Morrison's Rogue River Lodge and Raft Trips is coming to Portland, Oregon. Our staff will be on hand to answer all your Rogue River Rafting and Fishing questions. Stop by our booth #132 and sign up for our 2010 Rogue River " Getaway Giveaway".
Click link for all the show details


Stop by for Rogue River information or just to share a fish tale!!

Greetings from Morrison's Rogue River Lodge and Raft Trips. We are finally getting some well needed snows in the surrounding mountains after big warm rains of early January. The river has had one good spike of flows near 10,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) but has now settled down to 2,000 (CFS). It is still early to forecast our water year but the latest series of storms look really good for our summer waters. Our most recent report from the Siskiyou Mountains is that we have 85% of our normal snowpack.
The lodge is buzzing with little winter projects in anticipation of the 2010 season. We will be releasing a new and improved Rogue River Raft Trips web site in late February. The new site will have better navigation to help with your vacation planning. The site will also introduce , two day "wild and scenic" lodge trips for the spring.
 
 Let us help you plan your Rogue River Rafting or Fishing Adventure today!
 
Call or click
800-826-1963

Treat your family to a multi-day raft trip on the Lower Rogue River Canyon and save. Rogue River Raft Trips are offering six family trips in 2010. All family trips have games for the children, meals they will like and best of all $100 off the adult price.  All family trips are 3day camp/lodge trips that start on Sundays.
Rogue River Family Trips: July 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th August 1st and 8th
3-Day Camp/Lodge Trips are a great trip for the whole family, the children really seem to enjoy the extra time to play in the river at camp. Spend the first night camping out in pampered style and the second night at Paradise Bar Lodge. Our friendly, professional guide staff is looking forward to rafting with you in 2010. The same diverse crew who you have trusted and played with over the last few years is back. They have new adventures and stories to share with you on our Lower Rogue River Rafting Adventures! Make the Rogue River part of your summer getaway this year. Call or click and let us help plan your Rogue River Rafting adventure.
800-826-1963

There is amazing transformation that happens on every multi-day river trip. As we start out on the Rogue River Rafting adventure, there’s anticipation and excitement of the rapids to come but also a little bit of anxiety because you have to give up some control and just enjoy the ride. You are floating down a river into this incredible wilderness and you’re not in charge, the guide is. As a guide we build these relationships with our guest and they slowly give up that control and trust you to get them down the river safely. Through the few days as this takes place the guides bond with each family and some have even joked about adopting them for the off season. We always see some of the strongest bond with the children on the trips as that very timid child comes out of there shell and explores the wild river canyon. Many of our guides ( who are just big kids themselves) will connect with a few of the children on  the trip and the next thing you know all the children are in his or her boat and the adults are in a different boat having welcomed adult time. Many of our parent enjoy just that half day of peace and quiet relaxing and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Rogue wilderness. Simple activities like rock hounding (searching the river banks for agates), hunting down rough skin newts, and jumping off small rock ledges into the swimming hole just happen naturally on our river trips as those connections are made.

Let us help you plan your Rogue River Family Rafting Adventure today.

Call or click
800-826-1963

Raft Supported Hiking Trip – Rogue River Trail

Still spaces available on our Rogue River canyon hiking trips but the dates are filling up.
In the resent years the popularity of the rogue river canyon hike has grow and a result is some much needed maintenance  by the BLM and Forest Service. The trail should be in great shape by mid April for this season of hikers. Enjoy hiking the Lower Rogue River Trail while pampered by the amenities of Morrison’s Rogue River Lodge. Our raft supported hike includes your first night’s stay at Morrison’s Lodge. In the morning, we will shuttle you down to the trailhead at Grave Creek. All you need for the trail is a daypack for camera, binoculars, snacks and plenty of water. Everything else goes on the raft. The raft supported trip allows ample room for you to bring your favorite libation or musical instrument. The price includes four nights lodging (starting at Morrison’s and then along the river trail), all meals, and transportation to the trailhead and back to Morrison’s Lodge.
Adult $950         Child $865
Four nights lodging, all meals, transportation to trailhead and back
Each trip will have to be customized to the need of your group so
contact us today so we can help you plan your Rogue River Adventure
Click or call 800-826-1963

