After a very wet few days that turned most of the local streams muddy, green water isn’t too far down the road. The latest round of storms are forecast to break apart starting Thursday, and we should see some sun by Friday. And with that, the North Coast rivers will be on the drop and begin to transition from brown to green. The Smith, per usual, will be the first to drop into shape. By Saturday morning, conditions should be about perfect. The Chetco will likely be a few days behind it. The Humboldt rivers will probably take a little longer to clear, but they could be fishable by sometime this weekend. Or at least by the first part of next week. Most were peaking, or close to it, as of Thursday afternoon.

It’s still way early in the winter steelhead season but, if you’re jonesing to try your luck, there is green water to be had.

Weather ahead
After a very wet Wednesday, we’ll start to dry out starting Friday. “Thursday should bring scattered showers, where we could see a half to an inch of rain,” said James White of Eureka’s National Weather Service office. “By Friday, we’ll begin to see some clearing. The weekend will bring some scattered showers, but nothing that will cause any of the rivers to rise. From there, we’re looking dry through at least Wednesday before we see another chance of precipitation. Right now, it’s not looking nearly as strong as this week’s systems.”

Weekend ocean conditions/crabbing
Offshore conditions are looking good for the weekend. Saturday’s forecast is calling for southeast winds 5 to 10 knots with northwest waves 6 feet at 11 seconds. Sunday’s forecast is calling for south winds 5 to 10 knots with west waves 8 feet at 13 seconds. Conditions next week are looking to be much improved. The crabbing had been good offshore prior to the latest rounds of storms rolling in. Crabbing out of Trinidad is also good when the kayaks and small boats can get out.

CDFW’s Dungeness crab Preliminary Assessment
According to the Dec. 4 preliminary assessment by CDFW’s marine region, they are recommending the CDFW Director to lift the temporary crab trap prohibition for the recreational fishery from California/Oregon state line to Cape Mendocino (Fishing Zone 1) and continuing the trap prohibition in Fishing Zones 3 and 4. Entanglement risk remains elevated in Zones 3 and 4 due to presence of whales and sea turtles. The Marine Region also recommends to continue to delay the commercial season opener in all Fishing Zones (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6). A final decision should be coming on or around December 8. More information can be found here.

Mad River Steelhead Derby Starts Jan. 15
The Mad River winter steelhead run is just around the corner and with it comes the annualNor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen Association’s (NCGASA)Mad River Steelhead Derby. The derby will start on January 15 and will run through February 29. Anglers will have two months to catch a big hatchery steelhead, with the three largest measured in both the adult and the youth divisions eligible to win cash and prizes. Adult division payouts: 1st place: $500; 2nd place: $300, 3rd place: $150. Youth division payouts (16 years and under): $150 RMI Outdoors gift card; 2nd place: $100 RMI gift card; 3rd place: $50 RMI gift card. All the youth winners will also receive donated fishing tackle from our sponsors. Anglers who sign up for the derby will be entered to win weekly raffle prizes starting on Jan. 1. Early bird sign-ups for the derby that come in before Jan. 1 are eligible to win two free tickets to the International Sportsmen’s Expo (ISE Show) in Sacramento (Jan. 18-21). New this year is a Winner Take All Raffle Package that includes a guided river trip for two, plus crazy amounts of fishing tackle and gear. This package is currently valued at $850. Raffle tickets are $50 and only 100 tickets will be sold. There are other raffles that include several guided ocean and river trips or you can win a two-night Airbnb country home stay, located minutes away from the Mad River. These trips and stay raffle tickets are $20. Sign up online at madriversteelheadderby.com or ncgasa.org.

Eel River salmon returns
During the week of Nov. 20-26, 62 Chinook salmon were observed moving upstream though the fishway. The season total for Chinook stands at 173 (54 Female, 41 Male, 13 Unknown, and 65 Jack). For more information, visit www.eelriver.org/the-eel-river/fish-count.

The Rivers:
As of Thursday morning, all North Coast rivers subjected to low-flow fishing closures were open to fishing. This includes the main stem Eel, South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Mad, Redwood Creek and Smith rivers. The Department of Fish and Game will make the information available to the public by a telephone recorded message updated, as necessary, no later than 1 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as to whether any stream will be closed to fishing. The rivers can be opened up at any time. The low flow closure hotline for North Coast rivers is 707-822-3164. NOTE: The main stem Eel from the South Fork to Cape Horn Dam, the Mad River from the mouth to 200 yards upstream and the Mattole River will be closed until January 1, 2024. More information can be found here.

Mad
The Mad has one more rise forecasted for late Thursday evening, where it’s predicted to peak at 10.8 feet (3,900 cfs). After that it will be on a slow decent at least through mid-next week. We could see some green water by Wednesday.

Main stem Eel
Following Wednesday and Thursday’s rain, the main Eel will be on the rise through Friday and is currently muddy. It’s expected to crest at 5,000 cfs at Scotia and will be on the drop through Tuesday. Should be in fishable shape by early next week.

South Fork Eel
The South Fork was on the rise as of Thursday, and predicted to peak at around 1,420 cfs early Friday morning. With dryer conditions starting Friday, it’s forecast to drop quickly. Flows will under 400 cfs by Sunday morning if the predictions are correct. Depending on how dirty the creeks are, it could fish by the weekend.

Van Duzen
The Van Duzen was muddy as of Thursday morning, and will likely remain that way for a few days. Flows are predicted to peak Thursday evening at right around 3,000 cfs. It will be on the drop starting Friday and could start to clear up early next week.

Smith River
The Smith was on the rise Thursday and bypassing projections. Flows were 16,600 cfs (13.85 feet) at noon Thursday. Depending on how high it goes, it could be fishable by the weekend. Next week’s conditions should be prime.

Chetco/Elk/Sixes
“Heavy rains have blown out every Oregon river from the Winchuck to Columbia, with major flooding on the Tillamook and Coos rivers, and muddy conditions on the Chetco, Elk, Sixes and Rogue rivers,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “The Chetco could be down to plunkable levels on Friday, and should be prime for side-drifting next week. The Chetco hit 13 feet, or 22,000 cfs, this week, with an overnight rise of 11 feet. It should be below 4,000 cfs next week, which is prime for steelhead. Expect a few late salmon on the Elk and Sixes, and early steelhead on the Chetco.”

Kenny Priest operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and www.fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.