Upper Rogue River Steelhead Roundup.

I didn’t hear anything about it, but apparently the ODF&W gathered up returning Rogue River summer steelhead from the Cole Rivers Hatchery and recycled a good number back down river. Judging from the “punch mark” in the left gill plate of a good number of the fish I caught today, that has happened. Some of these fish were on fire fighting well, and one just came in lamely. Never the less it was one of those days of multiple hookups and releases that will keep one grinning, regardless of the smoke filled sky.

The afternoon smoke settles on the Rogue Valley floor.

Rogue River Water Flow Schedule Coming Into the Fall

By the numbers here is what I have for the water release schedule into the Fall . I added the last two entries for November 2015.

Nice Summer Steelhead from a Tail Out

A little tail out on the Rogue River of Oregon proved once again the saving grace on this hot August day. The mid-day hookup came after fruitlessly probing several more public stretches of water. The fall chinook salmon were observed rolling conspicuously in the main body of these runs. Do the salmon chase the steelhead out of the favored lies? The search and hooking fly pattern was the Midnight Fire Carpetbagger Stonefly Nymph.

Tail Out Steelhead

The tail out water that was good today. An upstream cast with a nymph was the trick.