As of July 31st, 1304 summer steelhead have returned to Cole Rivers Hatchery (near Shady Cove) with more than half returning in the last few weeks. Summer steelhead are also being recycled back into the system as well (steelhead that reach the hatchery are sometimes put back into the river system to make the swim again). Some of these fish will have a red tag located near their dorsal fin. If you catch one of these fish, ODFW encourages you to call the Upper Rogue office at 541.826.8774.

With the fresh push of summer steelhead and getting a 2nd chance at recycled fish there have been plenty of opportunities to catch. This past week all techniques were effective.  Back trolling plugs (especially the Kwikfish k-11, Lazy Ike), fly fishing, side-drifting bait and bobber fishing all being productive. 

Summer steelhead are truly fun fish to catch.  A bit smaller than their winter cousins, but agile, acrobatic and the steelhead to eat, 2nd only to the spring Chinook. 

Speaking of spring salmon, their season is now coming to a close.  As of yesterday, August 1st, the annual closure of the uppermost section of the Rogue River for salmon fishing began (upstream of Dodge Bridge boat ramp to Cole Rivers Hatchery). This closure is designed to protect spawning fish, in particular our spring run salmon, who spawn in this top section of river. This section of river is still open to steelhead and trout fishing. 

And starting September 1st through the end of October regulations designate the Upper Rogue as fly only fishing. This is prime time for avid fly and steelhead anglers. Don't be intimidated though if you aren't an experienced fly fisher, because this does not mean you can use only traditional fly fishing methods, conventional styles of fishing are also allowed like the bug and bubble technique which uses a spin rod with flies. 

And if you're looking to fish for some of our biggest salmon of the year, summer/fall salmon have just started to arrive and our guides are fishing for them downstream of Dodge Bridge (Eagle Point). 

The Rogue is at a perfect level for the foreseeable future, the summer steelhead and salmon returns seem promising and blue skies have returned to the Rogue Valley after some hazy conditions a week ago due to the Milepost 97 fire.