Spring Chinook enter the lower Rogue starting in late February and early March. I usually don’t start targeting them until April when we get warmer water temperatures and improving river conditions. The peak times for spring Kings is mid May until the end of June. July can also be very good in the upper Rogue, around the town of Shady Cove. Spring Chinook typically average about 18 to 23 pounds, with the occasional 30 plus pounder. They are a very hard fighting fish that will make you work very hard to get every inch of your line back. Spring Chinook on the Rogue River are considered some of the best table fare on the west coast. They are nice and bright, with beautiful red meat. Fall Chinook on the Rogue start entering the river in July. I usually start targeting them in Gold Beach the last week of July. August and September are their peak months, with September being mostly in the towns of Grants Pass and Gold Hill. The fall run is a very large native run of Kings on the Rogue. I do all of the normal tactics for fall salmon including back-bouncing eggs and back-trolling Kwikfish. Also, in the bay in Gold Beach, we troll anchovies. Another option for fall Kings that most people don’t do, but is a lot of fun, is side-drifting with heavy steelhead rods (a 9’6″ 6-12 lb rated Rogue rod with Shimano Stradic 4000 reels). Side-drifting for King Salmon is a very productive and fun tactic for landing large salmon. Fall salmon on the Rogue River average 20 to 26 pounds, with the not so rare 40 or even 50 plus pound fish!
Summer Steelhead enter the Rogue starting in late June. I don’t start targeting them until they reach the upper Rogue in mid to late July. The best time for summer Steelhead is mid August through mid November. These fish are very aggressive and very willing biters to most offerings. They average 4 to 7 pounds, with the occasional 10 pounder. I normally target these fish with plugs, jigs, bait, and fly fish for them too.
Winter Steelhead start entering the lower Rogue in late November and early December. Depending on the water conditions, I will start targeting them in mid January. Peak months are February to early April. Winter Steelhead on the Rogue average 6 to 9 pounds, with the occasional fish in the teens. The Rogue has a higher amount of fish than most other rivers. With the dam on the Rogue, it will bring the water level up for the fish to come in even without rain. The normal techniques for these fish are side-drifting, bobber fishing, and pulling plugs. Winter Steelhead are a very energetic, acrobatic, and all around psychotic fish to fight!
September and October are “fly only” in the upper stretches of the Rogue River. Whether it is traditional fly rod/reel or a spinning rod/reel, summer Steelhead will give you a great fight, especially on light tackle. During the salmon spawn from mid September to the end of October, these fish are very gullible for egg patterns and small nymphs. Hooking into a dozen fish in one day at this time of year is very common!
I fish the Chetco, Elk, and Sixes Rivers in late October through mid December. The coastal rivers depend on good, heavy rains to bring these fish into the systems. These rivers have a healthy return of native and hatchery fish. Pulling Kwikfish, back-bouncing and side-drifting are all good techniques for these fish. They average 20 to 25 pounds with many fish caught in the 30s and 40s. Also, being so close to the ocean, these fish are great table fare!
I start fishing the smaller coastal streams like the Chetco, Elk, Sixes, and South Fork Coquille starting in mid December. The peak months are January and February. These smaller rivers typically have, on average, a slightly larger Steelhead than the Rogue. They average 8 to 11 pounds, but it is common to hook a fish in the teens or even get a chance at a 20 pounder! Being so close to the ocean, these fish fight a lot harder, which can make landing them a challenge! Coastal rivers are very weather dependant and only fish well after a good amount of rain.
The Umpqua Rivers sport a healthy run of very large Steelhead, with the average fish being 9 to 12 pounds and fish in the high teens very common. Twenty plus pound Steelhead are found on these rivers weekly. The South Umpqua also sports a very healthy return of hatchery fish every year. I normally start fishing the Main Umpqua in mid to late December, with January and February being the best times. I start fishing the North and South forks of the Umpqua in late January, and the best times are February and March. Like the coastal streams, these rivers are weather dependant for best fishing conditions.
