Recent Columns

On Saturday, California’s recreational ocean salmon season will open from Horse Mountain south to the U.S./Mexico border. The area to the north of Horse Mountain, which includes Eureka, Trinidad, and Crescent City, will be sitting on the sidelines this season due to a record low 54,200 Klamath River fall Chinook salmon forecasted to be swimming in the ocean. The ocean abundance of Sacramento River kings is also low, but there’s enough to give the anglers to our south at least a limited season.

Between Horse Mountain and Point Arena, which includes Shelter Cove and Fort Bragg, the minimum size limit is 20 inches total length. The daily bag limit is two Chinook per day and no more than two daily bag limits may be possessed when on land. The PFMC will meet April 6-11 to determine the season lengths. The three options on the table are:

1) April 1-May 31 and August 15-November 12;
2) April 1-May 31 and July 1-12;
3) April 1-30.

For more information, visit pcouncil.org. For salmon regulations for the month of April, visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/oceansalmon

Shelter Cove outlook
“It’s going to be a pretty tricky launching situation this weekend with big swells and low tides.” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “I would try to avoid coming or going during low tide. My guess is it will be fishable on Saturday and questionable on Sunday. The cove can surprise you quite often, for better or worse, and you never really know until you see it. The launch hours have yet to be determined, but they will be there at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday. They won’t be launching boats without side bunks during big swells as it’s too dangerous.” Anglers are encouraged to call Matt Kempe, who operates the Shelter Cove launch for the Humboldt Bay Harbor District, ahead of time at 707-223-3399. Cost to launch is $35.

“With all the rough weather we’ve had, there hasn’t been much time to go scouting,” said Mitchell. “It’s been a while since I’ve been out, but there was some good sign down on the inside near the crab gear. Also, there seems to be quite a few whales hanging around on the outside of the whistle so that may be a good spot to go look as well. And it’s been a good spot the past few years on the opener.”

As of Wednesday, winds were forecasted to blow from the N 10 to 20 knots on Saturday with NW waves 12 feet at 15 seconds. Sunday is looking worse, with winds out of the NW predicted at 15 to 25 knots and waves out of the NW 14 feet at 15 seconds. Visit http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-123.82128&lat=39.44792 for an up-to-date marine forecast. On Saturday, a low tide of -0.4 will be at 9:35 a.m. and Sunday’s low will be -0.34 at 10:40 a.m.

Upcoming steelhead river openings/closures
The main stem of the Smith will remain open through the end of April from its mouth to the confluence with the Middle and South Forks. The Middle fork will also remain open through April from its mouth to Patrick’s Creek. The South Fork is open through April as well, from its mouth upstream approximately 1,000 feet to the County Road (George Tryon) bridge and Craigs Creek to Jones Creek. Bait can be used and barbless hooks are still required. The main stem Eel, from its mouth to the South Fork is open to fishing all year. From the mouth to Fulmor Road, only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used from April 1 through the Friday preceding the last Saturday in May. From Fulmor Road to the South Fork, it’s open from April 1 through September 30. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used. Sections of the Klamath and Trinity rivers are open to fishing, but are subject to in-season changes. For more information, visit https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations and click on the Freshwater Sport Fishing link.

The following rivers will close to fishing on March 31: the South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Mattole, Mad, Redwood Creek, and the Chetco.

Reminder: Abalone Season Opens May 1 in 2017
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reminds divers and rock-pickers gearing up for the start of the red abalone season that the season has been shortened by two months, with an opening date of May 1 instead of April 1, and a closing date of October 31 instead of November 30.  In addition, the annual limit has been lowered from 18 abalone to 12. The California Fish and Game Commission approved a shortened season and reduced take limit at their Dec 7, 2016 meeting due to concerns about the declining health and number of red abalone on the northern California coast. For more info, visit https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2017/01/09/north-coast-abalone-season-dates-regulations-change/

Perch’n on the Peninsula coming April 8
The Samoa Peninsula Fire District will be hosting their 8th Annual Perch’n on the Peninsula Surfperch Fishing Tournament and Fish Fry Fundraiser on April 8 at the Peninsula Elementary School. This is a fun filled family-oriented fishing event that benefits the Samoa Peninsula Fire District Volunteer Organization. Fish Fry Fundraiser admission is only $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for juniors. Adult fishing tournament entry is $20.00 and junior fishing tournament entry (under 16) is only $10.00. Fishing tournament entry includes admission to the fish fry fundraiser. For registration and door prize information, visit samoafire.org or call 707-443-9042.

HASA dinner April 15
The annual HASA fundraiser dinner will be held Saturday, April 15, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Arcata Community Center, 321 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway in Arcata. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children. Food will be provided by Ramone’s and some great items will be auctioned and raffled off. Tickets are now available from the following Eureka merchants: Bucksport Sporting Goods, Englund Marine, Pacific Outfitters, RMI Outdoors, W&W RV & Sporting Goods, and Mad River Tackle located in Arcata. For more information, email hasa6191@gmail.com

The Rivers:
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
The Chetco was still too high to fish this week and will probably be above 4,000 cfs through Friday, the last day of the season,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “The river has been blown out for the past two weeks, pretty much ending steelhead season early. The river re-opens in late May for cutthroat trout. The Elk River dropped to a fishable 4.9 feet on Tuesday. It should be low enough to fish for the last few days of the season. There should still be a few late steelhead around. The Sixes is still high and muddy and will probably remain so through the week.”

Smith River
“Fishing is pretty tough on the Smith right now,” said guide Mike Coopman. “For whatever reason, we haven’t seen a good push of downers in the lower river yet. They’re getting some upriver, but they seem to be just trickling down. We’ve been getting one to two hookups per trip this week.”

Eel River (main stem)
“The main stem is still big and brown,” said Paul Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods. “We’ll need a couple weeks of dry weather before it drops into shape.”

Eel River (South Fork)
The South Fork is fishable above the East Branch, and should fish below Benbow on Friday if the rain doesn’t pan out. You’ll want to take advantage as the South Fork will close on Friday, March 31.

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 appears this steelhead season is going to end much like it began. All of the coastal rivers, other than the Smith, are currently high, muddy and not fishable. And more storms are lined up offshore. I swear I’ve written that same sentence about a million times since mid-January. But here we are in late March, with roughly a week left before most of the rivers close, still talking about high water and rain on the way. It’s been that kind of year, and let’s give thanks. Not only did we have plenty of water, we also had plenty of steelhead. When they were fishable, both the Smith and Chetco gave up some pretty good scores. The other coastal streams came into play only a handful of times, but they too fished very well. But now as the rain continues to fall and the rivers rise, it looks to be over for the South Fork Eel, Mad, Redwood Creek, and the Mattole. The Smith will remain open through April, and the main stem Eel is open year-round. It would be nice to get a couple more days on the river, but I’m not holding my breath.

