Eel, Mad, Mattole Rivers Fishing Report

Rivers Rise, Last Chance for Steelies
Rainfall on the North Coast varied widely during this latest storm system. 24 hour rainfall totals through 5:PM Wednesday 3-20 ranged from .68 at Venado on the Russian to .88 at Ft Seward on the Eel to a high total of 1.84 inches at Gasquet on the Smith river. The Smith by far saw the largest rise jumping from 7.5 feet to 12.9 at Jed Smith state park. The Smith will quickly drop back in and looks to offer some ideal conditions this Thursday and into the weekend. With nice weather in the forecast a weekend spent fishing on the Smith and lodging at the Hiouchie Lodge sounds real appealing to this writer.
The Chetco also saw a significant rise and should be in play (and an excellent bet) by Friday.
The Eel pushed up about a foot to 8.6 feet at Miranda and is my top pick for anglers looking to score some huge numbers of mostly down runners on this catch and release fishery. It will need a day to flush out but I would expect the South Fork (Garberville to Miranda) to be fishing no later than Friday. Lower south fork sections will be fishing by the weekend.
The Russian saw just a minor rise of less than 100cfs on the Cloverdale section and should be in prefect shape for those who like to cast roe and don't mind feeding the down run smolts migrating down from hatchery releases and general lack of adults. This once incredible fishery has been destroyed by a thousand cuts. The biggest being the huge expansion of vineyards along the entire watershed over the past 15 years. Steelhead and salmon are a very resilient species and given the chance to recover can quickly do so.
The Eel system was destroyed by clear cut logging and has seen a steady recovery this past decade due to habitat protections. Hopefully those who own, profit and control the Russian watershed will see that healthy fisheries are a great indicator of a healthy environment. If not, maybe we will see further ESL regulations dictate how much water is diverted, what kinds of pesticides or chemicals like sulfur are dumped on local vineyards and maybe less of these sterile farms. Quick profits tend to come at a price, one that is currently being paid for by our local steelhead and salmon.

Last Hoorah
The first storm in a week and the third since the New Year is just moving in here on Tuesday 3-19. Rainfall totals are expected to run from a 1/2 to 1.5" through late Wednesday. With the dry watersheds we don't expect any big rises but flows will increase on all rivers and fishing opportunities will improve on many systems. Top bets will lay on rivers like the Eel where guides like Tony Sepulveda have been seeing 5 to 10 plus fish per day a mix of mostly ocean bound fish and a few fresh late run steelhead.
The recent lack of rain has killed the interest on the Smith but a spike in flows will push a bunch of fish that have been trapped into the tributaries into the main stem and bring the usual "March Madness" of blue backs or two and three years olds into the river. The Smith is currently running at 7.5 feet and any bump in flows above 9 feet will turn things back on.
On the Chetco last week's rain turned the bite back on with guides seeing 2 to 4 fish per stick of mostly runbacks and a few fresh run fish. Since then counts and flows have steadily dropped. As flows rise and then drop later this week the bite could improve here one last time.
The drought conditions made for some great fishing on the Eel and Klamath this winter but overall it's been a long, dry and frustrating season for the majority of rivers. For anglers lucky and smart enough to concentrate on these rivers or book with a guide you likely did well.
We received word last week from a couple of readers that new regulations for 2013 will close the Eel to C & R salmon fishing next fall. Talk about bullshit... The Eel has been under C & R regulations for what ? 20 years and both the salmon and steelhead runs have rebuilt to numbers not seen since the 70s. Angler groups have successfully fought against overly restrictive regulations in the past and hopefully local businesses, guides and sport anglers can come together and work with CDFW to not only restore the C & R fishery but one that allows some limited take. How DFW allowed the C & R fishery to end (or why) is ludicrous with both steelhead and salmon runs at 20 + year highs. Allowing a C & R or a limited take salmon and steelhead fishery would support many local businesses from guides to hotels and bring in huge dollars for a region dependant on pot farming.
Time is running short and the next week looks to be reader's last chance at hooking a steelie until July when the Klamath summer run fish push in.

After a few days of brownish water the Eel is back in and losing it's color fast. Tony Sepulveda texted in a report on Wednesday 3-13 that the fishing is outstanding with lots of down streamers and a few bright fish still in the mix. They are getting their action on both roe and plugs. The fish are in bunches and where you find one you can hook 5 others from the same spot. Tony said the color was fading fast and he expects that they will be back to praying for rain again soon. The good news is that rain is forecasted for Tuesday 3-19 which will only prolong the season.

River Levels: