Catching 'Bows On The Rogue

Author and brother on the Rogue

I was only able to fish for two days while on a 17-day Pacific Northwest trip from Seattle to San Francisco this summer. But I made the most of it by catching my limit of rainbow trout from the pristine waters of the Rogue River (Oregon). I camped along the river for one night very near its source, Mount Mazama, which is better known for the massive caldera that crowns its long-ago destroyed volcanic peak: Crater Lake.

I camped in the Umpqua National Forest on Monday, July 21, with my wife and two kids (9 and 7), and with my brother Jonny, his girlfriend Amber and their 1-year-old, the spunky Westly, aka Chunkers, aka Weaseltown. Jon and Amber own and operate Peace of Pizza in nearby Applegate, and they provided all the camping and fishing supplies.The isolated, primitive site we occupied for the night was north of Medford, off Highway 62, about 12 miles past the turnoff for Crater Lake.

The river at this elevation is small, fairly fast flowing and gorgeous. It is full of downed trees. Some served as walkways across the river, but most served to frustrate me early as I was fighting snags nearly every cast.

Jonny and I fished the high mountain haven the first night we set up camp riverside. I hooked up with two trout, but both released early. We didn’t have much luck on a secluded bend of river where Jonny had torn it up only a couple weeks before. Before sunset, I tried a spot in the river closer to our campsite. Battling snags, I finally landed a 9-inch rainbow. It was my first Western trout since catching brookies in Hat Creek, California, circa 1999.

Beautiful Rogue River 'bow

I was using a simple spinning rod set-up, with artificial trout Powerbait and neon-pink artificial eggs on hooks. I would cast above a hole or other promising spot--like a downed tree or above the edges of submerged vegetation--and let the current naturally float the bait downstream.

The next morning I had much better luck. Waking at 6:45 before anyone else, I hit the nearby spot again. The trout were hungry, and I limited out in an hour.  It was a rush every time I hooked up with a ‘bow as each fought and jumped with vigor. All fish caught were 9 to 11 inches long (minimum keeper size is 8). 
When I returned to camp, all were still asleep. When they awoke, we dined on fresh trout, broke camp and headed to Crater Lake.

OTHER TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

1. A night in a yurt near Mount St. Helens, another volcano.

2. A night in a Tiny House Hotel on NW Alberta St. (Alberta Arts District) in Portland (www.tinyhousehotel.com). We also hiked to the top of Multnomah Falls east of Portland along the Columbia River Gorge.

3. Two nights on the Oregon Coast (one in Pacific City and one in Yachats). We spotted dozens of grey whales offshore, some from the balcony of our hotel room in Yachats and some near Yaquina Head. We also saw harbor seals in Depoe Bay (where a scene from "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" was filmed).

4. Swimming in the Toutle River (south branch) in Washington, swimming in the Illinois River in southern Oregon, and hiking to the Big Foot trap near Applegate Lake.

5. Six days in Applegate, Oregon, working at the pizzeria, disconnecting from grid, hanging with family.

6. Redwood hikes through Fern Canyon, Lady Bird Johnson Grove, Redwood Creek trail, Gold Bluff Beach in California.

7. Three nights in a yurt at Bothe-Napa State Park; went to Sterling Winery, V. Sattui and Castello di Amorosa.

8. Took a beach day along Sonoma Coast State Beaches and Dillon Beach; lunched in Bodega Bay.

9. Breweries visited: Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma, Calif., Lucky Labrador Brewery in Portland, Pelican Brewery in Pacific City, Oregon, Caldera Brewery in Ashland, Oregon, Ukiah Brewery in Ukiah, Calif.

10. One night in Seattle on way in (stayed near and toured Space Needle), one night in San Francisco on way out (stayed at Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf and lunched on dim sum in Chinatown).

*2,300 miles driven via rental car over 17 days