High water makes steelhead fishing tough
BROOKINGS, Ore. – There has been no shortage of rain this year on the Southern Oregon Coast, and the result has been tough steelhead fishing on the Chetco, Smith, Elk and Sixes rivers, as high flows have limited the opportunity to side-drift for the prized fish.
In January alone, Brookings received 42 inches of rain. February also is off to a wetter-than-average start, although drier weather is expected later this month. During high water, steelhead quickly move through the system toward the spawning grounds near the headwaters of the river. This year, with so much high water, the majority of the fish appear to have blasted through while the rivers were high and muddy. By the time they dropped back into shape, many of the fish from the winter run had already spawned.
In early January, just before a flood event on the Chetco and Smith, steelhead fishing busted open. Guides from Wild Rivers Fishing were getting two to four steelhead a day. Then heavy rains arrived, and the Chetco rose more than 10 feet, hitting 50,000 cfs. The Smith topped 100,000 cfs for a few hours in early January. It took several weeks for the rivers to recover from the minor flood stage and drop to levels low enough for side drifting. By the times the rivers were in shape, fishing was slow, as many of the fish had already spawned and headed back to the ocean.
The Chetco was unfishable most of January. The Smith was high, and anglers had decent steelhead action sitting on anchor and running plugs or plunking Spin-N-Glos. During high water, side-drifting is less effective, because the water is moving extremely fast and visibility is limited. It is difficult to get baits in front of steelhead while side-drifting in high flows. The Chetco fishes best below 4,000 cfs, and there were only a few days in January when the river was below that level. This Smith was also above its optimal level for side-drifting, staying above 10,000 cfs for most of January.
In early February, fishing improved on the Chetco with better conditions for side-drifting. Fishing was decent, but not red hot. Our guides were averaging a fish or two per trip.
Drier weather is expected the second half of February. The Chetco remains open through March, while the Smith is open through April. The later part of the season usually produces a mix of fresh steelhead and spawned out adult steelhead heading back to the ocean. Our guides will be fishing through the end of the season, while also running ocean trips for lingcod and rockfish. The first lingcod trip of the season produced nice limits on the Miss Brooke.
To learn more about ocean charters, visit www.brookingsfishing.com. For more information on guided drift boat trips, visit www.wildriversfishing.com. Ocean and river trips can be booked by calling (541) 813-1082.
