Page 63 - Southern Oregon Magazine Fall 2022

GET HOOKED

ON FALL FISHING

on the wild & scenic rogue

km collins provided

aking a break from the group to gun it down to Foster
Bar take-out on the final day of a four-day commercial
trip guiding on the Wild and Scenic Rogue River, my trip
Mleader, Nicole Smedegaard, was facing me while we were
in separate boats. She pulled at a downstream ferry angle, I pushed, and
we talked over boat ramp logistics. As I listened to instructions, over
her river right shoulder I noticed a sturgeon not only surface but leap
out of the water. Like a black fin trained orca in an Oregon-style wild
and scenic rendition of a Marine World Africa USA show, the sturgeon
was at least five feet out of the water and looked to be a similar size
and stature to Smedegaard. When I explained the scene to her, having
guided on the Rogue for 12 seasons, she said this was a common occur-
rence and not to be alarmed. The fishy fellow was probably trying to
knock parasites off his person.

Although I had heard the Rogue River was a fishing mecca, this was the
moment that fact became ground truth for me, or water truth, as it
were. I soon learned that seeing a sturgeon fly isn’t even breaching the
surface of the Rogue’s fishing legacy.

Many are called to fish the Rogue River year round because a variety of
anadromous fish charge upstream out of the Pacific Ocean and inland
with consistent regularity. As winter turns warmer and the wild azaleas
begin to bud, May anglers attempt to wrangle “springers.” These are
the most aggressive fighting salmon in the river and as prize fighters,
perform with tail dances and powerful runs. Given the right flows and
temperature, these fierce fighters are often found and caught in the first
few hours of dawn.

But autumn is when the real premium, world class trophies are won. The
main event: Chinook, heavyweights up to 70+ pounds and mid-class
averaging 20-40 pounds. Word on the street is they don’t put up quite as
big a fight as the springers and have a more predictable bite zone.

fall 2022 | www.southernoregonmagazine.com 61