Kenny Priest

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...
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As another weakening storm approaches the North Coast, it’s safe to say we’re now on the backside of the late-fall coastal king salmon run. This fall still hasn’t delivered the kind of big storm needed to give the rivers a full blowout, and most have been teetering between open and closed. On the bright side, salmon returns to the coastal...
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If you haven’t gotten in on the late fall king action yet, this should be your weekend. River conditions are lining up nicely for both the Smith and Chetco — and with the run possibly winding down, now’s the time to go. Earlier rain put plenty of water back into both systems. Boats were back on the Smith by Wednesday, while...
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The season’s first atmospheric river was forecast to hit the North Coast last Friday and into the weekend, but it came in well under predictions. What was expected to deliver 4 to 6 inches of rain ended up producing just 2 to 2.5 inches. Still, it was enough to briefly open several rivers — the Smith for three days, and...
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The season’s first major storms are headed for the North Coast, and they’re shaping up to be impressive. According to the National Weather Service office in Eureka, a deep and expansive Aleutian low will drive an atmospheric river–type system into the Pacific Northwest beginning Friday. Multiple disturbances rotating off this low will impact Northern California, bringing moderate to heavy precipitation...
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The Klamath is back under 3,000 cfs as of Thursday, but the mouth reportedly remains plugged or severely restricted. There hasn’t been much in the way of new fish entering the lower river for quite some time. Rain is on the way, hopefully it will be enough to blow it out. There should be quite a few more kings, along...
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