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Jeff Gillette had the right twitch-and-pause technique on the South Umpqua River earlier this week.
In the middle of retrieving a weightless soft plastic tube and hook Monday evening from the river in the Willis Creek-Rice Creek area that is upriver from Dillard, a smallmouth bass struck. Gillette reeled in the feisty fish that he estimated to weigh "over 4 pounds." He took a photo and then released the bass back into the water.
"That size of fish is rare that high up on the South Umpqua," said Gillette, a member of the Umpqua Valley Bass Masters.
The angler caught and released 20 smallmouth in just under an hour. The rest of the catch were 1- to 2-pound fish.
The big fish is the second largest smallmouth bass Gillette has ever caught. His largest was a 7.3-pound fish caught in Trinity Lake in northern California.
"Evening time is the best," Gillette said of fishing for smallmouth bass in the Umpqua. "Just as the setting sun's shadows cross the water.
"My advice is to use anything that mimics a 4- to 5-inch baby shad. You want to work it to mimic an injured bait fish. Through it out, then twitch and pause, twitch and pause, and hang on."
Following is the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlifeweekly fishing report that is compiled by regional fishery biologists.
Southwest
CHETCO RIVER: Anglers are anxiously awaiting the one week ocean fishery starting Sept. 1 and a chance to catch some early fall Chinook arrivals off the mouth of the Chetco. No reports of anglers fishing the bay, but Chinook will occasionally move into the bay during high tides.
COOS COUNTY LAKES : Bass fishing at Tenmile has been good recently but the weedline is starting to show just out from the shore. Bluegill angling has also been good. Tenmile anglers are reminded that largemouth bass over 15 inches must be released unharmed back into the lake.
HIGH LAKES : Be aware of the increased fire danger when traveling to these lakes. Brown trout fishing at Lemolo, Toketee, and Soda Springs has been good. The best time to fish is early morning and late evening.
PACIFIC OCEAN & BEACHES: Ocean salmon fishing has been slow. Bottom fishing effort has slowed as well. When ocean conditions have permitted, tuna fishing has been good. Anglers should use extreme caution and consider going with other boats if targeting tuna. This years salmon continue to run large with many in the 30 pound range.
ROGUE RIVER, LOWER: The Rogue River Bay continues to be a good spot to hook Chinook. Bait of choice is an anchovie and green spinner blade. Anglers should fish near the mouth at low tide and work upstream above the Highway 101 bridge.
ROGUE RIVER, MIDDLE: Good numbers of early run summer steelhead are available, and the harvest of adipose fin-clipped steelhead is allowed year round on the Rogue. Flows at Grants Pass are averaging 1,720 cubic feet per second on Monday morning. The Rogue is open for trout fishing with a limit of five adipose fin-clipped trout per day, 8 inch minimum length. All non adipose fin-clipped rainbow and all cutthroat trout must be released unharmed.
ROGUE RIVER, UPPER: Good numbers of summer steelhead have been counted at Gold Ray for this point in the run, and anglers are having some success on these early run fish. A total of 5,707 summer steelhead have been counted at Gold Ray Dam as of Aug. 17. Fishing with both bait and flies has been best in the early morning hours.
SMITH RIVER: Trout fishing has been good. Smallmouth are available in Smith River below the falls and fishing should be good.
UMPQUA ESTUARY: Sturgeon fishing is slow. The river opened for fin-clipped coho on Aug. 1. Some chinook and coho are currently being caught in the bay below the 101 bridge. Coho and chinook fishing will continue to improve.
UMPQUA RIVER MAINSTEM: Main-stem Umpqua closed to the retention of all non-fin-clipped steelhead, but remains open year round for fin-clipped steelhead. Smallmouth fishing remains good. Rapalas, crawfish crankbaits, and worms are the best bets for catching smallmouth.
UMPQUA RIVER, NORTH: The majority of people fishing have switched over to summer steelhead. The fly water is now unweighted fly only.
UMPQUA RIVER, SOUTH: Smallmouth fishing has been excellent. Crawfish crankbaits and worms are working the best at this time.