Make 2010 the year that you get on the river with family. Many experts say that children don’t do outdoor activities like they did five years ago. So join us in a New Year’s resolution to “Get Outdoors” and go rafting. Whitewater rafting and the Rogue River canyon trip in specific, is a very unique experience that can be shared by the whole family. The Rogue River is primarily a class III river so, that means that it is tame enough for the timid while at the same time being exciting enough for the adventurous teens. Class III rivers are basically fun thrills with not many spills. The Lower Rogue river does offer a couple technical class IV’s on the last day that is the climax on the whitewater but once again very exciting with few spills. On the Rogue River we also offer inflatable kayaks (IK’s) for the more adventurous. Our guests that want more excitement really enjoy the freedom of paddling their own IK and navigating the rapids or just exploring the river.
Let us help you plan a Rogue River Rafting adventure today.
Call or Click
800-826-1963

Most families embark on a Rogue River rafting trip after they've done their research and genuinely feel good about the adventure they have chosen.  They're excited about the river journey, anticipating unknown rapids and river canyons.  The real surprise is the new friendships they will make and connection with family that happen each day on the river. The bond after spending three days floating thru  the Rogue Wilderness is a welcomed addition to every trip.
 
 On a river trip the groups bonding experience is unique.  "You really see it in the children," .   The distinctive feature about our trips is that we actually have our own lodge and private put-in.  Folks stay at the lodge the night before the river trip.  We have an hour-long orientation, introductions, then dinner together at our lodge.  Children find each other and friendships begin.  Three days in the Rogue River Wilderness means it's time to find a friend and explore the river.  The next morning the group has breakfast together, and the Rogue River rafting adventure begins.
 
"The real charm of the river is that everybody wants to enjoy the adventure and certain things will bring people together.  Some people may feel some apprehension of the river, and they'll bond with people who feel the same way. Then these folks all share that great feeling of accomplishment together.  It's not forced by any means, it just happens naturally. 
Start planning for your Rogue River rafting adventure today.
click or call 800-826-1963

Where can I go rafting for several days if I don’t want to camp? You only need to look at one river, the “wild and scenic” Rogue River in Southern Oregon.  Three day lodge trips are unique to the Rogue River rafting experience.  Our popular lodge trips take you into this pristine wilderness in pampered style.  Three days of rafting with two nights on the river at picturesque, remote wilderness lodges are a True Rogue River Gem. You’ll enjoy the luxury of cozy accommodations with private baths, hot showers, and crisp, clean linens.  Savory delicious home-cooked meals in charming, nostalgic dining rooms.
Our three-day lodge trips depart every Thursday beginning in mid-May and include Sundays in July and August. This provides two trips weekly through the end of August.  On your three-day, two-night trip you’ll stay at three magical lodges; Black Bar and Marial ( thursday) and Black Bar and Paradise on Sunday.
If you’re looking for pampered comfort in the midst of an exhilarating white water adventure, a three-day lodge trip is your perfect vacation escape!
Try our new feature and "Ask our Expert" for any trip details you would like to know.
Looking forward to seeing you on a Rogue River rafting adventure in 2010.

Think Gift Certificates and Orvis for the Holidays from Morrison's Rogue River Lodge:

• As an Orvis-endorsed fishing lodge, we are able to offer the finest fishing and outdoor equipment for sale from our gift shop.    You are able to special order any Orvis merchandise through us and have it drop shipped directly to your home or office.  In addition, no sales tax on merchandise and we will pay your shipping charges! 
• Ask Zac about our Orvis Demo rods and reels for sale! 
• Preferred Customer Reminder The 2010 rafting and fishing season is starting to take shape. If you have a date in mind now is the time to reserve your adventure. All reservations made before December 31st will receive 2009 rates.
• Gift certificates available for Rogue River Rafting, Rogue River Fishing, Lodging and Dining

Let our vacation experts help you give the gift of adventure this holiday!

The 2009 season has come to a close and we're busy putting together our 2010 calendar. Click on our sidebar for more details.  The lodge is getting a good winterization and the river is quiet. This is a time of transition as we enter the winter months. As we reflect on the season, we're reminded of the "Magic" of Morrison's and all the great adventures that everyone enjoyed. We would like to take this opportunity to personally thank everyone that visited Morrison's Lodge and Rogue River Raft Trips in the 2009 season. It is always a pleasure meeting new guests and reconnecting with our long time customers.
We look forward to seeing you on your next Rogue River adventure.

