Montana Fish Report

River flows are slowly dropping. The release from Lost Creek is 5,305 cfs and the flow at Gold Ray is 6,630 cfs, with a river temperature of 40-45F. The river is high.

There are currently trout available in this section of the rogue. As flows drop, we anticipate the first winter steelhead of the season to arrive. Please handle any lingering wild coho or summer steelhead with care. This is their spawning time. The return of hatchery coho to Cole Rivers had reached 2,589 fish last week with 0 new arrivals. The return of summer steelhead has reached 1,099 fish, with 48 new arrivals.

It's still early for winter steelhead in this section of the Rogue. For the 2024/2025 season, there is no wild harvest above the confluence with the Illinois River. The Rogue-South Coast Steelhead Validation is required for all winter steelhead anglers fishing in the Rogue Basin or on the south coast from Dec. 1 to April 30.

Anglers, please use proper catch-and-release techniques, such as keeping fish in the water as much as possible and releasing them quickly. If fish are getting injured with the technique you are using, please change techniques. Remember that smaller rainbow are usually the steelhead that will return in future years.

For up-to-date river levels, check all the USGS Rogue gauges here.