Rogue Report

ssteelheadsteve · 10-08-2003, 08:40 PM

Sometimes being a full time guide I shoot myself in the foot but here goes.
You want good flyfishing for Steelhead ? Go to the Rogue. Please don't ask where. Just Go and Learn it. There are more fish in the 10 lb range this year than in any year since 1980. Where these big fish came from I gave up guessing. Usually a good Rogue Steelie is 5- 7 lbs. Lots of jumbos this year. Also you might have noticed that the dam Count over the middle dam is more than a month old. Could it be because they predicted a poor King run and the river is chocke d with huge spawning Kings or perhaps they didn't want the public working those fish over ? Take your own flies because the stores are sold out of all the good patterns. You won't regret a trip on the Rogue. Just returned tonight because I have to go catch more adfsdjoitvn vhfffssd Salmon.With luck and more clients who want to fish where you can breath the air ( unlike tillamooks blue merc haze) I will be back there sooner than latter. Oh yeah its pretty much a boat show and bring a boat you REALLY don't care about. This river destroys boats. More rain and the world will be in Tillamook Co and I will be back on the Rogue. Did I memtion we fished in shorts all week ? This post will self destruct in 24 hours. There I shared. Notice how all the other guides have clammed up in the last 2 months.Partly because the fishing was soo good and then so bad.Enjoy fellow fly fishers.................

Navigator · 10-09-2003, 06:17 AM

Thanks for the report. Heading down for my annual fall trip this evening. I do know where

. Will report upon my return.

Grantspastor · 10-09-2003, 09:05 AM

Great isn't it? Only wished I lived closer. I resent the 15 minutes it takes to drive to where I fish.

gstrand · 10-09-2003, 03:22 PM

Golly, Pastor, it only takes me seven minutes unless I miss the light at Antelope Rd... :grin:

Steve is right. It's been good. But the bite is now off, totally over, see you next year. No more fish here... REALLY...

Here guys... I've posted these in a couple places, so if you've seen 'em, ignore them - but these are three mornings' worth of fish, about an hour and a half every morning before work. Enjoy.

-Gus

lilnorthfork · 10-09-2003, 09:50 PM

Absolutely gorgeous. Thanks Gus!

gstrand · 10-10-2003, 11:23 PM

An artist, Stuart Helmintoller, just completed this rendition of the second one, life size... (please don't use the graphic/pic without permission...)

-Gus

Navigator · 10-13-2003, 09:43 PM

Well, I had a great three days fishing the Rogue over the weekend (Fri-Sun, 10/10-10/12) - however, the catching could of been better. Not that the fish weren't cooperating - most in my group got fish every day - the biggest daily total for one person was 6 landed. Another had a tough day one day, going 0-6. That's fishing. The average between these extremes was about 2-3 fish per person per day (there were 6 of us). For me, I went 1-1 on Friday (24", hatchery buck), 0-2 on Saturday (one might have been a salmon) and ???? for Sunday (landed a nice native but when it was all said and done, foul hooked. I surmise I hooked it on the lead fly and during course of the battle the dropper hooked the fish and the lead fly came unbuttoned, but I suppose I could have snagged it from the get go if it swirled at the fly). In any event, can't count it (but sure can talk about it [img]graemlins/program.gif[/img] ) as I never saw the fly in its mouth.

Most of us exclusively nymphed it, though one fish was taken swinging a fly. Fish were about 5-8 lbs (24 - 29 inches).

Sunny Friday, rained Saturday and cloudy to clearing on Sunday. Fished the Shady Cove to Dodge Bridge stretch - both bank and boat.

Pressure was relatively light on Friday, progressively heavier Saturday and Sunday.

Lots of spawning salmon in the river. What was weird about this year, the trout were absolutely AWOL

- I only caught one small trout (lost another on the leap), the rest were smolts (which seemed more prevalent this year than years past). Baetis and October caddis hatches - Baetis when the sun was out. Some days the bite was only during the morning - Saturday it lasted throughout the day.

Beautiful fish (thanks for the pics gstrand). Love that artist rendition [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

This fishery is at its peak now - definitely worth the trip. I recommend a guide if you are not familiar with this river - the type of fishing is somewhat unique (deaddrifting small nymphs) and a guide can help you through the subtleties.

[ 10-13-2003, 11:10 PM: Message edited by: Navigator ]

Grantspastor · 10-14-2003, 07:46 AM

The "October" fish are definitely in the middle river...but seem to be bunched up more than spread out. Some of my "secret" spots have been slow so far, but when you find them it can be pretty good. As stated above...there seem to be lots of big fish this year, and not many half-pounders. The salmon have started to spawn near Grants Pass...but not quite yet down as far as Galice. Steelhead are always aware of salmon spawning activity.

I'm going down the Wild and Scenic next week. Any reports from the canyon?

[ 10-14-2003, 08:47 AM: Message edited by: Grantspastor ]

gstrand · 10-14-2003, 08:06 AM

Word is that fish are holding low in the upper river, even below Touvelle. Went out yesterday early morn before work and froze in the cold and fog... With the full moon and weather pressure changes I didn't have many expectations, but did get one smallish (~20") native to hand in the hour I spent. By 745am when I left, there were six other people in the stretch.

[ 10-14-2003, 09:07 AM: Message edited by: gstrand ]

tailchaser · 10-14-2003, 08:23 AM

I wasn't as high as the canyon, but we fished inbetween agness and quosatna on sunday. There are still some 'nooks coming in, but the majority of fish are silvers. And they're definitely taking pink spinner pretty well. In the afternoon we fly fished some, but got some reports of a lot of half pounders that are staying down below quosatna, and a good number of steelies in the same stretch. I really wished I would have brought some more gear for the 1/2 lbers but we were mostly targeting salmon.

tc