Month: January 2021

Just as the steelhead season began to show signs of life, another round of wet storms is set to wreak havoc. All the coastal rivers are bracing for increased river flows certain to curtail any hopes of green water for some time. But these storms bring a little good news with them. For the first time this year, we should see a good amount of snow in the hills. That’s money in the bank for winter steelhead fishermen. As the storms move through and the rivers begin to recede, the runoff from the snow will help keep the water at fishable heights and color. Looking ahead, the Smith could be the river least impacted by the storms. It’s predicted for a big rise overnight Wednesday, but a lot of that precipitation could fall as snow. If that plays out, the Smith could remain fishable. All the other coastal rivers will likely be high and off color well into next week.

The weather ahead
According to Kathleen Zontos of Eureka’s National Weather Service, we’re in for a wet week with very few breaks. From Tuesday through early Friday morning, 2 to 4 inches of rainfall is forecast for the Smith basin,” said Zontos. “We’ll likely see up to 3 inches in Humboldt. A weaker system is predicted for Friday and into Saturday with a quarter to an inch forecast for Del Norte. Rainfall amounts will be lower here locally. A more powerful storm is forecast for Sunday, bringing another 1 to 2 inches of rain in the Smith and Eel basins. Conditions will begin to calm down Tuesday, as the Climate Center is predicting below normal rainfall through Feb. 9.”

CDFW Annual Salmon Information Meeting webinar only
CDFW’s Annual Salmon Information Meeting will be held on February 25 from 10: a.m. until 4 p.m. The meeting will provide the latest information on California salmon stocks and the outlook for ocean salmon fisheries for the upcoming 2021 season. The public is encouraged to provide comments on potential fishing alternatives for California ocean salmon fisheries in 2021. A panel comprised of fishery managers, scientists and industry representatives will be assembled to address questions and collect public input that will be used in developing a range of season alternatives for California salmon fisheries at the March 2-5 and 8-11 Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting. This meeting will be hosted as a webinar only and the meeting link, agenda, other materials will be posted as they become available. Contact Ian Pritchard for more information at Ian.Pritchard@Wildlife.ca.gov.

SF Eel Pikeminnow information wanted
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Wiyot Tribe, and Stillwater Sciences are working together to learn more about how seasonal changes affect invasive Sacramento Pikeminnow distribution in the Eel River. They are looking for data to inform management of the species. If you encounter any Pikeminnow while fishing on the South Fork Eel River between now and March, report the location, date, and approximate length. You can report at https://www.inaturalist.org/, email to pikeminnow@wildlife.ca.gov. or leave a message at 707-725-1015.

The Rivers
Smith River
“Fishing has been pretty good this week,” said guide Mike Coopman. “The river is low and clear, but there’s a few spots that are holding fish. If your timing is right, you can do well. We’re averaging between three and six hookups per day, and all the fish are nice ones. Quite a bit of rain is predicted this week but if it stays cold, the river could remain fishable. It all depends on if it falls as rain or snow. Boat pressure has been light,” he added.

Chetco/Elk/Sixes/Rogue
Bigger tides have brought fresh schools of steelhead into the lower Chetco but rains could blow the river out again by the end of the week, reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Fishing is still slow to fair but some guides are getting two to three steelhead a day,” said Martin. “The best fishing has been on the lower river, where hatchery steelhead are showing up at Freeman, the North Fork and Glassy Flat. Plunkers had a few good days last week and should do well again with this week’s rain.”

The Lower Rogue has been fishing well near the old mill, according to Martin. “Boaters are anchoring and catching wild and hatchery steelhead on 3.5 MagLips. Plunkers are getting fish at Huntley Park and Lobster Creek. The Elk and Sixes have been slow overall for steelhead, but should see new fish with this week’s bigger tides and rain,” said Martin.

Eel River (main stem)
The main stem Eel has been fishing since last week and was just starting to kick out some decent numbers of fish. The river blew out on Wednesday, and a bigger rise is predicted for Monday. It’s forecast to hit 65,000 cfs early Tuesday morning. It’ll need a week to 10 days of dry weather to clear.

