I know it's not fall yet, so the phrase 'fall Chinook' on the lower Rogue seems to be an oxymoron.  That's because a lot of the fish that are caught in the summer are bound to spawn in the fall.

John Anderson, a Gold Beach guide on the Rogue River told me that for him, the fantastic fall Chinook action last year didn't take place until the middle of June.

So, after a brief hiatus on Rogue River spring Chinook from the end of May through the beginning of June, I waited for the ball to drop.

Anderson's spot-on prediction would come to fruition in the second week of June, 2018, when he and his client, Karrina Weter from Salem, Oregon would put the royal hurtin' on some mighty big salmon at Gillespie Riffle, which is between Huntley Park and Lobster Bar on the lower Rogue.

"These fish were really fat," noted Anderson.  "One was only 38-inches long but it weighed over 25 pounds."

The other fish that Karrina caught was still big by most fishermen's standards.  It was pushing towards 20 pounds and was caught at last light.

"We were just bringing the rods in because it was getting too dark - and that's when we caught it," said Anderson.

Both fish were caught on the traditional Spinnerbait/anchovy rig that is so popular on the lower Rogue.  One spinnerbait rig had a number 4 green-on-green blade, while the other salmon nailed a naked anchovy. On the lower Rogue, a naked bait doesn't use any spinner blades at all; or even beads, for that matter.

Both fish were also caught at Gillespie.

Now that's a fishermen thing.  If you nail a salmon at one particular spot at last legal light, most people would want to fish the very same spot first thing in the morning.  That's exactly what John and Karrina did, and it paid off big time in salmon dividends.

These Rogue River kings are exactly what the Rogue Ocean Population Index was going to be this year.  Those 3-year-old kings that were so prominent last year are now 4-year-old hefty specimens of Chinook, and a 4-year-old can range anywhere from 17 to 27 pounds.

There are also a healthy portion of 4-year-olds that stayed in the ocean last year, only to become 5-year-old Rogue River hawgs this year.

And don't let anyone tell you that the ocean is deplete of salmon feed.  The ocean, in fact, is replete with krill, the small shrimp-like creatures that make the salmon grow and get that ultra-red color in their flesh.

The ocean is also jam-packed with salmon in the 20- to 24-inch range, the 2-year-olds that will return to the river as jacks and become 3-year-old Chinook next year.  So it looks like the ocean will be a healthy feeding ground for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old kings for next year's Rogue crop.

But I seriously digress.

The main question is, when will the Rogue bay be kicking out these 4- and 5-year-old Chinook?  To answer that, one only needs to look at the warming trends of the valley and the present river temperatures.

"The water is starting to warm up," says Anderson, who also says that the fishing in the middle and upper Rogue is starting to get a little lackluster.

Anderson says that there have been a few Chinook already picked up in the bay by anglers who are trolling Rogue Bait Rig assemblages, either with blades or trolling a naked bait right on the bottom.

"I can tell you that we are now marking some fish in the bay, and we're starting to see fish being picked up," says Jim Carey from the Rogue Outdoor Store in Gold Beach on Thursday.  "Three days ago Gene Garner had three fish on - landed two.  So that wasn't too shabby.  And we had another guy in the bay get one."

The main problem with the Rogue bay is the wind.  I have launched at the public boat ramp on numerous occasions, and when the wind kicks up in the afternoon, it can be brutal on an anglers trying to dock.

So, my advice is to launch at Lex's Landing, which is just across the river from Indian Creek.  The launch fee last year was only $5.00, and this part of the Rogue bay is more sheltered than the public ramp.  Plus, you've got those great hamburgers and Tri-tip roast beef sandwiches at the chuck wagon.

In addition, the owner, Larry Prestininzi sells hand-tied Rogue Bait Rigs, has plenty of bait and spinner blades.  Larry also has boat rentals and gives lots of the latest valuable, free advice on how to rig up your Rogue Bait Rigs and the best places where to deploy them.

Anchovies can also be bought at Jot's Resort and at the Rogue Outdoor Store.

So, if last week was any indication of things to come, I think that it is reasonable to expect a good harvest of 4- and 5-year-old kings in the Rogue bay as June progresses and lasts through October.

When the winds have abated and the seas have laid down, anglers are also puttin' the hurtin' on limits of rockfish and lingcod while fishing the hundreds of reefs that adjoin the Port of Brookings Harbor's jaws.

Anglers are having luck by heading north, south, and both ways from the middle.

The go-to baits have been soft plastics in either the twin-tail varieties or the 5-1/2-inch soft plastic jerk baits.

What little salmon fishing there is has taken place near the bell and whistle buoys out of the Port of Brookings Harbor, with some fish in the mid-twenties (probably Rogue River kings) being reported.

Although the action is not red hot by any means, anglers can expect the salmon activity to increase as June progresses into July.  Typically, July has always been a hot month for Chinook aficionados, with action feathering into August.

The salmon action should increase week by week in the ocean, and day by day in the Rogue bay.

Tight lines!

Larry Ellis, author, writer, columnist and photographer has had a 50-year passion for fishing in California and Oregon's saltwater and freshwater venues. He is a well-known writer for Oregon, Washington and California Fishing and Hunting News, Northwest Sportsman, California Sportsman and Pacific Coast Sportfishing. He currently writes monthly for Salmon Trout Steelheader Magazine, and is the author of two books, "Plug Fishing for Salmon" and "Buoy 10, the World's Largest Salmon Run."  Both books can be bought from Amato Publications (amatobooks.com), Amazon and eBay. Ellis particularly loves living in his hometown of Brookings, Oregon - The heart of salmon country and gateway to fishing paradise.