Weather ahead
“Thursday should be a nice day, but clouds and rain will return sometime in the late afternoon or evening,” said Ryan Alward of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “Thursday’s system will linger into Friday and the rainfall totals are looking pretty decent. The mountain areas of Del Norte County could see up to three inches and we may see two inches locally. Very light rain is in the forecast for Saturday, giving the rivers a chance to recede before the next storm arrives on Sunday. This system could bring another inch and a half to Del Norte and up to an inch in Humboldt. Light rain is predicted for Monday giving way to a dry Tuesday. The models are showing a weak front moving in on Wednesday, but that could change.”

HASA dinner April 15
The annual HASA fundraiser dinner will be held Saturday, April 15, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Arcata Community Center, 321 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway in Arcata. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children. Food will be provided by Ramone’s and some great items will be auctioned and raffled off. Tickets are now available from the following Eureka merchants: Bucksport Sporting Goods, Englund Marine, Pacific Outfitters, RMI Outdoors, W&W RV & Sporting Goods, and Mad River Tackle located in Arcata. For more information, email hasa6191@gmail.com

Shelter Cove/Fort Bragg salmon season to open April 1
The recreational salmon season from Horse Mountain, Humboldt County south to the U.S. – Mexico border will open on Saturday, April 1. Between Horse Mountain and Point Arena, which includes Shelter Cove and Fort Bragg, the daily bag and possession limit is two salmon of any species except Coho. The season south of Horse Mountain will extend through various dates in April through Nov. The alternatives can be found at http://www.pcouncil.org and will be finalized by the council in Sacramento on April 6-11, and submitted to the NMFS for adoption by May 1.

The Rivers:
Chetco River
“The Chetco blew out again this week and looks to be too high to fish through the weekend,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “If it comes back into shape before it closes March 31, there may be a few down-runners left, but I expect fishing to be fairly slow. The last few days of the season may fish, but there is still a lot of rain in the forecast.”

Smith River
“The Smith isn’t red-hot, but we’re still catching a couple fish a day,” said guide Mike Coopman. “The majority of the fish we’re catching are fresh ones, there’s only been a trickle of spent fish coming down. It’s possible after the next big rise we’ll see more downers, but there has yet to be a mass exodus. When they do start to come down, we should see some pretty good fishing.”

Eel River (main stem)
The main stem was starting to come around last weekend, but it’s now back up to 28,000 cfs on the Scotia gauge. It will take a couple weeks of dry weather for it to turn green, but that’s not in the foreseeable forecast. The main stem will remain open through April.

Eel River (South Fork)
The South Fork fished late last week and into Saturday all the way to the forks. Most boats landed between two to four fish, with some fresh bluebacks in the mix. On Wednesday, it was back up to 6,000 cfs and predicted to go higher with the storms coming. It closes on March 31 and is likely done for the year.

Van Duzen
Flowing at just over 5,000 cfs on Wednesday with more rain on the way, it probably won’t turn green prior to closing on March 31.

Mad River
The Mad was just starting to turn green on Saturday, but the rain put an end to that quickly. Quite a few fresh fish were reportedly caught on Saturday near the hatchery. With the river now back up to over 12 feet and more storms on the way, the chances of green water before is closes on March 31 are slim.

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 Pacific Fishery Management Council on Monday provided three options for recreational salmon fishing within the Klamath Management Zone. Unfortunately, all three included the words “closed.” In an unprecedented decision, the PFMC was left with little choice but to close the recreational salmon fishing this season from Humbug Mt. in Oregon south to Horse Mt. near Shelter Cove. The driving force behind the closure is the lack of Klamath River salmon swimming off our coast, which was primarily caused by poor river conditions brought about by years of drought. The California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife forecasted there are only 54,200 Klamath River adult kings in the ocean this year along with roughly 230,700 Sacramento River fish. The Klamath numbers are the lowest on record, and the number of Sac fish is the lowest since 2009. Pretty easy to see whey the council made the decision.

On a positive note, the upcoming rockfish season, which opens May 1, will have a longer season and less depth restrictions allowing boats to fish depths they haven’t touched in 10 years. We also had an additional 5,000 pounds of Pacific halibut added to our annual quota this season, which is expected to also open on May 1. See, the news isn’t all bad…

Shelter Cove/Fort Bragg salmon season to open April 1
The balance of the west coast, from the Mexico border to the Columbia River, will also have very limited ocean salmon opportunities. The Shelter Cove and Fort Bragg area, which runs from Horse Mt. to Point Arena, will open on April 1. Season lengths and end dates are still up for debate. The three alternatives on the table are:

1. April 1-May 31 and August 15-November 12
2. April 1-May 31 and July 1-12
3. April 1-30

All three alternatives include two salmon per day of any species except Coho, seven days a week, with a 20-inch minimum size. To see all the season proposals, visit pcouncil.org.

All season alternatives will be publicly aired March 27 in Coos Bay and Westport, and March 28 in Fort Bragg. Final season decisions will be made by the council in Sacramento on April 6-12, and submitted to the NMFS for adoption by May 1.

Weekend weather
According to Ryan Alward of Eureka’s National Weather Service, rain is in the forecast off and on for at least the next week. He said, “Following Wednesday’s rain showers, Thursday should be mostly dry with a little sun in the forecast. A 20 percent chance of rain is forecasted for Friday, but Saturday is looking mostly wet. One and a half inches is predicted for the Smith basin and the Eel could see up to an inch. A very slight chance of rain is in the forecast for Sunday, we may see a tenth. The next storm will move in on Monday night and into Tuesday. This will be a much bigger storm with up to two inches predicted.”

Redtails are biting
Right on cue, last weekend’s calm ocean put the redtail perch on the bite. Word has it they’ve been chomping baits at all the local beaches. I’ve been hearing reports of limits coming from the usual spots: Samoa, Centerville, Dry Lagoon, Gold Bluff, and the south spit. Inside Humboldt Bay at the mouth of the Elk River (Stinky Beach) and King Salmon have also been giving up plenty of fish. Redtail Perch have a minimum size limit of 10.5 inches and a daily bag and possession limit of 10.

