» Fishing report

Thursday, September 04, 2008 | No comments posted. Local lakes: Mike Berry and son, Reef, of Bandon caught some nice legal-size rainbow trout at Laird Lake while on a camping trip on Elk River last weekend. They caught their rainbows casting Panther-Martin spinners. Laird Lake, located on Upper Elk River Road, is a great, safe place to bring the kids fishing.

Anglers also are reporting good trout fishing at the outlet of Floras Lake. Drifting nightcrawlers and a split-shot has been very effective. One angler reported catching a limit of rainbows trolling the foredune at Garrison Lake in Port Orford recently. He was trolling a wedding-ring spinner tipped with a nightcrawler.

Local rivers: Visiting anglers reported catching a few 12-to-14-inch cutthroat trout on Sixes River over the holiday weekend. Casting 1/8-ounce Roostertails near the underbrush proved to be very effective. Curtis Palmer (541-670-9451) had the hot rod on the lower Coquille River for fall Chinook salmon recently. Palmer and his clients landed 18-, 28- and 32-pound Chinook on a guided trip on the lower Coquille. Rick Howard of Bandon (347-3280) caught seven fall Chinook on the Coos River for his clients last Friday. Rick was fishing plug-cut Blue Label herring with a Big Al’s Fish Flash.

Fall Chinook fishing on the lower Rogue River has been good recently. Anglers fishing the afternoon outgoing tides have done best. Dave from the Rogue Outdoor Store told me that anglers are averaging 20 to 40 fish per day. Fishing for summer steelhead near Agness continues to be hot. Bouncing nightcrawlers or Panther-Martin spinners have produced the most fish.

Pacific Ocean and beaches: A large swell kept most ocean anglers in port over the weekend. As ocean conditions improve, look for anglers to continue fishing for rock cod and halibut. The all-depth halibut season is still open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until the quota is met. Surf perch fishing continues to be good along the beaches near Bandon. Anglers fishing a 2-inch Berkley Gulp sand worm or live sand shrimp have done well.

Area shellfish: A large crowd showed up for the final drawing of the 2008 Bandon Crab Derby. Ray Petrie from Myrtle Point won the $1,000 first prize. Leo and Brenda Chiantelli of Bandon won $150, and Richard Christensen of Bandon won a crab pot donated by Englund Marine. Lots of other prizes were handed out by this year’s Cranberry Festival princesses. We would like to thank derby founders Dave and Eileen Schradieck and all those who helped this year’s derby to be a hugh success. (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.)