directly out in front of the sand spit.

Get ready to head out, when the Rogue turns on it will happen in short order and be well worth the outing.

July 31st, 2008 - Tuna water is sliding into the Brookings area. Albacore Fin-attic's are heading out when sea conditions allow. Be sure to contact the Chetco Coast Guard Station or call the Chetco Outdoor Store in Brookings.

John Hardey , Duayne Mc Kinney and George Freatis all connected into some nice tune in the thirty pound range, all of the larger fish were taken in the 56 to 57 degree water which was just over the 28 mile mark at that time, smaller ones in the teens were taken in the warmer water. Most of the fish are coming on the size 100 clones in black and Purple while others whacked fish on Cedar plugs and larger Black and Purple clones.

Remember look at the terrafin, some anglers are heading out 40 miles only to come up empty handed while others are within the 30 mile mark and hookin em up!

The Rogue is spotty but the kings are there, in fact they are stacked in the mouth but be careful if your planning on trolling or mooching on the sea ward side of the sand spit, the waves will swamp you boat, be careful ! Don't be afraid to target the slots above everyone else, move away from the rest of the pack , fish will move and hold, the water temp on the Rogue is warm so fish will seek the deeper slots until the sun goes down then move up river through shallower water columns.

Trolling big anchovy and herring baits with and without spinner blades are working.

July 21st, 2008 - The Lower 48's Kenai River in Gold Beach Oregon is producing the big boy's kings.

Lex's Landing Owner Larry Larry Prestininzi was not joking when he said a few months ago, this is going to be a great season.

The Rogue River is kicking out some big nook's everyday, people only hear about the big ones and not the dozens and dozens of fish in the mid teens to low twenty pound category.

Steve and Kim Huhnke of Klamath Falls have been hooking into some nice kings over the past few days, three over 30 pounds is incredible while Chuck Charlton boated a thick 43.4 pounder.

Hyrom Smith fishing with Guide Merle Lang boated a nice 36.6 lb King Salmon,

Bob Coauette tipped the scales with his king, the second largest this season of 43.4 lbs and the largest king so far is one taken by Chuck Charlton a thick 43.6 lbs.

Guide Mark Van Hook has been consistent on fish for his clients including a big guy over forty pounds. Some very consistent numbers are coming in at this time, it seems like there is always someone at the weigh in board with a big king at Lex's.

Anglers are catching kings on everything from straight spinners to large baits like Blue Label herring. Plug cut baits seem to be working best in the evening, many anglers believe they must hit the incoming tides to connect, there are several slots in the lower Rogue, if you see a bunch of anglers pounding one area troll the opposite from them and find another slot, these fish will move to get away from all the high pitched trolling motors, and the sea lions the vibrations of the fish makes while fighting.

One thing anglers should understand is you don't have to fish where everyone else is on the Rogue, move, the fish do. Try a 54 inch leader a spreader and an 18 inch dropper to a 4 or five ounce cannon ball weight, Thread an anchovy, or herring but.. Make sure it does not helicopter spin, you want a slow roll, make it look natural, with or without a spinner blade is your choice many fish are coming on plain baits.

Areas to try, Just above the sand spit, out in front of Jots and for sure in front of Lex's Landing, theses are some great slots, look for anything over 7 feet deep.

July 8th, 2008 - When Coho season began in the later part of June anglers were hooking fish in three different areas, a mile out in front of the Chetco River, 4 miles out on a 240 heading or up the coast line by Twin rock. When these areas slowed many anglers said they moved up the coast, this was a partial truth the facts are that the main body of fish had not crossed the State Line, they were still holding in California waters.

As Coho fishing started to slack off the Angler Sports fisher out of Brookings decided to play a hunch by targeting an area seven miles out and just in Oregon Waters, his hunch paid off big time. Coho were all over the surface feeding, Anglers fishing with Captain Freeland said at any one time and in any direction you looked you would see Coho Popping the surface and birds working.

The action was so fast put em in take em out just like that Shannon Zuber of Sacramento said. It was an average of 3 hatchery fish per every 15 wild coho caught, the key is not to net them instead bring them up to the boat, if you see an adipose fin do one of two things, give em a lot of slack, they release themselves or use your pliers and release them. Purple Haze and Pink Hoochies, Pro Troll Roto Chips and an 11 inch Pro Troll Red, Plaid or green flasher is the best for hooking up a Coho.

Other Brookings anglers also headed out further than those who continued to stay within a few miles of the coast line.

Brookings anglers Ken Range, Paul Lefebvre and Grandson Joey Lefebvre fished Coho out of the port of Brookings, Darado from Santa Rosa.

Range decided to look beyond the 300 foot line and there they were. The salmon were located at approximately 270 degrees and 8.5 - 9 miles out. The school was substantial in that we hooked fish between 325 and 280 feet all day. Water temperature was 53 degrees and slightly colored.

Range and his crew brought to the boat some 20+ fish but only brought in 4 hatchery fish for the day.

