Steelhead in Southern Oregon

[jujim]

Probably heading to southern Oregon,Crater lake,Klamath, March 5-12. Is that a good time for Steelhead ?Thanks Chet

[Ard]

Probably heading to southern Oregon,Crater lake,Klamath, March 5-12. Is that a good time for Steelhead ?Thanks Chet

Hi Chet,

I don't know those venues but...……… If I were going down this time of year I'd be looking for a guide with a jet and aiming at the upper Deschutes River for the winter fish. They are not plentiful and they aren't easy but if you find one that'll grab a fly there's a good chance of it being a handsome fish. I know a guy with a jet down there if you were interested.

[flav]

From K Falls drive over the pass and fish the N Umpqua or Rogue. The Klamath in CA is the other possibility, but I know little about that fishery. N Ump has lots of public water in the fly only stretch, big fish, but few of them and very difficult fishing. Rogue from lost creek dam to Grants pass will have fish, better numbers, but much less access without a boat. I'd pick the N Ump to swing, the Rogue to nymph. I think the only access into Crater Lake is from the Medford side that time of year, so the Rogue might be your best bet.
Deschutes doesn't have winter fish, and no steelhead on the upper river. That's a summer/fall run on the lower 100 miles only.

[dillon]

March is indeed time for wild winter steelhead in Oregon. However, there is not a winter Steehead run in my home river, the Deschutes. East of the cascades there are only summer and fall runs. We fish for them into December, but they start spawning after the first of the year and should be left alone, imo. By march they have pretty much finished up and the kelts are heading downstream.

I fish the NW coastal and inland rivers for winter steelhead and don't get down south much. The Rogue River and some S. coast rivers will have fish in them in March. If you are interested in more specific info and guides let me know and I can steer you in the right direction.

[dillon]

Good info Flav. Didn't see your post until I posted mine. You beat me to it...

[Ard]

I mentioned the upper D because I just saw a post on SP's 2 weeks ago of a real dandy taken up there. But one must consider I'm in Alaska and know only what I'm told about the fishing up there. I did have a November trip planned for there but had to cancel this last fall.

I would take flav's advice over mine any day. I would add that I've fished the N. Umpqua and can attest that it is more technical than the Rogue and definitely treacherous wading so be careful if you head there, beautiful place though.

[dillon]

The lower Deschutes is the 100 miles below the dams, as previously stated. The upper river is above the reservoirs. The Metolious, Crooked, and upper Deschutes flow out of the lake billy chinook reservoir to form the lower Deschutes. There actually are a few steelhead in these tributaries as they are being reintroduced as part of dam relicensing agreements. They were historically there, but extirpated by the dams. The out going smolt are captured in the res and trucked around the dams to the lower D. The few returning adults have been captured below the first dam and trucked above the reservoirs. The program has not been very successful and I have not heard of anyone fishing for them and don't even know if it's legal. Probably not. Many folks are not happy with this program. It's a long story, but it's been wrecking havoc on the lower river. If you saw a pic of a steelhead taken in the upper Deschutes. I think some people refer to the upper section of the lower Deschutes as the upper river. Or, it could have been a project steelhead or a large bull, brown or rainbow trout.

[jaydub]

If we have a decent snow-pack, Crater Lake is likely to be snowed in at that time. Pack your cross-country skis or snow shoes.

[kevind62]

Ard, Lay off the "potato wine". If you're in Alaska then Oregon would technically be "down there" not "up there".

I mentioned the upper D because I just saw a post on SP's 2 weeks ago of a real dandy taken up there. But one must consider I'm in Alaska and know only what I'm told about the fishing up there. I did have a November trip planned for there but had to cancel this last fall.

I would take flav's advice over mine any day. I would add that I've fished the N. Umpqua and can attest that it is more technical than the Rogue and definitely treacherous wading so be careful if you head there, beautiful place though.

[Ard]

I should have been more specific Kevin,I meant up river. I had a trip planned last year that got shelved for various reasons. There's a friend down there (Oregon) who has a jet and was going to run me way up and drop me for a camp. Late fall there are way fewer fish but you have the chance to get into a nice one. Along with way fewer fish there are fewer fishermen and that was my primary aim. I'd rather fish a mile of really good looking water that held only six to ten fish all alone than a mile that holds 150 or more. Those are the places I have been searching out for a long time, the low numbers may turn some folks off but it is what attracts me.