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...
Full Story 

Appearing in evolutionary records as early as the icy Pleistocene epoch, Oncorhynchus kisutch – better known as coho or “silver salmon” – have swum Earth’s rivers for millions of years. Currently, this anadromous salmon species is found in watersheds along the Pacific Coast from Alaska all the way to Central California. During their typical 3-4 year lifespan, a coho completes the journey from their natal streams...
Full Story 

Sorry that I have not been able to make a new report due to computer problems. I hope all had a good New Year and are aware that there are some new changes coming up the pipe line. As soon as I am able to get them, I will put in the report. Some thing that has come to my attention...
Full Story 

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,...
Full Story 

Understanding an animal’s diet plays a key role in developing effective conservation and management strategies. Biologists typically collect data on what fish are eating either by directly looking at stomach contents or through a method called stable isotope analysis. Stomach content analysis is useful for identifying the prey a fish consumes, but it only reveals a snapshot of their diet...
Full Story 

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...
Full Story