Hundreds of anglers are saying we have to convince the powers at be to let us keep the first two fish we catch. The released wild fish are not making it unharmed. Silvers are fragile I am not sure the current approach is saving the fishery at all. We take special care to leave the fish in the water...but this approach is not shared by all. Many anglers are netting the salmon ...bringing it in the boat... and then over the side they come ... The fish can't take it and I am surprised that folks are not more careful.

Bottom fishing out of the Brookings is also second to none; Blacks and Blue rock fish are on the chew as anglers continue to hook up around Goat Island, Twin, Black Rock and just outside by the second buoy. Scampi tails, Turman Jigs, Jeopardizes and lead fish all seem to be hooking fish. The Gold Beach area is seeing the opposite; the Ling Cod Bite is on! Not many rock fish but the lings are bending rods. Brookings Angler Joe Morin, Dave Freeman and Perry Kalispies all limited on Ling cod as Morin fished in the 45 foot water column, Morin hits the bottom and reels up five cranks and its fish on!

June 26th, 2008 - Coho action continues to be wide open as anglers are seeing on average 5 fish per boat. To target Coho, target the first 24 feet from the surface down, they will be in the upper water column and will hit Pro troll roto chips, Hoochies, Pro Troll E Lures-- Reds, Pinks and greens. Most fish are caught on a 240 heading out of the Brookings Harbor port, approximately 4 miles out. Others are catching North by Twin and Black rock.

Anglers should prepare for the Rogue River's fall fishery, all indication point towards a better season than last years. Speaking with one ODFW official, they stated that the Rogue's fall fish numbers should be up this year compared to those of the past few years.

This is a trolling show and will encompass from the jaws of the river to up river above the bridge in the Netters Hole area. Anglers should rig with a spreader a dropper weight from anywhere from 3 ½ ounces up to 6 ounces depending on flows and trolling speeds. Anchovy baits threaded with and without a spinner blade seem to be the rig of choice.

Lex's Landing is one area of the river above the bridge that boasts one of the best slots on the river to fish, anglers trolling the lower river in and around the sand spit do hook some nice fish trolling an incoming tide; these anglers target two hours on either side of the high tide as fish move into the system, here is a key factor anglers fishing the Rogue should remember. When a number of boats continue to troll the same slot, what they are doing is pushing these fish out of that area, those fish will move and they do. Don't be afraid to move several hundred yards graphing the river bottom's contour for another slot that these fish filed into. You will find Team Shred Dave Pitts and Paul Lefebve employing this technique every time they are on the water. These fish are coming in from the saltwater and water temps more times than not in the mid to upper 50's, anglers should key on that fact alone: find the temps most like the ocean you will find the fish.

Pressure is another issue many anglers will have to deal with this year. Fuel prices have sparked many anglers to stay home and wait until they can confirm the bite is on; expect a larger trolling crowd this year but simply be prepared to search for moving fish as they look for an area deep enough to hold in that supplies a comfortable water column.

Upper Rogue: The Half pounder action has begun, many anglers who have enjoyed catching these scrappy steelhead in the ½ to 3 pound range should prep for more of the same as summer temps heat up and the family is ready to head out for a few days of wetting a line. This half pound steelhead will take everything from flies to Panther Martins to Mepps. The best two Panther Martin patterns reported are Gold Blade, Black Body and yellow spots; the second is Silver bade, yellow body and red spots. Half Pounder anglers fishing the Rogue who need help getting lined out on where to go and what to use, the last and only place in Gold Beach is the Rogue Outdoor store, Jim Carey has a finger on the pulse of this river and is your best up to the minute resource to get you into these fish. Fly fisherman also use a tandem fly rig with a beaded weigh fly in the front and a Nymph or Silver Hilton on the trailing end. When you tie into one of these fish you will see that the old adage "dynamite comes in small packages" is true.

June 16th, 2008 - Brookings, Oregon's the Albacore Tuna Capitol of the Northwest:

The fuel crunch should not detour anyone from fishing the Brookings area especially with its World Class Bottom fishing, now on the cusp of the Ocean Coho salmon season which begins June 22nd but for its wide open tuna fishing. Last season the Brookings Oregon Harbor cleaning station witnessed Dorado, Yellow Tail and an 88.4 lbs Big Eye tuna not to mention the Hundreds upon Hundreds of Albacore tuna, local tackle shops couldn’t keep ice chest tuna clone or cedar plugs in stock. Despite what the Feds are saying according to one source in Washington DC the up welling is as good as or better than last seasons at this time, what this relates to is another banner Albacore tuna season out of the Brookings Harbor. Terrafin reports are showing some warm water is moving west, what was 300 miles off shore in less than 6 days has moved more than 100 miles closer to us. Expect this to continue its westward march as July nears.

