Author: fishingthenorthcoast

While the lack of rain has most steelhead anglers singing the blues, there are however, a few bright spots. Especially if you like to throw on a pair of waders and head to the river bar. The Mad River is probably as good now as it’s been all season. With plenty of bank access, it’s probably the best steelhead option at the moment. The river is on the low side, but the snowmelt has kept the color a beautiful shade of green. Chrome-bright hatchery steelhead are being caught by anglers working the river from the hatchery to the bridge. Both the South Fork Eel and the Van Duzen are getting too low for boats, but both have excellent bank fishing opportunities. Neither is chalked full of fish, but if you put your time in, a steelhead or two is not out of the question. You’ll want to cover some water, so comfortable wading shoes are a must. If you’d rather fish from a drift boat, you’re options are somewhat limited. The main Eel is your best bet as it still has plenty of green water. There’s also a real good chance of catching a few bright steelies. The Klamath and Trinity rivers are both good options as well. Both are green, and should have their share of winter steelhead moving through. With no substantial rain since the end of January, and very little predicted for the coming weeks, the coastal rivers are all headed towards low and clear conditions. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ample opportunities to hook into a big ole’ winter steelhead.

The weather ahead
“We’re heading into a more active pattern, but it doesn’t look like we’re going to see a lot of rain over the next two weeks,’ said Ryan Aylward of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “We’re going to see some low elevation snow, but not much in the way of moisture. The systems will be coming down from the north, which if they stay inland we’ll see mostly snow. If they come down near the coast, they can pick up moisture and we could see some rain. The next system should arrive on Sunday, with snow levels around 1,800 feet. A quarter-inch of rain is expected, but it will likely fall as snow. Another half-inch is forecasted for Monday, but with snow levels dropping to 700 feet, we won’t see much rain. Unfortunately, the next couple weeks are looking like we’ll see below normal precipitation.”

CDFW’s Annual Salmon Information meeting
CDFW invites the public to attend its upcoming annual Salmon Information Meeting to learn more about the state of California’s salmon fishery. The meeting will be held March 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sonoma County Water Agency, 404 Aviation Blvd., Santa Rosa. The annual information meeting will cover the 2017 ocean salmon seasons, Central Valley and Klamath Basin river returns, and the 2018 abundance forecasts. Anglers are encouraged to provide input on potential fishing seasons to a panel of California salmon scientists, managers and representatives who will be directly involved in the upcoming Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) meetings in March and April. For more information on the meeting, please contact CDFW Environmental Scientist Kandice Morgenstern at 707-576-2879,  Kandice.Morgenstern@wildlife.ca.gov,  or visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/oceansalmon.

CDFW Seeks Input on 2018 Recreational Pacific Halibut Season Dates
The CDFW are inviting California anglers interested in the recreational Pacific halibut fishery to provide input via an online survey. The short survey, which will be open through Feb. 23, will help inform CDFW biologists about angler preferences for open fishing dates during the upcoming 2018 season. Results of the survey will be used to develop recommended season dates that will be provided to the National Marine Fisheries Service. The survey link is online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/LHHYJXG.

The Pacific halibut fishery takes place off the northern California coast. For more information on the Pacific halibut fishery in California, please visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/pacific-halibut.

Free fishing days Feb. 17-18 in Oregon
It’s free to fish, crab or clam on the Saturday and Sunday of President’s Day Weekend, Feb. 17-18. During these two days, no fishing licenses or tags (including a Combined Angling Tag and a Columbia River Basin Endorsement) are required to fish, crab or clam anywhere in Oregon. Although no licenses or tags are required, all other regulations apply including closures, bag limits and size restrictions. For more information, visit http://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2018/02_feb/020518.asp.

The Rivers:
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“The Chetco is now at its lowest level of the season, and steelhead fishing is hit and miss,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “During the cloudy and rainy weather on Sunday most boats had at least a couple of fish. With clear weather on Monday and Tuesday it was slow again. There are fish but they are easily spooked right now. This weekend’s rain isn’t expected to increase flows much, but could get the fish in the river to bite better. Boat pressure has been light as most of the out of town guides have moved to other rivers. The Elk and Sixes are low, clear and slow right now and very few anglers are trying.”

Chico resident Evan Oetinger landed this nice winter steelhead on a recent trip to the Smith River. With very little rain in the forecast, coastal rivers are running low and clear, making conditions tough for steelhead anglers. Photo courtesy of Evan Oetinger

Smith River
The Smith remains low and clear and in need of a good shot of rain. Flows were 7-feet on the Jed Smith gauge on Wednesday and dropping. Boat pressure has been light as most guides have moved to other rivers. There are reportedly a few fish around, but overall, fishing is tough.

Eel River (main stem)
The main stem is in great shape and holding a nice shade of green. Boat pressure was fairly heavy over the weekend, but has since slowed. Boats are averaging one to four fish per trip. There’s some nice adults in the mix and some bluebacks have shown up. There’s also a good number of half-pounders around. Flows are predicted right around 1,800 cfs by Saturday.

Eel River (South Fork)
According to Darren Brown of Brown’s Sporting Goods in Garberville, the river is low, but there’s still a few boats drifting. He said, “There were a couple boats at Sylvandale on Tuesday, but it’s definitely gotten quiet. Most boats have moved way down on the South Fork or to the main stem,” Brown added. Flows are predicted to be around 375 cfs on Saturday.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen is getting skinny, with flows hovering around 275 cfs on Wednesday. A few fish were caught by boats earlier in the week, but it’s getting too low to drift. The water is clearing, but bank anglers are still finding a few fish.

Mad River
The Mad is in great shape and holding color reports Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors. “The fishing definitely got better this week, seems like there’s more fish around now. All the deep holes are holding fish. The fish are scattered throughout the river, but from the hatchery to the bridge has been good. There’s a pretty good mix of both wild and hatchery fish around, and lots of bright ones in the mix too.’ added Kelly.

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

This past weekend saw all of our coastal steelhead rivers turn some shade of green – some emerald and some olive. Condition-wise, it was probably the best we’ve had this season. But pristine conditions only last so long. And now as we go another week deeper into a disheartening dry spell, some rivers are getting too low to drift and too clear to be good. The Chetco, Elk, and Sixes would fall into those categories. The Smith and the South Fork Eel are both dropping and clearing as well. Green rivers with perfect flows, unfortunately, are only half of the equation that make up winter fishing success. The other is the “Grey Ghosts”, otherwise known as steelhead. And those seem to be lacking in numbers this year. Sure, plenty of fish were caught over the weekend, but not as many given the conditions. Boats working the South Fork Eel, which had the most pressure over the weekend, landed anywhere from zero to five. The average was likely one or two per boat. Myself, along with everyone else on the water, were sure expecting better scores. And those low scores always lead back to the same question – is this the year that we start feel the effects of the drought? And the answer is always the same, who really knows? If the fishing continues to be subpar, the answer may become more clear.

