Outdoor calendar

JANUARY 1 Online harvest reporting begins for steelhead, sturgeon and North Coast salmon report cards 1 NorCal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association Mad River Steelhead Derby begins; madriversteelheadderby.com 11 Last day of duck and scaup hunting seasons in Northeastern Zone 14-15 Northeastern Zone veterans and active military personnel ducks-only hunting days 19-23 Sacramento International Sportsman’s Exposition, Cal Expo; sportsexpos.com/attend/sacramento 20-22 Bart Hall Boat Show, Pomona Fairgrounds; hallshows.com 29 Last day for most general all-quail hunts 29 Last day for most zones’ hunts for falconry take of ducks (including mergansers), geese, American coots and common moorhens 30 Opener for falconry rabbits and varying hare 31 Last day for duck season in most zones 31 Last day for statewide tree squirrel, rabbit and varying hare hunting seasons FEBRUARY 1 Late-season Imperial Valley white geese opener 4 NorCal Trout Challenge, San Pablo Reservoir; anglerspress.com/events/norcal-trout-anglerschallenge 4 Second falconry waterfowl season opens in most zones 4 Bishop Trout Rodeo catch-and-release fishing events, various waters; swcffi.org/rodeo 4-5 Youth waterfowl hunts in most zones 6 Fronted geese season opens in Northeastern Zone 11-12 Veterans and active military personnel waterfowl hunting days in Balance of State (ducks only), Southern San Joaquin Valley and Southern California Zones 18 North Coast Canada geese late season opens 18-22 Late-season whitefront and white geese season in Balance of State Zone 21-23 Rowdy Creek Fish Hatchery Steelhead Derby; rowdycreek.org 24-26 The Fly Fishing Show, Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton; flyfishingshow.com/pleasanton-ca 28 Last day of falconry grouse season

For a complete list of bass tournaments statewide, go to dfg.ca.gov/FishingContests/default.aspx.

Most of California’s all-quail hunting seasons run through Jan. 29.

It’s that time of year again for anglers to break out the beads and roe and target North Coast steelhead. A wet December and more rain expected this month could make for a good run of fish. (MIKE STRATMAN/REDWOOD COAST FISHING)

HOPES FOR A LOT OF FISH

PROMISING EARLY PROSPECTS FOR NORTH COAST STEELHEAD RUN

By Chris Cocoles

Usually, longtime Eureka-based guide Mike Stratman rings in the New Year before heading out to chase North Coast steelhead on the Smith and Chetco Rivers – located on either side of the California-Oregon border – then turning his attention to rivers further south later in the winter.

He continued that trend this season and was planning to get out soon after Jan. 1, but based on what he heard at the end of 2022, perhaps there was a small amount of regret. “I was hearing of good numbers of steelhead around for the few people trying before Christmas,” Stratman says of what could be a good sign for a strong run of fish. “My gut tells me it will be a good season, but these things can be tough to predict.”

Indeed, forecasting steelhead runs can be tricky, given unpredictable weather patterns and other variables turning the tide one way or another. Stratman, who owns and operates Redwood Coast Fishing (707601-8757; redwoodcoastfishing.com), is optimistic based on some December rain and forecasts for more early in 2023.

And the good news for Stratman and other guides along the Northern California coast is that business seems to be booming.

“My bookings have been good.I’m full through March and have been for a couple months,” Stratman says. “But I am working with a couple other guides that have space throughout the season, so give me a call!”

RAIN AWAY, BUT DON’T KEEP THE FISH AWAY

It looks like this could be a wet winter, which brings both great excitement but also a bit of a concern in terms of steelhead prospects if it rains too much.

