Southern Oregon

The Chetco and lower Rogue rivers continue to thrill winter steelhead aficionados, with an occasional monster steelie being caught. Last week, at least two 18-pound hatchery metalheads were caught on the Chetco.  I saw one of them and it was monstrous! The Chetco Steelheadzilla was caught by Stefon Muroff of Boise, Idaho while he was side-drifting a Puff Ball-and-roe combination in the...
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After several weeks of high and turbid water conditions that contained lots of runoff due to melting snowpack and recent rains, several Oregon south coast rivers finally pulled into shape, enough to give side-drifters, bank fishermen and boaters a refresher course in how to catch a few heavy metalheads. On Thursday, the lower Rogue was fishing quite well for large winter...
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A combination of melting snowpack and heavy rains ushered in the first large colonies of chrome-bright winter steelhead into the Chetco River last week. A few lucky anglers deploying a plethora of steelhead techniques got the opportunity to go one-on-one with some water-walking, thumb-burning heavy metalheads. And it's about time.  I was beginning to worry whether or not the silver missiles...
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What happened last week to northern California and southern Oregon rivers was somewhat similar to Isaac Newton's supposed gravitational quotation where he's been loosely quoted to say, "Whatever comes up must come down." Tada! The law of gravity was explained. Only the phenomenon that happened in the last seven days to local-area rivers like the lower Rogue, Chetco and Smith, which...
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Seas as flat as a sheet of liquid mercury beckoned anglers to trip the lingasaur fantastic out of the Port of Brookings Harbor last week.  The extra-calm ocean conditions also tempted a few surfperch aficionados to slay the fatted redtail in beaches ranging from Crissey Field near the California/Oregon border clear up to the Nesika Beach Wayside north of Gold...
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It’s not very often that New Year’s Eve falls on the day that this fish column comes out, so you definitely don’t want to be caught red-handed without your new 2017 fishing license ($38.00) and your adult combined angling tag ($35.00).  If you wish to crab or pursue clams, mussels and other shellfish, you will also have to purchase an...
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