Sincerely,
 
Guides and Staff of Morrison's Rogue River Lodge and Raft Trips

Rogue River fishing is different from the Trinity river because, if you catch one, you anchor the boat and continue fishing through the pod on the Trinity . The fall steelhead on the Rogue are following the spawning salmon from the ocean and lie below the redds gobbling up salmon roe for protein. Thus they are spread throughout the river and you must search for them individually. They continue up the river later in the year to spawn. The old method of fishing on the Rogue was “twitching”. Two anglers would sit side by side in the bow of the drift boat. There was no casting but rather you let out 35-40 feet of line and held the rods steady.
Then the guide would row the boat from side to side. Actually the guide was doing the fishing and the clients could nap between taking fish. It was great for beginners
since you didn’t have to know how to use a fly rod. Only a very few guides still use this method. Our group spent our days nymphing, either wading or
from the boat, or swinging. Swinging involves casting wet
flies down and across and then letting the current pull the fl y down stream below you. The strikes were
violent and noisy. When steelhead are hooked they sprint in all directions; they are fast and powerful fish. The goal is to catch the adults, but the juveniles are
no slouches. “Half-pounders” are young steelhead who have not gone to the ocean yet. They usually stay in the river until about two years of age. These fi sh
are also fast and hot. Indeed half-pounders were the favorite prey of Zane Grey who
fished frequently for them on this section of the Rogue in the 1920’s.
Judy and Mary Lou started off the first day with big adult fish. I didn’t catch a thing until 3:30 pm and it was my only fish that day. Joe Rosenthal got progressively grumpier for the first two days after catching nothing but the “little” half-pounders. John Yosan tried to comfort him with soothing words such as “I’m sure you’ll catch big ones like me tomorrow.”
It didn’t work. But when I went into the lodge for dinner on the third day, there was Joe by the fireplace. He thrust two pictures into my hand with a big smile. He was vindicated with two large adult fish. His third fish was the largest but it was accompanied by the “clunk” sound of the reel falling into the boat and then the “ping!” of the tippet material letting him
know that the fish was lost. Neither Al Ross nor Tom Camp caught any adult steelhead but
Tom did land a beautiful Cutthroat Trout and Al had a large adult on. The Cut is native to the Rogue and is capable of surviving the warmer water temperatures of the middle and lower river where as the Rainbows are stuck in the upper sections where the water is much colder. This fish had perfectly bright colors and absolutely no blemishes. Even though it was 13–14 inches, this must have been the first time he was caught!
Rich and Mary Lou marveled after one dinner that the lodge had gone to the trouble to change their bed to a larger queen sized bed. Then they realized their
mistake and went back to their own room. At breakfast on the last day, John wondered whether we had all heard the mournful cries of the wildlife on that foggy, drippy morning (It was still dark). It turned out to be just Dudley the Basset Hound scrounging for truffles. John was clearly concerned for his safety but it struck us as the elephant being afraid of the mouse! As we left the lodge in the airport shuttle, we agreed to try again next year although all of the guides were also extolling the virtues of fishing the Wood and Williamson rivers just a few hours drive away! They are on my bucket list, so who knows? We could start planning our Rogue River Fishing adventure today!