Weather ahead
According to Scott Carroll of Eureka’s National Weather Service, there isn’t much of a change in store for the weather in the next week. “It looks like we’ll be completely dry through next week. And we’re looking at dryer than normal conditions for the next two weeks and possibly the rest of the month,” Carroll added.

HASA membership meeting February 12
HASA (Humboldt Area Saltwater Anglers) will be having their general membership meeting on Monday, February 12, 2018 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Grace Baptist Church, 220 Buhne Street, Eureka. Agenda items include, BOD nominations, 2018 salmon update, rockfish and halibut updates, and Administrative Director discussion. For more information, email hasa6191@gmail.com or call 707-845-0101.

Mad River Hatchery update
So far this season, 34 steelhead pairs have been spawned according to Philip Bairrington, Supervisor of the Anadromous Fisheries Resource Assessment and Monitoring Program. “The theoretical number of pairings to date should be 62 pairs,” said Bairrington. “The effective genetic population size for Mad River Hatchery spawning is 250 fish, half of which (125) would be Natural Origin steelhead. The river has been muddy for the past few weeks, so it has been difficult for our Mad River Steelhead Stewards Volunteer Program to collect Natural Origin steelhead. Last week we notified the volunteers that they may collect seven days a week. The goal is to produce 150,000 yearlings for release on a high flow event in March every year. We are hoping that we can build up the numbers this year in the coming weeks to make up for some of the lower numbers recorded so far in the first half of the spawning season.”

“With the river clearing and no rainfall in the forecast, we should have a number of additional Natural Origin brood stock to spawn.” Bairrington added. Bairrington also noted that these fluctuations are natural, some years are higher and some years are lower. “In the lower years, ultimately, we will produce less than 150,000 yearlings and it could be that case this year, but we are less than half way through the season. The number of adults surviving all sources of mortality, returning to the river from the ocean, should be between 2 percent and 5 percent  of those 150,000 yearlings, or between 3,000 and 7,500 Hatchery Origin adult steelhead available for anglers to catch or harvest.”

Bill Curry of Brookings, Ore., holds a hatchery steelhead he caught Feb. 6 while fishing the Chetco River. The Chetco, like most of the other coastal rivers, is getting low and clear, making fishing conditions tough. Photo Courtesy of Andy Martin/Wild Rivers Fishing

The Rivers:
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“The Chetco is slowly dropping and will be low and clear soon,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “There was plenty of water for side-drifting over the weekend, but by the end of this week conditions will be tougher. There are steelhead spread throughout the river, with decent numbers of hatchery fish. Most boats are getting one to three fish a day. Plunking was good last week, but now most bank anglers are drift fishing.”

The Elk and Sixes are now low and clear according to Martin. “Both fished fairly well last week but are now tough to get a drift boat down. The lower Rogue had its best week of the season last week, with some boats closing in on double-digit catches, but has slowed this week.”

Smith River
Similar to the Chetco, the Smith is low and clear and in need of rain. Flows were 8-feet on the Jed Smith gauge on Wednesday and dropping. It’s predicted to get down to 7-feet by early next week. Boat pressure has been light as most guides have moved elsewhere. Prior to the weekend, scores ranged from zero to three fish per boat.

Eel River (main stem)
The main stem has good color, but it’s just a little on the high side reports Paul Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods. “Conditions will be great by the weekend. I’ve seen a few boats out, but haven’t heard if they’re catching fish. I saw quite a few rollers in the Rio Dell area last week,” Grundman added. Flows are predicted right around 3,500 cfs by Saturday.

Eel River (South Fork)
The South Fork was in perfect shape over the weekend, and is still holding some color. Scores over the weekend were mostly one to two per boat, but some did better. Lots of zero’s in the mix as well. It will likely start to clear, with flows down to 650 cfs by the weekend.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen looks absolutely perfect according to Grundman, but reports have been hard to come by. “The water is green and flows are good, should be a good option for the weekend.”

Mad River
According to Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors, the Mad is just turning steelhead green, and there seems to be some fish around. “It’s still not red-hot, but there’s definitely some more fish around. Most of the fish are between the hatchery and the Blue Lake bridge, and just below the bridge. The fish are fairly spread out, and so are the anglers. Right now, there’s probably about a 50/50 mix of wild to hatchery fish. Conditions should be just about perfect this weekend with flows just above 7-feet,” Kelly said.

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

It’s shaping up to be one heck of a weekend on the North Coast — expect the green water euphoria to be in full effect. All of the coastal rivers, except for possibly the main stem of the Eel, will be some shade of green. This only happens about once a season, and it typically follows an extended period of dry weather. The lack of rain is certainly not optimal, but the other side of the coin is almost every creek and river from the Chetco down to the South Fork of the Eel should be fishable — and likely full of steelhead as well. If you’re a winter steelhead fanatic, and I know most of you are, this is the weekend you’ve been waiting for.

Weekend Weather:
We’re going to be dry for the next couple of weeks according to Ryan Aylward of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “The big ridge of high pressure is sitting off the coast, which will likely keep us dry for a while. We’re not seeing any rain through the 15th of the month, and after that, the models are showing less than normal precipitation.” Aylward said.

Salmon preseason process
The 2018 California ocean salmon sport and commercial fishing regulations have yet to be determined according to the CDFW website. Fishery regulations that take effect in April 2018 for the area south of Horse Mountain will be finalized at the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) meeting in March. Regulations in effect on or after May 1, 2018 will be adopted at the PFMC meeting in April. Beginning in 2018, recreational ocean salmon fishing regulations in state waters will no longer be adopted through the Fish and Game Commission (FGC) rulemaking process, but will now automatically conform to federal regulations in accordance with Section 1.95, Title 14, CCR. For more information on the ocean salmon, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/fishing/ocean/regulations/salmon

Upcoming FGC meeting
California Fish and Game Commission meeting will be held Feb 7-8 at the Resources Building Auditorium, 1416 Ninth St., Sacramento at 10 a.m. To view the meeting agenda, visit https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=153396&inline. The Commission will be briefed on the PFMC process for developing ocean salmon seasons and will receive an update on the automatic process to conform state recreational fishing regulations to federal regulations.

The Rivers:
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
The Chetco fished really well for the plunkers over the weekend. It was still high early in the week and slower than expected for the drift boats, but fish were spread throughout the river,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “It should be in prime shape all week. With a break in the rain, all the Southern Oregon rivers are now fishing. I had guides on the Elk and Sixes early in the week and they did well. I heard the best reports so far this season from the lower Rogue, with some guides getting six to eight fish a day sitting on anchor and running plugs.”