Perch’n on the Peninsula coming April 8
The Samoa Peninsula Fire District will be hosting their 8th Annual Perch’n on the Peninsula Surfperch Fishing Tournament and Fish Fry Fundraiser on April 8 at the Peninsula Elementary School. This is a fun filled family-oriented fishing event that benefits the Samoa Peninsula Fire District Volunteer Organization. Fish Fry Fundraiser admission is only $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for juniors. Adult fishing tournament entry is $20.00 and junior fishing tournament entry (under 16) is only $10.00. Fishing tournament entry includes admission to the fish fry fundraiser. For registration and door prize information, visit samoafire.org or call 707-443-9042.

The Rivers:
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“The Chetco came back into shape on Monday, and has been fishing well for a mix of bright steelhead and spawned out fish heading back to the ocean,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Just a handful of boats are on the river each day right now, so the fishing is pretty good. There are a lot of downers in the upper section of the river. From Ice Box down to Social Security, there are a few bright fish and more downers. Most boats are getting four to six fish a day right now. It looks like the river will remain in good shape for the next few weeks. The Elk and Sixes are both fishing, and have fresh steelhead and downers. With the Umpqua still a little high, the boat traffic remains heavy for this time of year.”

Smith River
The Smith is still full of fresh steelhead reports guide Mike Coopman. He said, “We’ve been averaging anywhere from three to five fresh steelhead a day this week. The downers have yet to show up in any numbers, it’s been pretty amazing. With the rain on Wednesday, we should get a little bump in the flows but the river should be in great shape by the weekend. Quite a few rivers are fishing right now, so the boat pressure has been pretty light.”

Eel River (main stem)
Still running at 12,000 cfs as of Wednesday, the main stem is dropping and starting to turn olive, but won’t likely be fishable prior to the next round of storms.

Eel River (South Fork)
The Miranda area of the South Fork and above is in perfect shape. Flows were right around 1,700 cfs on the Miranda gauge and dropping slowly. Saturday’s rain could blow if out for a few days, but more rain is in store for early next week. Thursday through Saturday is the time to be there.

Van Duzen
Flowing at just above 1,400 cfs on Wednesday, it’s very close to fishable, if it isn’t there already. It’s predicted to bump up to over 2,000 cfs overnight on Wednesday. Definitely worth taking a look at for Thursday and Friday.

Mad River
The Mad remains off color, flowing at just over 9 feet on Wednesday. With water coming over the Ruth spillway along with the snowmelt, it doesn’t look like it’s going to turn green anytime soon. According to Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors, the fishing really fell off this week and not many anglers were still trying.

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 miracle winter of 2016/17 has been very stingy when it comes to providing us with extended periods of dry weather. I think I can probably count them on one hand. So when the rain relents, even for a few days, you best make the most of it. If the weather forecasters are true to their word, and I mean that with all due respect, a small window is set to open up. Very little rain is predicted to fall between Thursday and next Wednesday, especially south of the Mad River. The South Fork Eel will drop into fishable shape this weekend and the Van Duzen may come into play sometime early next week. Same goes for the Mattole. The Smith should be in good shape by the weekend, and the Chetco should come around by Sunday. With only a few weeks left in the season, it would be wise to take advantage of the next few days as the rivers will be back on the rise before we know it.

The weather ahead

Scattered showers and periods of light rain are in the forecast for the next few days, but it doesn’t look like it will do much to the river levels. “Light rain is in the forecast for Thursday, with the majority falling in the Smith basin,” said Reginald Kennedy of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “The Smith could see up to a half an inch, mostly in the mountain areas. In Humboldt, we’ll see anywhere from a tenth to a quarter. Lingering showers will persist in mountain areas of Del Norte on Friday and Saturday, but everywhere else looks dry. Sunday and Monday are looking dry, but scattered showers are forecasted to return to the Smith basin on Tuesday. By Wednesday, we’ll begin to see a series of storms move in that will stick around through Saturday. It’s a little far out for predictions, but the models are showing two to four inches in the Smith basin and one to three inches in the around the Eel.”

USCG Boating Class coming March 18

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering a one-day “Boating Safety” class on Saturday, March 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The class will be held at the Woodley Island Marina conference room and the cost is $20 per person. For more information and to pre-register, contact Maggy Herbelin at 707-445-2401.

Humboldt Steelhead Days Fishing Contest Leader Board as of 3/6/17

Mad River

in FIRST PLACE: John Boak, from Fortuna

INCHES: 36” × 19” = 18.8 lb native caught on 3/1/17

in SECOND PLACE: Wyatt McBroom, from Willow Creek INCHES: 35 inches

in THIRD PLACE: Eddie Vandenbossche, from Hydesville & Brian Larsen, from Eureka are tied INCHES: 32 inches

Honorable Mentions:

Mark Aviles, from Arcata: 31 inches

Charlie Holthaus, from Arcata: 30 inches

Jean-Christophe Worth, from Arcata: 29 /14 x 15 inches = 8.8lbs

Eel River

in FIRST PLACE: Corey Adams, from Arcata INCHES: 27” caught and released on 3/3/17

in SECOND PLACE: Chris Vela, from McKinleyville INCHES: 26” caught and released on 3/3/17

Trinity River

in FIRST PLACE: Wyatt McBroom on 3/3/17 near Salyer INCHES: 16.5 inches

Honorable Mentions:

Andrew Rossow, from Palo Cedro, 30” x 16.75 (he didn’t photograph his fish with a measuring tape)

The Rivers:

Chetco/Elk/Sixes

“The Chetco was fishing well at the end of last week before it blew out again over the weekend,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Now it looks like it will be too high to fish through Sunday. Before it blew out, there was a mix of fresh and spawned steelhead and bluebacks. The fish also were spread throughout the entire river. The run is winding down, but with less boat pressure catch rates are still good. The Chetco remains open through March 31.

The Elk and Sixes are still fishing well between storms, but spawned out fish are now outnumbering fresh fish. Generally there are some big steelhead that show up through the end of March, so there will still be decent fishing there for the next few weeks.”

Smith River

The Smith was blown out on Wednesday, but is on the drop and should be in good shape by the weekend reports guide Mike Coopman. He said, “Before this last high water, the fishing was still really good. We’re still seeing more fresh fish than downers, which is excellent for March. That, however, could change once the water comes back down from the last rain. Boats have been averaging three to five hookups per trip, and the fishing pressure hasn’t been bad at all.”

Eel River (main stem)

“The river was headed in the right direction, but yesterday’s rain put the main stem back on the rise,” said Paul Grundman of Rio Dell’s Grundmans Sporting Goods.

“On Wednesday, it was big and muddy. It needs a solid 10 days of dry weather before it will get close to fishable.”

