The action on the Smith remains slow but for those willing to work hard you can still find some action. Kenny Armstrong along with his partner took 1st place in the 3rd Cal Ore derby of the season.

Oregon border rivers
The Smith and Chetco are both dead slow. Wally Johnson called in a Chetco report on Wednesday 3-11. He said he was one of three guide boats on the river and a grand total of two fish were landed and they were the odd boat out. Wally is headed home to fish the upper Klamath this next week where he knows the meals will be hot and the fishing opportunities much more in their odds. On the upper Klamath they are still seeing 4 to 6 adults running from 4 to 8 pounds plus lots of half pounders.
Over on the Smith the action is also slow with a few bluebacks (late run two year olds averaging 3 to 5 pounds) and runbacks giving guide's clients enough action to keep it interesting but not exciting. The steelie run is over on the Smith and aside from a few good days it really never got started this year. This fishery needs some management issues addressed before it will return to it's past glory. The season runs through March on the Smith but opportunities will be limited at best.

The Smith is in great shape flowing at 10.4 feet and is dropping very slowly here on Friday 3-6. Fishing has been slow as well with most guides seeing scores of 0 to 2 per boat. It's getting late for the Smith and the March action is more about smaller bluebacks and runbacks and rivers to the south offer better March action. 2009 will be remembered as a poor season but I am encouraged about next year as there are lots of smaller fish in this year's run and that is a good indication of better action ahead.
The South Fork Eel will come back into play this weekend and is always a top producer in March. Kenny Armstrong and Wally Johnson are both reworking their plans to get some days in on the south fork this week.

The Smith has dropped into puuuurfect shape here on Saturday 2-28 morning. Over the past 24 hours the river has come down a foot to 11 feet and lots of guides are out on the 2nd Cal Ore Derby of the season. As it has most of this season the fishing remains tough with the majority of guides reporting scores of 0 to 1 fish per boat. On Friday out of 30 boats on the river only 9 steelhead were landed. On Saturday the competition switched over to the Chetco with scores averaging at 1 to 2 fish per boat (all fish are measured and released). Many boats were skunked for the entire derby which really highlights the need for it. Proceeds go to the Rowdy Creek hatchery but obviously we are seeing a huge fall off of returning steelies in both of these rivers.
It's high time that fishery managers start looking at other options to enhance returns like hatch boxes, marine mammal management and not allow the take of wild fish until the numbers of returning fish gets back to a more historical range. Don't hold your breath for Fish and Game so called fishery managers to act. They seldom do until it's far to late (look at the great job they have done on the Central Valley river systems). Only in state government can such incompetent people hold onto their jobs. That is what happens when the top job at Fish and Game is appointed by the governor and your head (along with other top managers) will roll if you don't follow his political agenda.
Rain is expected on Sunday with rain falling on and off through mid week. The majority of the rivers to the south are still high and muddy and with the wet forecast look to remain so all this week.

Prime flows on the Smith river are between 12 and 9 feet. Fish are caught in higher flows by those plucking and even in the low and clear waters below 8.5 feet but prime fishing is always found with a dropping river in the 9 to 12 foot range. No one can predict the best day or conditions but put in a few days in and you will be rewarded. All of our sponsors have room available for the prime January - mid March period. Please call the DFG flow information hotline at 707 822-3164 for additional information.

Side Drifting for Steelhead 101
Here are a few tips to help improve your steelhead scores when side drifting on a guided trip.
Side drifting is a "team sport"  where the guide and his clients in the front seats must fish together. It's important to understand what is expected of both the guide and the anglers in the front seats to be an effective team. When the rower and anglers work together the results will always mean more opportunities to hook that trophy.
The guide sets the boat up off of the fish and adjusts the speed of the drift to work the baits into where the fish are holding without snagging bottom. Sounds simple enough but it takes 100s of trips to fully "know" a river and it's even tougher when you have clients who aren't following instructions.
The first trick for the clients in the front seat  to master is "matching" their casts. Typically your guide will tell you exactly, down to a few feet or sometimes inches where he wants you to put your casts. The top guides with their years of knowledge know exactly where fish will be holding depending on a river's flow level and color. They already have a game plan in place before the boat is off trailer and know which areas of the river they will want to concentrate on that day. It's the clients responsibility to be ready to follow instructions. Typical instructions are "Cast in the foam line behind that boulder pile" or "on the soft side of that seam"  or "in as tight to the bank as you can without going in the trees". If anglers make accurate casts of the same distance this makes it easy on the guide to get that "perfect drift". When one angler casts too short or long it's impossible for your guide to get both lines to work properly through the run. The result of mismatched casts is often times one line getting snagged on the bottom and fishing time is lost. Anglers who remain alert and make those typical 4 to 8 average bites count come off the river with a memorable day. Those day dreaming or not placing their casts where directed are lucky to hook a fish or two. Crossed lines, backlashes, snags or those flung into the trees are "score killers" and will result in fewer fish hooked at the end of the day.
If you are not a proficient caster then I have three words, practice, practice, practice before your trip. From a forward sitting position practice making casts to your right and left at app. 9 to 10 o'clock and 2 to 3 o'clock.  Keep practicing until you can consistently place a cast within a five foot radius without back-lashing and be sure your fishing partner does the same.  No professional guide that I know will ever blame his clients for a bad day but often times it is the lack of experience that does result in a low fish count. Scores almost always improve when there is some talent or "hot-sticks" on board. The reason is the clients are matching their casts, making good baits on their own and this leaves the guide to concentrate on his top priority, putting you on the fish.

What to bring:
Save time by purchasing  your fishing license and appropriate stamps ahead of time. Dress warmly in layers (don't forget the hat and gloves) and be prepared for rainy weather. Always arrive on time or early to your meeting spot. Bring a lunch, a thermos of something hot and  snacks that has be easily eaten while fishing and don't forget the sunglasses and a camera.
We are proud to have some of the top guides feeding us reports from all north coast rivers throughout the year. Our sponsors are all full time guides and have the experience and the know how to consistently put you on the fish. Please support these guides that make this site possible. All offer professional trips with the best of boats and equipment. During the peak runs they also book trips for other quality guides that are often mentioned within our reports. On their websites you will also find additional fishing reports, trips dates and booking information.