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It’s looking like we’re finally getting a break in the rain – for at least a week. But will it be enough to bring other rivers other than the Smith and Chetco into play? That is the million-dollar question. As of Thursday, all of the coastal rivers are beginning to drop and are forecast to continue the downward trend through at least mid-next week. There is a chance of another storm hitting the coast on Friday, which would be bad for anglers looking to fish some of the smaller coastal rivers. As it looks now, by Wednesday of next week the South Fork Eel, Van Duzen and Mad could all come into play. They may still be on the high side, but the color should be coming around. If the forecast is correct, it will likely be a very short window.

The weather ahead
After a seemingly never-ending stream of storms, the North Coast will finally begin to see some dryer weather. According to Kathleen Zontos of Eureka’s National Weather Service office, a high-pressure system will begin to build on the West Coast that should keep us mostly dry through the weekend and into next week. “The only real chance of rain will be up north in the Smith basin, where up to a quarter inch could fall Sunday into Monday,” said Zontos. “It shouldn’t be enough to raise any river levels, however. After that we’re looking mostly dry through at least Thursday, with next chance of rain possibly Friday.”

CDFW looks for input on distribution of low-flow information
In a press release issued in early Jan., CDFW is inviting anglers to provide input on the proposed fishing regulation change that would affect how CDFW distributes low-flow information. CDFW is seeking to simplify and streamline access to low-flow information by transitioning the three low-flow phone lines to a CDFW webpage. This regulation will not impact where or when low-flow closures occur. The questionnaire will take approximately 3 to 5 minutes to complete. Questionnaire results will be used to 1) evaluate support and opposition to the regulation change, and 2) identify potential resources that may benefit constituents. The questionnaire is available until February 18 at 11:59 p.m. The questionnaire can be found at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/Low-flow-Restrictions

The Rivers:
As of Thursday morning, all North Coast rivers subjected to low-flow fishing closures were open to fishing. This includes the main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Mad, Redwood Creek and Smith rivers. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. More information can be found here.

Mad
The Mad peaked at 13 feet (8,300 cfs) Monday morning and is dropping quickly. As of Thursday, it was under 11 feet. It’s predicted to drop through the weekend and could be down near 8 feet by mid-next week. There could be a short window late next week for some green water. The river fishes best between 7 and 8 feet.

Main stem Eel
The main stem is dropping, but is still big and muddy flowing at 30,000 cfs Thursday. With no rain in the immediate forecast, it will continue to drop through next week but it doesn’t look like it will be down to a fishable level before the next storm. It will start to fish once it gets below 5,000 cfs.

South Fork Eel
The South Fork dipped under 7,000 cfs at Miranda Thursday, and will continue to drop for the next week. It’s looking like it may be fishable by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week as flows are predicted to be down to 2,200 cfs by Tuesday. The window of opportunity may be short as rain is predicted beginning Friday.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen fell below 2,000 cfs Thursday after reaching 7,000 cfs Monday. It’s forecast to drop through the weekend and into next week. Flows are predicted to be under 1,000 cfs early Tuesday and there may be a window on Wednesday and Thursday. Rain is once again in the forecast for Friday.

Smith River
As of Thursday, the Smith remained at over 10 feet on the Jed Smith gauge and was in great shape. As it continues to drop through the weekend and into next week, fishing will get tougher with the clearing water. Fishing was slow last weekend and earlier this week, but there has been some fish caught. Boat pressure has decreased as a lot of guides have moved over to the Chetco.

Southern Oregon rivers
“Steelhead fishing has improved slightly on the Chetco with dropping flows, but was still in the slow side the first half of this week,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Conditions are nearing prime levels, which should lead to better catch rates by the weekend. Further north, steelhead fishing has busted wide-open on the Umpqua, and is decent on the smaller rivers in Coos and Curry counties. Plunkers also reported good catches on the lower Rogue early this week.”

Brookings ocean update
Ocean conditions are expected to be calm Friday and Saturday, allowing boaters to get out of Brookings to catch lingcod and rockfish according to Martin. “Crabbing has been slow. Expect good lingcod fishing in shallow water this time of year. The limit remains five rockfish and two lingcod on the Oregon Coast.”

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

Another atmospheric river has come and gone along the North Coast, sending a few rivers back to nearly monitor stage. To put it bluntly, for rivers other than the Smith, we’re back to swollen, muddy rivers – or square one. For the time being, the Smith will remain the only option if you’re looking for green water. If the forecast holds, boats should be back to drifting by Saturday, with conditions looking good through at least mid-next week. That’s shaping up to be the longest fishable stretch this season. The other local rivers won’t fair nearly as well. The next round of rain is slated for Sunday into Monday, with the heaviest amounts of precipitation falling in Humboldt and into Mendo and Lake counties. So, any hopes of fishing the main Eel, SF Eel, or Van Duzen will be on hold once again.

These extremely wet winters may not bring much joy to steelhead anglers, but they’re a blessing for the fish. The extra water will go a long way in helping the steelhead reach their spawning grounds and also provide a helping hand for the juvenile salmonids as they begin their journey down to the saltwater.

Weather ahead
Following quite a bit of rain on Wednesday, that put all the coastal rivers back on the rise, we’ll start to see the rivers begin to recede some time Thursday. According to James White of Eureka’s National Weather Service office, a little more rain is in the forecast for Friday and Saturday, but it will be spotty. “We’re looking at a half-inch at the most, and the rivers should continue to drop,” said White. “The next system arrives Sunday and will stick around through Monday. The heaviest amounts of rain will be to our south in Lake and Mendocino counties, but the Eel could see from 1 to 1.5 inches in the 48-hour period. This will be a colder system too; we’re expecting snow down to 2,500 feet. As of now, Tuesday and Wednesday are looking mostly dry, but there’s a chance for another system late next week.”

CDFW looks for input on distribution of low-flow information
In a press release issued in early Jan., CDFW is inviting anglers to provide input on the proposed fishing regulation change that would affect how CDFW distributes low-flow information. CDFW is seeking to simplify and streamline access to low-flow information by transitioning the three low-flow phone lines to a CDFW webpage. This regulation will not impact where or when low-flow closures occur. The questionnaire will take approximately 3 to 5 minutes to complete. Questionnaire results will be used to 1) evaluate support and opposition to the regulation change, and 2) identify potential resources that may benefit constituents. The questionnaire is available until February 18 at 11:59 p.m. The questionnaire can be found at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/Low-flow-Restrictions

The Rivers:
As of Thursday morning, all North Coast rivers subjected to low-flow fishing closures were open to fishing. This includes the main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Mad, Redwood Creek and Smith rivers. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. More information can be found here.

Mad
The Mad peaked at 14 feet (9,845 cfs) early Thursday morning, and is high and muddy. It’s predicted to drop through the weekend, with the next small rise forecast for Sunday night where it will go back up to over 11 feet. The river fishes best between 7 and 8 feet and it will take at least a week of dry weather to get there.

