Fishing the North Coast

Steelhead Season Comes to a Quiet Close

By Kenny Priest

fishing@northcoastjournal.com

Winter steelhead anglers just can’t catch a break. Thursday, March 31, will mark the end of another abnormal steelhead season here on the coast. While the fi shing was excellent, the real story was the lack of rain. But if you’ve been fi shing the North Coast rivers the last few years, you know there’s very little normal to our steelhead seasons anymore. Going back a few years, the 2019 season ended on a very wet note, which could have spurned this year’s solid return. During the peak of the 2020 steelhead season, we were at the height of a pandemic and were told to keep our distance from other anglers. And last year the steelhead didn’t bother to show up. This year, the fi sh arrived in good numbers but the water spigot went dry after mid-January. Honestly, I’m a little scared to see what next year’s season brings.

Now, as the calendar nears April, it’s time to switch gears and look toward the next angling opportunities. The rockfi sh and Pacifi c halibut openers are a month away, and there’s a good possibility ocean salmon will begin on May 1 as well. It’s also time to start thinking about spring salmon on the Klamath and the lower Rogue rivers. There are redtails to be had from all the local beaches and the lagoons are full of trout.

The Beach/Jetties

When the ocean’s been calm, the redtail perch action has been decent along the beaches. There are some spots that are typically better than others but you can catch them just about anywhere this time of the year. Conditions don’t look fi shable for the weekend, with big swells and heavy winds in the forecast. Anglers are catching black rockfi sh and the occaBrad Cain, of San Francisco, landed a nice winter steelhead earlier this season on the Eel River. Other than on the main stem Eel and Smith rivers, steelhead season will close after

March 31. Photo courtesy of Kenny Priest/Fishing the North Coast Guide Service

sional lingcod on the North Jetty. Fishing has been slower on the south side. Five to 6-inch Gulp jerk shads are a popular bait as well as smaller swimbaits. Egg sinkers or banana weights rigged with a herring also work well.

HASA Picnic coming April 9

The public is invited to the Humboldt Area Saltwater Anglers’ Picnic and Gear Swap/Sell. The fundraising barbecue will be held April 9 at Pierson Park in McKinleyville from 2 to 6 p.m. The cost is $10 per person or $20 for a family up to four. HASA will provide burgers, hot dogs and non-alcoholic drinks, and it will be pot luck on side dishes. Lunch will start at 3:30 p.m. HASA will provide tables but please bring your own chairs. There will be a few silent auction items and a door prize, and attendees are welcome to bring a table of spare fi shing gear to sell or swap. Please RSVP to clderidder@hotmail.com by April 2 so organizers can determine food quantity. Please include your contact information so you can be notifi ed of any changes.

The Rivers:

As a reminder, the South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Mattole, Mad, Redwood Creek, and the Chetco will all close to fi shing after March 31.

Eel River (main stem)

feet per second last Friday but has been steadily dropping since. As of Tuesday, it was down to 1,125 cfs. There are a few fi sh around, the majority of which will likely be downers. Fishing pressure is light, but anglers are getting a couple chances per day. The main stem Eel, from its mouth to the South Fork is open to fi shing all year. From April 1 through Sept. 30, only artifi cial lures with barbless hooks may be used.

The Smith

The Smith was fl owing at just under 1,100 cfs as of Tuesday. The water is extremely clear and low. Not much in the way of fi shing pressure, but a few fi sh are being caught. The main stem of the Smith will remain open through the end of April from its mouth to the confl uence with the Middle and South Forks. The Middle Fork will also remain open through April from its mouth to Patrick’s Creek. The South Fork is open through April as well, from its mouth upstream approximately 1,000 feet to the County Road (George Tryon) bridge and Craig’s Creek to Jones Creek.

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.

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