Eel River (South Fork)

The South Fork was at 4,500 cfs on the Miranda gauge on Wednesday, and dropping. It’s predicted to be around 2,000 cfs by the weekend, which should be fishable. The stretch above the East Branch should drop in by Thursday or Friday.

Van Duzen

Flowing at roughly 3,500 cfs on Wednesday, it too is dropping quickly. It’s predicted to be below 1,000 cfs by late Sunday, and should drop into shape by Monday. The wild card is the amount of dirty water coming from Yager Creek as well as all of the snowmelt.

Mad River

“There’s been a lot more fish around this last week,” said Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors. “The last week to 10 days the fishing has really improved. Most of the action is coming right in front of the hatchery, with the anglers on the opposite side of the river doing a little better. There aren’t many fresh ones around; most have been in the river for a while. The river is currently big and muddy, and looks to stay that way with all the snowmelt and water spilling over Ruth dam,” 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

It appears the five-year drought has finally taken its toll on the Sacramento and Klamath River king salmon. In a press release issued on Wednesday following the annual Ocean Salmon Information Meeting held in Santa Rosa, some unwelcome news was delivered on the predicted returns of Chinook salmon to California waters in 2017.

Forecasters are suggesting 230,700 Sacramento River fall run Chinook adults are swimming in the ocean this year, along with 54,200 Klamath River fall run adults. Both forecasts are lower than those of recent years, with the forecast for Klamath fall run being among the lowest on record. Salmon from these runs typically comprise the majority of salmon taken in California’s ocean and inland fisheries.

“With a poor forecast for Klamath fall run and continued concerns over the winter run, California anglers will see reduced Chinook fishing opportunity as compared to last year,” said Brett Kormos, a senior environmental scientist with the CDFW.

Ocean kings harvested in 2017 hatched two to four years ago, and were deeply affected by poor river conditions driven by the recent drought.

The 2017 forecasts, in addition to information on endangered Sacramento River winter Chinook, will be used by fishery managers to set sport and commercial fishing season dates, commercial quotas, and size and bag limits. Season dates and other regulations will be developed by the PFMC and California Fish and Game Commission over the next two months. For more information, visit the https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean or call the salmon fishing hotline at (707) 576-3429.

The weather ahead
What was once a promising weekend forecast for steelhead anglers went south pretty quickly. “Rain will return on Friday evening, and we’ll see off and on showers through Monday,” said Reginald Kennedy of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “Over the four-day period, the Smith basin could see up to four and a half inches of rain. Down in the Eel and Mad basins, two to three and a half inches is predicted. The heaviest rainfall is expected to hit on Saturday. Next Tuesday and Wednesday are looking dry, but the Chetco and possibly the Smith, may see some rain on Thursday. Dry weather is on tap for Friday and Saturday, with the next system arriving on Sunday the 12th. The models are showing the rain will begin to taper off after this weekend’s rain, with larger breaks in between systems forecasted for the rest of March. ”

USCG Boating Class coming March 18
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering a one-day “Boating Safety” class on Saturday, March 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The class will be held at the Woodley Island Marina conference room and the cost is $20 per person. For more information and to pre-register, contact Maggy Herbelin at 707-445-2401.

Potter Valley Project Relicensing Public Meeting
Pacific Gas and Electric Company will be holding two public, stakeholder meetings on March 9, 2017, to discuss the initial required steps being taken to obtain a new FERC license for the Potter Valley Project, FERC Project No. 77 (Project), located in Mendocino and Lake Counties. To accommodate your availability, one meeting will be held in the afternoon and one in the evening. Meeting times are 1p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center, 200 S. School Street, Ukiah. The purpose of these meetings is to acquaint interested parties with FERC’s Integrated Licensing Process (ILP), including key milestones and opportunities for stakeholder participation. For additional information on the meetings or the Project, please contact Susan Kester, PG&E Relicensing Project Manager at (415) 973-7202.

The Rivers:
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“The Chetco has fished well since last Friday,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “During the first day of the Rowdy Creek derby, the upper section of the Chetco produced most of the fish. By Saturday the entire river fished well. Fishing continued to be good Monday and Tuesday, although a slide above the South Fork has dirtied up the water at times. The upper end of the river was fishable on Monday, while the only section not blown out on Tuesday was the lower end below Loeb. By midday, the entire river was muddy, although the South Fork area was clear by late afternoon. Another big storm expected this weekend looks like it will blow the river out again.

The Elk River was down to 4.2 feet on Monday and Tuesday, and it fished fairly well considering how crowded it was. The edges of the river have been clear, although the middle, as well as the deeper runs, is still nice and green. The Sixes should be in shape for a few days before this next storm arrives this weekend. These two rivers are really snaggy, so bring lots of leaders.”

Smith River
The Smith continues to kick out fresh, quality steelhead. Boats drifting the forks to Ruby are getting up to five hookups per trip. With rain back in the forecast starting Friday, the Smith will likely blow out on Saturday. It’s predicted to peak at just under 13-feet early Sunday morning. If the color holds, it could be plunkable on Sunday.

Eel River (main stem)
The main Eel is still big and brown, and not close to being fishable. As of Wednesday, flows on the Scotia gauge were roughly 11,500 cfs. With more rain on the way, it’s predicted to jump back to 27,000 cfs by Monday morning.

Eel River (South Fork)
As of Wednesday, the South Fork was hovering just under 2,500 cfs on the Miranda gauge and dropping. According to reports, the water is nice and green in the Leggett area, and starting to get that way below Benbow. It should be fishable around Redway on Thursday and Friday, but is forecasted to blow out again sometime Saturday morning.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen dipped under 2,000 cfs on Wednesday, but it’s still a little big and off-color. It may drop down to a fishable level by Friday, but that will be short-lived. It’s predicted to jump back to nearly 5,600 cfs starting early Saturday morning. A special note regarding the Fisher Rd. access: Fisher Road is closed to vehicles at the county railroad tracks until further notice. There is currently no access to the parking area or river due to the damage caused by high water. The road will be opened back up to the public once it’s deemed safe.

Mad River
The Mad remains high and off-color following the latest storms. It’s forecasted for a steep rise on Saturday, peaking at 11-feet on Sunday morning. According to Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors, the fishing pressure has been light. “The liners are catching a few older ones, there isn’t a lot of fresh fish around right now,” added Kelly.