A group of eight anglers from the L.A. area came to Morrison's for a Rogue River fishing adventure. This is part one of their story.
Rogue River Report
BOB GRAHAM, MEMBER
It was only two hours away by nonstop flight from LAX. The approach for landing into Medford, Oregon was like over flying a New England village. The trees were a flame with reds, yellows and pumpkin (for the season). Actually my seat mate corrected me. It was
better than New England because the colors were highlighted on a backdrop of dark green from all the firs. The contrast was extraordinary. We experienced cloudy, overcast days for three days of fishing. We had rain for a half a day. The evenings and mornings were crisp, in the mid-forties and the daytime temperatures rose to the mid-sixties. The
morning fog clung to the moss on the resort’s power lines and dripped onto the leafy floor below. Your steps did not have the summer crunch on the dead leaves. Rather you squished. And for a change, there was no storm on this trip. In short, it was perfect
steelhead weather. Eight of us stayed at the Morrison’s Rogue River Lodge which is sixteen miles downstream of Grant’s Pass. Built in 1945, it is situated right on the river and has a two acre grass field for summertime pursuits and outdoor catered receptions, reunions and weddings. It had tennis, badminton, a swimming pool and outdoor exercise area with gym style equipment. It also has an outdoor billiards table. There are four rooms in the main lodge and separate cabins (duplexes) set up on ten foot timbers.
The Hantens purchased the lodge in June of 1964. In December of that year the river flooded and destroyed all the cabins. The high water mark was once
commemorated by a plaque above the fireplace in the lodge showing the water’s height. The cabins have been replaced and the first fl oor of the lodge is used
for basement storage. The lodge serves a number of recreational uses and is a central gathering spot for Southern Oregonians. White water rafters enter the river from the property. B.A. and Elaine Hanten acquired the lodge in ’64. B.A. was the head guide and in charge of the outdoor activities. Elaine was in charge of the house and played hostess for the family style dinners. Much of the vegetables came from her garden. Bowls of fresh
jams were produced in the valley. Some of the wines we consumed came from vineyards just down river. The lodge is known for its food and meals there are
anything but light. Each night the hostess would announce the evening’s menu. We enjoyed two entrees each night: pork tenderloin and broiled game hens, roasted duck breast and parmesan encrusted perch, prime rib aujus and grilled salmon filet. Each
dinner began with pasta or a creamed soup. Potatoes, r i s o t t o , c r e a m y polenta accompanied a vegetable platter. It all ended with a big dessert. The principle ingredients
were from major food groups not found on the government’s pyramid: butter, cream, white flour, potatoes, cheese, sugar. All to ward off the damp and cold. My cardiologist would have a heart attack! But we came to fish, not just eat. The steelhead here are different from the Trinity River steelhead who come up the river to spawn. Those fish travel
in pods and rest in well known pools to gather their strength for the journey up river.
Check back for part two.

Morrison's is coming to Bob Marriott's
Do you live in the Southern California L.A. area? The Morrison's Crew is coming to you. We will have a booth at the Bob Marriott's Fly Fishing Fair in Fullerton,CA. The fair is November 20 and 21, click on the link for time and directions. Our staff will be on hand to answer question about all of our packages and help you plan a Rogue River Fishing Adventure.
Stop by just to say hi and maybe share a few fish tales.
We look forward to seeing you there.

Terry Thomas with the Kiene's Fly Shop in Sacramento California fished with us in late October and posted these comments.
 
Morrison's Rogue River Fishing Lodge in Southern Oregon. 

Some thoughts from our Morrison's Rogue River Lodge trip. We spent three nights and two guided days at the lodge. I have had the pleasure of fishing in some pretty nice places for steelhead over the years and I would have to say that Morrison's is number one on the list when considering lodging, food, and fishing. The lodge and cabins were built back in the day of Zane Gray (pictures in the lodge) and just has that "history" about it. The cabin that we stayed in was a two bedroom built up high because of flooding in high water years and overlooking the Rogue River. It has a small kitchen area, fireplace (prepared with fire wood each day), cable TV, and an Internet set up.

Food...wow! Chef Bruno from Switzerland prepared meals to match any high end hotel that one one visit in major cities. As an example, all dinners come with two main courses. Our first night included prime rib and baked salmon!

All this is super, however, none of this would really matter if the fishing part was lacking. I am happy to report that their fishing set up is just as thorough. The guides meet you after breakfast and discuss the day's plan and your expectations. Our group decided that we didn't need to fish the same runs so off we went to different sections in the river. We were there for one of their busiest days of the season. Ten drift boats and guides met at the lodge and took their clients out to various drifts. In our day on the river we didn't see another guide boat and only one private boat who briefly rowed up river and then left. The first day we swung flies and did some "indo" fishing. I will report on the new Rio Indicator Line in the new product section. We swung the first run without any grabs and then ran it several times with indicators...two nice fish on the indos. Depending on the runs, we swung flies and drifted flies. Frank, my partner that day, was great to fish with. He landed several half pounders early in the day and swung up a nice adult later in the day. I think we landed three adults that day and a good number of half pounders in the 15-18 inch area. The second day I fished with Dave and we drifted an area further up river. We swung two handed rods all day. I was testing the new Beulah Platinum 7wt. 13' 2" rod. Paired it with a Beulah Tonic Spey line and 15' Rio Versi leaders from floaters to 3.9 sink rates. This rod rocks! We swung up four fish for the day with three to the hand. Our guides, Bryce Tedford and Brian Slusser were outstanding. Both guides are into the two hand game, however, they can meet the needs of all types of anglers.

