Middle Rogue fall kings

They're Here!....

I've been hearing rumors of fish rolling down in the canyon, but hadn't seen any confirmed catches. That is until today...

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This was sitting in my email this afternoon, and was caught by guide Rob Yuen down below Grants Pass. This high water we've got definitely made the fish shoot upriver.

It throws a wrench in my plans for tomorrow, and now I've got to decide whether to hit the middle river for some early fall kings or the upper for summer steelhead. Oh the dilemma....
 
I hit the middle Rogue this morning with my pops to try and find an early fish, but we ended up only seeing a couple fish roll.

Any chance thats a springer? I would think such an early fall nook would be in better shape.

It's kind of hard to tell with the photo since the fish is in the shade. Normally this time of year all the springers are very bronze, so I would have to say it's a fall fish.
 
It's kind of hard to tell with the photo since the fish is in the shade. Normally this time of year all the springers are very bronze, so I would have to say it's a fall fish.

It looks bronze to me, but its all about the picture quality. I know guys who are hooking into some fallies right now. But they are not in the river, not even in the bay. All those fish have been chrome. What were the sexual organs like, mature?
 
It looks bronze to me, but its all about the picture quality. I know guys who are hooking into some fallies right now. But they are not in the river, not even in the bay. All those fish have been chrome. What were the sexual organs like, mature?

It definitely doesn't look fresh from the ocean, but it's also not a boot like the all the springers getting caught. I was just sent the picture so I'm not sure on the eggs. She doesn't look too plump, but even then the fall fish will look like the springers since they all spawn close to the same time.
 
Nice Fall specimen. I have that shirt in a short sleeve:D, but it's maroon. I had the pleasure of meeting the artist Ray Troll when I lived in Alaska. Can't wait for Buoy 10 in 2 weeks:shock:
 
Any chance thats a springer? I would think such an early fall nook would be in better shape.

The Rogue as well as the Umpqua do not have well defined spring and fall runs, they overlap and the fall fish tend to be primarily wild fish. Pretty much there are Chinook entering these 2 rivers from March to November. The locals on the Umpqua call them summer Chinook? One thing is for sure....almost any given year fall Chinook are thick in the middle Rogue by the 1st week of September....I would guess that fish to be an early fall fish.
 
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