Eel River (South Fork)
The South Fork was in great shape over the weekend and there were quite a few boats taking advantage of the conditions. There were a few fish caught and scores ranged from zero to three fish per boat. It’s also blew out Wednesday, but forecast to be down to a fishable level by the weekend. Don’t expect green water. It’s predicted for another steep rise on Monday topping out at roughly 12,000 cfs.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen had been in fishable shape for the past week, but that looks to change. Flows were under 200 cfs Tuesday but predicted for a small rise up to 800 cfs on Thursday. It will likely be off color through the weekend. Another big rise is predicted for Monday where it could reach 13,500 cfs.

Mad River
According to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors, fishing remains a little tough on the Mad. “It hasn’t been great but it does seem that more fish are starting to show up,” said Kelly. “Most of the fish are still congregating near the hatchery. With the storms coming this week, conditions will change dramatically. The river is predicted to blow out Wednesday and will likely be dirty through the weekend.” Kelly added. As of Thursday, the river was flowing at 2,300 cfs and rising. Predicted for a big rise starting Sunday night, peaking around 8,500 cfs on Tuesday morning.

Kenny Priest operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and www.fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

Last week’s storms finally provided some of the flushing and scouring our coastal rivers desperately needed. As they’ve all now dropped back into fishable shape, the question has become, “where are the fish?” Other than the Chetco, which is dealing with some slides, all the coastal rivers are some shade of green and fishable. There just seems to be a lack of steelhead in all the rivers. But before we it the panic button, we went through this same scenario last year. For reasons unknown, the fish were late to show last year as well. By the time February rolled around, all the rivers were full of steelhead. Let’s hope for the same this year.

Weather outlook
According to Kathleen Zontos of Eureka’s National Weather Service, our next chance for rain will be Thursday and Friday. “It will be wet but totals will be very small,” said Zontos. “We could see up to 1/10 of an inch but it won’t be enough to increase any river flows. The next system is forecast for Sunday through Monday, but the totals are still up in the air. There are indications that a bigger system is building for next Tuesday that could stick around through the week. There’s some uncertainty with this one but the Climate Prediction Center is predicting above normal precipitation from Jan. 24 through the 29th.”

Low flow fishing closures set to end
Special low flow regulations that went into effect on Oct. 1 for the Eel River, Mattole, Redwood Creek, Smith, Van Duzen, and Sept. 1 on the Mad, will end on January 31. Until then, low flow restrictions remain in effect. Currently, all North Coast rivers subjected to low flow fishing closures are open.

The Rivers
Smith River
River conditions were excellent over the weekend but the fishing was tough. With the Chetco still off color Saturday, the boat pressure was extremely high on the Smith. A few fish were caught but not many. The river is dropping and clearing, and conditions will get tougher. Hopefully the next round of storms will bring in more fish.

Chetco/Elk/Rogue
A couple slides have prevented catch rates from busting wide open on the Chetco, reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. He said, “Flows are below 3,600 cubic feet per second and there are plenty of signs of fish, but slides on the South Fork and just above Loeb Park have visibility down to just a foot. Steelhead can be seen splashing as they move upriver and plunkers are getting some fish, but drift boaters are finding them few and far between. Expect the color to improve significantly as the river drops.”

Fishing has been good on the lower Rogue for shore-based plunkers and boaters anchoring and running MagLip plugs, according to Martin. “There are hatchery and wild fish being caught, and flows are good for steelhead fishing. The Elk also has been fishing fairly well. Pressure is up since some other rivers are still high and muddy,” added Martin.

Eel River (main stem)
The main stem is fishable and dropping quickly. Flows were down to 3,600 cfs on Monday and it was turning green. Predicted to be down to 2,200 cfs by the weekend with lack of rain this week, it will be a good option.

Eel River (South Fork)
The South Fork was in great shape over the weekend and drew quite the crowd. The fishing wasn’t red hot. Most boats got the opportunity at a fish but there were plenty of skunks. It’s predicted to be around 600 cfs by the weekend.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen was down to 300 cfs as of Tuesday and is very fishable. There were plenty of bank anglers taking advantage over the weekend but reports were hard to come by.

