Lower Rogue River
The lower Rogue River section starts at the Grave Creek boat launch west of Grants Pass and flows westward into the Pacific Ocean at the town of Gold Beach. Most of this section of river is reached only by drifting or a rough riverside trail as there is no road access until you reach Foster Bar just upstream from the hamlet of Galice, as you near the coast.
A unique feature of this section of river is the “wilderness” lodges that are situated in the canyon, allowing for a warm bed each night even on a multi-day float. This section of the Rogue is most popular for the summer whitewater rafting trips, but there is also good fishing at times as we intercept the salmon and steelhead passing through.
The Fish
Winter steelhead start our year here in January, but due to the often high and changing water conditions this is mostly a gear angler’s show.
Spring Chinook salmon start entering the river in good numbers in late April or May. Most fishermen pursue these fish with conventional gear in the deeper holes.
Summer steelhead and half-pounders (juvenile steelhead) are the fish most often pursued. The steelhead begin to come in by the end of June with fresh fish continuing to arrive through September. Adult fish are moving quickly through this section and are fished mostly upstream, but you can certainly tie into one as they are moving through.
Half-pounders are immature steelhead that spend less than one year in the Pacific Ocean before returning to the Rogue and some northern California rivers in the late summer and fall. These 10-16 inch fish are actually closer to 1-2 pounds and are highly acrobatic and tons of fun on a light fly rod. Runs can exceed 100,000 fish in the lower Rogue so there is plenty of action when you find the pods of fish. During the winter these unique fish head back out to the ocean to grow up and become our next run of adult steelhead, so please practice catch-and-release on the wild fish. September and October are the best months for great coastal weather and plenty of fish in the river.
The fall Chinook salmon run on the Rogue can be huge both in numbers and size of fish. Most fishermen pursue these large and powerful fish with conventional gear. However, a few intrepid anglers have found success with a fly rod in some of the lower riffles when conditions are right. They tell me that you absolutely cannot imagine the power of a 30 pound Chinook hooked on a fly rod, only minutes out of the ocean. In October 2002 a local angler landed a 71.5 pound Chinook just above tidewater to set the world record for a Chinook salmon caught on a fly.
Coho (silver) salmon return in good numbers to the Rogue in the fall too, but most of the fishing success is for trollers in the bay. The bite seems to diminish rapidly as these fish head upstream.
Going Fishing
Gold Beach is a small beach town where the Rogue meets the Pacific Ocean. You can find all services here and plenty of hotels. River front cabins are available for rental through various organizations. There are also numerous campgrounds along the coast and lower river. A good road follows the river upstream for about 40 miles providing pretty good river access to a series of bars and riffles as well as several boat launches. Above Foster bar you can hike the riverside trail to access many more miles of beautiful and remote water.
Check out some great lodging options:
Gold Beach Hotels
Rogue Riffle Roost is one of the many river front cabins available for rent.
The US Forest Service List of Campgrounds
Guides We Know And Trust
Click Here for Guide A
A few words about guide A
A few words about guide B
Don't Miss in the Area
In my opinion, this is the most scenic section of the Oregon coast. There are numerous spectacular rocky headlands and long empty beaches north and south of Gold Beach. Bring your camera and shorts and talk a walk along the beach!
A unique trip in the area is to take a ride on the jet boats upstream into the canyon. The Mail Boats, as they have since 1895, continue to deliver mail up the Rogue River to Agness and beyond and you can hitch a ride all summer on these fun trips for hours of beautiful scenery, wildlife viewing and jet boat fun.
This section of river is probably most renowned for the outstanding wilderness whitewater rafting trips. These 3-4 day raft trips are offered by many licensed companies and can be campouts on the riverbanks or overnight stays at the canyon lodges. If you want to fish, make sure that you let the company know that is your desire. Many of the trips focus on scenery and whitewater with little or no allowance for fishing time.
A Raft Company LinksMore Information
Jerry's Mail BoatsGold Beach
A Raft Company Link
Morrisons Wilderness Lodge
DVD link
