Another week, another dismal atmospheric river has come and gone. The storm door cracked open back in early October, but it hasn’t been kicked open much farther since. Instead, we’ve seen a parade of modest systems — just enough rain to bump flows, but not nearly enough to produce the kind of full-blown rises anglers hope for this time of year. It’s been one little storm after another, keeping the rivers barely high enough to remain open and allowing salmon to trickle in rather than charge upriver in big bunches.

Despite the lack of a true gully-washer, the small rises we’ve had have created windows of very fishable conditions. Those brief lifts in flow have turned out some pretty good scores for boats and bank anglers who were able to time their outings around the modest pulses of water. Fish continue to move on each rise, albeit in smaller and smaller numbers.

For now, the pattern remains the same: light rains, marginal rises, and steady but unspectacular fishing. Anglers will be watching closely for a stronger system that could finally open the door all the way and push the bulk of the late-fall fish into the rivers as well as some early-arriving steelhead. Until then, the trickle continues — and so does the opportunity for those willing to watch the gauges and take advantage when conditions line up.

Weather ahead
According to the Eureka’s National Weather Service, moderate to locally heavy rainfall ended late Wednesday with the passing of the front. “A chillier airmass has moved in behind the front. Overnight lows will bring chances for interior frost and some freezing temperatures, but values will be close to climatological norms. After the recent rains, and building high pressure, the environment will be favorable for poorly modeled radiational fog over at least the next couple of mornings. An additional system is possible early next week, but ensembles continue to trend this system northward. Even high-end precipitation amounts are only showing 0.25 amounts clipping Del Norte County. After the passage of an associated cold front, cooler overnight lows will return Tuesday morning. Precipitation chances are currently not forecast to trend higher until mid to late next week.”

CDFW awaits new domoic acid test results for North Coast crab
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife conducted additional domoic acid sampling late last week, deploying a vessel out of Eureka to collect crabs for both retesting and initial toxicity checks. The effort included a retest of the Trinidad area, which previously returned elevated domoic acid levels. Under state health guidelines, any area that tests high must produce two consecutive clean results, collected at least one week apart, before restrictions can be lifted.

According to a CDFW, test results from the most recent round of sampling are expected to be available on Nov. 20 or Nov. 21. These findings will help determine whether the Trinidad zone is trending toward reopening and will provide the first assessment of crab condition in the Eureka area.

Shelter Cove update
“It’s been a little slow without being able to fish for crab, but things are picking up,” said Jake Mitchell of Sea Hawk Sport Fishing. “Rock fishing has been really good lately, and the lingcod action has been excellent as well. Haven’t been going too far, just around the Old Man and the Hat.”

Brookings update
According to Andy Martin of Brookings Fishing Charters, lingcod and rockfish action is good out of Brookings when the weather cooperates. “Last weekend produced limits,” said Martin. “Winds calm down this weekend, although the swell is borderline at 10 feet.” 

The Rivers:
As of Thursday, the main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Mad, and Smith were open to fishing. Only Redwood Creek remained closed due to low flows. The low-flow closure telephone hotline for North Coast rivers is no longer in service. You can now find river openings and closures online at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/Low-Flow/North-Coast.

Low-flow information for all North Coast rivers is available here.

NOTE: The main stem Eel from the South Fork to Cape Horn Dam, the Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2026.

Mad
The Mad was on a slight rise as of Thursday morning and is forecast to reach 1,100 cfs in the afternoon. It’s forecast to drop through the weekend and into early next week before the rain returns mid-next week. There are reportedly fresh salmon making their way into the river. Minimum flow: 200 cfs at the gauging station at the Highway 299 bridge. cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=ARCC1

Main Eel
Following Tuesday’s rise, the main stem was on drop Thursday and flowing just above 4,000 cfs. It’s predicted to drop through the weekend and could be fishable next week when flows will dip below 2,000 cfs. The next rise is predicted for the end of next week. There should be some late arriving kings around as well as some fresh coho. Minimum Flow: 350 cubic feet per second at the gauging station near Scotia. cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=SCOC1

South Fork Eel
The South Fork was running at 1,000 cfs Thursday morning and it looks like it won’t reach 1,200 cfs as predicted. It will be on the drop through the weekend and all next week. Last weekend, with flows under 1,000, the river remained off color. Minimum flow: 340 cfs at the gauging station at Miranda. cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=MRNC1

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen was on a very slight rise Thursday morning, but it won’t amount to much. Flows were right around 575 cfs and will be on the drop through mid-next week. It’s predicted to get down to 200 cfs late next week prior to the next rain event. It should be fishable by the weekend. Minimum flow: 150 cfs at the gauging station near Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park. cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=BRGC1

Smith
The Smith was on a slow rise Thursday morning, but likely to peak at less than predicted. As of noon it was around 2,290 cfs and may not go much above 2,300 cfs. Rain last Sunday brought flows up Monday and the fishing was decent. Some fresh fish were caught, but the majority are now dark and there’s some nice coho around. The ensemble forecast shows the river dropping through next Tuesday, with the next small rise predicted for Wednesday. Minimum flow: 600 cfs at the Jedediah Smith State Park gauging station. cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=CREC1

Eel River Chinook salmon returns
According to the Friends of the Eel website, the first Chinook salmon arrived at the Van Arsdale Fisheries Station (VAFS) on Wednesday, November 5. Salmon arrivals were steady throughout the week and peaked on Thursday, November 6, with 111 arrivals. Over the week (November 3 – 9), 251 Chinook salmon (female 73, male 85, unknown 27, jack 66) were observed migrating upstream through the fish passage facility at Cape Horn Dam. The season total for upstream migrating Chinook salmon stands at 251 (female 73, male 85, unknown 27, jack 66), through Sunday, November 9. For more information, visit https://eelriver.org/the-eel-river/#fishcount.

Nov. 28 and 29 free fish days in Oregon
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is waiving all fishing licensing requirements on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving to encourage people to experience fishing with friends and family during the long holiday weekend. All fishing, crabbing and clamming in Oregon will be free for both Oregon residents and non-residents. No licenses, tags or endorsements are needed on those days, but all other fishing regulations apply. Visit https://myodfw.com/articles/2025-free-fishing-days-and-events

Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“Salmon fishing has slowed on the Chetco,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “After a decent weekend, catch rates dropped significantly to begin the week. A few late fish are expected after the next rain, but many anglers will turn their attention to the Dec. 1 steelhead opener. A few steelhead have already been released. 

The Elk and Sixes need a big rain event to jumpstart the action. Expect decent fishing on the Elk after the next rise to 4 feet. The river was 2.3 feet on Wednesday.”

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.