Upper Trinity
The upper Trinity is in great shape and a nice shade of steelhead green reports Steve Huber of Steve Huber’s Guide Service. “The water flows are good up and down the river, with most of the boats concentrating from Lewiston to Douglas City. Conditions should be excellent this weekend to find some of the last wild steelhead of the season.” Huber 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

There’s hope on the horizon for North Coast steelhead anglers. Even though you’ll see off and on rain through the weekend and into Monday, an extended period of sunshine and warmth is expected to arrive early next week. The dry weather will hopefully stick around long enough to give us a shot at some of the other coastal rivers that have been blown out since early January. The South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Mad, and Redwood Creek should all have a chance at turning green before the rain returns, which is expected to be sometime around the middle of March. In the meantime, the Smith and Chetco are both receding quickly from the latest storms and will be in great shape this weekend. If you plan to fish either, keep in mind the Rowdy Creek Fish Hatchery Steelhead Derby is taking place Friday and Saturday. A total of 18 teams, consisting of 36 boats will be splitting time between the two rivers.

The weather ahead
“A series of weak systems are forecasted for the area through Monday, and then we’ll see an extended break in the rain,” said Reginald Kennedy of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “The Smith basin will see isolated rain and snow showers on Thursday, but we should be dry in Humboldt. Light showers are on tap for Friday and Saturday, where we can expect around a half-inch of rain over the two-day period. A stronger system is forecasted for Sunday, with the heaviest rainfall hitting Mendocino County. The Eel River should see a slight increase in flows. Up to a half-inch of rain is predicted for Del Norte and Humboldt may see a quarter. We’ll see some lingering showers on Monday, but Tuesday we’ll start to dry out. A warming trend will set in, and it’s possible we’ll stay dry through March 10.”

2017 Salmon Information Meeting
The Department of Fish and Wildlife is holding its Annual Ocean Salmon Information Meeting on March 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Sonoma County Water Agency office located at 404 Aviation Blvd. in Santa Rosa. A review of last year’s ocean salmon fisheries and spawning escapement will be presented, in addition to the outlook for this year’s sport and commercial ocean salmon fisheries. 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 California Department of Fish and Wildlife Environmental Scientist Kandice Morgenstern at (707) 576-2879 or visit the Department’s Ocean Salmon web page at www.wildlife.ca.gov/oceansalmon

IF4: International Fly Film Festival showing this Saturday as part of Humboldt Steelhead Days
As part of Humboldt Steelhead Days, the IF4: International Fly Film Festival comes to Humboldt on Saturday, February 25 at the Minor Theater in Arcata. The IF4 consists of short and feature length films produced by professional filmmakers from all corners of the globe, showcasing the passion, lifestyle and culture of fly fishing. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12 years old. For more information, visit http://www.flyfilmfest.com

Reminder to all Steelhead anglers: receive special hotel rates by calling the front desk of any participating HSD lodging sites for discounts. Just mention Humboldt Steelhead Days when booking. Visit their website for more info.

The Rivers:
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
The Chetco is high and muddy, but looks like it will fall into shape just in time for the Rowdy Creek Derby, which kicks off on Friday,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “It has been unfishable since last week. A couple of boats tried on Sunday but it was still a little too high and there weren’t any fish caught. The plunkers did catch some fish on Saturday at Loeb Park. The Elk was in great shape Saturday and Sunday, but blew out on Monday. It was up to 7 feet on Tuesday, but should be fishable by sometime Thursday. The Elk has been fishing pretty well, although heavy boat traffic has dropped the catch rates. The Sixes has been too high and off color to fish.”

Smith River
Water levels on the Smith continue to fluctuate wildly. The only thing that’s been consistent is the steelhead. Drift boats were back on the water over the weekend, with quite a few fish being caught on Saturday. The rain machine kicked back in on Sunday, and the catch rate went way down due to the rising water. The river was blown out on Monday and Tuesday, but dropped enough on Wednesday to get the plunkers back on the water. With very little rain in the forecast for the next few days, the Smith will be in great shape for the weekend.

Eel and Van Duzen Rivers
The main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, and the Van Duzen all remain high and unfishable. They are all currently receding, but Sunday’s storm, which will bring heavier rain amounts to Mendocino, will put them back on a slight rise. Dry weather is in the forecast after Monday, so the Van Duzen and South Fork Eel could be down to fishable levels by next weekend. Slides however, could keep both off-color.

Mad River
With the river high and muddy, there’s been very little fishing pressure this week reports Justin Kelly of Eureka’s Redwood Marine “I haven’t heard of any fish being caught, I don’t think there’s many around right now. The river will take a couple weeks with no rain to even have a chance of turning green,” 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

 

Still reeling from four years of drought and less than ideal ocean and river conditions, it’s no surprise that the number of returning Fall Chinook to the Klamath Basin in 2016 were the lowest on record. According to the CDFW, the 2016 preliminary postseason river run size estimate for Klamath River Fall Chinook was 27,353 adults compared to the preseason-predicted river run size of 54,000. Only 15,818 adults escaped to natural spawning areas, which was well below the 40,700 adults needed for the conservation objective. While this is the lowest return since 1978, it’s also worth noting that the creel surveys and counts were hampered by storms that began in early Oct.

The estimated hatchery return was 3,578 adults. Jack returns to the Klamath Basin totaled 2,786 including 1,894 that escaped to natural spawning areas. Spawning escapement to the upper Klamath River tributaries (Salmon, Scott, and Shasta Rivers), totaled 5,462 adults. The Shasta River has historically been the most important Chinook salmon spawning stream in the upper Klamath River, supporting a spawning escapement of 27,600 adults as recently as 2012 and 63,700 in 1935. The escapement in 2016 to the Shasta River was 2,889 adults. Escapement to the Salmon and Scott Rivers was 1,058 and 1,515 adults, respectively.

Next up is the annual Ocean Salmon Information meeting, which will be held March 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Sonoma County Water Agency office located at 404 Aviation Blvd. in Santa Rosa. Ocean abundance will be discussed, which will then trickle down to river quotas. For more information on the meeting, please contact CDFW Environmental Scientist Kandice Morgenstern at 707-576-2879 or visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/oceansalmon

The weather ahead
“After a nice little break from the rain, we’re once again heading into a wet pattern,” said Reginald Kennedy of Eureka’s National Weather Service. ”Precipitation is in the forecast for Thursday, where we could see up to an inch of rain throughout the day and evening. A system coming up from the south will bring unstable and cooler air on Friday and Saturday, but not much in the way or rain. We may see only a quarter inch. Light rain on Sunday will be followed by heavier rain in the evening. We’ll see anywhere from a half to an inch and half during the night. Monday looks to be the wettest day, where we could see up to three inches of rain. Lingering showers will persist on Tuesday and Wednesday, but not much will accumulate. As of now, Thursday and Friday are both looking dry.”

