Spring Chinook fishing on Rogue and Umpqua rivers has been excellent
Springer Chinook fishing on the Rogue River has been excellent. The number of clipped fish in the lower river has been running about 3-to-1 clipped fish to non-clipped. An Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife proposal could allow the retention of non-clipped springers starting June 1.
Springer fishing on the Umpqua River has also been good. The number of clipped fish has been high, and the size of many fish has been 40-plus pounds. Water levels have stabilized, which should mean many fresh Chinook.
The Umpqua also is reporting some very good catches of shad. I haven’t had any reports of shad on the Coquille, but traditionally we fish shad between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
Local lakes still are producing great trout fishing and the warmer weather has black bass biting more aggressively.
Bottom fishing in the ocean remains very good. Our near-shore halibut season started May 1, and nice halibut have been reported. The May 13, 14 and 15 all-depth halibut fishery should be very productive this year. Additional days are May 20, 21 and 22, and June 3, 4 and 5. The state-wide daily bag limit is one Pacific halibut with an annual limit of six. The possession limit is one daily, and three daily on land. During the all-depth halibut days, most species of bottom fish may not be taken or retained. Salmon may be retained during this season.
The commercial Chinook season has been spotty as weather conditions have been rough. Warm water is moving closer to shore, and it’s been difficult for commercial fishermen to find Chinook, though Chinook have been a popular seller on the docks.
The Bandon Surf Perch Derby is being held through the end of May at the Port O’ Call in Bandon. The culmination of the $5 entry fees will be given out as first prize, with second- and third-place winners getting gift certificates for large packages of tackle. For more information, call 541-347-2875.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation released a new commissioned report detailing the economic impact of the firearms and ammunition industry. Firearms sales greatly increased in 2009 and hit an all-time high for taxes, both state and federal, that are used to support wildlife conservation efforts. Total industry sales for 2009 were nearly $28 billion. This means that the firearms industry and sportsmen are contributing more than $7.5 million per day to wildlife conservation. This unprecedented growth coincided with the continued decline of accidental firearm-related deaths (more than a 60 percent decrease in the last 20 years) and a continued drop in crime rates nationally.
May 15 is the last day to apply for controlled hunt tags. High volume of sales activity in the last days prior to the deadline has led to long lines and slowed or crashed the license system, causing the ODFW to extend the deadline in both 2008 and 2009. If at all possible, please do not wait until the last minute to apply.
If you have company (or not), the Lakeside Crawdad Festival is going on this weekend and would be a fun event to attend. With events all over the city of Lakeside from wine tasting and entertainment, to crawdad races and boat rides on Tenmile Lakes, you’re bound to find something the whole family can enjoy.
Good luck fishing and hunting!
Listen to the Oregon Outdoors Radio Show Thursdays from 2-5 p.m. on KWRO 630 AM and rebroadcast on Friday mornings from 7-10 a.m. on ESPN 1230 AM. Oregon Outdoors can now be heard on KDUN 1030 AM from Eugene to Port Orford on Friday evenings from 3-5 p.m. and on Saturday mornings from 6-8 a.m.
By Richard DeChambeau