Smith River
The Smith is starting to clear, and the fishing has gotten a little tougher reports Mike Coopman. “The river was in great shape on Monday, it was on the drop and it fished really well. We hooked double-digits. But it’s gotten a little tougher each day. On Wednesday, I didn’t hear of many hooked, it was probably about a half a fish landed per boat. The river is still in good shape height-wise, the rain we had on Monday night helped out. There’s lots of seals around, but the boat pressure hasn’t been too bad,” Coopman added.

Eel River (main stem)
The Eel still has a lot of water, but the edges are starting to turn green according to Paul Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods. “The river should be in really good shape by mid next week, if not before, as flows continue to drop,” said Grundman.

Eel River (South Fork)
According to Darren Brown of Brown’s Sporting Goods in Garberville, the river in the Sylvandale area dropped about a foot and a half overnight on Tuesday. “We’ve got about a foot of visibility on Wednesday, and the water is turning nice and green. Should be in great shape by the weekend,” Brown added.

Van Duzen
According to Grundman, the Van Duzen should fish above Yager Creek by the weekend and should be fishable down to its mouth by early next week.

Nine-year old Sean Jones of Santa Rosa landed this nice steelhead all by himself on a recent trip to the Mad River with his father Troy. This weekend should be ideal for winter steelhead anglers as most of the coastal rivers will be fishable. Photo courtesy of Troy Jones

Mad River
Fishing on the Mad isn’t red-hot, but it has improved reports Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors. “The river is just starting to turn green, and should be bait-fishable by the weekend. There’s fish spread throughout the river, but the biggest concentration is directly below the hatchery, which is where most of the anglers are as well. There’s a lot more hatchery fish around now too.” Kelly added. “The river was holding at 9 feet on Wednesday, but is predicted to drop down to 8.5 feet by Saturday.”

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

Our coastal rivers are finally getting the flushing and scouring they desperately need. The latest round of storms has brought the rivers to their highest levels of the season, providing ample water for steelhead to make it back to the streams and creeks where they were conceived. The extra flows will also trigger the fish that are still swimming in the salt to begin their migration upriver. Following a very wet few days, the last decent shot of rain in this series of storms is predicted for Saturday. After that is looks like dry weather all next week. Starting on Sunday, all of the rivers are predicted to drop quickly, and we could be headed for a green water convergence. If the stars align and the forecasters are correct, all north coast rivers could be green by the end of next week, giving steelhead anglers options O’ plenty.

The weather ahead
The North Coast can expect continued wet conditions off and on through Saturday according to Ryan Aylward of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “Thursday’s front should drop about an inch of rain in Del Norte, with snow falling as low as 2,000 feet. In Eureka, we could see a half-inch of rain at the coast and an inch in the mountains. Lingering showers are expected for Friday, with a quarter-inch in Del Norte and roughly a tenth here locally. Saturday should be the last decent day of rain, with the bulk of the rain falling to our north. Del Norte could see a couple inches in the mountains, and an inch at the lower elevations. Eureka may see up to a third of an inch. The next system will come in Monday night and into Tuesday, but it won’t be enough to see any increase in river flows. After Tuesday, it’s looking dry the rest of the week and into the weekend,” Aylward said.

Upcoming Humboldt Steelhead Days events
Humboldt Steelhead Days will be holding a Pints for Non-Profits event and fishing contest check-in on Thursday, Jan. 25 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the new Lost Coast Brewing Co., facility on Sunset in Eureka. For every pint sold, $1 will be donated to HSD and its programs. One lucky guest will win a Steelhead Days prize package. For more information, visit http://www.lostcoast.com/events/pints-non-profits-humboldt-steelhead-days

The Northcoast Regional Land Trust and Mad River Alliance will be taking a tour through the Wood Creek restoration project on Saturday, January 27th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Freshwater Farms Reserve. Humboldt Steelhead Days participants will learn about Coho salmon life history, the significance of estuarine habitat, large wood structures, fish monitoring technology, contextual historical regional land uses and project successes and challenges. Email Projects and Stewardship Director Kerry McNamee at k.mcnamee@ncrlt.org for more information. For more information about the tour, visit http://www.humboldtsteelheaddays.com/event/humboldt-steelhead-days-restoration-field-tour/ Freshwater Farms Reserve is located at 5851 Myrtle Ave, Eureka.

Dislodged Bell Buoy
Due to the latest series of storms, it was reported that Humboldt Bay Red Bell Buoy 2 (#8135) was off station and possibly aground according to Suzie V. Howser, Chair
Harbor Safety Committee of the Humboldt Bay Area. The Buoy has been located approximately one-eighth mile north of the North Jetty just outside the surf zone. It is unknown when the buoy will be recovered and replaced. All mariners are to use extreme caution when transiting near the entrance to Humboldt Bay. Contact USCG Sector Humboldt Bay at 707-839-6113 for more information.

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. For more information, visit http://www.eregulations.com/california/fishing/freshwater/low-flow-restrictions/

The Rivers
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“The Chetco fished surprisingly well over the weekend,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “For the first time this season, it had good color at 5,000 cfs instead of still being muddy. A lot of new fish came in last week. The plunkers did well on the lower end. We landed five steelhead on my boat Saturday. Most likely the Chetco will be blown out for a week or more with the latest storm. The Rogue is finally fishing well upstream from Gold Beach. Guide John Anderson landed four steelhead on Sunday running MagLip plugs while anchored from his jet boat. The Elk and Sixes were slow over the weekend, despite good conditions on the Elk.”

Smith River
Despite the unstable water conditions, the fishing has been pretty good on the Smith reports guide Mike Coopman. He said, “There’s definitely a few fish around. Boats are getting up to three per trip – somedays more and somedays less. The next few days the water is going up and down quite a bit. It’s looking like we’ll be doing a little plunking and hopefully some side-drifting. Boat pressure has been light, but with all the other rivers blown out, we’ll probably see a few more next week.”

Main stem Eel
Forecasted to peak at 39,500 cfs on Thursday and predicted to drop quickly. With no rain in the forecast after Saturday, there’s a chance it could come around by next weekend. How quickly it drops and turns green will be depend on the amount of snow that’s falling in the hills.

South Fork Eel
Peaking at 10,600 cfs on the Miranda gauge on Thursday morning, it should drop back into fishable shape by mid-week, depending on snowmelt.

Van Duzen
Flowing at just over 3,500 cfs on Wednesday afternoon and on a steep rise, it’s predicted to peak at just over 8,000 cfs Wednesday evening. With sparse rain predicted for next week, it may be fishable late next week or by the weekend. There’s quite a bit of snow in the hills, which if it melts, the river will remain off color. Your best bet will be above Yager Creek.

