Photo courtesy of Roe Outfitters

At the launch at Touvelle with a limit of spring chinook. Ahhh, life is good! This is the last take-out for six miles -- and the end of a good day on the water when the fish are higher in the river.

Chinook salmon get big on the Rogue River. Most fall between 15 and 40 pounds. But four years ago, an angler landed one that weighed 71 pounds, 8 ounces, to take over the record as the biggest salmon ever landed with a fly rod.

The Rogue can offer fantastic fishing any month of the year. But for many anglers, spring kings are the main event in April, when the run’s vanguard enters the lower river.

Dropping for 200 miles from the high Cascades, the Rogue empties into the Pacific through a narrow estuary near the town of Gold Beach. In March, chinook trickle into the bay. The run builds in April, and the best fishing peaks in May. By the end of June, most of the run will have entered the river.

“These fish don’t spawn in the lower river,” said Steve Mazur, assistant district fish biologist in Gold Beach. “They’re headed to Grants Pass and beyond, where they can summer over. They run on the spring runoff, when they can access the river. Then they can hang out all summer long and be ready to spawn in late August, September and October.”

To get there, they take the path of least resistance. “When they’re moving up, they’re cutting the corners,” Mazur said. “You’ll find them in 4 to 6 feet of water until the river drops and clears, at which time they seek the safety of deeper water.”

ELEPHANT ROCK TO FOSTER BAR
Most guides and anglers from outside the area concentrate on the lower reaches from Elephant Rock to the gravel bar at the old Champion Mill.

Many salmon are taken on the troll in the bay. Casting plugs, spoons and spinners can produce strikes on incoming tides where the water narrows near Elephant Rock.

In tidewater, the best fishing is an hour before to an hour after tide change. Try trolling a No. 6 Blue Fox spinner with a chartreuse body and silver blade. Dress it up with red or dark green accent tape. Fish it slowly, 2 to 3 feet from the bottom. Upstream in lower, clearer water, try smaller spinners in the same color combinations.

Another tactic that pays off is fly-fishing for salmon that stack up in tidewater, waiting for rain. The trick is to use a fast-sinking fly line and flashy baitfish imitations. Cast beyond the fish, then let the fly sink and bring it back in long, slow strips.

My favorite technique, one of the most exciting ways to catch these fish, is with sand shrimp or salmon eggs on a hook beneath a float. When the bobber goes down, it descends 3 feet, 4 feet or deeper. The hookset connects you to one of the strongest, hardest-fighting, best-tasting fish on the planet.