FISHING THE NORTH COAST
Coastal Rivers Full, Smith Best Bet for Salmon By Kenny Priest
fishing@northcoastjournal.com
T
rying to decipher last week’s rain and river level predictions was not for the faint of heart. But when it was all said and done, all of the North Coast rivers got the flushing they desperately needed. Some rivers, especially to our south, went far beyond what was forecast and eventually hit flood stage. Coastal rivers from the Smith to the South Fork Eel mostly fell short of predictions, but are plum-full of water, nonetheless. Considering it’s still October, the future is looking bright. As for fishing, the Smith was the only green river on the coast. The river opened to fishing Thursday but was on a steep rise for most of the day and night. Boats were on the water Friday but conditions weren’t great. By Saturday, the river had dropped and the fishing was much improved, with just about all the boats landing fish. Looking toward the weekend, the Smith peaked Tuesday afternoon at 11.25 feet on the Jed Smith gauge. It’s predicted to be on a slow drop through the weekend and should be full of fresh kings. The Chetco will likely draw a crowd this weekend, as the flows settle into the range of 2,000 cubic feet per second. For current Smith River conditions, visit https://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/smithStages.html. For the Chetco, visit www.nwrfc. noaa.gov/river/station/flowplot/flowplot. cgi?lid=CHTO3.
Weather ahead According to Jonathan Garner of Eureka’s National Weather Service office, after the storms clear out Wednesday, the next chance at rain will be Friday. “There is a chance of rain Friday and Saturday, but the amounts are uncertain,” he said. “It will be more hit and miss and we probably won’t see widespread rainfall. We’ll definitely be heading into more of a drier pattern at least for the next seven days.”
The Rivers: As of Tuesday, all North Coast rivers
subjected to low-flow fishing closures, including the Smith, Eel, South Fork Eel, Mad, Redwood Creek and Van Eight-year-old Bryson Blevin, along with dad Tyler, landed this Duzen are open to nice king salmon Saturday while fishing the Smith River. angling, but don’t Photo courtesy of Tyler Blevin expect green water on rivers other than the Smith. Be sure Upper Trinity closed to the take and call the low-flow closure hotline at 822-3164 to determine if the river is open of adult kings prior to fishing. The California Department In a press issued Oct. 20, the California of Fish and Wildlife will announce whether Department of Fish and Wildlife projected rivers will be open by a telephone recordthe Upper Trinity River quota will have ed message each Monday, Wednesday and been met as of 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 24. This Friday. triggers the closure of the adult fall-run Smith River Chinook salmon fishery on the Trinity The Smith fished well Saturday, with River from the Old Lewiston Bridge to the most boats getting limits of bright kings. State Route 299 West Bridge at Cedar Flat. Fishing was a little tougher Sunday, as the The Lower Trinity River quota will be river was on the rise for most of the day. met as of 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31. This There are bright as well as dark salmon triggers the closure of the adult fall-run spread from the forks to the outfitters. Chinook salmon fishery on the Trinity RivMost of the fish are being caught on plugs er from the Denny Road Bridge at Hawkins but back-bouncing the deeper slots with Bar to the confluence with the Klamath roe has also produced. Conditions look River. Both sectors will remain open for good through the weekend. fishing and the harvest of jack Chinook salmon less than or equal to 23 inches. For Chetco River more information, visit www.wildlife. High water has made salmon fishing ca.gov/News/trinity-river-adult-chitough on the Chetco, but flows will be nook-salmon-quota-met. close to ideal as the weekend approaches, ● reports Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. He said, “Salmon are spread throughout Read the complete fishing report at the system. Bobbers must still be used unwww.northcoastjournal.com til Nov. 5, as ODFW said it is sticking with the published low-flow regulations. Last Kenny Priest (he/him) operates week’s brood stock seining for the Chetco Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide hatchery program produced nearly 75 service out of Humboldt specializing kings over two days. Some of the salmon in salmon and steelhead. Find it on were close to 40 pounds. Flows reached Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and 8,000 cfs. Less than 4,000 is considered www.fishingthenorthcoast.com. For good, and anything between 1,500 and up-to-date fishing reports and North 2,500 cfs is prime. Catches during high waCoast river information, email kenny@ ter have been nearly a 50-50 split between fishingthenorthcoast.com. hatchery and wild fish.”
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northcoastjournal.com • Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021 • NORTH COAST JOURNAL
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