Kenny Priest

The first part of December is typically transition time for the Smith River. The majority of the salmon have moved upriver and we’re now waiting for the steelhead to show. Flowing at just under 700 cfs on Wednesday, the river has been closed to fishing since Tuesday. While it was open on Monday, some salmon were caught, but the majority...
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With very little rain over the past two months, the end is near for the late, fall-run salmon season on our coastal rivers. The season, much like last year, has been somewhat of a disappointment to anglers. Only a couple smaller storms hit the coast and dropped enough rain to bring the Eel, Smith and Chetco up to levels where...
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A petition requesting a temporary rule change restricting harvest of wild winter steelhead in the Oregon Southwest Zone, which includes the Chetco River, was submitted on Nov. 4 by a group of Oregon fishing guides to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission. If accepted, the emergency rule change would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. According to the petition,...
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If you see a family member duck out early on Thanksgiving Day, or fail to show up at all, you can bet it’s raining and the rivers are either open or on the verge. After suffering through an extremely dry November, it looks like our weather pattern is about to change. The ridge of high pressure that’s been parked off...
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The wait for rainfall has been nothing short of grueling for coastal salmon anglers chomping at the bit to drift the Smith, Chetco or Eel. Humboldt and Del Norte Counties have been bone dry since mid-October, when enough rain fell to put all the local rivers on the rise. Though the parched ground soaked up a lot of the moisture,...
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Typically, the start of the sport crab season can go two ways. If the crabs are abundant, the meat content is usually on the lighter side. If there are fewer crabs around, they are typically heavier and in better shape. This is all due to their food source – lots of crabs equals less food for them to divide, fewer...
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