The release from Lost Creek is around 1,100 cfs and the flow at Dodge Bridge is around 3,200 cfs, with a river temperature averaging around 40 degrees. Most of the upper Rogue is high and muddy right now due to rain and melting snow runoff. Plunking or pulling plugs is likely your best bet until next week. The section just upstream of Casey Park will still have clear water from Lost Cr. Reservoir.

There are currently trout and steelhead available in this section of the Rogue. BWO hatches have started, and good size rainbows and cutthroat are keying in. Please handle any lingering summer steelhead with care. This is their spawning time. The return of hatchery coho to Cole Rivers had reached 2,589 fish last week with 0 new arrivals. As of last week, the return of summer steelhead has reached 1,119 fish, with 4 new arrivals. There may still be a few summer steelhead in the river but a lot of them have likely moved up into tributaries to spawn.

Recently, anglers have found a few winter steelhead in this section of river, but the bite could be slow with current conditions. The first winter steelhead showed up in the trap last week, season total is 5. For the 2024/2025 season, there is no wild harvest above the confluence with the Illinois River. The Rogue-South Coast Steelhead Validation is required for all winter steelhead anglers fishing in the Rogue Basin or on the south coast from Dec. 1 to April 30.

Anglers, please use proper catch-and-release techniques, such as keeping fish in the water as much as possible and releasing them quickly. If fish are getting injured with the technique you are using, please change techniques. Remember that smaller rainbow are usually the steelhead that will return in future years.

For up-to-date river levels, check all the USGS Rogue gauges here.