Due to regular and at times heavy late spring rainfall here in the Rogue Valley, Lost Creek and Applegate Lakes are nearly full for the first time in several years. The Rogue River water level which today sits at 3350 cfs at Dodge Bridge is quite high compared to the flow early in the season. With water releases from the dam increasing significantly at the end of May the high river flow has made it an early spring salmon and summer steelhead season here on the Rogue.  

After a few low water years, a full river is greatly welcomed bringing more fish to the top of the river sooner. A healthy river flow and cool river temperatures allow more salmon and steelhead to make their complete journey to their spawning grounds here on the upper river. A full lake will allow high and cold river conditions to continue through the rest of the summer season.  

As of June 15th, there were 1647 king spring salmon and 173 summer steelhead in the hatchery. These are the best numbers we've seen this early in the season for the last few years. While we don't usually start fishing for steelhead until July our guides are already catching multiple fresh steelhead on a regular basis. This makes for great conditions for combination salmon and steelhead trips, targeting salmon in the morning and steelhead as the day warms.