Kenny Priest


Smith River Best Bet for Green Water
Kenny Priest
by Kenny Priest, JANUARY 7, 2021



If you’re in pursuit of steelhead-green water this weekend, you’ll probably need to head north. With the Chetco blown out for potentially another week, the Smith may be the only game in town for quite some time. It looks to be a little unstable through Saturday but is forecasted to remain at fishable levels. Friday looks to be marginal for...
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Steelhead Anglers Dealing with Tough Conditions
Kenny Priest
by Kenny Priest, DECEMBER 31, 2020



From high water to low water back to high water, North Coast rivers are all feeling the effects of the yo-yo syndrome. We’ve had some good storms roll through the area, bringing with them some decent river rises. Unfortunately, dropping flows have been as abrupt as the rises. This recipe does not make for quality steelhead angling. Having storms closer...
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Steelhead Season Awaiting Take Off
Kenny Priest
by Kenny Priest, DECEMBER 24, 2020



The transition to steelhead season is taking a bit longer than we had hoped. To date, steelhead fishing has yet to really take off on popular rivers like the Smith and Chetco. The lower Eel has yet to see big numbers of steelhead as well. The lone bright spot has been the Mad River. It’s probably a safe bet that...
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Storms should keep the steelhead coming
Kenny Priest
by Kenny Priest, DECEMBER 17, 2020



Following a weekend that saw slightly less rain than predicted, conditions on our steelhead rivers are starting to improve. Storms impacting our coast one after the other are what’s really needed to kick off the winter steelhead run, and that looks to be the case through the weekend. A good soaking is forecasted for Wednesday with another coming late Saturday...
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Rain and Steelhead Both on the Horizon
Kenny Priest
by Kenny Priest, DECEMBER 10, 2020



Winter steelhead season has yet to take off on the North Coast but that could soon change. A pretty sizeable storm is headed our way this weekend that should put all of the coastal rivers on the rise, and hopefully open them up to fishing. And more rain is on the way next week according to the National Weather Service....
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Winter Steelhead Up Next for Coastal Rivers
Kenny Priest
by Kenny Priest, DECEMBER 3, 2020



With no rain in the forecast for at least the next 10 days, the end is in plain view for the late, fall-run salmon season on the North Coast. The Chetco saw a few good days of fishing but the Smith was somewhat of a disappointment. The rains, along with the runs of salmon, were short-lived, forcing most of the...
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