Rogue River Steelhead

I got up to the Rogue last weekend and fished and floated for three days. I had not been there for five years so it was good to be back. There are lots of put-ins and shuttle services and not any killer rapids so if you have a boat and a little rowing experience you can do it on your own. There are a million rocks sticking up so you will hit plenty of them but drift boats are tough and you will likely bounce off and float on.

As far as the fishing goes we usually catch something but always seem to wish we had gotten a couple more. We never have that big day where you catch so many you are ready to row out and drink beer in celebration. That day may be in my future but if not that is okay. The fish we find are in deep runs or hiding around boulders or in slots and you have to hunt around and get your bugs down deep to get them to bite. A lot of dudes, including me, float by trying to catch them so they end up hiding out and laying low but they are up there for a few months and need to eat so they can be caught. This year there was a mix of wild and hatchery fish and were in the 22" to 25" range. Good times and tight lines.

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