The Mad was down to 815 cfs as of Wednesday and in need of rain. And it’s coming. If the forecast holds, it will be on a vertical rise starting Wednesday night and peaking on Friday night at around 6,500 cfs. The last few days, the bite has been hit and miss, with a mix of beat up hatchery runbacks and a handful of bright, wild fish. The influx of water should bring in another wave of fresh fish and start to bring some more spawners down river.

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 www.fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.