As you can see, I am very impressed with Morrison's Rogue River Fishing Lodge. We will be heading back again next October and fish three days and stay four nights.

http://www.morrisonslodge.com/

Rogue River Fishing for steelhead :
By Ed Swift

Back in June I wrote a blog describing a good day's fishing on the Deerfield River in western Massachusetts. In response I got a cheeky email from old friend Bob Brown, a former Sports Illustrated editor who now lives in Portland, Oregon, that said, in essence, if I wanted to try a real float trip, to join him in October, when he'd be fishing for steelhead on Oregon's Rogue River. I decided to bite.
...I'd never fished for steelhead before, but it had always been on my "to do" list, and the prospect of bumping into Tonya Harding while floating past a trailer park only added to the appeal of Bob's invitation. Steelhead are sea-run rainbow: trout that are hatched in a river, migrate into the ocean, then return to the river after one, two, or three years to spawn. Unlike salmon, steelhead do not die after spawning, but return to the ocean, where they grow ever larger and, if they are lucky, come back to spawn again and again. The world record on a fly, caught earlier this year on the Hoh River in Washington, is 29.5 pounds, but any steelhead over 10 pounds is a memorable fish.
...Bob had made reservations at Morrison's Lodge, which is on the Rogue, in Merlin, Ore., about an hour from the Medford Airport. (My wife and I actually made the 8 hour drive from San Francisco). Sally is quite a keen fisherman herself, and had decided that, while Bob and I fished with his favorite guide, Dennis, she'd take whatever guide was available and would strike out on her own. Dennis is 62, is as lean as a 15-year-old, and hasn't shaved or cut his hair since the Reagan administration. A carpenter by trade, he made his wooden drift boat by hand, and knows the Rogue like a lab knows its favorite couch. He calls the steelhead: "the fish of a thousand casts." By noon I was up to 662 without a hit.