Chris Anderson of Laytonville landed this bright hatchery steelhead at daybreak last week on the Mad River while fishing with guide Damon Albright. Photo courtesy of Damon Albright

Mad
According to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors, fishing on the Mad has been slow. “The fish aren’t bunching up below the hatchery like years past. The river has definitely changed and the fish are more spread out. A few are being caught every day in the dirty water, but not a ton. With next week looking dry, we should be back to bait-fishing conditions by the end of next week.” Kelly added.

Upper Trinity
The upper Trinity is in great shape as we’re getting more snow than rain reports Tim Brady of Trinity Outdoors in Weaverville.  He said, “The fishing has been decent between Lewiston and Junction City. The winter fish are here, I’m guessing we’re right in the middle of the run. Guys I’m talking to are getting a fish here and there. The one thing I’m hearing is the fish are running a little smaller this year, but there are some nice ones around.”

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

Coming off the first weekend of the winter steelhead season that saw all of the coastal rivers turn green, I was sure hoping to hear some better scores. From the South Fork Eel north to the Chetco, steelhead reports ranged from decent to tough – and everywhere in between. The Chetco likely fished the best, but there were plenty of boats that came up empty. The Smith has been tough all season, and not much changed over the weekend. The Mad River should have been the hot spot, but the bite never took off. For whatever reason, the bulk of the hatchery steelhead have yet to show up there. Both the main stem and South Fork Eel turned green over the weekend, but it was tough fishing for most. A few boats ran into some fish on the South Fork on Sunday, but again, lots of zeros. But just as your next cast could lead to a 20-pound steelhead, the next big storm, which is predicted for Sunday, could lead to North Coast rivers chocked full of winter steelhead.

The weather ahead
The North Coast can expect continued wet conditions according to Ryan Aylward of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “The first front will move in on Wednesday night, with snow levels dropping to 3,000 feet overnight. Rain amounts for this front will be around an inch in Crescent City and maybe three-quarters in Eureka. Lingering showers are forecasted for Friday and possibly into Saturday where we can expect a quarter to a half-inch. The next system will arrive on Sunday, and this should bring some heavier rain. The mountain areas in Del Norte could see over three inches, with one and a half falling at the lower elevations. The Eel basin could see three inches in the hills and an inch down lower. Showers should last into Monday, with the next round of storms predicted for Tuesday or Wednesday. Next week is looking similar to this week, with another couple cold fronts predicted that will bring snow to the lower elevations and keep the rivers flowing,” Aylward said. 

Fishing Report Cards Due Soon
CDFW wants to remind anglers and divers that the due date for turning in steelhead, sturgeon, abalone and North Coast salmon report card data is Jan. 31, 2018.
Anglers and divers must report even if the report card was lost, they did not fish or they did not catch any fish. Cards should be reviewed carefully for accuracy prior to submitting. Harvest reporting can be submitted online at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/fishing#44521416-harvest-reporting or by mailing the cards to the address listed on the report card.

HASA dinner scheduled for April 14
The annual Humboldt Area Saltwater Anglers (HASA) fundraiser dinner and auction will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 at the Arcata Community Center in Arcata. Tickets, which are not yet available, are $25 for adults and $10 for children under 12. Food will be provided by Ramone’s and some great items will be auctioned and raffled off. For more information, email hasa6191@gmail.com. 

The Rivers
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“Last week’s rain brought in quite a few hatchery steelhead on the lower Chetco, but the upper river has been surprisingly slow,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “We caught most of our fish the last few days within sight of the takeout. The little bit of rain on Monday night brought in new steelhead on Tuesday, and the plunkers had one of their best days so far this season. This weekend looks like the river may be just a little too high, and then a major high-water event is in the forecast for early next week. The Elk and Sixes have been slow for steelhead, but the South Coquille has been really good, with most guides catching limits of hatchery steelhead. The Coquille has been crowded. The Elk may be the only river on the Oregon side still in play this weekend.”

The Smith River kicked out this chrome-bright winter steelhead last week for Arcata resident Justin Kelly. All of the coastal rivers should see increased flows from the storms that are expected to hit the North Coast over the next few days. Photo courtesy of Alan Borges/Alan’s Guide Service

Smith River
“Fishing has been decent on the Smith this week, but it looks like we’ve got a pretty good blowout coming,” said guide Mike Coopman. “I’d say the average is about a fish per boat, with scores ranging from zero to three per day. The Chetco has been in good shape, so the fishing pressure has been fairly light here. It looks like we have quite a bit of rain coming on Thursday and Sunday, which should be the first real blowout of the season. Once the water comes back down, we’ll see what we have to work with.”

Eel River (main stem)
The main stem Eel turned green on Sunday, but there didn’t seem to be many fish around. The fish that were between Rio Dell and the forks last weekend likely moved up. The river remained fishable up until Tuesday, but it turned brown overnight on Wednesday and looks to be blown out for quite a while. Flows are predicted to hit 23,000 cfs on Monday.

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 two fish per boat. Hopefully the next big rise will bring in some more fish. Forecasted to hit 6,500 cfs on the Miranda gauge on Monday morning.

Van Duzen
The river dropped into shape on Sunday, but blew out again on Tuesday. A few bank anglers were on the water, but scores were hard to come by. The storm on Sunday has the flows ramping up to nearly 13,500 cfs by Monday.

Mad River
According to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors, fishing was tough over the weekend on the Mad. “There’s a few around, but not many. The few fish that are being caught are mostly wild as the hatchery fish have yet to show up in big numbers. The river was extremely crowded over the weekend, but the scores were pretty bad. Hopefully this rain that’s coming will bring in some fish.” Kelly added.

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

Fortuna resident Nick Watson landed this bright winter steelhead last weekend while fishing the Eel River. Most of the coastal rivers should be dropping back into fishable shape by the weekend following the rains that hit earlier in the week. Photo courtesy of Jeff Griffith

That little shot of rain seems to have done the trick. For the first time this season, just about all of the coastal rivers are starting to see winter steelhead show up in decent numbers. From the Chetco to the Eel, the reports have all been good. Boats drifting the Chetco are landing one to three fish a day, with some scoring two-fish limits. After a couple weeks of tough fishing, the Smith bounced back over the weekend and fished well. In Humboldt, the Mad is full of steelhead, and back anglers put the hurt on em’ pretty good over the weekend. The main stem Eel turned green on Saturday, and quite a few fish were reportedly caught on Sunday. And the conditions should only get better. Following a dry weekend, we’re right back into a rainy pattern beginning on Monday. It’s safe to say steelhead season is in full swing here on the North Coast.