In the middle of retrieving a weightless soft plastic tube and hook Monday evening from the river in the Willis Creek-Rice Creek area that is upriver from Dillard, a smallmouth bass struck. Gillette reeled in the feisty fish that he estimated to weigh "over 4 pounds." He took a photo and then released the bass back into the water.
"That size of fish is rare that high up on the South Umpqua," said Gillette, a member of the Umpqua Valley Bass Masters.
The angler caught and released 20 smallmouth in just under an hour. The rest of the catch were 1- to 2-pound fish.
The big fish is the second largest smallmouth bass Gillette has ever caught. His largest was a 7.3-pound fish caught in Trinity Lake in northern California.
"Evening time is the best," Gillette said of fishing for smallmouth bass in the Umpqua. "Just as the setting sun's shadows cross the water.
"My advice is to use anything that mimics a 4- to 5-inch baby shad. You want to work it to mimic an injured bait fish. Through it out, then twitch and pause, twitch and pause, and hang on."
Following is the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlifeweekly fishing report that is compiled by regional fishery biologists.
Southwest
CHETCO RIVER: Anglers are anxiously awaiting the one week ocean fishery starting Sept. 1 and a chance to catch some early fall Chinook arrivals off the mouth of the Chetco. No reports of anglers fishing the bay, but Chinook will occasionally move into the bay during high tides.
COOS COUNTY LAKES : Bass fishing at Tenmile has been good recently but the weedline is starting to show just out from the shore. Bluegill angling has also been good. Tenmile anglers are reminded that largemouth bass over 15 inches must be released unharmed back into the lake.
HIGH LAKES : Be aware of the increased fire danger when traveling to these lakes. Brown trout fishing at Lemolo, Toketee, and Soda Springs has been good. The best time to fish is early morning and late evening.
PACIFIC OCEAN & BEACHES: Ocean salmon fishing has been slow. Bottom fishing effort has slowed as well. When ocean conditions have permitted, tuna fishing has been good. Anglers should use extreme caution and consider going with other boats if targeting tuna. This years salmon continue to run large with many in the 30 pound range.
ROGUE RIVER, LOWER: The Rogue River Bay continues to be a good spot to hook Chinook. Bait of choice is an anchovie and green spinner blade. Anglers should fish near the mouth at low tide and work upstream above the Highway 101 bridge.
ROGUE RIVER, MIDDLE: Good numbers of early run summer steelhead are available, and the harvest of adipose fin-clipped steelhead is allowed year round on the Rogue. Flows at Grants Pass are averaging 1,720 cubic feet per second on Monday morning. The Rogue is open for trout fishing with a limit of five adipose fin-clipped trout per day, 8 inch minimum length. All non adipose fin-clipped rainbow and all cutthroat trout must be released unharmed.
ROGUE RIVER, UPPER: Good numbers of summer steelhead have been counted at Gold Ray for this point in the run, and anglers are having some success on these early run fish. A total of 5,707 summer steelhead have been counted at Gold Ray Dam as of Aug. 17. Fishing with both bait and flies has been best in the early morning hours.
SMITH RIVER: Trout fishing has been good. Smallmouth are available in Smith River below the falls and fishing should be good.
UMPQUA ESTUARY: Sturgeon fishing is slow. The river opened for fin-clipped coho on Aug. 1. Some chinook and coho are currently being caught in the bay below the 101 bridge. Coho and chinook fishing will continue to improve.
UMPQUA RIVER MAINSTEM: Main-stem Umpqua closed to the retention of all non-fin-clipped steelhead, but remains open year round for fin-clipped steelhead. Smallmouth fishing remains good. Rapalas, crawfish crankbaits, and worms are the best bets for catching smallmouth.
UMPQUA RIVER, NORTH: The majority of people fishing have switched over to summer steelhead. The fly water is now unweighted fly only.
UMPQUA RIVER, SOUTH: Smallmouth fishing has been excellent. Crawfish crankbaits and worms are working the best at this time.
