Fishing Articles

Winter steelhead season set to take off
Kenny Priest
by Kenny Priest, DECEMBER 20, 2018
Mad River

For North Coast river anglers, the past couple weeks were spent waiting on the rain – as well as the arrival of the winter steelhead. Well, we now have both. The latest storms delivered a much more powerful punch than predicted, especially to the Smith and Chetco. Both rivers peaked at well over 20,000 cfs, and got the flushing they...
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Fishing Opportunities Abound Over the Holidays, Despite Hatchery Issues in Central and Southern California
by CDFW, DECEMBER 20, 2018

The winter holidays are a popular time for families and individuals to enjoy recreational trout fishing, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) trout hatcheries plan to provide plenty of opportunities for anglers of all ages over the next two weeks. Specific plants of catchable trout are scheduled at 53 waters in 25 counties. Anglers planning trout fishing outings...
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Drift-Fish Your Way into a Steelhead's Mouth
Southern Oregon
by Larry Ellis, DECEMBER 15, 2018
Chetco River

It’s almost time to catch your first steelhead of the winter season, and if you’re a bank fisherman, drift-fishing is a prime way of getting them to bite. Whether you’re fishing the Chetco River or North Fork of the Coquille, every river has its favored drift-fishing water flows. Notice that I didn’t mention the word “hot-spots”, mainly because hotspots can change...
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Excess algae and aging infrastructure likely cause of fish egg loss at Cole Rivers Hatchery
by ODFW, DECEMBER 15, 2018

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery staff are reporting an unusual level of loss among spring Chinook eggs and newly hatched fish at Cole Rivers Hatchery. Agency fish health specialists believe an algae overload and aging infrastructure is the likely cause of the loss. Approximately 360,000 spring Chinook eggs and fry died since December 7 due to low dissolved oxygen...
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Rain – and hopefully steelhead – on the way
Kenny Priest
by Kenny Priest, DECEMBER 13, 2018
Smith River

Winter steelhead season has yet to kick into gear on the North Coast, but changes are a brewing. We have a couple decent storm fronts headed our way that will put all of the coastal rivers on the rise. If the rain comes as predicted, the rivers will see their highest flows this winter, except for the Smith. The Eel,...
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Good Day On the Sacramento River
Ramblings
by John Higley, DECEMBER 13, 2018
Sacramento River - Upper

With the salmon season winding down on the Sacramento River I fervently hoped to get on the water at least one more time. My idea was to have a little fun on my favorite northern California river, and introduce my adult daughter Meredith to river salmon fishing under the tutelage of guide Mike Bogue, who’s been guiding full time on...
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