Weather ahead
“It looks like we’ll have one more system move through the area, then we’ll be dry for a couple days”, said Ryan Aylward of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “A system will move through the area on Thursday, with the majority of the rain falling in the Smith basin. Up to an inch could fall in the hills, with a half inch expected on the coast. In Humboldt, we won’t see much, maybe a quarter in the hills and less on the coast. We’re looking dry Friday through Sunday, but a change in the pattern will start on Monday. A couple fronts will hit the area between Monday and Wednesday, dropping up to six inches in the hills of Del Norte and three in the lower elevations. In Humboldt, we could see up to three inches over the three-day period in the higher elevations, and an inch falling near the coast. The wet pattern doesn’t change much after Wednesday, it’s looking like we’ll have above normal rainfall for the next week or so.”

Humboldt Steelhead Days kickoff party this Saturday
Humboldt Steelhead Days Kick-Off Party and Pints for Non-Profits event will be held at the Mad River Brewing Co., Tap Room on Saturday, January 13 from 5 p.m. till 10 p.m.
Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson will MC the event, and 2nd District Congressman Jared Huffman will make an appearance as well. You can register to enter the fishing contest and talk to HSD event coordinators and other anglers. Learn more about the two rivers we’ll be fishing (Mad and Trinity) and pick up more information about the other events during HSD. A Limited Edition Humboldt Steelhead Days hoodie and hat will be raffled off, with plenty of items for sale. The band Ghost Train will play later in the evening and every pint sold will be donated to Humboldt Steelhead Days. For more information, visit http://www.humboldtsteelheaddays.com/event/humboldt-steelhead-days-kick-off-party/

Commercial crab season set to open Jan. 15
The northern California Dungeness crab fishery in Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties will open 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018. The opener will be preceded by a 64-hour gear setting period that will begin at 8:01 a.m. Jan. 12, 2018. Any vessel that landed crab from other ocean waters prior to the season opening in Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9 (Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties) is prohibited from participating in the crab fishery in Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9, for 30 days following the opening of those areas. In Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9, the 30-day wait period ends on Feb. 14, 2018.

“Although we have witnessed delays in the opening of the Dungeness crab commercial fishery in recent seasons due to domoic acid, a delay in the northern portion of the fishery due to quality isn’t unprecedented. The last time the northern season opener was delayed due to quality occurred with the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons and both those seasons started on Jan. 15,” said Christy Juhasz, CDFW Environmental Scientist. There were also two areas in the north that were under a health advisory issued by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) due to domoic acid since the recreational fishery season opened on Nov. 4. These were lifted last month by CDPH after continual sampling of Dungeness crabs by CDPH showed the amount of domoic acid had declined to low or undetectable levels. Recreational crabbing remains open in California statewide. For more information on Dungeness crab, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/crab.

Abalone meeting this Saturday
Recreational Abalone Advisory Committee (RAAC) will be holding a meeting on Saturday, January 13 regarding the Red abalone management plan along with the 2018 closure. The meeting will be held at the Marin/Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control boardroom, 595 Helman Lane, Cotati, CA from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. To conference call in, call 888-808-6929. When prompted, enter the Meeting Access Code: 9961539#
For more information, contact Ian Taniguchi, Senior Environmental Scientist at 562-342-7182 or email ian.taniguchi@wildlife.ca.gov

The Rivers:
Chetco River
“The Chetco has been in good shape since Saturday, with decent numbers of steelhead spread throughout the river,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “It blew out on Friday with muddy water from this summer’s fire, but had great color and flows since. There are quite a few hatchery fish. My customers were able to get their two-fish limits on Sunday and a couple more on Monday. The Chetco’s flow gauge had been malfunctioning, but was repaired early Tuesday afternoon. The river is expected to rise late this week but should remain fishable if flows stay below 3,000 cfs. The predication is around 2,900 cfs on Friday.”

Smith River
The Smith fished well over the weekend, and Monday too, but it’s gotten a little tougher the last couple days reports Mike Coopman of Mike Coopman’s Guide Service. “The rise we had earlier in the week definitely brought in some fish, we’ve been seeing them in the tail outs, but the bite has been tough. The water got a little color, but it’s still pretty clear. The next rise, which is looking like Thursday and Friday, should bring in a bunch more fish and add some more color to the water. It should be a good weekend,” Coopman added.

Eel River (main stem)
The main stem was fishable up until Tuesday, but it’s high and off color as of Wednesday reports Paul Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods. “Quite a few boats were out over the weekend, and there’s definitely some fish around. The river has peaked and is dropping, and it could fish later in the weekend or by Monday,” said Grundman.

Eel River (South Fork)
The South Fork opened back up to fishing earlier in the week, and was on the rise for a couple days. It finally peaked at just over 3,000 cfs on the Miranda gauge on Tuesday afternoon. It’s predicted to drop quickly, getting down to 500 cfs by Saturday afternoon. Darren Brown of Brown’s Sporting Goods in Garberville reports the river was dirty all the way to Piercy on Wednesday.

Van Duzen
According to Grundman, the Van Duzen is off color from the rain, but also on the drop. “My guess is it will be fishable above Yager Creek by the weekend,” added Grundman.

Mad River
The increased flows brought quite a few fish up the ladder on Tuesday reports Jens Hansen of Mad River Tackle in Arcata. He said, “Prior to the rain, the fishing was excellent, especially on Saturday. Some of the bankies who know what they’re doing reported up to 10 hookups. Flows peaked at 1,700 cfs on Tuesday and it looks like a bunch of fish came into the river. The river was just starting to turn on Wednesday, and should be somewhat green by Thursday or Friday. The river should be in great shape by the weekend and the fishing should be excellent.”

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

Coming off one of the driest December’s in history, we really have nowhere to go but up as far as rainfall totals go. Eureka checked in with a measly 1.94 inches of rain for December, well below the 8.12-inch average. But there is a change on the horizon as the forecast is finally calling for some well-needed rain. The lack of rain has made it tough on the winter steelhead anglers, where options have been few. Other than the Smith and main stem Eel, all of the other coastal rivers that are subjected to low flow regulations have been closed for at least a week. The rain in the forecast should open some of the rivers back up to fishing, while others could remain closed. Could this be the start to our rainy season? No one really knows, including the weather forecasters. When you hear  the phrases, “models are in disagreement,” and “uncertainty in the models,” it doesn’t exactly ooze confidence that we’re back to our normal, wet pattern. But you have to start somewhere.

The weather ahead
We should see a shift towards more wet weather, with several days of rain in the forecast according to Kathleen Lewis of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “Beginning on Thursday and into Friday evening, we should see a few fronts move through. Rainfall totals in the Smith basin over the two-day period will be between a half and an inch, with more falling in the hills. The same totals can be expected in the Humboldt area. Saturday is calling for a chance of some very light rain. Sunday and Monday are looking mostly dry with the next system forecasted for some time on Tuesday. The models on this system aren’t aligned yet, but it’s looking like we’ll get up to an inch of rain in both Del Norte and Humboldt counties, with more falling in the hills,” added Lewis.

