Fishing the North Coast

from North Coast Journal 02-11-2021 Edition

by North Coast Journal

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Rivers Are Green, But Steelhead Hard to Come By

By Kenny Priest

fishing@northcoastjournal.com

Manhattan Beach resident Pete O’Campo landed this chrome-bright steelhead on a recent trip to the Chetco River.

Photo courtesy of Alan’s Guide Service

This past weekend saw all of our coastal steelhead rivers turn some shade of green — some emerald and some olive. Condition-wise, it was probably the best we’ve had this season. But pristine conditions only last so long. The next round of storms is forecast for Thursday and that will likely be the end of the green water for now. If you were planning on fi shing rivers other than the Smith or possibly the Chetco, you may be out of luck. Green rivers with perfect fl ows, unfortunately, are only half of the equation that make up winter fi shing success. The other is the “silver bullets,” otherwise known as steelhead. And those seem to be lacking in numbers this year. Anglers caught fi sh over the weekend on all the rivers other than the main Eel but not as many as hoped for, given the conditions. Hopefully the fi sh show in better numbers soon — we’re starting to run out of days.

The weather ahead

“We’ll have multiple opportunities for rain starting Thursday evening,” said Kathleen Zontos of Eureka’s National Weather Service o ce. “The two systems on the way aren’t big storms but they will impact the rivers. The fi rst one will arrive Thursday evening and stick around through Friday morning. A halfinch of widespread rain is predicted from Del Norte to Humboldt. The next round will hit Saturday morning and linger into Sunday. This system will impact Del Norte a little more, with up to an inch of rain predicted. In Humboldt, we should see about a half-inch.”

The Rivers:

Chetco/Elk/Sixes

The Chetco was blown out for a week but fi shed very well for plunkers Thursday and Friday, and was fair for drift boaters over the weekend, according to Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. He said, “Flows hit 20,000 [cubic feet per second] from rain and melting snow at the beginning of last week, and dropped to 3,700 by Sunday evening. Big numbers of steelhead shot upriver as fl ows dropped. Plunkers using large Spin-NGlos from the gravel bars at Ice Box, Loeb Park and Social Security Bar caught several dozen fi sh late in the week. Drift boaters encountered dirty water over the weekend but got into a few steelhead side-drifting. Scores were better for boaters that anchored and ran 3.5 MagLips. Prime conditions are expected this week, with another rise by the weekend.”

Smith River

The Smith is low and clear and the general consensus is the fi shing is tough, reports guide Mike Coopman. “There doesn’t seem to be a lot of fi sh in the river right now,” said Coopman. “There were a few days ago but the seals have pushed them through. The fi sh that are here are spread throughout the river. The fi sh we’re seeing continue to be real nice ones, with plenty of fi sh in the teens.” The Smith is predicted for a small rise Friday, with a bigger one coming Saturday. Flows are predicted to peak at 6,500 cfs early Sunday.

Eel River (main stem)

The main stem is starting to turn green but it’s still pretty big. Flows were down to 5,300 cfs on Tuesday but it doesn’t look like it will be down to a fi shable size by the time the next storm hits. Flows are predicted to bottom out Thursday evening at 3,900 cfs, then rise steadily Friday, putting it back at square one.

Eel River (South Fork)

were in perfect shape over the weekend. As of Tuesday, it’s fi shable all the way to the forks. Boat pressure was low over the weekend and so were the scores. There were a few more caught Monday, including some downers. The river should fi sh through Thursday, then increased fl ows are predicted starting Friday. It’s predicted to peak at 2,100 cfs Friday night with the next rise predicted for Saturday evening. It will likely be o color through the weekend.

Van Duzen

The Van Duzen was running at 600 cfs as of Tuesday and has good color. It will be in fi shable shape through Thursday, when it’s predicted to blow out again and remain high and o color through the weekend.

Mad River

The Mad was just starting drop into real fi shable shape on Tuesday with fl ows right around 1,300 cfs. The river was still big but the color was looking good. The steelhead fi shing remains tough but a few are being caught, mainly near the hatchery. With more rain on the way, the green water will stick around through Thursday. Flows are predicted to keep the river high and o color through the weekend.

Read the complete fi shing roundup at www.northcoastjournal.com.

Kenny Priest (he/him) operates Fishing the North Coast, a fi shing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and www.fi shingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fi shing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@ fi shingthenorthcoast.com