Main stem Eel
The main stem was flowing at roughly 74,00,000 cfs at Scotia Thursday and was just starting to peak around noon. It’s predicted to drop through Sunday, before the next, smaller rise hits Monday. Will need a couple weeks of dry weather before it’s green. It will start to fish once it gets below 5,000 cfs.

South Fork Eel
The South Fork was oh so close to being fishable in the Garberville area before the storm hit on Wednesday. Flows were down to 2,400 cfs at Miranda and the color was coming around. All that is history now as flows went up and over 19,000 cfs early Thursday morning. With more rain in the forecast for early next week, it will likely be high and off color all week.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen peaked at nearly 11,000 cfs Wednesday evening and is back on the drop. Flows are predicted to get down to 2,000 cfs by the end of the weekend, but it will be headed back up with the rain starting Sunday. It will need at least a week of dry weather before it’s fishable.

Smith River
The Smith continues to be the lone bright spot, as well as fishable river, on the North Coast. The flows have been up and down all season, never giving boats more than a couple days in a row of drifting. That looks like it will change this weekend. The river will be on the drop starting Saturday, and it looks like conditions are lining up for a few decent days of drifting, at least through mid-week. This is good news as when the conditions have been right, the fishing has been excellent. Boats making the drift from the forks down did really well Tuesday, with most landing a few fresh steelhead each.

Chetco/Elk/Sixes
After a dismal start to the steelhead season on the Chetco – with high, unfishable water for most of January, flows are expected to drop to low enough levels for side-drifting according to Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Plunkers have been catching steelhead, but drift boaters have had very few days with decent flows,” said Martin. “Anything below 4,000 cfs is generally fishable for side-drifters on the Chetco. Another round of flows topping 15,000 cfs are expected this week before a quick drop through the weekend. The Elk, Sixes and Rogue also have been high and off-colored. A few drift boats hit the Elk on Tuesday, but fishing was slow, in part because of a heavy surf at the mouth. The rivers are expected to fish by the end of the weekend.”

Brookings ocean report
According to Martin, rough weather has kept ocean anglers at the docks the past week out of Brookings. “Big surf will also make surfperch fishing tough through the weekend.”

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

More of the same – I think that best sums up another week of rain and muddy rivers on the North Coast. And it doesn’t appear any changes are coming soon. Another potential gully washer is forecast for the weekend, dropping upwards of 3.5 inches of rain in the Smith River basin. That will likely curtail any hopes of drifting, or possibly plunking, through Sunday on the Smith. Looking at the river level projections, Monday and Tuesday are shaping up nicely, but another Atmospheric River is poised to hit land mid-week. That same scenario has played out since the beginning of January, providing just a handful of fishable days on the Smith. The other coastal rivers haven’t gotten a sniff of green water for weeks, and will have likely gone the entire month being unfishable.

Weather outlook
According to Matthew Kidwell of Eureka’s National Weather Service office, Thursday is looking dry, but more rain is on the way. “The next system arrives late Thursday evening or early Friday morning and will stick around through Saturday before it tapers off in the evening,” said Kidwell. “The largest rainfall totals will be in Del Norte, where between 2.5 to 4.5 inches are expected. In the Humboldt area, we could see 1 to 3 inches. Sunday is looking dry, and not much is forecast for Monday. The next system, however, will be a fairly wet one. The timing is a little uncertain as of now as some models have the system hitting land on Tuesday mid-day and others are showing Wednesday. While the confidence in the timing is unsure, we are confident that it will be a fairly wet rain event from Del Norte to Mendocino.”

CDFW looks for input on low-flow regulation change
In a press release issued in early Jan., CDFW is inviting anglers to provide input on the proposed fishing regulation change that would affect how CDFW distributes low-flow information. CDFW is seeking to simplify and streamline access to low-flow information by transitioning the three low-flow phone lines to a CDFW webpage. This regulation will not impact where or when low-flow closures occur. The questionnaire will take approximately 3 to 5 minutes to complete. Questionnaire results will be used to 1) evaluate support and opposition to the regulation change, and 2) identify potential resources that may benefit constituents. The questionnaire is available until February 18 at 11:59 p.m. The questionnaire can be found at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/Low-flow-Restrictions

Eel River steelhead returns
Over the past week, January 15 – 21, 16 adult steelhead (female 8, male 6, unknown 2) and two (2) subadult steelhead were observed moving upstream through the VAFS fishway according to Andrew Anderson, an Aquatic Biologist with PG&E. The season total for adult steelhead now stands at 61 (female 30, male 19, unknown 12). The season total for subadult steelhead stands at 14.

No Chinook salmon were observed over the same period; the season total for upstream migrating Chinook salmon stands at 255 (female 73, male 72, unknown 21, jack 89). For more information, visit www.eelriver.org/the-eel-river/fish-count/.

The Rivers:
As of Thursday morning, all North Coast rivers subjected to low-flow fishing closures were open to fishing. This includes the main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Mad, Redwood Creek and Smith rivers. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. More information can be found here.

Mad
The Mad was hovering around 11.5 feet on Thursday, and remains high and muddy. Rain forecasted for the weekend will keep the river off color and jumping between 11 and 12 feet. It’s predicted to drop Sunday through Tuesday, but more rain is in the forecast by mid-week. The river fishes best between 7 and 8 feet and it will take at least a week of dry weather to get there. For current river conditions, visit https://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/madStages.html

Main stem Eel
The main stem was rising slightly Thursday, flowing at roughly 31,000 cfs at Scotia. It’s predicted for a small rise Sunday before it goes back on the drop. Projections have it down to 16,500 cfs by Tuesday morning, but next week’s rain will likely put it right back to square one. Will need a couple weeks of dry weather before it’s green. For current river conditions, visit https://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/eelStages.html

South Fork Eel
The South Fork is forecast to drop through Friday, but won’t get down to a fishable level prior to the rain coming this weekend. As of Thursday, it’s predicted to be down to 3,400 cfs at Miranda by Tuesday. If the rain comes as predicted mid-week, it will be back to high and muddy. For current river conditions, visit https://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/eelStages.html

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen will be above 2,000 cfs through the weekend, and is still high and off color. It’s predicted to drop to 1,400 cfs by Tuesday morning, but next week’s rain will likely put it back on the rise. For current river conditions, visit https://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/eelStages.html

Smith River
The Smith continues to teeter between driftable and plunkable flows, with the occasional blowout. Conditions were good last Friday and Saturday, and plenty of fish were caught by boats drifting from the forks to Ruby. It blew out again Sunday, but was back in decent shape by Tuesday, and the plunkers landed a few. Rain is back in the forecast for Friday, which is forecast to push flows over 15 feet (22,600 cfs) at the Jed Smith gauge by Saturday night. Conditions are looking good for Monday and Tuesday, but more rain is expected mid-week. When conditions have been right, the fishing has been pretty good. For current river conditions, visit https://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/smithStages.html

Chetco
The Chetco has been high and muddy all week reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “A few steelhead are being caught by guides during brief windows of dropping flows on the Upper Chetco, while plunkers are picking away at steelhead in the lower river, especially Loeb Park and Social Security Bar,” said Martin. “Another steep rise is expected this weekend, as January ends how it began, with high, off-colored water.”

