Avid angler Tim Moran is taking up SW Oregon! This week, Tim reports:
Umpqua River – Shad are still present and spread throughout the mainstem. Small dick night spoons, shad darts, white and chartreuse small curly tails and small bright flies will all take fish. Shad are fun to catch and make great crab and sturgeon bait. The smallmouth bass are active and fishing for them is good. Water is on the low side but the fishing in the Elkton area is good on flies with rubber legs, poppers and 3 to 4 inch plastic worms. Bass can also be targeted under a bobber with real worms.
Winchester Bay – Pink surf perch are in and the fishing can be great. It’s been a one day on and one day off kinda fishery but it should keep improving as the month progresses. I’m going out on Sunday so I will have a first hand report next week.
Siltcoos and Tahkenitch Lakes Weather is going to be on the cool side this weekend (58 to 63) which may slow bass fishing. When this occurs, slow your retrieve and fish plastic worms and jigs in 12 or more feet of water around points and creek channels. Later when the weather warms, you may find bass in the reeds and pads and you can target them with spinner baits and top water plugs. Yellow Perch and Sunfish should be targeted with small worms, maggots or small wet flies. Siltcoos is an underrated trout fishery too with many large trout over 20 inches present. Troll the creek channels with dodger and worm, spoons or flatfish for the nice trout that are available.
Siletz River Spring Chinook fishing – like everywhere else – is slow and pressure is nonexistent. Summer Steelhead are making their way into the system and fishing should improve through the month.
Upper Rogue River Fishing for trout is good and should hold up through the month. The Salmon fly hatch has been on for over a week and should hold up for another. Dry fly fishing is great in the area from Lost Creek to Dodge Bridge. Nymphing is good too with red and brown copper john’s and swinging intruders has been on fire as of late. The Holy Water section has been excellent too.
I am working to build more contacts in SW Oregon and I hope to be able to bring you, the readers accurate and up to the day information in this region of our great state!
Best of luck this weekend.