Idaho Fish Report

Wild steelhead can now be retained above Hog Creek boat ramp. Wild steelhead must be 24 inches in length to harvest, with a limit of 1 per day/3 per year zone wide in aggregate with other SW rivers where wild steelhead are allowed to be harvested (consult regulations).  

Anglers will likely start to encounter down-running spawned out fish (also known as kelts). Handle these fish with care if you encounter them.

Winter fish are being caught from Grave Creek to Rogue River but low flows, clarity, and cold temperatures are making fishing slow. The best bets would be drifting bait in deep pools and doing a number of passes, working the water lanes as you pretty much need to get right in front of a steelhead in the cold water. Twitching spoons might be a good change of pace as well to wake up cold fish. Plugs should still be a good choice from a drift boat if fished in a migratory or holding lane. The bulk of the winter steelhead in the middle Rogue don’t typically show until February and peak in March into April.

Expect the river to be pretty steady for the foreseeable future. As of Wednesday morning the flow in Grants Pass was 1,250 cfs/ 1.17 ft and dropping slowly. The water clarity was 2 NTU and a chilly 42 on Wednesday morning, with highs expected to be around 44 degrees.   Current flow, temp and turbidity conditions for the Rogue can be found at the USGS stream gauges here, or checking the City of Grants Pass water page’s river data here.