Sport-harvested bivalve shellfish not safe for consumption
In a press release issued on Monday, The California Department of Public Health is advising consumers not to eat recreationally harvested mussels, clams or whole scallops from Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. Dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins have been detected in mussels from this region. The naturally occurring PSP toxins can cause illness or death in humans. Cooking does not destroy the toxin. Consumers are also reminded to avoid consumption of crab viscera from crabs caught in the affected area as crabs do consume bivalve shellfish and could accumulate some of the PSP toxin in their gut. Crab meat is not affected by PSP toxin. There have been no reports of illnesses related to this event. For additional information, please visit http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR17-022.aspx

The Rivers:
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“The Chetco fished surprisingly well on Monday, even though it was running at 6,000 cfs,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “I was set to go to the Elk, but heard the plunkers did well over the weekend on the Chetco, so we launched at the South Fork and had 10 hookups on Monday. A slide overnight, however, made the Chetco unfishable on Tuesday. The water was the dirtiest it’s been all season. The slide is somewhere above the South Fork, and as of Tuesday night the river was still too dirty to fish, even though it was down to 3,900 cfs. With more rain, it looks like the Chetco will be too high to fish through the weekend.

The Elk fished well Sunday and Monday, while the Sixes was fair on Tuesday. Most boats had multiple fish on the Elk on Sunday, when it got down to 5.2 feet. On Monday it was down to 4.5 and fished well. The Sixes was in shape Tuesday, but most boats go only one fish.”

Smith River
The Smith dropped back into driftable shape on Sunday, and boats are catching good numbers of big and bright steelhead. Scores ranged from one to four fish per boat, with some real big ones in the mix. As of Wednesday, flows were just above 6,000 cfs at the Jed Smith gauge and the color a perfect emerald green. The forecast is calling for off and on heavy rain starting Wednesday night and into Thursday, pushing the height up to 16-feet by mid-day Thursday. It might be a little high to side-drift on Friday, but the weekend and Monday are looking good.

Eel and Van Duzen rivers
Much like last week, the main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, and the Van Duzen were all on the drop this week. But with the rain returning on Wednesday and Thursday, all are forecasted to be back on the rise. With the storm door open, it’s doubtful any of these rivers will turn green before the end of next week.

Mad River
The Mad was roughly 10-feet as of Wednesday and still off color. According to Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors, the river is dropping quickly, but is forecasted to rise starting Thursday morning. “There hasn’t been many fish around; the liners haven’t been doing very well. Hopefully this next rise will bring in some new fish,” added Kelly.

Upper Trinity
“The upper Trinity has dropped back into shape,” said Steve Huber of Steve Huber’s Guide Service. “Water levels are a little high right now, but the color is good. As of Wednesday, the river was fishable from Lewiston down to the North Fork. If the rain comes as forecasted, it will push everybody back to Lewiston to Indian Creek Lodge. The fishing pressure has been light, which is to be expected with Hwy. 299 still closed and the issues with the Feather River.”

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

Following another week of heavy rain and soaring river levels, green water is finally on the horizon for two of the quick-clearing coastal rivers. Sunshine is in the forecast for the weekend, and Monday and Tuesday are looking dry as well. For steelhead anglers, this means both the Smith and Chetco will be on the drop and heading towards greener waters. Boats should be back to side-drifting Sunday on the Smith, and possibly by Monday on the Chetco. For the rest of the coastal rivers, no such luck. They’ll remain high and muddy and won’t clear before the next round of storms roll through starting next Wednesday. As it’s been the case all year, expect a crowd if you plan to fish either of these rivers once they turn green.
The weather ahead
“Precipitation will be with us through Friday, but we’ll finally see a few nice days beginning this weekend,” said Ryan Aylward of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “We’ll likely see anywhere from three to five inches fall between Wednesday and Thursday, with the heaviest rain falling Thursday morning. Showers are in the forecast for Friday, with possibly an inch falling in Del Norte and a half-inch in Eureka. A high pressure will build, keeping us dry from Saturday through Monday. We may see a slight shower on Tuesday, with rain returning on Wednesday as we head into another wet pattern. Several systems are forecasted to hit the North Coast through the following weekend.”

HSD Peak of the Run dinner this Saturday
The Sequoia Conference Center in Eureka will be hosting the Humboldt Steelhead Days “Peak of the Run” dinner starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday Feb. 11. Over 250 guests are invited to watch presentations from anglers and river experts concerning Humboldt Steelhead. There will be a silent auction, raffles, prizes, steelhead photo slideshow, fine art show, Mad River beer on tap, plus wine donated by Moonstone Crossing and the Fish Friendly Farming Organization. A tri-tip dinner will be catered by Blackberry Bramble BBQ. Tickets are available at humboldtsteelheaddays.com/register, Wildberries Marketplace, or at the door.

2017 rockfish regulations approved
The state’s 2017 recreational groundfish fishing regulations became effective as of Feb. 7 following the California Fish and Game Commission adoption back in December.
For the first time in more than a decade, anglers will be allowed to retain canary rockfish beginning in 2017. After being declared overfished in 2000, the population has been rebuilt to healthy levels quicker than anticipated based on a combination of conservation efforts and restrictive management.

Additional changes include:
A new sub-bag limit of one canary rockfish within the 10-fish Rockfish, Cabezon and Greenling Complex bag limit; a decrease in the sub-bag limit of black rockfish from five to three within the 10-fish RCG Complex bag limit; elimination of the sub-bag limit of bocaccio within the 10-fish RCG Complex bag limit; a decrease in the lingcod bag limit from three to two fish; allowance of petrale sole and starry flounder to be retained year- round at all depths.

Within the Northern Management Zone, which runs from the Oregon border to Cape Mendocino, the season for boat-based anglers will now run from May 1 through Oct. 31 within 180 feet and Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 with no depth restrictions. For more information about recreational groundfish regulations, please call the hotline at 831-649-2801 or visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/groundfish

The Rivers:
Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“The Chetco was fishing fair last week before the big rain started on Friday”, said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Now it looks like it will be blown out until early next week. We should see good numbers of hatchery and wild fish when it comes back into shape, although there were some down runners already being caught before the river blew out. The Elk and Sixes, along with the Rogue, are also blown out and will be for several days. Fishing was good late last week on the Rogue before the rain.”

Smith River
The Smith has been bouncing back and forth between 14 and 19 feet on the Jed Smith gauge since last weekend. It was back on the rise as of early Wednesday, and predicted to reach nearly 25 feet by midday Thursday. With very light rain forecasted for Friday, it will drop quickly and should be under 13 feet and driftable by Sunday. Earlier this week, boats plunking between Ruby and the water tower were picking up a few steelhead while the flows were receding.

