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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 13, 2003)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, August 13, 2003 Page 13 New rules limit time, number of Chinook anglers can reel in on the Rogue River By MEDFORD ‘MAIL TRIBUNE’ Rogue River anglers will have to release some of the wild spring Chinook salmon they catch, and be off the far upper stretch of water by 7 p.m. beginning next season under new rules set on Friday, Aug. 8. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted these and other changes to sport-fishing rules while meeting in As- toria. Concerns regarding declining returns of wild spring Chinook to the Shady Cove area led the commission to reduce the bag limit on them to no more than one a day and up to three per season. Current rules allow up to two wild Chinook a day and up to 20 a year, and few legally caught spring Chinook are released by Rogue anglers who prize them for their tough fight and tasty flesh. One of the most popu- lar fisheries in Oregon, the Rogue’s spring Chinook season runs April through July in the upper Rogue upstream of Gold Ray Dam. The commission adopted the so-called “1- and-3” rule for 2004 only. It gives the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) time to work on a spring Chinook manage- ment plan that addresses problems facing wild spring Chinook, said Russ Stauff, ODFW’s Rogue Watershed manager. Stauff said the place- ment and operation of Lost Creek Lake is the main culprit to wild spring Chi- nook numbers, which had dwindled to about one- tenth their historic levels before rebounding this year. Other factors include degraded spawning habitat, temperature of water flows, and pressure from legal and illegal angling. “We need to get all these issues on the table and have a discussion, if not an agreement, with the different stakeholders,” Stauff said after Friday’s commission decision. Stauff said the man- agement plan, expected to be completed next sum- mer, will include specific triggers -- such as the num- ber of wild spring Chinook counted at Gold Ray Dam -- that would ease or tighten the catch-and- release rules, Stauff said. Under the rule, the one wild-Chinook limit will be “We need to get all these issues on the table and have a dis- cussion” - Russ Stauff, Rogue Watershed manager lifted June 1 from the river mouth upstream to Whis- key Creek near Rainie Falls as fall Chinook salmon -- an all-wild run that is considered ex- tremely healthy -- start heading into that section of the river. The limit then would be up to two a day. Likewise, the limit will rise to two Chinook begin- ning July 15 up to Gold Ray Dam. The commissioners, however, were divided in the ODFW’s proposal to reel in illegal and unethical angling in a short stretch of river near Cole Rivers Hatchery during the spring Chinook season. By a 3-2 vote, the commissioners adopted a permanent rule that halts fishing at 7 p.m. nightly from the Hwy. 62 bridge at McGregor Park upstream to the “deadline” at the hatchery. The rule would apply April through July 31, during the spring Chinook season. ODFW and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pushed for the nightly closure as a way of curbing drunken lawlessness, fighting and illegal snagging in that area. The agencies said most of the problems oc- curred in the late evening. Commissioners Marla Rae and Zane Smith voted against the measure, say- ing they would rather see police target the offenders without limiting access to law-abiding anglers. Stauff said the evening shutdown is a better idea than simply closing fishing on all or part of that half- mile stretch. The commissioners also set the following changes to angling rules in 2004: *Reduced the daily surfperch limit from 25 to 15. The change addresses concerns about surfperch over-fishing and matches Washington's limit. California allows five surfperch per day. *Changed the recrea- tional crabbing rules to allow for up to two daily limits in holding pots. There currently is no limit. *Cut the statewide sturgeon annual limit from 10 to five, but kept current size restrictions. *Set a new definition for “fin clip” to identify hatchery salmon and steel- head. The current defini- tion is of a healed scar where the adipose fin has been completely removed. The new definition drops the language because some clips aren’t complete on salmon and steelhead. WORD OF THE WEEK Meidinger Concrete Construction Serving the Valley since 1974 Mimetic: Licensed - Bonded - Insured Characterized by, ex- hibiting, or of the na- ture of mimicry: mi- metic gestures. Specializing in all types of Concrete and Masonry New - Foundations - Walks - Drives - Patios Mobile Home Runners and Foundations Bridges and Abutments - Slabs - Large or Small Exposed Aggregate - Retaining Walls and Basements Stamped & Colored Concrete Phone 592-4485 Sponsored by 592-3562 (541) 592-2126, 474-5440 Meals served in CJ County Bldg. FRIDAY, AUG. 15 *Baked ham with raisin sauce, baked sweet potatoes, green beans, rye bread, Tapioca pudding MONDAY, AUG. 18 *Hearty chicken stew, broccoli cuts, four bean salad, buttermilk biscuit, peach cobbler WEDNESDAY, AUG. 20 *Kielbasa sausage on stadium bun, steamed cabbage, fresh mixed fruit salad, pumpkin spice bar New location!! (former Cave Mart Building, across from Evergreen Bank) -Joseph Storey- Senior Nutrition Menu ISAAC’S DISCOUNT FOOD OUTLET & General Merchandise NOW ACCEPTING NEW CUSTOMERS!! 133 Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction From Webster’s College Dictionary Have confidence that if you have done a little thing well, you can do a bigger thing well, too. We want to thank relatives, friends and neighbors for their prayers, cards and support for the loss of our loved one. Thanks especially to the Bridgeview Church and the ladies who fixed our lunch. Ted Hooey & Family Mike Meidinger License #93173 Bigger Selection, Cooler Building!! * Health & Beauty Aids * Canned Foods *Cereals * Pastas * Coffees * Juices * Ziploc Bags * Hefty Trash Bags HOURS: Monday - Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Be patient, we are still moving in. Thanks!