Razor Clamming remains closed
A reminder for clam diggers, the recreational take and possession of razor clams is still prohibited on Humboldt and Del Norte county beaches. The razor clam season has been closed in Del Norte and Humboldt counties since April 26, 2016 because of high levels of domoic acid in the clams. If the season opens in 2018, it will be between Mad River and south of the boundary line due west from the Clam Beach south parking lot trailhead. In Del Norte County, the beach south of Battery Point would be open. For more information, visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/fishing/ocean/health-advisories. Or you can call the Domoic Acid Fishery Closure Information Line at 831-649-2883.

Brookings rockfish opener
“The ocean opener for lingcod and rockfish out of Brookings was great,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “The lingcod bite has been wide-open. The season had been closed since mid-September because Oregon went over its rockfish allocation. Flat weather the first two days of January resulted in quick limits for all the charter boats out of Brookings. The Bird Island and Twin Rocks area fished well.”

Angling Report Cards due
Anglers who were issued report cards for steelhead, sturgeon, North Coast salmon, and abalone must report their harvest or effort by Jan. 31, 2018. Anglers and divers may report online or mail their report cards to the address printed on the report card. To report online, please visit www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales/customersearch/begin

Andrew and Anthony Zinselmeir of McKinleyville hold a pair of hatchery half-pounder steelhead caught Dec. 28 on the Chetco River while fishing with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. The Chetco has had big numbers of half-pounders this season. Photo courtesy of Andy Martin/Wild Rivers Fishing

The Rivers:
Chetco River
“We’ve been needing rain and it looks like we are going to get a decent amount this week,” said Martin. “There are steelhead spread throughout the Chetco, but fishing has been tough in the low, clear water. Just about all the tail outs have a few fish, but they are spooked after the first boat goes by. The upper river is loaded with half-pounders.” The Chetco is predicted to peak at 3,250 cfs on Sunday morning.

Smith River
Fishing has been tough on the Smith due to low water conditions and lack of fish. Not many boats have been out, but that could change this weekend. Flows are predicted to jump 4,600 cfs by late Friday. This should bring in a new batch of fish, and push the old ones up river.

Redwood Creek
As of Wednesday afternoon, the river was closed to fishing due to low flows. If the forecast holds, it could open on Friday or Saturday. Minimum flow: 300 cfs at the gauging station near the Highway 101 bridge.

Eel River
Main Stem
There’s been a few boats working around the Rio Dell area and below, but not much is happening above reports Paul Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods. He said, “We’re supposed to get a shot of rain, and that will help. My guess is a lot of fish have come in with the king tides and are sitting down in the estuary waiting for the river to rise. If we don’t get a whole lot of rain, it could remain fishable and not blow out. It just depends on some of the creeks and how dirty they get.” As of Wednesday, flows were right around 600 cfs on the Scotia gauge, but predicted to hit nearly 1,900 cfs by Saturday afternoon.

South Fork
Remains closed to fishing, and isn’t predicted to rise enough to warrant opening over the weekend. Flowing at roughly 150 cfs as of Wednesday. Minimum flow: 340 cfs at the gauging station at Miranda.

Van Duzen
Flowing at around 65 cfs on Wednesday, the Van Duzen is also closed to fishing. If the rain falls as predicted, it could open by Friday as flows are predicted to jump to 1,100 cfs. Minimum flow: 150 cfs at the gauging station near Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park.

Mad River
Flowing at just under 200 cfs as of Wednesday, the Mad remains closed to fishing. If the rain comes as planned, it could open back up on Thursday as flows are predicted to jump to over 1,600 cfs on Friday. Word from the anglers who’ve been working with CDFW to supply broodstock fish to the hatchery is the river has quite a few fish in it. The rain should really put the fish on the move and bring in lots of new ones. Minimum flow: 200 cfs at the gauging station at the Highway 299 bridge.

Trinity
The Trinity is low and clear and could use some rain,” said Steve Huber of Steve Huber’s Guide Service. “There’s some steelhead around, but they’re mostly hanging out waiting to head up the creeks. These are the fish that have been in the system for a while. The winter fish haven’t started to move through the Klamath yet in big numbers, it will take some rain to bring them up. Fishing pressure was heavy over the holidays, but has slowed since. Anglers are getting between one to three chances per day.”

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

The ever-evolving Humboldt Steelhead Days — which bills itself as more than just a fishing contest — is entering its fifth year and will continue to host an array of watershed-related activities throughout Humboldt County. The goal of Humboldt Steelhead Days (HSD) is to inspire community awareness, promote river restoration and the recovery of Humboldt’s iconic wild winter steelhead populations. Humboldt’s only annual signature wintertime event, HSD looks to build on its popularity with both local and out-of-area anglers.

This year, Humboldt Steelhead Days will run from Saturday, Jan. 13, to Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. Event organizers decided against including the Eel River as part of the fishing contest in favor of hatchery fish located in the Mad and Trinity rivers. Licensed anglers can participate in the contest by registering online on at www.humboldtsteelheaddays.com. Registration is also available at RMI Outdoors, Mad River Tackle, and Mad River Brewing Tap Room. Anglers who catch the three biggest hatchery steelhead on either the Mad or Trinity rivers will be notified prior to the Steelhead Awards Ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Mad River Brewing Tap Room. Prize packages will include a Douglas steelhead spinning rod donated by rod designer Fred Contaoi, $300 worth of Willie Boat gear, four single guided river trips, and much more.

Once registered, anglers can fish the Mad and Trinity rivers from Jan. 13 to Feb. 16 with the requirement that they send in a photo of their hatchery fish catch to event organizers or post them on social media using the hashtags #humboldtsteelheaddays or #HSD.

Michael Sparkman of CDFW applies a radio tag to an angler-caught Mad River steelhead.

Radio tag research for Mad River steelhead
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is tagging wild and hatchery adult steelhead with radio tags during the 2017-18 season in the Mad River for research purposes. The work will help to determine how many days steelhead are in the river during their upstream migration, how many will survive spawning and migrate towards the ocean, and the timing of their downstream migration towards the ocean. If you happen to catch one of these tagged fish, please do not remove the tag. Simply release the fish back into the river. If you do catch and release a tagged fish, you are encouraged to contact CDFW Fisheries Biologist Michael Sparkman (Michael.Sparkman@wildlife.ca.gov), with details on location, time of capture, and gear type. The tags look similar to reward tags used for studies with fish in the Trinity River, but there is no reward for returning the Mad River tags. While we encourage the release of all radio-tagged steelhead, if you do harvest a tagged hatchery fish, please contact Mr. Sparkman at the above address so the tag can be returned and reused.