Speaking with Captain Taylor Freeland of the Angler Fishing Charters in the Brookings Harbor said last season it was wild fast and furious action aboard the Angler, we always get tuna, our anglers loaded the boat and I expect this season will be more of the same. Freeland last season did just that as anglers from all over booked trips for Albacore and returned with more than a 130 plus.

Taylor continued by saying it doesn’t stop there the Ling Cod and Rock fishing seems to always be on the bite. Anglers from Nevada said this is one area a guy can count on to catch fish and makes the drive with high fuel prices worth it, Brookings is a hot spot.

If you want Albacore tuna keep your eye on this season, our clients will tell you, we do something other charters don’t and it gets albacore tuna on the chew.

Limits of bottom fish are being taken offshore just outside Brookings Harbor. Large rockfish and cabezon have been in the mix with lures as effective as bait recently.

Surf perch fishing continues to be exceptional from the Win Chuck and alone all south coast beaches, 15-fish limits are common. Brookings anglers Cecil Wilber and Donny Davis are two perch catching guru’s, they use pencil lead for a lot less snag ups in the rocks, they also bait up with shrimp to connect on limits of Red tails.

Rogue River:

Anglers should prepare for the Rogue rivers fall fishery, all indication point towards a better season than last years. Speaking with one ODFW official they stated that the Rogues fall fish numbers should be up this years compared to those of the past few years.

This is a trolling show and will encompass from the jaws of the river up river above the bridge in the Netters Hole area. Angler should rig with a spreader a dropper weight from anywhere from 3 ½ ounces up to 6 ounces depending on flows and trolling speeds. Anchovy baits threaded with and without a spinner blade seem to be the rig of choice.

Lex's Landing is one area of the river above the bridge that boasts one of the best slots on the river to fish, anglers trolling the lower river in and around the sand spit do hook some nice fish trolling an incoming tide, these anglers target two hours on either side of the high tide as fish move into the system, here is a key factor anglers fishing the Rogue should remember. When a number of boats continue to troll the same slot what they are doing is pushing these fish out of that area, those fish will move and they do. Don't be afraid to move several hundred yards graphing the river bottoms contour for another slot these fish filed into. You will find Team Shred Dave Pitts and Paul Lefebve employing this technique every time he is on the water. These fish are coming in from the saltwater and water temps more times than not in the mid to upper 50's, anglers should key on that facto alone, find the temps most like the ocean you will find the fish. Pressure is another issue many anglers will have to deal with this year. Fuel prices have sparked many anglers to stay home and wait until they can confirm the bite is on; expect a larger trolling crowd this year but simply be prepared to search for moving fish as they look for an area deep enough to hold in that supplies a comfortable water column.

Upper Rogue, The Half pounder action has began many anglers who have enjoyed catching these scrappy steelhead in the ½ to 3 pound range should prep for more of the same as summer temps heat up and the family is ready to head out for a few days of wetting a line This half pound steelhead will take everything from flies to panther Martins to Mepps. The best two Panther Martin patterns reported are Gold Blade, Black Body and yellow spots, the second is Silver bade, yellow body and red spots. Half Pounder anglers fishing the Rogue who need help getting lined out on where to go and what to use the last and only place in Gold Beach is the Rogue Outdoor store, Jim Carey has a finger on the pulse of this river and is your best up to minute resource to get you into these fish. Fly fisherman also use a tandem fly rig with a beaded weigh fly in the front and a Nymph or Silver Hilton on the trailing end. When you tie into one of these fish you will see that the old adage dynamite comes in small packages is true.

June 4th, 2008 - Poormans Tarpon or Shad have started moving into the lower Umpqua but catches are slow in high flows. The run is expected to start moving upriver over the next week or so with prospects improving as levels drop and flow moderates. Trout and smallmouth action has been slow in the high flows of the South Umpqua. Minus tides starting Sunday, June 1st, is a Razor clamming time to get out and dig a few. The first week of July, will be the lowest of the year. Meyers Creek

With the exception of the early outflow from those minus tides, bottom fishing should be wide open this weekend if wind and wave forecasts hold true.

Crabbing prospects are dismal with fresh water flushing into bays and estuaries.

The Rogue has dropped about a foot at Agness over the past week. Chinook fishing is fair in the lower river and fair to good at the Hatchery Hole.

Chetco anglers enjoyed good fishing for sea-run cutthroat on the opener May 24th. Bait is legal in tidewater with the river upstream limited to artificials only.

South coast beaches continue to deliver limits of surf perch which appear to be ready to spawn.

Diamond Lake fished well over the long holiday weekend and results are expected to further improve when the lake experiences seasonal turnover. Another 6,000 trout in the 12-inch range will be stocked for the coming weekend.

Clamming is expected to be worthwhile for razors and bay clams during the minus tidal series starting the 1st of June. Crabbing will remain poor in estuaries, however. While all bays and beaches were open at this writing {05/29/08}, call the Oregon Shellfish Hotline anytime at 1-800-448-2474 for last minute closures.

