Drift boat

Chris Hall, left, and Raj Desai with a late season steelhead taken on the South Fork Eel River earlier in March. Photo courtesy of Fishing the North Coast

Following last weekend’s drenching, all of the coastal rivers are now back on the drop. But with just a handful of days left in the season, and more rain predicted next week, the options are few for those looking for the last of the winter steelhead. The Smith, though still big but green, is always the first to clear and would be a good option. Even with rain coming over the weekend, it should remain fishable and will be in pristine condition early next week. For the Humboldt rivers, specifically the SF Eel, the only real opportunity will be next Tuesday and Wednesday. Flows are predicted to dip under 2,000 cfs at Miranda Tuesday, and Wednesday is looking even better. But then it’s predicted to all come crashing down. Rain is in the forecast beginning Wednesday night, which will likely blow out all the Humboldt rivers for the remainder of their season.

The Smith will remain open through April, and the main stem Eel is open year-round. So, there is a chance to get a few more days on the river, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

While these extremely wet winters on the North Coast may not bring much joy to steelhead anglers, 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.

The weather ahead
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service office, relatively steady light to moderate rain will continue into Friday and early Saturday. “Total accumulations are around 2 to 3 inches in Del Norte, 1 to 1.5 inches in Humboldt, and 0.1 to 0.5 in Trinity. Snow levels are around 3000 to 4000 feet, and Scott Mountain Pass and the highest passes of Highway 36 could see a light amounts of snow. Less than a quarter inch of precipitation is expected in Mendocino and Lake counties.

A warmer and dryer pattern arrives Sunday into early next week. Temperatures in the interior are forecast to rise into the 70s and 80s by Monday. 60s are possible at the coastal areas, but stratus may make a return, as well. Ensembles are showing a return to wet weather mid next week. Both the CPC 6-10 day outlook and the 8-14 day outlook are showing increasing chances for above normal precipitation.”

PFMC to hold public hearing on salmon season alternatives
The PFMC will hold a public hearing in Santa Rosa, CA March 24. The purpose of this hearing is to receive comments on the proposed management alternatives in preparation for adopting final salmon management recommendations at the April 2025 Council meeting. A summary of verbal comments heard at the hearings will be provided to the Pacific Council at its April meeting. This public hearing will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriot in the Sonoma Room, 175 Railroad Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. Details on how to attend the public hearing and PFMC meeting, as well as instructions to provide public comment, can be found here.

Englund Marine saltwater seminar coming March 29
On Saturday March 29, Eureka’s Englund Marine will host a saltwater seminar at the Englund Marine store located at 590 W. Waterfront Dr. The event will run from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Guest speakers include Captain Del “Tuna Dog” Stephens, Scott Fordice of Lowrance, and Matt Dallum with an update from HASA. Additionally, there will be reps from Star brite boat products and CDFW. More information will be available at https://www.englundmarine.com/pages/seminars.html.

Perchin’ on the Peninsula coming April 26
After a few-year hiatus, the Samoa Peninsula Fire District will be bringing back their Annual Perchin’ on the Peninsula Surfperch Fishing Tournament and Fish Fry/Oyster BBQ Fundraiser. The 11th annual event will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at the Samoa Women’s Club, 115 Sunset Ave, Samoa. The fish fry fundraiser is open to the public and admission is only $10 for adults and $5 for juniors for just the fish fry. Adult fishing tournament entry is $20 and junior entry (under 16) is $10. Fish fry lunch is included with tournament entry. Lunch begins at noon, weigh-ins end at 2 p.m.

Tournament day registration is available at the Samoa Women’s Club. Entries can be purchased online at www.facebook.com/samoafire or Grundman’s, Pacific Outfitters, Bucksport, Ace Hardware in Fortuna, or A-1 Feed in McKinleyville, or Salty’s Bait in Trinidad. Tournament rules are available at all sign-up locations. For more information, call (707) 599-3383 or email samoafire@gmail.com. All proceeds are a direct donation to the Samoa Peninsula Fire District.