“We are starting with good water levels and there’s quite a bit more rain in the forecast for the foreseeable future,” says Stratman, who was expecting the Smith River just south of the state line to be in good fishing shape by New Year’s Eve. “Depending on what this current storm will ultimately do,” Smith said a few days before ringing in 2023. “But rain is forecasted

The Smith and Chetco Rivers, two fisheries located near the border of California and Oregon, should be the best bests for steelie anglers in January, with the expectation that rivers further south such as the Mad, Eel and Klamath will be in play later

in the winter. (MIKE STRATMAN/REDWOOD COAST FISHING)

KLAMATH DAM REMOVAL COULD BE A GAME CHANGER FOR STEELHEAD, SALMON

The news that the Klamath River will see four dams removed starting in 2023 should in theory be a boon for the anadromous fish that call its waters home during portions of their lifecycle.

Final approval to remove the dams in Northern California and Southern Oregon – J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2 and Iron Gate – was granted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in mid-November.

Taking them out is expected to open up hundreds of miles of spawning and rearing habitat for Klamath steelhead and salmon.

“With a large chunk of old territory soon to be open for them, I’d have to think that the Klamath’s fish population will be benefited greatly over time,” says guide Mike Stratman of Redwood Coast Fishing.

Still, he has some concerns about the long-term effects of dam removal.

“I think there’s a lot of unknown impacts, (such as) sediment buildup behind removed dams and movement through the watershed, seasonal water flow/ temperatures, and potential cessation of hatchery production ... that will only be discovered after removal,” he says, adding. “My fingers are crossed, and it will be fascinating to watch such a complex project unfold.” -CC to one degree or another at least all through (the first week of January). This may curtail opportunities, but to be honest, I welcome all the rain we can get. We need it in the worst way.”

STARTING TO THE NORTH

Stratman expects the best early-season destinations to be the Smith and, just across the border, Oregon’s Chetco River.

“This is my typical early season location, as early January is typically the wettest time of the winter. If rain continues, I’ll stay in that area until I see water levels on our Humboldt County rivers drop enough to see good fishability for at least a handful of days,” Stratman says.

But it’s more likely that Stratman will begin taking his clients to southern rivers such as the Klamath, Mad and Eel closer to February and March.

“However, there have been years (like last year) where I end up down south by the middle of January. In years past, I’m strictly down south in the last half of March,” he says.

But this time around, Stratman was able to obtain a permit to fish a Wild and Scenic stretch of the upper Chetco River that flows through the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, which could see him fishing again in the Oregon waters later in spring.

“Like the Eel system, Mattole and Mad Rivers, this stretch of the Chetco is usually exceptional in March,” Stratman says.

SIDE-DRIFTING SPECIFICS

Like many of the North Coast’s guides and stealthy steelhead anglers, Stratmam is a side-drifting savant when targeting steelies.

“Side-drifting setups are pretty basic for me. I run 12-pound P-Line CXX for my mainline.I’ll run a size 5 snap swivel up my mainline so it slides freely,” he says. “My weight – either a Mad River Manufacturing Drifter, slinky or pencil lead – will attach to the snap. Then I’ll tie a size 5 barrel swivel to the end of the mainline.”

Stratman will run a leader of 10- to

Side-drifting is the name of the game for catching large steelhead like this one held by a client of guide Mike Stratman. “My gut tells me it will be a good season, but these things can be tough to predict,” he says. (MIKE STRATMAN/

REDWOOD COAST FISHING)

12-pound P-Line fluorocarbon (“depending on the conditions,” he says).

“I’ll fish a No. 2 Owner SSW octopus hook on the 12-pound and a 4 on the 10 typically. The length of the leader can vary to 1.5 to 3 feet. The dirtier the water is, the shorter the leader,” Stratman adds.

“As far as the presentation, I’ll fish a lot of soft beads and bait/yarn. Beadwise, BnR and Mad River Manufacturing both have excellent products. Their colors and rubber are both kind of distinctive, so I like ’em both for different conditions.”

“Of course, it’s also hard to beat the traditional steelhead roe with a Mad River Fish Pill, Bait Button and yarn. Sometimes that rig even fishes better without the bait (just yarn and Fish Pill), depending on the water you’re fishing it in.”

Stratman also recommends plunking off the shore for less experienced steelie anglers when rivers are at higher levels. CS