Surf perch fishing has been delivering limits with the fish showing signs they are very near spawning. Often these live-bearers are landed spewing little clones of themselves. Get these little guys back into the surf; their survival rate is good. Over the past week, perch of two pounds or better were common.

Fishing is allowed outside the 40-fathom line only on all-depth halibut openers and only for halibut. Rockfish, ling cod, greenling, cabezon and other flatfish may be taken in water shallower than 240 feet seven days a week, but none of these species may be on board with halibut. No combo trips, fishers.

Spring Chinook Fishing has been slow to spotty on the upper Rogue although the Hatchery Hole has produced a few early in the day. Fewer than 1,800 springers have crossed Gold Ray Dam with daily passage dropping off recently.

Rogue River ODFW announced on May 28th an emergency closure on retention of wild springers. The season allowing non-adipose fin-clipped Chinook salmon, scheduled to open June 1st, will be delayed uptil July 12th. At that time, two adult salmon or steelhead may be kept per day up to 20 per year, 10 of may be wild Chinook.

Chetco anglers have been taking sea-run cutthroat in tidewater on the Chetco which opened for trout on May 24th.

Brookings anglers are gearing up for bottom fishing with mild ocean conditions forecast for the weekend. Catches of various species of rockfish have been good and a decent number of ling cod continue to make up a significant portion of catches.

Diamond Lake is free of ice and fishing well for the tens of thousand of trout stocked this year and an estimated 10,000 holdovers from 2007. Rainbows to four pounds or better are available and limits are common.

May 9th, 2008 - The Rogue river at this time has started to produce. According to my fishing diary more than 41 fish have been taken over last years total at this time in the lower river between Elephant Rock and the Fence line. Most of the success is coming to boat anchored up to the inside of a run. The single greatest key factor for success is these fish are coming in water between 5 to seven feet on an incoming tide and approximately 2 hours from the peak of a high tide.

The clarity of the water at this time is 4 1/2 to 5 feet in seven feet of water, these fish are traveling just under this layer of light diffusion.

3 Ounce sinkers are working fine, the best bait at this time is 5 inch sardines combined with a size 3.5 gold hilderbrandt.

The surf has been rough down this way but perch anglers are connecting on both Redtail and Poggies. Shrimp is still the number one bait out there for these great eating fish. The Winchuck River is one of three places anglers should concentrate on, The Beach out in front of the Best Western is another as is McVay rock.

Bottom fishing is second to none out of Brookings but check swell conditions prior to heading out, it can get rough at times. Lings and rock fish are coming inside the 80 foot line, many anglers heading South are targeting the camel rock area and Akins Point. Shrimp Fly's and an 8 ounce jig head tipped wit a Motor Oil twin tail seams to be the ticket here, if heading North take a good look in and around the Bird Island area, the North side of this Rock holds a very nice slot that holds many rock fish with out heading to deep waters.

Kayak anglers are also seeing good days on the water while fishing the Chetco Cove and Harris beach area.

May 6th, 2008 - Southwest - Halibut season opens seven days a week May 1st inside the 40 fathom line with the first all depth fishery May 8th through 10th. Looking back on last years season 2007 which was a record year, fishing is expected to be very good this year as well.

The Klamath River has produced three spring Chinook, the water level is high and it seems to be a touch early in the year. Both fish came from Blake’s Riffle on a copper both fish were in the mid to upper teens. Get ready; they are saying this is going to be one heck of a run this year.

Rogue anglers are experiencing very slow times; lower end anglers are seeing three fish per day out of more than several dozen boats and another 12 to 18 bankies. This season is better than last years but that does not make it good. The water temperatures are hitting the 52-degree but catching is very slow, one day this season anglers did see an increase in fish and catching when temps were consistent at the 54 degree mark. The Birthday Hole Johns hole, Elephant rock and the bush have all been hotspots in the past, with slow and low fish numbers and catches I would continue the same game plan.

When anglers can get out hooking into a ling or rock fish, Both Gold Beach and Brookings are World Class. Be sure to check sea conditions prior to heading out. The Chetco Outdoor store reports good rock fishing to the North and South of the Harbor, big cabezon, Blacks, blue and Vermillion not to mention Ling cod, all of which are taking Purple 3 ounce Turman jigs, lead fish and P Line shrimp flies. Most of the catching has been consistent fishing in 60 to 80 feet of water. Limits are coming to anglers fishing North by Bird rock and Black rock.

Right out front by the second buoy also has been producing limits for angler wanting to get out early and off early. Anglers report Gold Beach has a bunch of quill backs, anglers are bringing limits of 3 to 4 pound quills and blacks and blues up to 5 pounds across the cleaning table.

Kayakers continue to see success in the hard to get areas boaters pass on, the kelp beds hold great fishing opportunities for anglers fishing weed less more times than not in 20 feet of water.

One thing nice about a Kayak is you can target areas located a great distance from any boat ramp and where access to the beach good right off of the highway.