Brookings ocean update
According to Martin, the ocean was calm enough for boats to get out of the Port of Brookings Tuesday, allowing Brookings Fishing Charters to run its first trip of the year. “Limits of lingcod and rockfish in shallow water, but the best fishing is north of Brookings, near House Rock, as muddy water from the Chetco has made fishing slow closer to the harbor. Lingcod and rockfish are open year-round in the Oregon Coast. A few surfperch are now being caught at Lone Ranch and near Gold Beach.”

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

If you’re looking to or have been chasing winter steelhead on the North Coast, chances are high it’s been on the Smith, or will be. With all the rain we’ve had, it’s really been the only option for the past couple weeks. And it looks like that will continue to be the case. More rain is in the forecast at least through next Tuesday morning, which will keep all other coastal rivers, including the Chetco, at levels and colors that aren’t fit to drift. The timing is unfortunate too. The Smith and Chetco both saw good pushes of fish enter the river earlier this week as plunkers did well on both rivers. So as the rain continues to pile on, it will be a Smith show for the foreseeable future.

Weather outlook
According to Doug Boushey of Eureka’s National Weather Service office, we’re looking at quite a bit of rain falling on the North Coast between Friday and Tuesday morning. “Thursday is looking mostly dry, but light rain is predicted for the Smith basin,” said Boushey. “On Friday, we’re looking at up to a half inch in the Smith area and a half to an inch in the Eel basin. Another inch is forecast for Saturday on the Smith and up to an inch and a half down on the Eel. Sunday and Monday are looking wet as well, with the chance for a couple inches or rain each day.”

The Rivers
As of Thursday morning, all North Coast rivers subjected to low-flow fishing closures were open to fishing. This includes the main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Mad, Redwood Creek and Smith rivers. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. More information can be found here.

Mad
After reaching historical heights last Saturday, the Mad has been dropping quickly, but is not close to turning green. More rain is forecast for the weekend, pushing flows back up to monitor level (15 feet) by Monday afternoon. The river fishes best between 7 and 8 feet and it will take at least a week of dry weather to get there.

Main stem Eel
The main stem is dropping, but is still big and muddy flowing at roughly 22,000 cfs at Scotia Thursday. It’s predicted for another rise following a lot of rain over the weekend. Projections have it peaking at just over 100,000 cfs Monday evening. Will need a couple weeks of dry weather before it’s green.

South Fork Eel
The South Fork is forecast to drop through Friday, but won’t get down to a fishable level prior to the next round of storms. As of Thursday, it was right around 5,000 cfs at Miranda. It’s predicted to peak at over 24,000 cfs Monday.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen remains off color, with a couple additional rises starting Saturday. Flows on Thursday were down to 1,800 cfs, but it’s predicted to hit 7,400 cfs by Monday morning.

Smith River
The Smith has been teetering between driftable and plunkable flows since Monday. Tuesday saw the first real good push of fish enter the river, and the scores were really good. Boats sitting on the anchor from Ruby down reported multiple fish landed. A few were caught drifting as well from the Forks down. The rain on Wednesday was substantially more than what was predicted, and blew the river out mid-morning. It was down to a plunkable level by Thursday morning, though it was off color. Boats should be able to drift Friday and Saturday as conditions are shaping up nicely. Flows are predicted to rise slightly Sunday through Tuesday, but the water color should be good.

Chetco
“After reaching minor flood stage over the weekend, the Chetco was fishable again for plunkers Monday,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Catch rates jumped on Tuesday with nearly 20 steelhead landed at Social Security Bar. A dozen steelhead were donated to the hatchery brood stock program. Rain Tuesday will likely have the river blown out again by Wednesday, but plunkers should be back on the water before the end of the week. Drift boaters could be fishing by the weekend. Flows hit 40,000 cfs last Saturday, the highest levels since 2021.”

Brookings ocean update
According to Martin, the ocean was calm enough – rough but fishable – for boats to get out of Brookings Monday for the first time this year. “Anglers caught limits of rockfish north of Bird Island, with lots of lingcod in the mix. Rough weather returned Tuesday.”

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

All coastal rivers, except for the Smith, will be high and muddy next week

Just as the steelhead season on the Smith and Chetco rivers was showing signs of life, a couple of good storms have and will put steelhead fishing on the backburner. Rain that fell on Tuesday and Wednesday buckled the knees of the coastal rivers, but the knockout punch is coming late Friday and into Saturday. Wednesday saw the Smith blow by its projections, finally cresting in the afternoon at over 16 feet at the Jed Smith gauge. It’s predicted to be on the drop Thursday and Friday, and should be in great shape. And it will be the only game in town for some time. The Chetco, which doesn’t recover quite as quickly as the Smith, went over 10,500 cfs and was peaking Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, it won’t recover before the next big storm arrives Saturday. If the forecast holds, it will likely be blown out all next week. For the other coastal rivers south of the Smith that aren’t so quick to clear — it could be a week or more before they resemble anything close to green.

Weather outlook
For the next seven days, ending next Wednesday, the North Coast could see 3 to 6 inches of rain. According to Kathleen Zontos of Eureka’s National Weather Service office, most of that rain will fall between Friday night and Saturday. “From the Mad River north to the Smith, we could see 2 to 5 inches Friday and Saturday,” said Zontos. “In the Eel and Van Duzen basins, we’ll likely see between 2 to 3 inches. Sunday is looking mostly dry, and those conditions will likely stick around until at least Tuesday. There are additional chances of rain later next week, but those are looking like they may be weaker systems.”

Perigean spring tides happening this week
Perigean spring tides, the results of either a new or full moon, will be in effect beginning Jan. 9 through Jan 13. The highest tides are predicted for Thursday and Friday. The north spit tide gauge prediction is for a high tide of 8.44 feet at 10:48 a.m. Thursday morning and 8.43 feet at 11:37 a.m. Friday morning. Minor coastal flooding around Humboldt Bay is possible and large surf may wash farther than normal onto the beaches.

Mad River Steelhead Derby Starts Jan. 15
The Mad River winter steelhead run is just starting and with it comes the annual Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen Association’s (NCGASA) Mad River Steelhead Derby. The derby will start on January 15 and will run through February 29. Anglers will have two months to catch a big hatchery steelhead, with the three largest measured in both the adult and the youth divisions eligible to win cash and prizes. Adult division payouts: 1st place: $500; 2nd place: $300, 3rd place: $150. Youth division payouts (16 years and under): $150 RMI Outdoors gift card; 2nd place: $100 RMI gift card; 3rd place: $50 RMI gift card. All the youth winners will also receive donated fishing tackle from our sponsors. Anglers who sign up for the derby will be entered to win weekly raffle prizes starting on Jan. 1.