...Despite its name, the Rogue is actually a reasonably navigable river, with long, wide stretches broken up intermittently by shallow, wade-able rapids. It is in these rapids and the tailwaters below them that the steelhead lie, often feeding on the eggs of the Chinook salmon that are spawning in the gravel shallows. Both Bob and I were using weighted egg-sucking stonefly nymphs with nymph droppers, not a delicate form of flyfishing, otherwise known as "chuck and duck."  In the tailwaters, Dennis had us switch to streamers, which we cast at an angle downstream, then let swing behind the boat, before we stripped in. Steelhead usually strike on the swing. We caught several small trout in this manner, rainbow under 12 inches that had not yet migrated to the sea, but it was a slow day by any standards. Having been on the water since 8:15, by 3:30 we had still not had a real strike.
....In this regard steelhead fishing is not unlike fishing for Atlantic salmon. You pound the water and pay your dues. There's not a lot of finesse or subtlety to it, no matching the hatch or changing to a lighter tippet. You cast, cast, cast, check for wind knots, and hope for the best. If you are lucky, a freight train hits.
....Mine came in at 3:31. We were floating into the top portion of a rapid, and I cast my egg-sucking nymph into the white water as I'd done hundreds of times already that day. I'd just had time to mend the line when my line started rushing upstream as if I'd snagged a rock. I didn't have to worry about setting the hook. The fish did that for me as I just tried to hang onto the rod and stay out of the way of the line stripping off the reel. The fish turned and started back downstream--the tell that this was a steelhead, not a spawning salmon--and as Dennis pulled the driftboat over, I jumped out and followed the running fish.
....The steelhead had just made it into my backing when it stopped in a heavy portion of the current and faced back upstream. I continued to reel as I walked, but I couldn't move it. Dennis told me he'd put 1x tippet on my line, which is about 12 pound test--strong but not strong enough to drag a big fish around in heavy current. I was worried about breaking it if I forced the issue. When my line still hadn't moved after a couple of minutes, I began to think the fish had somehow wrapped itself around a rock or log in the middle of the river. I asked Dennis if that was possible. Then the steelhead started shaking its head.
....I gradually began to gain line, inching the fish closer. The steelhead moved sideways through the water, a great gray shadow, giving us a good view of his length and thickness. I'd never seen a steelhead in the water before, but Dennis allowed this was a big one--a special fish. "I'm going to get below him," he said, moving downstream with his net. "Don't let him go any further. We'll never get him if he goes through those rapids further down."
...I started to gain a little more line, but the fish was still strong and not ready to come in. Dennis was still twenty feet away from it when the steelhead moved sideways again in the current, a short but sudden move. That extra tension it put on the tippet was too much. The line broke, springing back toward me, and the fish disappeared.
...It had been on for ten minutes. We'd had a good look, but the fish hadn't jumped, and outside of a thick slab of silver gray in the river, I didn't have a very good idea of its color or beauty. We'd have released it anyway, but no picture, no satisfying hoisting of its weight. To lose a fish like that isn't something one gets over easily. But that was why we'd come. That was the fish I'd signed on for. Dennis allowed it would have been the biggest steelhead landed by someone from the Lodge that summer, 12 pounds at least. It is certainly a fish I'll never forget.
...Back at the lodge, we shared war stories with other guests. Several steelhead had been caught that day, but none near the size of the one I'd lost. Sally had caught a couple of "half-pounders" as they call the little guys, but hadn't seen any adult fish. Her guide generally took out spincasters and bait fishermen, so it wasn't exactly a good match. But tomorrow she was going with Pablo, who'd been guiding flyfishermen on the Rogue for 34 years. Bob and I would be going out again with Dennis.
....What can I tell you? It was beautiful. The company was great. We tried like hell. But the skunk never left the boat. Not a strike from an adult fish. You could have stacked all the midgets we caught on a scale and they wouldn't have weighed two pounds. A long, frustrating day on the Rogue.
...But Sally? With Pablo? She was grinning like a Cheshire cat when we returned to the Lodge, sipping on her first martini. They have a nice tradition at Morrison's of posting pictures of the fish that are caught that day on a bulletin board by the bar, and this what greeted Bob and me when we bellied up for our first drink:

Not just one steelhead. Two. Two beauties. One of them "The Catch of the Week"--was estimated at 10-12 pounds. (They didn't weigh it because Sally stuck her thumb in the fish's mouth while trying to pose with it and began bleeding all over the boat.) The "small" one was 27 inches. The big guy over 30 inches. Both fish jumped and ran and generally gave Sally a gay old time on the river with Pablo. And it turns out, she sheepishly admitted, she'd caught a third steelhead in the 20-22 inch range that they hadn't even bothered to photograph. Ho-hum. Just another day on the river.
....She didn't even know the name of the fly she was using--some sort of purple streamer that Pablo had tied. Bob was ready to strangle her. And me. And Pablo, shown here holding Sally's big fish.
...But such are the healing powers of vodka that after a couple of drinks we were able to look at Sally's success as a group effort. Bob had suggested the Rogue. I'd driven the car up from San Francisco. And Sally had finished the job the men so manfully had started.
....It was a pretty good couple of days.
So start planning your own Rogue River fishing Adventure today!!!
Click here for Ed Swift's Blog
 

Rogue River Fishing Report October 24, 2009
The fishing has really been good this last week with most boats hitting adult steelhead each day with many Rogue River “halfpounders” sprinkled in. We had some rain early this week and some perfect overcast days with temperatures in the upper sixties. Most boats have been getting a couple steelhead opportunities swinging traditional steelhead patterns with single hand and spey techniques. The tiger paw, rusty red rat, Pablo special and the green butted Hilton patterns have been popular this week. With just a couple weeks left in our season, with the Lodge closing on November 4th, but there is still time to plan a Rogue River Fishing Adventure. Call or click and let us help plan your fishing adventure.
800-826-1963

Remember: Our fishing packages are all inclusive, lodging,meals,guides and gear!

