Local lakes: Fishing for rainbow trout on the South Coast has been great in recent weeks. Joe from the Bites on Tackle Shop in Empire reported weighing in three rainbows that measured 26 inches and weighed in at 3 pounds each. Marsha from Lakeside Marina told me that they are seeing rainbows every day in the 18-to-22-inch range. Most anglers up in Tenmile Lakes are trolling cowbells with a wedding-ring spinner tipped with a nightcrawler. Marsha, who told me she never catches a fish, proved herself wrong the other day. She was casting a 1⁄8-ounce green roostertail from the marina docks and, to her surprise, she hooked and landed a 6-pound largemouth bass.

Local rivers: The local shad fishery is either late or a bust this year. A few shad are still being caught on the Umpqua River, but the Coos and Coquille rivers have been very slow. Hopefully, the sunny weather associated with the high pressure system this week will put the shad on the bite. Anglers fishing for spring salmon on the lower Rogue River are still reporting good numbers. Last Friday one boat reported catching four salmon, while another boat caught two fish. Look for the fall fish to start coming into the bay in Gold Beach soon.

Pacific Ocean: Despite the windy conditions, last Saturday’s ocean coho salmon opener was a success. Wayne Butler from Prowler Charters reported catching five fin-clipped coho and releasing nine wild fish. They caught their fish on a combination of hoochies, spoons and apex lures. Quite a few boats got out of Charleston over the weekend and reported good numbers of coho salmon. Some boats hooked up to 20 to 30 fish, keeping about a third of their catch. Rick Howard of Bandon fished out of Charleston on Monday morning and told me they hooked 20 fish, landed eight and kept two salmon. He told me there were fish from the whistler out to 250 feet of water. The fish were averaging between 4 and 5 pounds and were caught on hoochies and dodgers.

Area shellfish: Local razor clammers were out in force this week as tides measured as low as negative 2.3. Clamming has been good on local beaches and in the bays as well. Crabbing in Bandon has been fair, with the majority of the large crab being females. Last year, July was the month the crabbing really turned on.

(Tony Roszkowski has owned and operated Port O’ Call on the Bandon waterfront since 1989. Many South Coast anglers rely on his fish and shellfish reports. Hear more from Tony on ‘Oregon Outdoors’ Thursdays on KWRO 630 AM.)

http://www.prowlercharters.com