Mad
The Mad is in perfect shape and flowing at 450 cfs as of Wednesday. Prime conditions drew lots of boats and bank anglers over the weekend, but the fishing wasn’t red hot. Anglers caught some nice fish at the hatchery, including one that weighed nearly 20 pounds. The river should be in great shape the rest of the week and it’s probably your best option to land a steelhead.

Kenny Priest operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and www.fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

A powerful yet quick storm blew through the area on Tuesday, forcing winter steelhead anglers to hit the pause button. The bad news is it dumped a bunch of water quickly, turning coastal rivers brown. The good news is it didn’t stick around long. As quickly as the rivers rose, they are forecast to drop nearly as fast. The rivers to our north, the Smith and Chetco, took the brunt of the storm. Both will reach their highest flows this season but, miraculously, will be ready for fishing by the weekend. There’s an outside chance the higher reaches of the South Fork Eel could be ready by Sunday. The Mad should round into fishing shape by early next week and the main Eel will be right behind it. With drier weather on the horizon, expect to see some prime steelhead conditions next week.

Weather outlook
A fairly sizeable storm moved its way across the North Coast Tuesday and Wednesday, taking with it the rivers that were on the verge of turning steelhead green. “Over the course of the two days, the Smith basin will see 3 to 6 inches, with the higher amounts falling in the mountains. Locally, we’re looking at 1 to 2 inches,” said Kathleen Zontos of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “We’ll begin to dry out on Thursday and the rest of the week through the weekend is looking dry as well. There is another chance of rain mid next week but there’s quite a bit of uncertainty in the models. It’s looking more like it will move well to our north. Through Jan. 25, the climate center is calling for below normal precipitation

The Rivers:
Smith River
The Smith blew out Tuesday as flows hit 76,500 cubic feet per second (25.8 ft.) on Wednesday morning on the Jed Smith gauge. It was plunkable on Thursday but it was big. Conditions are looking good for Friday through the weekend for drifting. Overall, the fishing has been tough. Scores are ranging from zero to two per boat, with a lot more zeros than twos. Hopefully, the big rise will bring in more fish.

Chetco River/Lower Rogue
“Steelhead fishing was improving on the Chetco before this week’s big storm arrived,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “During high water conditions late last week and on Monday, fishing was fair, with most boats getting a fish or two, and plunkers catching steelhead on the lower river gravel bars. Side-drifting roe or beads, or running plugs in the softer water close to shore produced steelhead to 18 pounds over the weekend. Depending on how much rain falls mid-week, the Chetco could fish again by Saturday, but also could be blown out through the weekend. Expect peak season type fishing as the Chetco drops.”

According to Martin, the Sixes has been blown out for more than a week, while the Elk fished slowly for steelhead on Sunday, with lots of boats and only a few fish caught. “The lower Rogue was a good bet before Monday night’s storm, with plunkers and jet boaters getting fish over the weekend.”

Eel River (main stem)
The main stem was days away from fishable water but the storms will push back any chance of green water for quite a while. Flows were down to 3,500 cfs Tuesday but the rains have it hitting 19,000 cfs mid-day Thursday. It’s predicted to drop quickly and could fish late next week.

Eel River (South Fork)
The South Fork dropped into fishable shape Monday, but was back on the rise as of Tuesday afternoon. There were a few fish caught Sunday and Monday in the Benbow area, but it was not red hot. The river was at 8,900 cfs and still rising on Wednesday afternoon at Miranda. It’s forecasted to drop to a fishable height by the weekend, but the water color could be an issue.

Van Duzen
The Duzen was down to 500 cfs and was fishable Tuesday. Unfortunately, flows were headed back up as of Tuesday afternoon. Flows were at 2,800 cfs Wednesday afternoon and still going up. It’s forecasted for a quick drop, and could be under 600 cfs by early next week.

