Kenny Priest

The Pacific Fishery Management Council released its “Review of 2023 Ocean Salmon Fisheries” report last week and the news was better than expected. Based on an ocean abundance of 102,500 Klamath River fall Chinook thought to be swimming in the ocean last fall, forecasters predicted roughly 39,858 adults would return to the river. Fortunately, the run was a little more...
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What was shaping up as a couple day window for some other coastal rivers to finally drop into shape, has been firmly slammed shut. The rain that began Wednesday dashed all hopes of being able to finally drift the South Fork Eel, Van Duzen and Mad. So once again, we are back to high and muddy water. And these series...
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It’s looking like we’re finally getting a break in the rain – for at least a week. But will it be enough to bring other rivers other than the Smith and Chetco into play? That is the million-dollar question. As of Thursday, all of the coastal rivers are beginning to drop and are forecast to continue the downward trend through...
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Another atmospheric river has come and gone along the North Coast, sending a few rivers back to nearly monitor stage. To put it bluntly, for rivers other than the Smith, we’re back to swollen, muddy rivers – or square one. For the time being, the Smith will remain the only option if you’re looking for green water. If the forecast...
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More of the same – I think that best sums up another week of rain and muddy rivers on the North Coast. And it doesn’t appear any changes are coming soon. Another potential gully washer is forecast for the weekend, dropping upwards of 3.5 inches of rain in the Smith River basin. That will likely curtail any hopes of drifting,...
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All coastal rivers, except for the Smith, will be high and muddy next week Just as the steelhead season on the Smith and Chetco rivers was showing signs of life, a couple of good storms have and will put steelhead fishing on the backburner. Rain that fell on Tuesday and Wednesday buckled the knees of the coastal rivers, but the knockout...
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