The weather ahead
The next chance of rain is Friday and into Saturday according to Jeff Tonkin of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “The Humboldt area might see a quarter inch, and the Smith basin will likely receive somewhere around a half-inch. This started out as a much larger system, but the models have been trending downward on the rainfall amounts. After Saturday, we’re looking dry through next Friday, Jan. 5,” Tonkin added.

Rockfish season to close Dec. 31
The 2017 rockfish season in the Northern Management area, which runs from Cape Mendocino to the OR/CA border, will close for boat-based anglers on Sunday, Dec. 31. Rockfish is open year-round for divers and shore-based anglers. For more information about recreational groundfish regulations, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Regulations/Groundfish-Summary#north

The Rivers:
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“Last week’s rain brought in some adult steelhead, with decent fishing just before the weekend, said guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “By Sunday the river was low and clear again and the rain expected on Christmas Day never materialized. The Chetco is full of half-pounders, but adult winter steelhead are again few and far between. Flows are hovering around 1,000 cfs again and fishing will likely be slow until we get a major rain. The Elk and Sixes are slow because of low, clear water. Few people are fishing them because of the low water.”

Smith
The Smith is flowing at just above 1,500 cfs at the Jed Smith gauge and is extremely clear. Not many anglers have been on the water due to flows, and reports have been hard to come by. Rain is in the forecast for Friday, and flows are predicted to jump to 3,000 cfs. If that happens, fresh steelhead should make their way into the lower river. With no other rain in the forecast, the flows will be headed back down by Sunday morning and are predicted to be back to 1,800 by early Monday morning.

Eel – main stem
The water is real clear, and starting to get low reports Paul Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods. He said, “I haven’t seen much activity on the river lately, but the conditions are excellent right now for fly fishing. We probably won’t get another good push of fish in until it rains, but there’s always a few around.” As of Wednesday, flows were right around 720 cfs on the Scotia gauge.

Bill Pearcy caught this 6-pound fresh hatchery steelhead on a recent trip to the Mad River. The Mad is currently open to fishing, but the low and clear water conditions is making it difficult on anglers hoping to land a winter-run steelhead. Photo courtesy of Bill Pearcy

Mad
The Mad is low and clear, and fishing remains tough for most reports Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors. He said. “The fishing is definitely better on the lower river where there’s some deeper holes. That seems to be where most of the fish are holding. Soft eggs or jigs under a float have been working well, and bait and yarnies are catching fish too. The river hasn’t been crowded at all, and it’s looking like it will stay open at least through the week.”

Redwood Creek, South Fork Eel and Van Duzen closed
As of Wednesday, these rivers remained closed to fishing due to low flows. Be sure and call the low flow closure hotline, 707-822-3164, to determine if the river is open prior to fishing.

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

Skip Congdon of Crescent City landed this bright winter steelhead last weekend while fishing the Smith River. The increase in flows spurned by Tuesday’s rain should make it a good weekend for steelhead fishing on most of the North Coast rivers. Photo courtesy of Mike Coopman’s Guide Service

It wasn’t much, but it was a start. Tuesday’s storms brought just enough rain to bump up the river flows, and hopefully light a fire under the winter steelhead. Most of the rain fell from Eureka north, with the Smith and Chetco each jumping a couple feet. The Smith was dropping quickly and will likely be clear by Saturday, but the Chetco should be in great shape and fish through the weekend. Locally, the Mad River saw increase of roughly 300 cfs, which is plenty to pull some fresh steelhead from the salt. It should have plenty of color through the weekend, and could be your best bet. The Eel didn’t see much in the way of precipitation, but plenty of snow fell in the hills. The South Fork remains closed, and the main stem is running low and clear, but open. The next chance of substantial rain will likely be in 2018, so if you’re looking for some early-season steelhead action, this would be the weekend.

The weather ahead
According to Ryan Aylward of Eureka’s National Weather Service, the next chance of rain will be late Sunday and into Monday. “Right now, this is looking like a pretty weak system and we’re not very confident it will hit the coast. There’s about a 40 percent chance we’ll see some rain out of this storm. The rest of the week looks mostly dry, with the chance of some showers, but not enough to raise any of the river levels. The good news is the long-term outlook, including January, is trending towards above normal precipitation,” Aylward added.

Crab gear needs to be clear of navigable channel within Humboldt Bay
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit issued a press release on Friday reminding recreational crabbers that placing crabbing gear in a navigable channel within Humboldt Bay and its entrance is a misdemeanor under Harbors and Navigation Code Section 131(a). Humboldt Bay is patrolled by the Marine Unit frequently and removes obstructions in the navigable channels for the safety of the general boating public.

If crab gear is located in a navigable channel, it’s moved out of the channel and a pink card is placed on the gear as a warning. If the same crab gear is found back in the channel after a warning card is issued, the gear is removed and taken to the Fish and Wildlife Office located at 619 Second Street, Eureka.

The Marine Unit would also like to remind recreational crabbers that each buoy must be legibly marked to identify the operator’s GO ID number as stated on their fishing license. The Marine Unit also suggests placing a current telephone number on each buoy so that owners can be notified of its change of location if found in the navigable channel.

Recreational crabbers who have lost crab gear this season should contact the Eureka Fish and Game Office to inquire if their gear has been placed at the office. For information regarding navigable channels of Humboldt Bay, contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit at 707-268-2537.

2018 Fishing license
A reminder that it’s the time of the year to purchase your 2018 license, which is required for residents 16 years of age or older to take fish, mollusks, crustaceans, invertebrates, amphibians or reptile in inland or ocean waters. The cost of a new resident sport fishing license is $48.34. A North Coast salmon report card, which will run you $6.48, is required for all anglers taking salmon in the Smith River System or Klamath-Trinity River System. If you plan to fish for steelhead, you’ll need to purchase a steelhead report card, which will cost $7.30 this year. The Dept. of Fish and Wildlife does not accept cash for fishing licenses. For more info, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/fishing

Reduced-Fee sport fishing licenses now available
Reduced-cost fishing licenses are available in 2018 for $7.56 (instead of $48.34) for those 65 or older on reduced income or disabled military veterans. For more information on all CA fishing licenses, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/fishing#44521417-free–reduced-fee

Mattole River opens to fishing Jan. 1
The Mattole River will open to fishing on Monday, January 1 from 200 yards upstream of its mouth to the confluence with Stansberry Creek. Only artificial lures may be used and barbless hooks are required. The Mattole is also regulated by low flow closures, with a minimum flow of 320 cfs at the Petrolia gauging station.

The Rivers:
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
Heavy rain on Tuesday finally has the Chetco approaching normal winter levels reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “The river should be in good condition this weekend. Just before the rain, a few steelhead a day were being caught on the lower end, along with some dark salmon. There are still a lot of salmon spawning. Another storm is expected just after Christmas. The Elk and Sixes were too low to drift early this week but should be in good shape for the weekend. There should be a few bright kings, and maybe some early steelhead in both rivers.”

