Kenny Priest

Another week of beautiful rain-free weather on the North Coast, which is exactly what we don’t need. Two of our coastal rivers have succumbed to low flows and are now closed to angling. With the forecast calling for more dry weather, a few other rivers will likely close soon. To date, the Mattole and Redwood Creek have both fallen below...
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North Coast river levels have fallen from their December glory after an extremely dry January. And February, at least through the first couple weeks, isn’t looking much better. This extended dry period could lead to fishing closures on several North Coast rivers. Back in December, the California Fish and Game Commission voted to extend low-flow closures through April 30 from...
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It’s been nearly three weeks since we’ve had any measurable precipitation and most of the coastal rivers are now feeling the effects. Other than the main stem Eel and the Mad, which are both in pristine shape, all the rivers are now low, clear and in need of a good blowout. The Smith and Chetco clear the quickest, and have...
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If you’re looking to hit one of our local rivers in search of winter steelhead, this is your weekend. The lack of recent rainfall, both a blessing and a curse, has allowed the rivers to drop and turn the shade of emerald green steelhead anglers dream about. From the Chetco to the South Fork Eel, all the coastal rivers will...
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Following last week’s deluge, all the coastal rivers other than the Smith are now on the verge of turning green. After reaching nearly 39,000 cubic feet per second on the Jed Smith gauge Jan. 4, the quick-clearing Smith rebounded quickly and was driftable Sunday. Plunkers were out in force Monday on the Chetco and boats were drifting by Tuesday. Locally,...
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Just as most of the coastal rivers were dropping into fishable shape, another fierce round of storms took aim at the North Coast. For now, the winter steelhead season has come to a screeching halt. From the Chetco south to the top of the Eel River system, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any water that resembles anything close to green....
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