New this year is a Winner Take All Raffle Package that includes a guided river trip for two, plus crazy amounts of fishing tackle and gear. This package is currently valued at $850. Raffle tickets are $50 and only 100 tickets will be sold. There are other raffles that include several guided ocean and river trips or you can win a two-night Airbnb country home stay, located minutes away from the Mad River. These trips and stay raffle tickets are $20. Sign up online at madriversteelheadderby.com, ncgasa.org or at RMI Outdoors in Eureka.

The Rivers:
As of Thursday morning, all North Coast rivers subjected to low-flow fishing closures were open to fishing. This includes the main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Mad, Redwood Creek and Smith rivers. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. More information can be found here.

Mad
After surpassing monitor stage (15 feet) Wednesday, the Mad is now on the drop. It will continue to drop until the next storm hits Saturday. It’s predicted to reach over 17 feet (16,900 cfs) by Saturday evening and will take at least a week of dry weather before it turns close to green.

Main stem Eel
After peaking at 30,400 cfs on the Scotia gauge Thursday morning, the main stem will be on the drop for a couple days before the next big rain event. Saturday’s storm is forecast to push flows to nearly 75,000 cfs. Will need a solid 10 days of dry weather before it’s fishable. Will start to fish well at 3,500 cfs.

South Fork Eel
The South Fork was off and on fishable since last weekend, though conditions were marginal at best. It finally blew out on Wednesday, peaking at 12,500 cfs at Miranda. It’s forecast for a bigger rise Sunday morning where it could surpass 25,000 cfs. If we don’t get a bunch of rain next week, it could be fishable by next weekend. A few adult steelhead have been caught.

Van Duzen
The Duzen got down to a fishable flow earlier in the week, but blew out on Tuesday. It’s forecast to drop through Friday, but won’t be fishable prior to Saturday’s storm. Predicted to hit 11,500 cfs Saturday evening. Will need a week of dry weather before it’s fishable again.

Smith River
The Smith peaked at over 16 feet at the Jed Smith gauge Wednesday, but is in great shape as of Thursday. It’s still a little big, but it’s back to green. It will be in prime shape through Friday when the next big rise is forecast. It’s predicted to reach nearly 21 feet (46,775 cfs) Saturday evening, but should be down to fishable conditions no later than Tuesday. A few steelhead were caught by plunkers on Wednesday, so it looks like more fish are starting to make their way into the river. Conditions look excellent for next week.

Chetco/Southern Oregon rivers
Steelhead fishing finally kicked into gear on the Chetco just before the latest round of winter storms blew the river out this week reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Catch rates spiked as calmer ocean conditions finally allowed bigger numbers of steelhead to move into the river,” said Martin. “But just as the action improved, a major rain storm hit, increasing flows above 10,000 cfs, with the possibility of 45,000 cfs by this weekend. It will take the river several days to recover from the near flood stage expected Saturday. On Sunday and Monday, action was good, with fish spread throughout the river. Mostly wild steelhead were being caught, with an occasional hatchery steelhead. Fishing should be at peak season form when the river drops back into shape next week. The Rogue, Elk and Sixes also have blown out, and will approach minor flooding this weekend.”

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

The winter steelhead season on the North Coast is starting to show signs of life, albeit ever so slightly, on the rivers that have remained fishable. Over the last couple days, a few adult steelhead have been caught on the Smith, which up until then was only kicking out half-pounders. The Chetco is starting to see some fish show up as the plunkers are starting to catch a few in high water. A number of steelhead showed up earlier this week to the Mad River Hatchery and a few more trickled in Thursday. I get this doesn’t sound like the start we’re used to or hoping for, but considering where we were a week ago, I’d like to think the season is about to take off.

Weather ahead
The North Coast will see a decent amount of rainfall between Thursday and next Tuesday, and these will be much colder systems with low-level snowfall. “In the Smith basin, we’re expecting between 2 and 4 inches through Tuesday,” said Kathleen Zontos of Eureka’s National Weather Service office. “Saturday alone could see up to 1.5 inches and possibly 2 inches in the Smith mountains. The Mad could also see around an inch Saturday, with the Eel basin seeing around three-quarters. A similar system is forecast for Monday evening through Tuesday, with the heaviest rainfall totals falling along the Smith. The Eel basin could see up to a half-inch between Monday night and Tuesday.”

CDFW looks for input on low-flow regulation change
In a press release sent out Wednesday, CDFW is inviting anglers to provide input on the proposed fishing regulation change that would affect how CDFW distributes low-flow information. CDFW is seeking to simplify and streamline access to low-flow information by transitioning the three low-flow phone lines to a CDFW webpage. This regulation will not impact where or when low-flow closures occur. The questionnaire will take approximately 3 to 5 minutes to complete. Questionnaire results will be used to 1) evaluate support and opposition to the regulation change, and 2) identify potential resources that may benefit constituents. The questionnaire is available until February 18 at 11:59 p.m. The questionnaire can be found at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/Low-flow-Restrictions

Mad River Steelhead Derby Starts Jan. 15
The Mad River winter steelhead run is just around the corner and with it comes the annual Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen Association’s (NCGASA) Mad River Steelhead Derby. The derby will start on January 15 and will run through February 29. Anglers will have two months to catch a big hatchery steelhead, with the three largest measured in both the adult and the youth divisions eligible to win cash and prizes. Adult division payouts: 1st place: $500; 2nd place: $300, 3rd place: $150. Youth division payouts (16 years and under): $150 RMI Outdoors gift card; 2nd place: $100 RMI gift card; 3rd place: $50 RMI gift card. All the youth winners will also receive donated fishing tackle from our sponsors. Anglers who sign up for the derby will be entered to win weekly raffle prizes starting on Jan. 1. New this year is a Winner Take All Raffle Package that includes a guided river trip for two, plus crazy amounts of fishing tackle and gear. This package is currently valued at $850. Raffle tickets are $50 and only 100 tickets will be sold. There are other raffles that include several guided ocean and river trips or you can win a two-night Airbnb country home stay, located minutes away from the Mad River. These trips and stay raffle tickets are $20. Sign up online at madriversteelheadderby.com, ncgasa.org or at RMI Outdoors in Eureka.

The Rivers:
As of Thursday morning, all North Coast rivers subjected to low-flow fishing closures were open to fishing. This includes the main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Mad, Redwood Creek and Smith rivers. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. More information can be found here.

