Idaho Fish Report
Rain last week raised the river and dropped water temperatures
by OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Staff
8-21-2024
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Rain last week raised the river and dropped water temperatures. A lot of Chinook left the Rogue Bay and headed upriver. This time of year, it is hard to catch Chinook in the river due to the algae stirred up by jet boats and the fish are moving fast. Most of the boat anglers targeting Chinook are still fishing the bay.
Half-pounder fishing has been good in the lower river. The best way to target half pounders is casting flies or tossing spinners.
ODFW annually monitors the run of Chinook, steelhead, and coho at Huntley Park (approximate 8 miles upstream from the mouth) on the Rogue River. To learn more about the project, people can visit the ODFW website to receive this years' two-week updates and to see the historical catch.
Anglers fishing the Rogue Bay should always check regulations before heading out. This year the ocean is open to salmon fishing through Aug. 31. The regulations on gear type and legal salmon that can be kept is different in the ocean than the river. The two big differences and reasons anglers will get a game violation while fishing in the ocean are 1) fishing with more than two single point hooks in the ocean, barbed hooks in the ocean, and 2) having Chinook salmon under 24 inches in the boat while fishing in the ocean.
Anglers fishing with a guide should also understand and know the regulations. The licensed angler will be issued the violation, not the guide. A couple of the most common violations are failure to tag your fish prior to putting your fishing gear out again and continuing to fish after keeping your adult salmon bag limit.
Anglers that see a game violation can report the violation to *OSP (*677) on a mobile device or call 1-800-452-7888. Anglers can also file complaints or potential violations concerning guides to the Oregon State Marine Board.