Surf casters have been seeing continued limits of surfperch, both striped and red tail are the norm at this time, the Win Chuck , Mill Beach all the way up to Gold Beach, perch are everywhere and hitting Shrimp, Sand Crabs and Shrimp and red yarn.

Anglers hit Diamond Lake for the opener on April 26th to catch trout in the 16 to 18 inch range through the ice. It may remain iced-over for another two weeks.

Apr 28th, 2008 - Bottom fishing continues to be excellent. The Chetco Outdoor Store reports anglers this past week with sea conditions perfect connected on limits of bottom fish and ling cod.

Anglers Donny Davis and Cecil Wilber both of Brookings connected into Limits of Surf Perch and then hooked the boat up heading just outside the Brookings Harbor for limits of Black, Blue and Vermillion rock fish and a few hefty ling cod.

Anglers hitting the House rock area took less time filling limits there than the drive time, Sports fishers heading to the South did very well jigging Buzz Bombs and Lead fish, twin tails and Swirl tails all produced limits off of Camel Rock and Akins Point.

Kayakers are doing very well on large rock fish suspend in kelp beds, they are able to launch from areas no others can and the ability to fish areas boats can’t reach.

Chetco Point is one such area, the kelp is thick but Big fish are towing a few of these anglers around, rig up weedless and get out there.

Gold Beach is another area where a number of angler reports flooded in saying big quill backs up to three pounds were the norm, they bent rods tipped with diamond jogs and jeopardizes.

Surfperch fishing from Southern Oregon beaches have been non stop this year. Anglers have been reporting success while fishing the Win chuck Beach area Mill beach and the Sports haven beach in front of the Best Western. The number one baits are Sand crabs, shrimp and then Muscles; anglers are reporting numerous sighting of Perch on an early morning low tide pre sun up finning in very shallow water.

Since it has been a little while since the last big rains crab will move back into the river as salinity levels climb, when it rains heavy fresh water pushes the salt out of the river causing crab to stay outside. Get ready!

Please check with the Coast guard prior to heading out.

Apr 18th, 2008 - TUNA TOURNAMENT : The BTC Brookings Tuna Classic is coming to Brookings, This Tournament will run from July 4th through September 7th, $50.00 per angler for the largest Albacore or Blue Fin gilled and Gutted, these are food fish, we want to ensure the table fare of your catch. This tournament is also being hosted by the Northwest steelheaders Brookings Chapter.

The official weigh in will be at the Chetco Outdoor Store, for more information please contact Call 541 469-9151 or get on line and go to www.salmontroutandsteelhead.com soon and look for the BTC Logo. One reason this tournament is 10 weekends in length it so you the angler will have the opportunity to target some good days and terrafin's.

The Rogue river is seeing a scattered bite at this time throughout the lower section from the Fence line up to Lobster Creek. The Agnus area has produced over twelve fish in the past week. All of these fish are coming on anchovy baits. The lower section anglers fishing in and around the Birthday hole are picking up a few fish everyday it seems, fishing either side of the tide change. A trick we use is placing an inline float approximately 12 " above you bait, this will raise your offering up higher in the water column and more in the path of traveling fish.

Ocean action : The ocean is rough at times but most anglers are heading out early and coming in early with limits of Ling cod and rock fish. One thing about the Brookings area is it does not matter which direction you head North or South the fishing is going to be good, target structures , if the drift is heading to the south then target the South side of the structure, larger fish will be stationed here looking for a meal and conserving energy.

Most of the fish are coming in less than 70 feet of water and more so between 45' to 60' feet. The Chetco Outdoor store has the Turman Jigs that are putting some great limits in anglers boats in short order.

Surf Perch continue to fill buckets just about any time you can head out and throw a line, some of the more productions areas to try are the North Jetty, in front of the Best Western and the North Side of the Winchuck River. Sand Crabs and shrimp are working here very well.

Apr 7th, 2008 - Ling Cod continue to Chew

Chetco Outdoor and Western Outdoor News Dave Pitts states and I quote "ling cod are Chewing". People who have never fished for lings before are slamming limits of lings.

We have seen folks fishing out of bass boats heading and returning with limits of both rock fish and ling cod.

Our store is reordering Turman jigs or twin tails on a weekly basis Pitts said. The down side is it will slow down as the April draws to a close but the Brookings area is and has always been great for bottom fishing. The mouth of the Chetco River is one of the more forgiving mouths on the West coast, this along allows our anglers more fishing days per season.

Brooking anglers Ken Range, Wayne Barker connected of huge cabazon and vermilion up to and over 14 pounds with lings to match, George Morrison and Roland Robertson brought two limits of Monster Vermilion and their share of ling cod as well.

Huge rock fish are a common sight at the cleaning tables at this time, Turman jigs and Motor oil and Root Beer colored Twin Trails are the number one rigs at this time.