Mad
The Mad is forecast to drop between Thursday and Saturday afternoon before it goes back on the rise. It was off color as of Thursday, but conditions should get better each day. Over a half-inch of rain is forecast for Saturday, which will push flows above 10 feet (3,700 cfs) by Sunday morning. A few steelhead are making their way to the hatchery.

Main stem Eel
The main Eel remains big and brown, with another small rise predicted for Saturday. It should be on the drop starting Sunday and could round into shape by next weekend. Flows were 14,500 cfs at Scotia and dropping as of Thursday.

South Fork Eel
The South Fork could be fishable Friday and Saturday, but water color could be an issue. It’s dropping quickly as of Thursday and will be down to a fishable 1,800 cfs Friday. Conditions look much better Saturday, but they will be short-lived. Rain is in the forecast and its likely to blow out by late Saturday. It should be back to fishable shape by early next week.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen is high and muddy, but dropping. It won’t be fishable before the next storm hits on Saturday, which will bump flows up to 2,700 cfs. If next week is fairly dry, it could drop in to shape by next weekend.

Smith
The Smith is the only river that’s remained in fishable shape through this week’s storms. As of Thursday, it was holding at just over 8.5 feet (4,000 cfs) at the Jed Smith gauge. With over an inch of rain predicted for Saturday, it will be on the rise most of the day. Good conditions should return for Sunday and Monday before the next storm arrives. Fishing has been tough with just a handful of steelhead caught this week. Fishing should begin to improve in the next week or so.

Southern Oregon rivers
“A few steelhead are being caught by plunkers on the lower Chetco, but overall action has been slow,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Rough ocean conditions and big swells prevented steelhead from passing the bar separating the river and ocean last week. Despite good conditions early this week, fishing remained slow, although the best steelhead action on the Chetco is mid-January through February. Steelhead also is slow on the Elk and Sixes, while a few adult steelhead are being caught by plunkers and anchored boats on the lower Rogue. Rains could have the Chetco blown out this weekend.”

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

The transition to winter steelhead season is taking a bit longer than we had hoped. To date, though it’s still early, steelhead fishing has been slow on popular rivers like the Smith, Mad and Eel. But that will likely change soon. 

Over the next few days, all the coastal rivers will see at least a couple inches of rain, along with a couple decent bump in flows. Once the rivers come around and drop back into fishable heights and color, we should start to see some better numbers of adult steelhead. The Smith is forecast to receive a couple river rises prior to the weekend but should remain in fishable shape. The Chetco could be slightly off color through the weekend but should be in prime shape by the first of next week. The other coast rivers will be a few days behind but could fish by mid-next week. The main Eel will be the last to come around and will need a solid week of dry weather once it crests on Saturday.

Weather ahead
The North Coast can expect mostly dry conditions Thursday before the rain returns Friday according to Merl Heinlein of Eureka’s National Weather Service office. “In the Smith basin, we could see 1.5 to 2 inches between Friday and Saturday,” said Heinlein. We should see similar totals in the Eel River basin. We’ll begin to dry out Sunday and it should remain dry through Tuesday morning before rain returns Tuesday evening. The 6 to 10 day outlook is showing slightly above normal precipitation amounts.”

2024 fishing license
California anglers are now able to purchase a 2024 fishing license that will take effect Jan. 1. If you purchase after Jan. 1, the license will be effective from the date of purchase for a continuous 365 days. Licenses are required for residents 16 years of age or older to take fish, mollusks, crustaceans, invertebrates, amphibians, or reptiles in inland or ocean waters. The cost of a new resident sport fishing license is $61.82. A North Coast salmon report card will run you $8.64, and a steelhead report card will cost $9.72 in 2024. To purchase a fishing license, visit ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales. At checkout there is an additional option to enroll in auto-renewal for fishing licenses, which allows anglers to automatically purchase and receive their new license when their current one expires. For more info, visit wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/fishing.
Reduced-fee sport fishing licenses available
Reduced-cost fishing licenses are available in 2024 for $9.98 at CDFW offices (instead of $61.82) for disabled military veterans and recovering service members. For those 65 or older on reduced income, licenses are available for $9.53. For more information on all CA fishing licenses, visit wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/fishing#44521417-free–reduced-fee

Rockfish season to close Dec. 31 in the Mendo Management Area
The 2023 deepwater rockfish season in the Mendocino Management area, which runs from 40°10′ N. latitude (near Cape Mendocino) to Point Arena, will close for boat-based anglers after Saturday, Dec. 31. The nearshore season closed Aug. 31. In the Northern Management area, which runs from the California-Oregon border to Cape Mendocino (40°10′ N. latitude), the near shore season closed as of Aug. 20 and the deepwater fishery closed Oct. 16. In both management areas, rockfish is open year-round for divers and shore-based anglers.

Mad River Steelhead Derby Starts Jan. 15
The Mad River winter steelhead run is just around the corner and with it comes the annual Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen Association’s (NCGASA) Mad River Steelhead Derby. The derby will start on January 15 and will run through February 29. Anglers will have two months to catch a big hatchery steelhead, with the three largest measured in both the adult and the youth divisions eligible to win cash and prizes. Adult division payouts: 1st place: $500; 2nd place: $300, 3rd place: $150. Youth division payouts (16 years and under): $150 RMI Outdoors gift card; 2nd place: $100 RMI gift card; 3rd place: $50 RMI gift card. All the youth winners will also receive donated fishing tackle from our sponsors. Anglers who sign up for the derby will be entered to win weekly raffle prizes starting on Jan. 1. Early bird sign-ups for the derby that come in before Jan. 1 are eligible to win two free tickets to the International Sportsmen’s Expo (ISE Show) in Sacramento (Jan. 18-21). New this year is a Winner Take All Raffle Package that includes a guided river trip for two, plus crazy amounts of fishing tackle and gear. This package is currently valued at $850. Raffle tickets are $50 and only 100 tickets will be sold. There are other raffles that include several guided ocean and river trips or you can win a two-night Airbnb country home stay, located minutes away from the Mad River. These trips and stay raffle tickets are $20. Sign up online at madriversteelheadderby.com or ncgasa.org.

Mattole River opens to fishing Jan. 1
The Mattole River will open to fishing Monday, Jan. 1 from 200 yards upstream of its mouth to the confluence with Stanberry 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:
As of Thursday morning, all North Coast rivers subjected to low-flow fishing closures were open to fishing. This includes the main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Mad, Redwood Creek and Smith rivers. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. NOTE: The main stem Eel from the South Fork to Cape Horn Dam, the Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2024. More information can be found here.

Mad
The Mad didn’t get much of a rise following the storm on Wednesday, though more rain is on the way that will blow it out. It’s predicted to reach 12 feet (6,170 cfs) by Saturday morning. Will be off color through mid-week. There are a few adults starting to show up and fishing should get good any time. 