Trinity River flow release updates
The California Department of Water Resources March 90% B120 declaration was published on Mar. 10 as “wet” with the 90% determination at 1,415,000 acre feet.
The hydrograph developed by the Program with the “wet” water allocation for Mar. 15 – April 14 will commence on March 21 after Storage Management Releases from Trinity Reservoir come to a close.

The Rivers:
Mad
The Mad is still high and off-color, which won’t change anytime soon. With the steelhead season closing after March 31, it’s unlikely it will drop into fishable shape prior to closing. It’s predicted to drop through next Wednesday when the next storm is forecast to arrive.

Main stem Eel
The main Eel is big and dirty, running at 24,000 cfs at Scotia Thursday. If we see an extended dry period lasting around 10 days, it could come around into fishable shape. But that doesn’t appear to be the case as rain is back in the forecast for later next week. The main stem Eel, from its mouth to the South Fork, is open to fishing all year. From April 1 through Sept. 30, only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.

South Fork Eel
The South Fork is starting to turn green in the Piercy area, and will continue to drop through mid-next week. Right now, it’s looking like it will be in fishable shape on the lower end next Tuesday and Wednesday. Another rise is in the forecast beginning next Thursday, which will likely keep it off color through the end of the month.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen is still high and off color as of Thursday. It will be on the drop through the weekend, and could be fishable by mid next-week. It’s predicted to blowout next Thursday, likely putting an end to the season as it closes after March 31.

Smith
After topping out at nearly 26 feet at the Jed Smith gauge Sunday, the Smith has dropped back down to a fishable level. As of Thursday, it was down to 11.5 feet. Rain is in the forecast for the next couple of days, which will push flows to over 13 feet on Saturday. Conditions should be excellent early next week, before the next rise starts Thursday. Reports have been hard to come by as most anglers have called it a season or moved to other rivers.

Chetco/Rogue
The Chetco reached flood stage over the weekend, cresting just below 60,000 cfs reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “It appears to be on pace to be blown out through the weekend, but could be in shape for late-season steelhead Tuesday or Wednesday,” said Martin. “The Rogue also flooded and will likely be too high even for springers through the weekend. Expect plenty of spring salmon as it drops next week.”

Brookings ocean report
According to Martin, the ocean had a brief window for bottom fishing on Tuesday, with limits of rockfish and a few lingcod. “More fishable weather could arrive on Saturday, with a better forecast early next week.”

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

Redding resident Glen Duralia landed a nice winter steelhead over the weekend while fishing the Chetco River. Photo courtesy of Alan’s Guide Service

If you’re looking to do some late-season steelhead fishing this weekend, you’ll have some pretty good options. To our north, both the Chetco and Smith rivers are in good shape and should provide some good action over the weekend. The Mad isn’t green, but there are quite a few fish in the river and those who know how to catch em’ in murky water are doing well. And the hatchery had another good week of returns. The South Fork Eel and Van Duzen are green and will be excellent options for the weekend. There’s still some fresh fish moving through and there’s some downrunners as well.

Though we’ll see spring-like conditions this weekend, weather changes are afoot. Rain is back in the forecast Tuesday, and the ensemble forecast models are showing a rise for all the coastal rivers. The Mad and the southern rivers will be hit the hardest and will likely see a return of muddy water. The Smith is expected to see a decent rise as well, but it will do way more good than harm. Same goes for the Chetco. So, get out and enjoy some green water this weekend, it likely won’t be around much longer.

The weather ahead
According to Eureka’s National Weather Service office, forecast confidence is generally high in calm, warmer weather this weekend with marine influence on the coast. “The forecast generally becomes more uncertain again next week; a wet pattern will return as a series of deep upper-level troughs cross over the area. These troughs are associated with a moderate pulse of moisture capable of producing 2 to 5 inches of rain, with the heaviest rain rates most likely focused in southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino Counties. Such amounts of rain are likely to generate minor to locally moderate urban and small stream flooding concerns with only localized mainstem river flooding (10% chance of any river reaching flood stage).”