Multiple reports by anglers fishing with Captain Taylor Freeland of the Sports fisher the "Angler" in Brookings as producing 18 limits of lings and Rock fish on one day 14 the next, allot of happy anglers are heading back to the bay area and larger cities with great fishing memories.

The areas that seem to be producing at this time is from the Oregon California Border North, several anglers who traveled from Redding California said we had no Idea where to fish , we just headed outside the river but the buoys and drifted bouncing off of the bottom, we hooked and boated two limits of blacks and blues then saw some other boats a few hundred yards away and that is where we saw they were using plastic baits big green and brown grub looking things, we tied a few on and we had two limits of ling cod within the next 30 minutes this included throwing back three each.

As the season progresses more than a dozen times each season the Blacks and blue rock fish up to 6 pounds but average 3 pounds will feed on the surface eating krill and small bait fish , It is a ton of fun to fish with both a fly rod and ultra lite spinning gear much like Bass fishing.

For anglers suffering from lack of salmon opportunities the Brooking Chapter of Northwest steelheaders is hosting a huge Tuna Classic.

Anglers who love to fish out of the Brookings Oregon area for salmon will now be able to chase Tuna and should mark on their calendars the first annual BTC Brookings Tuna Classic Shoot Out will be held from July the 4th through September the 7th largest tuna. Ask for details by dropping a line to:
fearsnofish@charter.net

Apr 3rd, 2008 - LIMITS, LIMITS and More Limits

Bottom fishing here out of Brookings is RED HOT! The Angler Sports fishing captained by continues producing limits for their clients. 8 anglers scored on 16 limits of Ling Cod and Rock fish, the very next day 10 anglers banged out another 10 limits of ling cod and limits of Black,Blue and cabezon rock fish, some huge vermilion's were also taken.

Local anglers Wayne Barker and Ken Range also connected on limits of Ling Cod including Barkers monster Cabezon 11 lbs and Vermilion that tipped the scales at a whopping 14 plus.

Anglers be sure to check sea conditions prior to heading out, at this time it looks like this season is starting off early with some BIG fish.

Akins, Point, Camel Rock to the South and Bird Islands North side in the slot, black and twin rocks all are producing fish.

Lead Fish, Motor oil and root beer twin tails are devastating on fish. As I was told "They are Chewing"

Mar 31st, 2008 - Bottom Fishing:

When anglers can get out it just keeps getting better and better and better. Sea conditions are the only aspect that keeps anglers at home. Lings, Blacks and Blues are all on tap of the angler who is willing to make the time in getting their line wet up around Twin Rocks, Black Rock and or the North slot of Bird rock.

Depending on the drift anglers can really put some nice fish in their boat at any of these places.

Anglers are actually finding they are catching rock fish in many areas where in past years they would pass simply due to a lack there of.

Pucci Jigs, Lead fish and 8 and 10 ounce bullet heads are working well.

The Chetco Outdoor Store in Brookings has been dying there Jigs in an array of colors but the Purple and Greens seem to be the best bet with present water color.

To the South be darn sure not to pass the 42 line or else you should have with you a California License. The rocks such as Camel Rock and a few others down that way are very good fishing but require a GPS if the drift is to the South.

This area is a great rock fishing area, scampi tails in purples, greens, blacks and whites seem to work well here.

Kayak anglers, the kelp beds just around the corner from the Chetco's mouth is an incredible resource that pretty much only kayaks can fish without issue of plugged jets or kelp around the old prop.

Rig weedless as you would for bass and get out there, most of these fish will be suspended and please check sea conditions prior to heading out.

Spring Kings on the Rogue:

Spring kings on the Rogue seem to picking it up a little compared to last season. Last year was an absolute dismal year. Some very large springers have been taken thus far upwards of 33 pounds, which is a large springer.

Ron Buntrock of the Fishboss guide service is at this time one of the more successful guides on the Rogue while hooking clients into quality salmon.

Huntley Bar is also reporting some nice springer action to bank anglers remember fin clipped only. There are reports of anglers keeping wild fish in that area.

Some of the fish are coming on the old school method of cutting a head slot in a Spin N Glo and inserting an anchovy bait drill a hole and run a tooth pick to secure your bait, this promotes a very nice spin/rotation to your bait that many springers won't pass on.

In the lower river the flow is up a little but this should not stop you from fishing areas such as the Birthday hole, Johns Hole, and Elephant rock. Just make sure your anchor grabs and holds before getting everything in the water.

More times than not the line springers take will be in a water column of 6 feet or less and to the inside nearest a bank, least path of resistance. As April comes some will the prime time for Rogue springers, fishing Diaries tell me that from April 10th through the first week and a half of May is the optimal times to connect on a spring king.

The rig WON's Dave Pitts prefers is the use of a 54 inch leader to either an anchovy with a CV7 Spinner blade in hammered gold or Green on the outside gold on the inside or just a plain bait with no blades or beads, I also employ an 18inch to 2 foot dropper on a cannon ball weigh, the ounce factor varies with the CFS of the river being fished. You want that offering in the mid to upper water column so traveling kings can see your bait, below them they will simply pass over it. Just like kids, agitation will always get the whack!