Main stem Eel
The main Eel was fishable through Wednesday, but it’s starting to color up from the rain. It will blow out starting Thursday and will reach nearly 32,000 cfs by Saturday evening. Depending on how much rain falls next week, it could fish towards the end of next week. To date, fishing has been slow with mostly half-pounders around. Expect that to change within the next week. 

South Fork Eel
A few boats took advantage of the conditions earlier in the week and reportedly there were a few adults caught. There continues to be plenty of half-pounders around. With a couple inches of rain forecast through Saturday, the river will blow out late Friday and hit 8,700 cfs by Saturday morning. Dry conditions could have it back to fishable levels by mid-week.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen colored up following Wednesday’s rain but flows only reached 1,200 cfs. It’s predicted to drop through Thursday and is forecast for a bigger rise Friday. Flows are predicted to peak at 5,500 cfs Saturday morning. Could drop into fishable shape late next week if it remains dry.

Smith
The Smith came up very little following Wednesday’s storm and is in great shape. The next rise, which is forecast to be much larger, should begin Friday evening and it’s projected to peak early Saturday morning at 10.6 feet (7,950 cfs) on the Jed Smith gauge. Saturday’s fishing conditions should be decent with the river starting to drop in the afternoon. It will need rain by early next week.  

Southern Oregon
Steelhead are being caught throughout Southern Oregon, where anglers are dealing with rain and rapidly changing river conditions reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “The Chetco remained fishable Christmas weekend, but is rising again after heavy rain Tuesday night,” said Martin. “Forecasts indicate it should be in good shape the first week of January, when the peak season for winter steelhead begins. Plunkers are catching fish on Spin-N-Glos in the lower river, while drift boaters are picking up a few fish further upriver. Steelhead also have been caught on the lower Rogue, where boats anchor and fish MagLip plugs. The Elk and Sixes also are kicking out steelhead, and there have been some decent catches on the Umpqua system, from Scottsburg to Roseburg. Conditions should be good throughout the region after a series of storms between now and New Year’s Day.”

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

If you’re looking to chase some winter steelhead between now and Christmas, you should have a few good options. Following a good amount of rain earlier in the week, all the North Coast rivers not named Smith and Chetco are brown and swollen. But with no rain forecast until next week and no snow in the hills, we should see some of these rivers quickly drop into fishing shape prior to the next round of storms that are forecast for Tuesday. The South Fork Eel and Mad rivers should be fishable by the sometime this weekend. The Van Duzen will likely be off color through the weekend, but could fish by Monday. The main Eel won’t come around quickly enough, and will be back on the rise by next week. The Smith was high, but fishable, Wednesday. The Chetco, after reaching 4,600 cfs Tuesday, was green as of Thursday. As the rivers drop down to fishable heights and color, we should see some decent numbers of winter steelhead making their way into the rivers.

Weather ahead
After some wet days that dropped a few inches of rain, the North Coast will begin to dry out through the weekend. According to Kathleen Zontos of Eureka’s National Weather Service office, there’s a chance for some very light rain in Del Norte on Friday, but after that we’ll remain dry until Tuesday.  “We’re looking at the potential for an Atmospheric River developing for Tuesday and Wednesday of next week,” said Zontos. “One to three inches could fall in Northern Humboldt and the Smith Basin. We might see a short break on Thursday, but the rain is expected to return Friday and the weekend.”

Mad River Steelhead Derby Starts Jan. 15
The Mad River winter steelhead run is just around the corner and with it comes the annual Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen Association’s (NCGASA) Mad River Steelhead Derby. The derby will start on January 15 and will run through February 29. Anglers will have two months to catch a big hatchery steelhead, with the three largest measured in both the adult and the youth divisions eligible to win cash and prizes. Adult division payouts: 1st place: $500; 2nd place: $300, 3rd place: $150. Youth division payouts (16 years and under): $150 RMI Outdoors gift card; 2nd place: $100 RMI gift card; 3rd place: $50 RMI gift card. All the youth winners will also receive donated fishing tackle from our sponsors. Anglers who sign up for the derby will be entered to win weekly raffle prizes starting on Jan. 1. Early bird sign-ups for the derby that come in before Jan. 1 are eligible to win two free tickets to the International Sportsmen’s Expo (ISE Show) in Sacramento (Jan. 18-21). New this year is a Winner Take All Raffle Package that includes a guided river trip for two, plus crazy amounts of fishing tackle and gear. This package is currently valued at $850. Raffle tickets are $50 and only 100 tickets will be sold. There are other raffles that include several guided ocean and river trips or you can win a two-night Airbnb country home stay, located minutes away from the Mad River. These trips and stay raffle tickets are $20. Sign up online at madriversteelheadderby.com or ncgasa.org.

The Rivers:
As of Thursday morning, all North Coast rivers subjected to low-flow fishing closures were open to fishing. This includes the main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Mad, Redwood Creek and Smith rivers. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened up at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. NOTE: The main stem Eel from the South Fork to Cape Horn Dam, the Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2024. More information can be found here.

Mad
The Mad is high and muddy after peaking at 10.8 feet Wednesday. It’s dropping quickly Thursday as flows were down to 2,500 cfs (9.0 ft.). It’s predicted to get down to 7.5 feet by Sunday and the color could come around by Sunday or Monday. For current river conditions, visit https://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/madStages.html

Main stem Eel
The main Eel hit 34,500 cfs Wednesday night at Scotia, but was dropping quickly Thursday. It’s predicted to dip below 5,000 cfs by Monday, but it probably won’t fish prior to the next round of storms. For current river conditions, visit https://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/eelStages.html

South Fork Eel
After peaking at over 9,000 cfs Wednesday at Miranda, flows were already down to 3,400 cfs by Thursday morning. If it keeps dropping as predicted, it should be in good shape by Saturday. For current river conditions, visit https://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/eelStages.html

Van Duzen
Peaked at over 5,000 cfs Wednesday morning and was down to 1,500 cfs Thursday. It’s predicted to be at 750 cfs by Monday morning, so there could be a short window where it’s fishable. For current river conditions, visit https://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/eelStages.html

Smith
The quick-clearing Smith was fishable Wednesday, but still a little on the high side at just under 11 feet at the Jed Smith gauge. A few boats made the drift from the forks down, but the scores weren’t great. But there are reportedly some steelhead in the river. The river is dropping quickly and will be clear by the weekend, but will remain plenty fishable. The next rise is predicted to start early Tuesday morning. For current river conditions, visit https://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/smithStages.html

Chetco/Elk/Sixes
December rains have brought fishable numbers of steelhead into Southern Oregon coastal rivers according to Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Plunkers are doing best on the Chetco, with a fairly good bite Monday morning at the head of tide,” said Martin. “Last week, drift boaters caught a few adult steelhead side-drifting, with the best action on the lower river. The Elk and Sixes also have adult steelhead showing in the catch. Lots of half-pounders are being caught on the Upper Chetco, where salmon are still spawning. Conditions look good until Christmas Day, but all the rivers are likely to blow out between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Current river conditions can be found here.