Eel and Van Duzen Rivers
The main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, and the Van Duzen were all on the drop as of Wednesday. That’s the good news. Bad news is they are all forecasted for steep rises on Thursday, with the main Eel and Van Duzen both predicted to surpass flood stage. The South Fork Eel is supposed to hit monitor stage Thursday evening. It’s doubtful any of these rivers will fish prior to the next round of storms, especially the main Eel.

Mad River
According to Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors, the liners did pretty well this past weekend. “From what I heard, it was probably the best fishing so far this season. I also heard there’s quite a few fish in the ladder. The next storm coming will likely push the water level past monitor stage on Thursday, but it looks like it will drop quickly. Liners should be able to get back on the water by Sunday,” 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

I know we need the rain, but “C’Mon Man!” It’s getting a little discouraging, especially for steelhead anglers hoping to fish somewhere other than the Smith or Chetco. Since early January, each time the Humboldt rivers started to turn green, another round of storms blew through and turned them all back to brown. Redwood Creek, the Mad, Van Duzen, and South Fork Eel — all were headed towards emerald green this week. But now with rain in the forecast for at least the next week, we’ll be right back to square one. The Smith and Chetco on the other hand, will welcome the rain as both were dropping and clearing. For the foreseeable future, it appears those two rivers will remain the only options for coastal steelhead fishermen.

The weather ahead
“After a nice break from the rain, our weather pattern is changing back to a wet one,” said Reginald Kennedy of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “A series of frontal systems are moving in beginning Wednesday night, bringing rain for the next seven days. On Thursday and Friday, we could see anywhere from one and a half to three and a half inches of rain in the Smith and Eel basins. Light rain is forecasted for Saturday, with heavier rain in store for Sunday, with up to two inches falling. More light rain is forecasted for Monday, with up to an inch predicted to hit the ground. Tuesday and Wednesday are looking wet, with another one to three inches falling over the two-day period.”

Razor Clam fishery remains closed in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties
Due to lingering high levels of domoic acid, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has acted to extend the closure of the recreational razor clam fishery in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. According to the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the California Department of Public Health, the fishery will remain closed until the health agencies determine clams to be safe and recommend reopening the fishery.

State health agencies determined last spring that razor clams in Humboldt and Del Norte counties had unhealthy levels of domoic acid and recommended fishery closure in April 2016. The California Fish and Game Commission closed the fishery under emergency rules from April to October 2016 and extended the closure to Jan. 26, 2017. For more info, visit https://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/recreational-razor-clam-fishery-closure-in-humboldt-and-del-norte-counties-extended-due-to-ongoing-public-health-concerns

Halibut Commission announces 2017 catch limits and seasons
The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) completed its Ninety-third annual meeting in Victoria, BC, Canada on January 27, 2017.  More than 200 halibut industry stakeholders attended the meeting, with over 80 more participating in web broadcasts of the public sessions. The Commission is recommending to the governments of Canada and the U.S. catch limits for 2017 totaling 31.40 million pounds. The California sport harvest will be 34,580 pounds, up from 29,640 pounds in 2016. For more info, visit http://www.iphc.int/news-releases/491-nr2017-01.html

Fish and Game Commission meeting next week
California Fish and Game Commission meeting will be held Feb 8-9 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Sonoma Wine Country, One DoubleTree Drive, Rohnert Park. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 8 and 8 a.m. on Feb. 9. To view the meeting agenda, visit http://www.fgc.ca.gov/meetings/2017/Feb/02080917agd.pdf. Topics include recommendations concerning the Klamath River Basin salmon sport fishing regulations, recreational ocean salmon fishing regulations, and Pacific halibut regulations.

The Rivers:
Chetco River
“Fishing was really good at the end of last week on the Chetco before things slowed down over the weekend,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “I think the heavy pressure had something to do with the bite slowing down. It seemed to be hit and miss on Monday and Tuesday. My customers only hooked two on Monday, and then hooked five on Tuesday. The river is getting low, but still has great color on the lower end. The fish have been spread out, so there hasn’t been a need to race down river.”

Smith River
The Smith has dropped and cleared, creating tougher conditions this week for steelhead anglers. The fishing has dropped off from last week, but most boats are still landing a couple fish per trip. If the rain comes as planned, the Smith will see a significant rise beginning Friday morning. Rain is in the forecast for all of next week, so we’ll have to see if the river will drop back down to a driftable level in between storms.

Eel River (main stem)
The Main stem was still off color and big as of Wednesday, and it’s set to get even bigger with more rain on the way. “We were about four to five days away from the river starting to turn,” said Paul Grundman of Grundman’s Sporting Goods in Rio Dell.

Eel River (South Fork)
The South Fork dropped into fishable shape and was running around 1,800 cfs on the Miranda gauge as of Wednesday. It’s predicted to blow out again sometime Thursday with the latest rounds of storms.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen dropped to a fishable level earlier in the week. It was hovering around 850 cfs on Wednesday, but is predicted to rise beginning Thursday morning.

Mad River
According to Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors, fishing has improved, but it’s still not red-hot by any means. “There was about a foot of visibility on Wednesday, and the liners were doing just ok. A few were also being caught on bait above the Blue Lake Bridge. With the rains coming again, we’ll be back to muddy conditions by Friday,” Kelly added.

Humboldt Steelhead Days
The HSD crew will be pouring wine at the Arts Alive! in Old Town Eureka this Saturday night showing off steelhead-inspired paintings, prints, sculptures, wood-working and other media. Local artists from the group known as the Ink People created more than 20 pieces of art to be auctioned off during the ‘Peak of the Run’ Steelhead fundraising dinner on Sat., Feb. 11 in Eureka. You can view all the artwork up for auction at Just My Type Letterpress gallery and storefront on 3rd street this Saturday starting at 6pm.

Next weekend will be the kick off to all the HSD designated watershed and river clean ups being produced by the HSD Crew and the Pacific Outfitters Green Team. Every Saturday from 9am to 10am, a group of volunteers and anglers will spend one hour cleaning up trash near the three watersheds that area designated for the HSD fishing contest. Check out Humboldt Steelhead Days on Facebook and look at all their EVENT pages for more details.

Mad River cleanup
Mad River Clean Up: Saturday, February 11 at 9am.
From Hwy 101 take Hwy 299 East to exit 2 then look for the yellow PacOut Green Team signs. We will meet at 8:45 am, start the cleanup at 9am and we’re done at 10am and off to enjoy the rest of the day!