Be sure to graph the bottom of the river and look for the slightest depression of as much as 12 inches, this little notch will allow a salmon to pull in behind allowing the main flow to pass overhead conserving energy. The best plan of action here is to pull well above this area marking it visually and walking or back bouncing your bait back into this area.

The Rogue Outdoor store in Gold Beach just received a fresh shipment of bait anchovies and herring and has a huge selection of blades.

Be sure to fish the tides for spring kings, I personal like fishing two hours either side of a tide change, with an outgoing tide being my favorite, especially when fishing the lower section, that pulling tide really places a nice spin on your bait.

Mar 24th, 2008 - Angler Sports Fishing is the hot topic in the Brookings Oregon area Captain Taylor Freeland of the “Angler” based in Brookings Harbor is the areas Hot boat.

So far he has a perfect season going for his clients 18 limits one day fourteen another Ling Cod and BIG black and blue rock fish and it isn’t taking him long.

Most of the Big Lings and Rock fish up to 7 pounds are coming on Irons, Freeland said he casts his own lures, lead fish and scampi's will work.

Rock anglers have been fishing both North and South for limits of rock fish. When sea conditions allow and as summer months approach it will only continue to get better. Just to the South of Akins Point and directly out in front of Camel rock are great for Blacks and Blues, to the North the North Side of Bird Island, Black Rock, Twin Rock and Chetco Point all hold fish.

Anglers at this time also have a fall back fishery with Surf Perch wide open. Hundreds of Striped and Redtail Perch are being caught daily. Both sides of the Winchuck, Sportshaven beach and just about every place you can get to that has a sandy beach with a set of rocks out front.

The Chetco Outdoor says the main baits here are sand Crabs, Shrimp, mussels and Tiger Prawns, just be careful when fishing near rough surf of any kind.

Right now the South Oregon coastal Area is the place to be for fishing.

Feb 26th, 2008 - As Steelhead are on the down hill slide surf perch action is beginning to take off.

But before we get too far into surf Perch action blue backs (Steelhead) are throughout the system, both bank anglers and boaters can connect on these scrappy steelhead that range from 3 to 9 pounds on an array lures such as Cop Car Hot shots in the size 30, Wee Wart in Copper and yarn balls with a tip of shrimp.

Boaters should not discount night crawlers while side drifting. Areas to try using a boat, Ice Box to Social security Redwood to Loeb or a long run from Redwood to Social Security.

Leave you motor at home and just relax and drift, if you want to hit the same area again, row up or get out and walk you boat back up, the Chetco is one of the easiest rivers to boat.

If the Chetco is slow one unique factor of this area is we have the Elk, Sixes, Rogue and across the border to the South the Smith, one of these rivers is always kicking out a few fish.

Surf Perch: There are four species of Perch to fish here on the South Coast three are larger than the rest and are great for the table. Redtail, Pogies and striped.

Target rocky areas along the coast line such as those by the WinChuck river, Mill Beach and the South Jetty. Redtail are by far the best eating perch we have and are one of the largest.

The rig to use is a two hook rig usually two number #2 eagle claw hooks (Snelled) 18" leader 15 pound test and a 1½ ounce weight.

A long rod helps more times than not when you have to work one or a double hook up out of the rocks and grass.

Baits, Pink Shrimp, Tiger shrimp from Fred Meyers or sand crabs.

Try fishing two to three hours before the peak of a high tide and make sure you have a 5 gallon bucket with you to pack them out with.

They bite quickly much like a trout so be ready you might even hook into a striper or other rock fish such as Green lings or ling cod.

Feb 11th, 2008 - Southwest - Rivers on the south coast have had periods of brief recovery, but round after round of rain storms have steelheaders seeking smaller streams which drop and clear more quickly. But now is the time of the season where both fresh fish and down runners are in Southern Oregon Rivers.

The Coos and Coquille have been fishing well especially when on the drop but have been running a little high and colored this week.

While the Millicoma is also high with marginal visibility, it has periodically allowed anglers the chance for a few fresh winter steelhead.

Elk and Sixes rivers are fishing well but expect these two rivers to drop quick due to the size of these small rivers, Side drifting and plug pulling here is the best bet.

The water level of the lower Rogue was dropping earlier this week but is due to take another hit before the weekend as another storm front moves through.

Now is the time to hit the Chetco, RIGHT NOW! Fish are throughout the system with both down runners and Fresh fish being caught every day. Most of these fish average 11 pounds but many fish are being taken in the mid teens to upper teens. Both Dustin Russell and Joe Whaley of Brookings are constantly hooking their clients into steelhead. If you're from out of the area and reading this contact either one of these guides for a true chance at World Class steelheading.

Cold water requires extra patience due to water temps.