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

In what has been a yo-yo of a season regulation-wise, CDFW will be lifting the temporary recreational crab trap restriction allowing Dungeness crab anglers to once again use traps and pots along the North Coast.

In a press release issued Dec. 7, CDFW has greenlighted the use of traps starting Saturday, Dec. 16 at 8:00 a.m. in the area between the California/Oregon state line and Cape Mendocino (Fishing Zone 1). At that time, the use of recreational crab traps will be allowed in Fishing Zones 1, 2, 5, and 6. The presence of humpback whales and the potential for entanglement from recreational crab trap gear from the Sonoma/Mendocino County line to Lopez Point, Monterey County, (Fishing Zones 3 and 4) will keep those areas bound by the temporary crab trap restriction.

A reminder that sport crabbers in areas where traps are allowed must have a Recreational Crab Trap Validation. Validations are required even when under the age of 16, and when fishing from shore, pier, or other manmade structures. Validations are also required for passengers on party boats using crab traps to harvest crab.

The northern California commercial Dungeness crab season continues to be delayed statewide due to high numbers of humpback whales and a recent confirmed entanglement of a leatherback sea turtle. CDFW anticipates the next risk assessment will take place on or around Dec. 21, 2023. That risk assessment is expected to inform a potential commercial fishery opener and further modifications of the recreational trap restriction.

Weather ahead
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service, “rain chances will return Saturday night into the first half of next week with widespread rain expected across Northwest California forecast Sunday through Tuesday. Currently the heaviest rain is forecast to fall Sunday through Monday night.” In the Smith basin and Humboldt, there’s roughly an 80 percent chance of an inch or more of rain falling through Monday night. The probability is much higher as you move south into Mendocino County.

Weekend ocean conditions/crabbing
Conditions look decent for the weekend, though we’ll start to see the winds come from the south. Saturday’s forecast is calling for southeast winds 5 to 10 knots and waves southeast three feet at 10 seconds and west seven feet at 13 seconds. Sunday looks a little worse with winds blowing 10 to 15 knots from the southeast. Waves will be southwest six feet at 11 seconds and northwest four feet at 12 seconds. The crabbing remains excellent off shore with boats scoring easy limits. South of the entrance from 100 out to 140 feet seems to be the sweet spot at the moment. Crabbing out of Trinidad has been good, boats and kayaks are reporting limits of Dungeness crab.

Mad River Steelhead Derby Starts Jan. 15
The Mad River winter steelhead run is just around the corner and with it comes the annualNor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen Association’s (NCGASA)Mad River Steelhead Derby. The derby will start on January 15 and will run through February 29. Anglers will have two months to catch a big hatchery steelhead, with the three largest measured in both the adult and the youth divisions eligible to win cash and prizes. Adult division payouts: 1st place: $500; 2nd place: $300, 3rd place: $150. Youth division payouts (16 years and under): $150 RMI Outdoors gift card; 2nd place: $100 RMI gift card; 3rd place: $50 RMI gift card. All the youth winners will also receive donated fishing tackle from our sponsors. Anglers who sign up for the derby will be entered to win weekly raffle prizes starting on Jan. 1. Early bird sign-ups for the derby that come in before Jan. 1 are eligible to win two free tickets to the International Sportsmen’s Expo (ISE Show) in Sacramento (Jan. 18-21). New this year is a Winner Take All Raffle Package that includes a guided river trip for two, plus crazy amounts of fishing tackle and gear. This package is currently valued at $850. Raffle tickets are $50 and only 100 tickets will be sold. There are other raffles that include several guided ocean and river trips or you can win a two-night Airbnb country home stay, located minutes away from the Mad River. These trips and stay raffle tickets are $20. Sign up online at madriversteelheadderby.com or ncgasa.org.

Mad River Steelhead Reward Program
For the Mad River steelhead fishery in the upcoming 2023-24 season, the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) plans to attach reward tags to a small subset of hatchery-origin (i.e., adipose-clipped) adult steelhead upon their return to freshwater. This is in effort to estimate the steelhead harvest on the Mad River. According to John Deibner-Hanson, a Northern Region Environmental Scientist for CDFW, a number of fish will be captured in the lower river using tangle nets and affixed with spaghetti tags worth $20, $50 or $100 rewards. Once the tags are applied on their backs behind the dorsal fin, the fish will be released. Upon capturing a reward tag, anglers should follow one of the methods outlined below to answer a series of questions about how the tag was acquired (e.g., caught on fish, found on dead fish, found on bank). Anglers will have until April 15th, 2024 to report tags and claim rewards, after which reward tags from this season will expire. To attain accurate harvest estimates, we must assume 100 percent tag return rates on harvested steelhead, so getting the word out for our tagging program will be vital to its success.

There are three ways an angler may report their tag for reward:

1. Scan the QR code posted on message boards and signage around the river or carried by CDFW creelers.
2. Visit: https://forms.office.com/g/jjWnw9t7Ss.
3. Return the tag to CDFW at: 50 Ericson Ct., Arcata, CA.

Using options 1 and 2 above, anglers will not submit the physical tag, only needing to provide the unique tag number and answering the accompanying questions online. For this reason, anglers are strongly urged to retain the tag after submittal until all rewards have been claimed, as only one reward will be paid for each uniquely numbered tag.

For questions, please email MadRiverRewards@wildlife.ca.gov.

The Rivers:
As of Thursday morning, all North Coast rivers subjected to low-flow fishing closures, except for the South Fork Eel, were open to fishing. This includes the main stem Eel, Van Duzen, Mad, Redwood Creek and Smith rivers. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened up at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. NOTE: The main stem Eel from the South Fork to Cape Horn Dam, the Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2024. More information can be found here.

Mad
The Mad is just under 7 feet in Arcata and in good shape. There are a few adult steelhead being caught along with some half-pounders. Not red hot as of yet. A decent rise is expected to begin Monday morning which will color up the river for a few days. The hatchery water was turned on Wednesday. https://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=ARCC1

Main stem Eel
Flows are down to 1,200 cfs as of Thursday and the river is clearing. There are a few adults around as well as plenty of half-pounders. Flows are predicted to rise beginning Monday, which will likely turn the river off color. https://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=SCOC1

South Fork Eel
The South Fork closed to fishing as of Thursday, but this should only last a few days. Sunday’s storm will put the river back on the rise starting Monday, but it will likely be muddy for a few days. A few adult steelhead have been caught, and there’s quite a few Coho in the river. https://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=MRNC1

Van Duzen
Flows were down to 185 cfs Thursday morning, but it’s open to fishing. That could change by Friday. The next rise is predicted for Monday where flows are expected to reach 1,900 cfs. https://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=BRGC1

Smith River
The Smith was below 8 feet on the Jed Smith gauge Thursday morning after peaking at 15 feet last Friday. The river is low and clearing, and will remain that way through the weekend into Monday. Rain coming Monday, however, will put the river back on the rise. There should be some early steelhead around but the season typically gets going after Christmas. The first steelhead of the year was trapped at the Rowdy Creek Hatchery Sunday. https://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=CREC1

Chetco
“After cresting at 20,000 cfs at the beginning of the month, the Chetco was down to 2,750 cfs on Tuesday, perfect for late-season salmon and early steelhead,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “A handful of adult winter steelhead were caught over the weekend by plunkers, while fresh salmon are few and far between. Peak season for steelhead begins in January, but fishable numbers of steelhead are common in mid to late December.”