Smith River
The rain that fell on Tuesday should kick-start the steelhead season reports Mike Coopman of Mike Coopman’s Guide Service. He said, “Quite a bit of snow fell in the hills, so the river only came up a couple feet. This river should be driftable, and have some color for the next day or so, but you’ll want to be here today. It’s going to be a pretty short window. I fished last weekend under low and clear conditions, and there are some nice fish in the river. We really need some sustained weather to keep the flows going, and it looks like that may happen mid next week.”

Main stem Eel
“We didn’t get much rain upriver, so the increase in flows were pretty minimal,” said Paul Grundmans of Grundmans Sporting Goods in Rio Dell. “The river is low and clear, but we did have a pretty good run of adult steelhead that pushed through last week. I’m also hearing the river is full of half-pounders. The adults have likely moved upriver, be we should see more fish push in when the rains return.”

South Fork Eel and Van Duzen
As of Wednesday, both rivers remained closed due to low flows.

Mad
Following Tuesday’s storm, the river came up about a foot on Wednesday according to Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors. He said. “The water color was a little off on Wednesday, but should be decent on Thursday. Friday through the weekend should be just about perfect, conditions-wise. There’s been some fish around, with most coming on soft beads or yarn. The water running down the ladder to the river was turned on Monday, so that should definitely bring in some fish. It should be a good weekend.”

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com

Last year’s drought-busting rainfall is starting to fade from the rearview mirror, while thoughts of the dreaded-drought are slowly creeping back into focus. I catch myself thinking back to three or four years ago, and what a tough time it was for our state, Humboldt County, and our fisheries.

And then I remember, it’s only mid-December, and we’re one good storm away from being right back to normal.

And then I read the weather reports, and they’re telling me the current dry spell will continue for who knows how long. Arghh….

It’s way too early in the game to even begin thinking about a drought, so I won’t. The reality of the current dry spell only means that some of the North Coast Rivers will soon be closed to fishing, effectively putting a hold on the impending winter steelhead season. The Van Duzen and South Fork Eel were the first rivers to fall victim to the “Ridiculously Resilient Ridge,” and the rest of the rivers are on a slow decent to closure as well. I sure hope everyone is enjoying the prolonged break in the storms, but I for one, am not.

More dry weather ahead
According to Brad Charboneau of Eureka’s National Weather Service, the dry weather will persist for at least another week. “We’re stuck in a high-pressure pattern, and we’re not seeing a change anytime soon. We’re going to be dry through next week, and possibly longer.” Charoneau added.

Commercial Dungeness season delayed again
Based on the results of another round of pre-season quality testing conducted on Dec. 5, the director of the CDFW announced on Dec. 12 an additional 15-day delay for the upcoming commercial Dungeness crab season.  The tests continued to show that Dungeness crab are not yet ready for harvesting. The delay affects Fish and Game Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9 (Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties). The season in these districts is now scheduled to open on 12:01 a.m. Dec. 31, 2017, to be preceded by a 64-hour gear setting period that would begin no earlier than 8:01 a.m. on Dec. 28, 2017.

A third round of testing in areas not yet meeting the minimum will be scheduled with a target completion date of December 22. The Tri-State Dungeness Crab Pre-Season Testing Protocols specify that if any area does not meet the minimum meat recovery criteria (23 percent north of Cascade Head and 25 percent south of Cascade Head) a season delay is required and additional testing is necessary before a season opening date can be confirmed. If quality remains low, an additional delay until Jan. 15, 2018 will be issued by the director. This date is the latest the season can be delayed due to quality testing. More info can be found here, https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/northern-california-commercial-dungeness-crab-season-opener-pushed-back-to-dec-31/

Lester Phelps of Fortuna landed this nice vermilion rockfish while fishing near Cape Mendocino last Saturday. The Northern Management Area rockfish season, which opened May 1, will close on Dec. 31 for boat-based anglers. Rockfish is open year-round for shore-based anglers. Photo courtesy of Tim Klassen/Reel Steel Sport Fishing

Rockfish season to close Dec. 31
Pleasant ocean conditions the last couple weeks have allowed the boats still in the mood for rockfish to make the run south to the Cape, where the ling cod bite has been wide-open. Tim Klassen of Reel Steel Sport Fishing has ventured to the Cape a few times this month and reports a red-hot ling bite, and near-limits of rockfish. The season on the North Coast will close on Dec. 31. For more information about recreational groundfish regulations, visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/groundfish

2018 Oregon Groundfish regulations
Effective Jan. 1, 2018 through Dec. 2018, the bag limit adopted by the ODFW will be 7 bottom fish, including 5 rockfish and 2 ling cod. The fishery is open at all depths Jan. through March and Oct. through Dec. It will be open inside of 30 fathoms Apr. through Sept. For more information, visit https://myodfw.com/sport-groundfish-seasons.

The Rivers:
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
Fishing has been slow on the Chetco as we wait for the winter steelhead run to get going reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. He said, “There are decent numbers of half-pounders spread throughout the river, but not many adults. Salmon are few and far between, although there are a lot of dark fish in the upper section. Rain will help. The Elk and Sixes are low and clear. They could have a few fresh kings with the next rain but until then it is slim pickings there.”

Smith
The river is low and clear, and it’s been pretty quiet reports Mike Coopman of Mike Coopman’s Guide Service. “I don’t think many boats have been out, and I’m not hearing much in the way of steelhead being caught. We’ll need a decent rise to bring in some fish, but it’s still early in the season.”

Main stem Eel
The main stem is low, and starting to get pretty clear. The river is full of half-pounders from the forks down, along with a few adults. Most of the fish are in the deeper holes, anywhere there’s broken water. The flows were just above 1,000 cfs on the Scotia gauge on Wednesday afternoon and predicted to be around 850 cfs on Saturday. Minimum flows to keep the river open to fishing are 350 cfs on the Scotia gauge.

Mad
The river is holding some decent color, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of fish around right now according to Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors. “There haven’t been many anglers trying this week, likely due to the lack of fish,” said Kelly. “There’s a few fish trickling in, but for the most part it hasn’t been very good. The river despite being low, is holding some good color, especially in the deeper holes. We probably won’t see a good push of fish come in until the next rise.” As of Wednesday, the Mad was flowing at 450 cfs and dropping very slowly. It should remain open to fishing through the weekend. Minimum flows to keep the river open to fishing are 200 cfs at the gauging station at the Hwy. 299 bridge.

South Fork Eel and Van Duzen
Both rivers closed to fishing as of Tuesday, Dec. 12 due to low flows.

Find “Fishing the North Coast” on Facebook and fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com