Mad River
The Mad was just turning green on Tuesday morning, according to Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors. He said, “The river was bait fishable on Tuesday, but it was starting to get dirty in the afternoon. Fishing has been a little slow, most of the action has been right at the hatchery. There have been some caught below, but not as many. Looks like it will be brown through Saturday but it might start to drop back in on Sunday. Next week should be prime.” Flows were at ,5,000 cfs on Wednesday afternoon and starting to level off. It’s also forecast to drop quickly, and should be green sometime early next week.

Kenny Priest (he/him) operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and www.fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

If you’re in pursuit of steelhead-green water this weekend, you’ll probably need to head north. With the Chetco blown out for potentially another week, the Smith may be the only game in town for quite some time. It looks to be a little unstable through Saturday but is forecasted to remain at fishable levels. Friday looks to be marginal for drifting but should be good for the plunkers. Locally, all stretches of the Eel, Van Duzen, Mad and Redwood Creek are currently blown out. A couple smaller storms will move through the area this week, keeping local rivers dirty through the weekend and well into next week. If you’re looking get your steelhead fix this weekend, your best bet is to head north.

Weather ahead
According to Kathleen Zontos of Eureka’s National Weather Service, there are a few more opportunities for rain this week. “The first system will arrive on Wednesday,” said Zontos. “The Smith basin could see up to a half inch, and Humboldt will see between .5 and .75 inches. The next chance of rain will be late Thursday and will stick around through Friday. The Smith can expect 1 to 1.5 inches while Humboldt may see up to .75 inches. There is a chance of rain over the weekend but the models are showing that it may fall to the north. There are additional opportunities for rain on Monday and Tuesday in the Smith basin, but it probably won’t add up to much.”

The Rivers:
Smith River
Steelhead fishing is still pretty tough on the Smith, according to Mike Coopman of Mike Coopman’s Guide Service. “The river was high on Tuesday and very few boats out. I did hear of a few caught by the plunkers. But overall, there just aren’t many around yet. They’ll show when they show,” Coopman added. Flows on the Smith are predicted to fluctuate through Friday, but conditions for the weekend are looking favorable.

Chetco/Elk/Sixes
Just as the Chetco was showing signs of getting good, the big New Year’s Day rain blew everything out, reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Several boats got into hatchery steelhead on the lower end Jan. 1, while plunkers also were catching steelhead,” said Martin. “The river blew out Sunday morning and will be too high all this week for drift boats. Expect plenty of fish throughout the system as it drops next week.”

The Elk and Sixes also blew out Sunday, according to Martin. “The Elk should be fishable before the end of the week, but the Sixes will be high and muddy for a while. The Elk reached 6.5 feet. It fishes best around 4 feet or less. The lower Rogue was also just getting good on New Year’s Day before it also blew out. Guide John Anderson got three steelhead anchoring and fishing MagLip plugs on Jan. 1,” added Martin.

Eel River (main stem)
The main stem blew out Monday and will likely be off color until sometime late next week. Prior to blowing out, boats were getting zero to a couple chances per trip on adults. There are plenty of half-pounders around to keep you busy.

Eel River (South Fork)
The South Fork peaked at roughly 5,200 cubic feet per second early Tuesday morning, running high and muddy. After a couple smaller rises later in the week, it could be fishable early next week, predicted to be around 1,000 cfs by Sunday morning.

Van Duzen
The Duzen hit nearly 6,000 cfs Monday evening and will likely be muddy through the week and weekend. Predicted to be down to 650 cfs by Monday. Should have plenty of fresh steelhead around once it starts to turn green.

Mad River
The Mad has been the most consistent steelhead producer in Humboldt and even that has been slow, according to Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors. He said, “The river blew out on Monday and, prior to that, it had been pretty quiet. You had to move around until you found something. It was slow for the boats as well; they were lucky to get a fish per boat over the weekend. There just wasn’t a lot of fish around, hopefully these rises will bring in a bunch.” With more rain on the way, the Mad will be off color through the weekend. Visit the Mad River Steelhead Derby website to view the current leaderboard.

Kenny Priest operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and www.fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com