The PacOut Green Team will meet along the Mad River and a dedicated group of volunteers and river advocates will spend an hour cleaning up trash on the Mad River. Once the clean up is over, everyone will take a group photo that will be posted to the Humboldt Steelhead Days Facebook page. Anyone can participate and volunteer.

ALL HUMBOLDT STEELHEAD DAYS Clean Up Dates: Dates may change due to weather.
• Sat., Feb. 11: Mad River Clean Up, sponsored by Salty’s Supply Co., Bait, Tackle and Surf
• Sat., Feb., 18: Eel River Clean Up, sponsored by Trim Scene
• Sat, Feb., 25: Trinity River Clean Up sponsored by Royal Gold
For more information, contact Tim Haywood at thaywood@pacificoutfitters.com or (707) 296-4375. Or visit http://pacoutgreenteam.org

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

After what seems like a couple months of solid rain, things are finally looking up for North Coast steelhead anglers. Not only are the Smith and Chetco in pristine condition following the latest round of storms, but the rest of the coastal rivers are dropping quickly as well. The South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, and the Mad could all be some shade of green as early as the weekend. If you’re looking to land your first steelhead of the year, you’ll want to take advantage of this break in the weather because it’s looking like it may be short-lived. Rain is back in the forecast for next Wednesday and Thursday, which could potentially put the Humboldt rivers right back at square one.

The weather ahead
“Expect another five or six days of dry weather along the coast,” said Reginald Kennedy of Eureka’s National Weather Service. “It’s looking dry through next Tuesday, with the next rain event moving in on Wednesday and Thursday. We could see anywhere from two to four inches of rain over those two days. As of now, Friday and Saturday are looking dry, with another front moving in next Sunday.”

Humboldt Steelhead Days weekend events
In conjunction with Humboldt Steelhead Days, there will be an all day tour of the Van Duzen watershed, a 420 square mile tributary to the Eel River this Saturday Jan. 28. The tour will view three to four restoration and watershed management sites and have in-the-field presentations from resource experts Scott Downie, and Randy Klein, who will discuss the sediment and fish dynamics of the lowest reaches of the Van Duzen; Keith Lackey with Humboldt Redwood Co. presents a restoration success story on Lawrence Creek; and Eric Stockwell with Loleta Eric Guide Service will lead the group in hunting for spawning evidence or live action. The event begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 5:30 p.m. at the Eel River Brewery. Participants will be shuttled to tour stops in the Pacific Outfitters van. Space is limited and the cost is $55. More info at http://www.humboldtsteelheaddays.com/event/caltrout-eel-river-restoration-and-south-fork-of-the-eel-spawning-tour-for-board/

HASA membership meeting coming in February
HASA (Humboldt Area Saltwater Anglers) will be having their general membership meeting on Thursday, February 9, 2017 at 7 p.m. at the Grace Baptist Church, 220 Buhne Street, Eureka. For more information, email hasa6191@gmail.com or call 707-845-0101.

Humboldt Bay Entrance Safety Zone established
In a press release issued last week, the Coast Guard established a safety zone in the navigable waters of the Humboldt Bay Entrance Channel to promote the navigational safety of all vessels near Humboldt Bay, when extreme environmental conditions are present. The safety zone will run through March 31, 2017. The safety zone prohibits vessels from transiting the Humboldt Bay Entrance Channel as a result of extreme environmental conditions.

During times of extreme environmental conditions the temporary safety zone applies to the navigable waters of the Humboldt Bay Bar Channel and the Humboldt Bay Entrance Channel, of Humboldt Bay. This safety zone is effective from the time of promulgation through March 31, 2017; this safety zone will be enforced when on-scene conditions reach 20 feet breaking seas or as the Captain of the Port determines that the on scene environmental conditions are hazardous and unsafe for vessel transits, as announced via Broadcast Notice to Mariners. During times of enforcement, all vessels are prohibited from transiting through or remaining in the safety zone.

Any vessel requesting permission to transit the safety zone during times of enforcement shall contact Station Humboldt Bay on VHF-FM channel 16 or at 707- 443-2213 between 6:30 a.m. and 10 p.m., or to Sector Humboldt Bay on VHF-FM channel 16 or at 707-839-6113 between 10 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. For more information on boating safety and required and recommended safety equipment, please visit www.uscgboating.org. For more information on weather conditions, please visit www.weather.gov.

The Rivers Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“The plunkers got into some steelhead on Monday and Tuesday as there were some pretty good numbers of fish going through Social Security Bar,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Boats were back on the water Wednesday as the river dropped to 4,700 cfs. We launched at the South Fork and even though the water looked great up there, we didn’t land a fish until Ice Box. We went 3 for 4 between Ice Box and Loeb. With the clear forecast, the Chetco should be in prime shape through the weekend. With warmer temperatures, this will be the best conditions so far this season.

Several boats went up to the Elk on Tuesday and did well according to Martin. “Guide Mark Papazian went two for four, and he was behind 10 boats all day. The Elk should fish well until the weekend, when it will start to get clear, but the Sixes should be prime by the weekend. Late January is peak season on both rivers.”

Smith River
The Smith has fished great since Monday, with boats landing four to six chrome-bright steelhead per outing. The river is dropping slowly, and is in great shape and should stay that way through the weekend. The boat pressure eased somewhat now that the Chetco has dropped into shape, but expect a pretty crowded river this weekend.

Main stem Eel
Running at nearly 30,000 cfs on Wednesday, it needed a couple more weeks of dry weather to drop and clear. With rain in the forecast next week, it could be out for a few more weeks.

South Fork Eel
The middle South Fork could be fishable by Monday and possibly even Sunday. Forecasted to be right around 2,200 cfs on the Miranda gauge on Monday morning. The Benbow area could fish by the beginning of the weekend, depending on snowmelt.

Van Duzen
Flowing at just over 1,500 cfs on Wednesday, it’s predicted to drop to 1,000 cfs by Saturday afternoon. 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.

Mad River
According to Justin Kelly of RMI Outdoors, the Mad is dropping quickly and should start to turn green early next week. “From what I’m hearing, the fishing is pretty slow right now, only a few fish are being caught daily. It should start to pick up as the flows recede. It’s been tough even for the liners, but that should change this weekend. It looks like early next week we’ll see some green water.” Kelly added.

Trinity
The upper Trinity is dropping back into shape, but it still has a little color reports Steve Huber of Steve Huber’s Guide Service. He said, “It will definitely fish above Indian Creek by the weekend. There’s a chance the Junction City area could also be in by the weekend, but it will likely by pushy. Prior to the last storm, there was a pretty good batch of new fish in the Junction City area. Most of them were wild and in the five to six pound range. With the water height and color, plugs were the go-to bait.”

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