Rogue River Fishing Report October 17, 2009
The fishing has really been picking up in the last week. We had some big rain early last week and the river got discolored for a couple days. Now the river is back into shape and the fish have been active. The salmon have really started to work their spawning beds and the steelheads are now gathering below all the salmon reds. Most boats have been getting a couple steelhead opportunities using egg patterns. The egg sucking leech, rusty red rat, and the sceined egg patterns have been popular this week. With just a couple week left in our season, there is still time to plan a Rogue River Fishing Adventure. Call or click and let us help plan your fishing adventure.
800-826-1963

Rogue River Fishing Report


The rain over the last weekend
put quite a few nice adult steelhead
into the Grants Pass area. Our guides caught several adults swinging traditional steelhead patterns like the Tiger Paw, Western Coachman and the Pablo Special. The current reports from the Lower Rogue River show another good pod of Rogue River “halfpounders” and adult steelhead are just getting into the Agness area. We expect to see those fish in the next couple weeks. October is the best month for Rogue River fishing so make your travel plans today.

Call or click and let us help plan your next Rogue River fishing adventure.
800-826-1963

The Rogue River fishing has been improving and the  river has dropped down to 1240 CFS in the Grants Pass area. The temperatures are good around 60 degrees and the fish should start to settle into the holding water. Salmon fishing has slowed down a bit in the Grants Pass area but a big fresh pod of fish just hit the Agness area. Several boats have been limiting out in the last couple days. The steelhead numbers have been increasing every week and now that the flows are down we are starting to see more steelhead caught on flies and plugs each day. Temperatures are still unseasonably warm so angling is best early and late in the day.

Click or call and let us help plan your Rogue River fishing adventure 800-826-1963
zac@morrisonslodge.com

“Old Lloyd Morrison was somewhat of a mystery,” General
Manager Lowell Pratt tells me with a humorous twinkle in his
eye. “We don’t know a whole lot about him and his wife, other
than that he was a river guide and a lumber mill worker, that
he hand-picked this choice birds-eye pine you see on the walls
and, rumor has it, that his wife’s ghost makes an appearance
from time to time.”
The lodge was built as a fishing outpost in 1945. In June
of 1964, the lodge was purchased B.A. and Elaine Hanten,
who had come from South Dakota with their three children.
Although B.A. and Elaine have long passed, members of their
family continue the legacy of grand hospitality that they began
45 years ago.
In January of 1964, just after the Hantens arrived, they experienced
one of the worst floods the Rogue has ever seen.
Lowell shows me a faded photograph of the lodge during the
raging flood. Unbelievable! The swirling waters rose higher
than the mantel of the fireplace! With the help of a disaster
fund, they cleaned up and repaired the main lodge and put
the cottages up on stilts where they still stand today.
Lowell shows me a variety of lovely river and creek view
cottages, the rustic guest rooms with real wood fireplaces, a
sprawling vegetable garden that provides fresh organic produce
to the kitchen, hiking trails and a fruit laden mulberry
tree.
“We try to take care of our guests from the moment they
arrive till the moment they leave. We can get them on a raft
trip from our Rogue River rafting company, book fishing, hiking or bird
watching trips, pick them up from the airport, feed them
gourmet food - and we even set up their fire in the hearth
on chilly evenings so all they need is a match. And, by the
way, did you know that we are an Orvis endorsed fly fishing
destination?”
As the setting sun painted the canyon walls with a rusty
glow, my wife and I chatted on the sprawling lawn above
the river where it bends at Taylor Creek Canyon. We sipped
chardonnay. The cottonwoods shimmered. Fish jumped below
us. We saw a lone blue heron waiting patiently for his
dinner to swim by. A soaring osprey circled, then flew upriver
with a fish in its talons. Rafters meandered by in their
lifejackets and sunburns. The tranquility and majesty of the
setting was an inspiration.
When the dinner bell rang, we headed up to the lodge to
be seated on the deck overlooking the river. The menu was
read aloud and the guests applauded. Our dinner, prepared
by new chef Bruno Jappert, was four courses and delicious.
We were satisfied - and pleased and amazed that something
so wonderful was just up the road. My wife looked at me and
I knew what she was thinking. “Let’s come back soon,” she
says. “Yes,” I say. We will come back…to the big little miracle
lodge on the mighty Rogue.
By David Evans
For more information on Morrison’s Lodge and Rogue River Fishing
call (800) 826-1963 or visit www.MorrisonsLodge.com