Elk/Sixes
According to Martin, salmon fishing was decent on the Elk and Sixes on Saturday, but stormy weather and rising flows made fishing slow on Sunday. Both rivers are in good shape for what could be the last productive week of salmon fishing this year. 

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

After a very wet few days that turned most of the local streams muddy, green water isn’t too far down the road. The latest round of storms are forecast to break apart starting Thursday, and we should see some sun by Friday. And with that, the North Coast rivers will be on the drop and begin to transition from brown to green. The Smith, per usual, will be the first to drop into shape. By Saturday morning, conditions should be about perfect. The Chetco will likely be a few days behind it. The Humboldt rivers will probably take a little longer to clear, but they could be fishable by sometime this weekend. Or at least by the first part of next week. Most were peaking, or close to it, as of Thursday afternoon.

It’s still way early in the winter steelhead season but, if you’re jonesing to try your luck, there is green water to be had.

Weather ahead
After a very wet Wednesday, we’ll start to dry out starting Friday. “Thursday should bring scattered showers, where we could see a half to an inch of rain,” said James White of Eureka’s National Weather Service office. “By Friday, we’ll begin to see some clearing. The weekend will bring some scattered showers, but nothing that will cause any of the rivers to rise. From there, we’re looking dry through at least Wednesday before we see another chance of precipitation. Right now, it’s not looking nearly as strong as this week’s systems.”

Weekend ocean conditions/crabbing
Offshore conditions are looking good for the weekend. Saturday’s forecast is calling for southeast winds 5 to 10 knots with northwest waves 6 feet at 11 seconds. Sunday’s forecast is calling for south winds 5 to 10 knots with west waves 8 feet at 13 seconds. Conditions next week are looking to be much improved. The crabbing had been good offshore prior to the latest rounds of storms rolling in. Crabbing out of Trinidad is also good when the kayaks and small boats can get out.

CDFW’s Dungeness crab Preliminary Assessment
According to the Dec. 4 preliminary assessment by CDFW’s marine region, they are recommending the CDFW Director to lift the temporary crab trap prohibition for the recreational fishery from California/Oregon state line to Cape Mendocino (Fishing Zone 1) and continuing the trap prohibition in Fishing Zones 3 and 4. Entanglement risk remains elevated in Zones 3 and 4 due to presence of whales and sea turtles. The Marine Region also recommends to continue to delay the commercial season opener in all Fishing Zones (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6). A final decision should be coming on or around December 8. More information can be found here.

Mad River Steelhead Derby Starts Jan. 15
The Mad River winter steelhead run is just around the corner and with it comes the annualNor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen Association’s (NCGASA)Mad River Steelhead Derby. The derby will start on January 15 and will run through February 29. Anglers will have two months to catch a big hatchery steelhead, with the three largest measured in both the adult and the youth divisions eligible to win cash and prizes. Adult division payouts: 1st place: $500; 2nd place: $300, 3rd place: $150. Youth division payouts (16 years and under): $150 RMI Outdoors gift card; 2nd place: $100 RMI gift card; 3rd place: $50 RMI gift card. All the youth winners will also receive donated fishing tackle from our sponsors. Anglers who sign up for the derby will be entered to win weekly raffle prizes starting on Jan. 1. Early bird sign-ups for the derby that come in before Jan. 1 are eligible to win two free tickets to the International Sportsmen’s Expo (ISE Show) in Sacramento (Jan. 18-21). New this year is a Winner Take All Raffle Package that includes a guided river trip for two, plus crazy amounts of fishing tackle and gear. This package is currently valued at $850. Raffle tickets are $50 and only 100 tickets will be sold. There are other raffles that include several guided ocean and river trips or you can win a two-night Airbnb country home stay, located minutes away from the Mad River. These trips and stay raffle tickets are $20. Sign up online at madriversteelheadderby.com or ncgasa.org.

Eel River salmon returns
During the week of Nov. 20-26, 62 Chinook salmon were observed moving upstream though the fishway. The season total for Chinook stands at 173 (54 Female, 41 Male, 13 Unknown, and 65 Jack). For more information, visit www.eelriver.org/the-eel-river/fish-count.

The Rivers:
As of Thursday morning, all North Coast rivers subjected to low-flow fishing closures were open to fishing. This includes the main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Mad, Redwood Creek and Smith rivers. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened up at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. NOTE: The main stem Eel from the South Fork to Cape Horn Dam, the Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2024. More information can be found here.

Mad
The Mad has one more rise forecasted for late Thursday evening, where it’s predicted to peak at 10.8 feet (3,900 cfs). After that it will be on a slow decent at least through mid-next week. We could see some green water by Wednesday.

Main stem Eel
Following Wednesday and Thursday’s rain, the main Eel will be on the rise through Friday and is currently muddy. It’s expected to crest at 5,000 cfs at Scotia and will be on the drop through Tuesday. Should be in fishable shape by early next week.

South Fork Eel
The South Fork was on the rise as of Thursday, and predicted to peak at around 1,420 cfs early Friday morning. With dryer conditions starting Friday, it’s forecast to drop quickly. Flows will under 400 cfs by Sunday morning if the predictions are correct. Depending on how dirty the creeks are, it could fish by the weekend.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen was muddy as of Thursday morning, and will likely remain that way for a few days. Flows are predicted to peak Thursday evening at right around 3,000 cfs. It will be on the drop starting Friday and could start to clear up early next week.

Smith River
The Smith was on the rise Thursday and bypassing projections. Flows were 16,600 cfs (13.85 feet) at noon Thursday. Depending on how high it goes, it could be fishable by the weekend. Next week’s conditions should be prime.

Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“Heavy rains have blown out every Oregon river from the Winchuck to Columbia, with major flooding on the Tillamook and Coos rivers, and muddy conditions on the Chetco, Elk, Sixes and Rogue rivers,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “The Chetco could be down to plunkable levels on Friday, and should be prime for side-drifting next week. The Chetco hit 13 feet, or 22,000 cfs, this week, with an overnight rise of 11 feet. It should be below 4,000 cfs next week, which is prime for steelhead. Expect a few late salmon on the Elk and Sixes, and early steelhead on the Chetco.”

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