Perchin’ on the Peninsula makes its return in 2025
After a few-year hiatus, the Samoa Peninsula Fire District will be bringing back their Annual Perchin’ on the Peninsula Surfperch Fishing Tournament and Fish Fry/Oyster BBQ Fundraiser. The 11th annual event will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at the Samoa Women’s Club, 115 Sunset Ave, Samoa. The fish fry fundraiser is open to the public and admission is only $10 for adults and $5 for juniors for just the fish fry. Adult fishing tournament entry is $20 and junior entry (under 16) is $10. Fish fry lunch is included with tournament entry. Lunch begins at noon, weigh-ins end at 2 p.m.

Upcoming salmon meetings
March 5-11: PFMC March Meeting in Vancouver, WA. The Council will determine whether any in-season actions are required for fisheries scheduled to open prior to May 16. They will also craft three regulatory alternatives for ocean salmon fisheries in effect on or after May 16. Final adoption of alternatives for public review is tentatively scheduled for March 11.

March 24: PFMC Public Hearing in Santa Rosa, CA. The Council will receive comments from the public on the three CA ocean salmon fishery regulatory alternatives adopted by the Council in March.

April 9-15: PFMC April Meeting in San Jose, CA. The Council will adopt final regulatory measures for analysis by Salmon Technical Team. Final adoption of recommendations to the National Marine Fisheries Service will also occur and is tentatively scheduled for April 15.

April 16-17: CDFW Meeting in Sacramento, CA. The Commission will receive an update on 2025 ocean salmon sport fishing regulations, with the public invited to ask questions or provide input.

Englund Marine saltwater seminar coming March 29
On Saturday March 29, Eureka’s Englund Marine will host a saltwater seminar at the Englund Marine store located at 590 W. Waterfront Dr. Time is TBD. Guest speakers will be sharing their top tricks and tips, industry experts bringing the latest innovations, and exclusive giveaways and special offers. More information will be available at https://www.englundmarine.com/pages/seminars.html.

The Rivers:
Mad
As of Thursday, the Mad is still a little high and off-color. It’s forecast to drop through the weekend and it should be in decent shape Monday prior to the rise Tuesday. It’s predicted to get down to 8.4 feet Monday. With the steelhead season closing after March 31, it’s unlikely it will be anything close to green following the next round of storms and with Ruth Lake spilling dirty water. As of Thursday, it was at 9.4 feet at Arcata.

Main stem Eel
The main Eel is still high and just starting to turn green, running at 7,600 cfs at Scotia Thursday. It will just be dropping down to a fishable height Tuesday when the next rise is predicted, which could push it past 30,000 cfs by Thursday. The main stem Eel, from its mouth to the South Fork, is open to fishing all year. From April 1 through Sept. 30, only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.

South Fork Eel
After blowing out last Sunday, the South Fork has since dropped back into shape and is in good condition. It did rise and gained some color Wednesday, but it’s back on the drop now. As of Thursday, it was right around 1,900 cfs at Miranda. It’s forecast to drop through Monday before the next storm arrives Tuesday. Scores have been decent, with boats getting zero to three fish per trip. There’s a mix of fresh fish and downers.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen is down to 740 cfs as of Thursday and is in fishable shape. Conditions should be excellent through the weekend as flows continue to drop. It’s predicted to blowout with next Tuesday’s storm.

Smith
The Smith is clear, and will continue to drop through early next week. As of Thursday, it was just under 9 feet on the Jed Smith gauge. Some much-needed rain is forecast to arrive Tuesday that could push the river above 12 feet Wednesday. This should continue to flush some of the spent fish out of the tributaries and bring in some fresh fish as well. Reports have been hard to come by as most anglers have called it a season or moved to other rivers.

Southern Oregon rivers
Steelhead are making a late-season showing on the Chetco and lower Rogue rivers reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “Still no confirmed springers on the Rogue, but a mix of wild and hatchery steelhead,” said Martin. “Conditions looks good all week. A mix of fresh and spawned our steelhead are being caught on the Chetco, with fish spread throughout the river. The Elk also had a mix of bright and downrunner steelhead.”

Brookings ocean report
According to Martin, calmer ocean conditions will allow boats to get out of Brookings Friday and over the weekend. “Lingcod fishing has been good, while sport crabbing has slowed.”