“Try a little more scent,” Mike Cooley, president of the Middle Rogue Steelheaders Chapter of TU, suggested.

We were angling one of Cooley’s favorite holes from his aluminum driftboat.

I have spent a good portion of my young life on rivers and streams, but I have never fished like we were today. We were throwing a diving crankbait complete with a sonic chip and extra concentrated crayfish scent. This was also my first time chasing the king of all salmonids, the chinook salmon.

Since I was “a fish out of water,” I did my best to follow Cooley’s instructions.

The crayfish scent masks foreign odors, to which the finicky chinook are highly sensitive. After coating the 4” long, neon-colored lure in the stinky stuff, I flicked it overboard and let the current take it downstream. This was all for the best because I probably would have back-spooled the bait-casting reel had I tried to actually cast. I was a spin fisherman until the age of 9 or so, but since then I have rarely put down my fly rod.

The fly rod would have been largely ineffective for these chinooks, Cooley informed me, and if I wanted a decent shot at a salmon, I’d need the appropriate set-up.

My lure hung in the current 50’ or so downstream from the boat. The large lip caused it to wobble, relaying a twitch to the rod tip. Cooley slowly rowed the boat upstream, positioning my lure in the best lies. He was doing the real work, I just had to hold the rod and keep my fingers crossed. We both hoped a chinook would be moved to strike.

The Middle Rogue Steelheaders (MRS) chapter is the most active TU group in Oregon. Based out Grants Pass in the south-central part of the state, the MRS chapter keeps busy on the middle section of the Rogue River, one of the best steelhead and salmon fisheries in the lower 48.

The chapter focuses its efforts on tree plantings, stream habitat improvement projects, and improving river safety.

One such safety project is the re-construction of the Hog Creek Boat Ramp. The ramp, one of the most heavily used access points on the Rogue River, was plagued by serious safety hazards. The MRS approached the situation proactively and raised the awareness and the money necessary to re-construct the ramp.

The strong and active membership of the MRS regularly assists watershed associations and government agencies with tree plantings and stream habitat improvement projects on the Rogue and its tributaries. The level of hands-on physical labor performed by the chapter is particularly impressive considering that most members are retirees in their “golden years.”

The MRS chapter also conducts regular stream cleanups on their home river and maintains signage to educate anglers and the general public about salmon and the importance of the Rogue.

Local home owners don’t always keep the health of the river in mind. On our float down the Rogue, Cooley pointed out numerous examples of illegal riparian zone clearing. Riverside homeowners have removed riparian vegetation to “improve their view.” Unfortunately, stripping the banks also subjects their property to erosion that will eventually whisk their lawn (and maybe their home) towards the sea, depositing harmful sediment in the river. A few property owners have even trucked in sand to create private riverside beaches!

Middle Rogue Steelheaders actively report these illegal activities to numerous agencies, but so far no officials have paid them much heed. Small non-point sources of water pollution like these add up towards a considerable detriment to river health. Hopefully the county and the state will get their act together and start enforcing the law.

In the meantime, the MRS chapter has started an educational campaign to inform riverside property owners about the value of an intact riparian buffer.

While the Middle Rogue Steelheaders donate a lot of time and their back muscles to conservation projects, they also enjoy chapter sponsored fishing outings. Cooley tells me that the opportunity to learn about angling the Rogue is the number one draw for new members.

The chapter’s annual fall salmon derby is a fun opportunity to fish the Rogue as well as raise money for the chapter. The derby is held at the peak of the chinook salmon run in late September.

Needless to say, I did not time my trip with the peak of the run. After a full morning on the water, I was still fishless. I guess I used up my beginner’s luck while steelheading earlier in the week.

If you visit the Rogue this fall or winter, your odds will be much better. The salmon and steelhead will soon enter the river en masse and the Middle Rogue Steelheaders will be there to greet them.

Click HERE to see my photos of the Rogue.