Bottom fishing, be sure to contact the coast guard before heading out but whenever you can with both weather and sea conditions permitting expect as always limits of both ling cod and black and blue rock fish.

Surf perch are on hand from the Jetty's of the Chetco or Mill beach, and the Winchuck.

Get ready it's year round fishing here on the South Coast. Stay tuned for another report in a few days and expect this report to be updated regularly as spring approaches.

Jan 28th, 2008 - The Chetco is on the rise once again but we do not believe it will blow out to where plunkers can not continue to catch fish as they have been.

The only thing the Chetco river is suffering from is an over abundance of boats and guides from other rivers adding to the already extreme amount of pressure on holding fish. A new shot of rain has been falling raising water levels to a very nice level and color.

Both plunkers and boaters should concentrate on tail-outs and slack areas above and below riffles. Anglers should also note that as the next systems passes and the river begins to subside catching on the Chetco will continue to top many other Northern California and Southern area rivers.

Yarn Balls tipped with a small piece of Shrimp in the egg loop is producing some incredible fish. Pete Updike of Medford found this method to be very successful and he caught and released more than a dozen bright steelhead while fishing the Chetco River above the Ice Box Bridge. Other methods included drifting sand shrimp under a bobber along the seams of tailout and allowing then to swing with the current and into the slack edges. Be sure to rig these guys facing downward; live shrimp worked ten to one over eggs and yarn balls.

Expect the Chetco to continue to produce some nice fish but also you shoud start seeing downers as most of the larger fish have spawned and are looking for that taste of salt water.

Steelheading has been fair to good in the lower Rogue River. Angler’s area seeing at times sporadic times when multiple hooks ups are available and then once again seeing lull times, not much consistency on the Rogue as of yet.

With cold water temperatures the Grants Pass stretch of the Rogue is still on deck waiting for its turn to make the headlines. Medford and Grants Pass anglers John Strenk Matt Ford and John Scott are a few exceptions hooking some very nice fish up to the mid teens, nut for the most part decent fishing for winter steelhead has yet to transpire.

The Elk River is hooking up a few nice bright steelhead. Anglers are finding the lower river is producing more so than the upper end while long lining Cop car Plugs, side-drifting Yarn balls were a close second, precipitation is on the way.

Jan 14th, 2008 - Oregon’s South coast gets reprieve Chetco River Steelheader’s along Oregon’s South Couth will see less rain this week allowing river flows to drop and water to clear up.

Drift boaters have been held at bay by consistent high flows of more than 16,000 cfs.

The target CFS rate for drift boaters is 4,000 cfs, Plunkers can actually catch fish in flows of 16,000 cfs and do. Fish are already in the system but like salmon find the least path of resistance by staying close to a cut bank or shore line. A very high percentage of all steelhead taken by plunkers are taken in less than three feet of water, this is why fish can be taken in high flows from the bank. Plunkers should look for that slack green tinted piece of water where fish will hold to conserve energy.

Taquilla Surise, Orange scale and Stop and go’s are all top producers of spin n glo’s, when the water is high and colored up the size to the #2 with a 1/0 hook.

One tactic being employed by bankies is the snap and run, Casting out your main line with a piece of surgical tubing approximately 8 to 12 inches in length, when your weight is in the area desired you then attached your offering on a four foot leader with a snap swivel onto your main line and let’er run ! Once your offering hits the water the current pulls your plug or spin n glo down the main line to the surgical tubing and into place.

Spawn Sacks have really made their mark this season on the Chetco, anglers are finding they not only do spawn sacks stretch ones roe supply but they hold better on your egg loop. Dave Pitts of Won and the Chetco Outdoor store in Brookings says we have sold more than a dozen of these machines in the few past week and anglers want more. We also have weighed in some very big fish in the past week of high water, plunkers including Brookings angler Dave Mueller connected on a 21plus lbs steelhead on the Chetco while fishing an area called the Gate Hole.

Pitts continued by saying with a lull in the storm system drift boaters will now have the option to target all of their favorite areas, side drifting is one of the favorites but don’t discard plugs, the Cop Car Hot Shot is a favorite simply due to it’s track record to entice a take down when others won't.

Hot n Tots with roe are another and it works. Drift boaters should take a look at the upper river by the South Fork, Redwood and Nook bar for big steelhead. The drifters should take their time and drift the South Fork to Ice Box or Loeb, this area has always been a high producer of quality fish. As the water clears and drops anglers should arm themselves not only with roe but with Sand Shrimp, steelhead will tear them up.

When this river drops below 4,000 cfs it will be off the hook.

Jan 2nd, 2008 - The rains will continued to fall on and off over the next week with snow levels dropping which means the river will lower and drop back in until snow levels climb and that snow will melt raising the Chetco and Smith Rivers.

Drift boaters should note 4,000 cfs is the magic number anything over this is questionable for a quality drift. When levels are right on the border drifters will find less traffic so the option to anchor fish and let out a few plugs could spell a hook up. Cop Car hot shots are always a f