The 2021 drift boat salmon season on the Chetco, Smith, Elk and Sixes rivers started hot, as big storms brought impressive numbers of fish in, but ended on a slow note, as prolonged low, clear water made fishing tough the second half of November and in early December.
Capt. Andy holds a pair of Chetco River kings from early November.
In October and early November, the action was great. The Wild Rivers Fishing crew of Andy, Michael, Rye, Mick, Sam and Shane bounced around from the Smith to Chetco and then Elk and Sixes, getting into decent numbers of kings on each trip. The rivers then blew out in early November, and then slowed as the rain stopped.
Capt. Michael with a chromer Sixes River king salmon.
Action overall was above-average early in the season, but slow during the second half. Focus now turns to winter steelhead, which are already showing up on the Smith and Chetco rivers, and should get better with rains in mid-December. A few more bright salmon also should show up on the Chetco and Smith, and especially on the Elk and Sixes, after the first big rain of December.
The first drift boat salmon trips started in late September, when rains increased flows on the Smith River and a bunch of jacks moved in. Andy, Rye and Sam got in on the action, and caught big numbers of salmon on plugs. Lots of doubles on the smaller kings stacked up in the lower section of the Smith.
In mid-October, more rains fell, and the drift boat season got underway on the Chetco and Smith. We used bobbers and eggs, plugs and divers and bait to get into fish on both rivers. Another big rain in early November brought in the last decent fishing on the Smith and Chetco, which then slowed as the bulk of the fish moved upstream to spawn.
The action was good on the Elk and Sixes for a couple of weeks, but they too got low and clear and the action slowed.
Peak season for steelhead fishing is late December through February. With several local guides working out of our office, we have some availability. Call (541) 813-1082 to schedule a winter steelhead drift boat trip.
Here are some more photos of our 2021 drift boat salmon season on the Chetco, Smith, Elk and Sixes rivers.
Salmon season has quickly wound down on the Chetco and Smith Rivers, giving way to winter steelhead. This season, steelhead are showing up a littler earlier than normal, which generally indicates an above-average run. Numerous wild and hatchery adult steelhead have already been caught on the Chetco River.
Guide Michael McGahan of Wild Rivers Fishing with a hatchery steelhead from the Chetco River in early December 2020.
In late November and early December, shore anglers at Social Security Bar began catching steelhead while targeting salmon. Upriver, drift boaters encountered big numbers of halfpounder steelhead and a few adults. Normally, there are a few steelhead in the Chetco by Thanksgiving, but this season the numbers are above average. With several storms expected the week of Dec. 13, the Chetco is expected to hit 6,0000 cfs. As it drops, the peak season for winter steelhead will begin. The best time to target steelhead on the Chetco is late December through early March.
The adult steelhead already caught this season are 8 to 12 pounds. A 15-plus pounder already has been weighed in at the Chetco Outdoor Store in Brookings. As the river drops in the coming week, expect steelhead to be spread out from Social Security Bar, which is the head of tide, all the way to the South Fork.
Our primary technique for catching winter steelhead on the Chetco and Smith rivers is side-drifting roe with light spinning tackle. This is done from drift boats on the scenic coastal rivers of far Southern Oregon and the Smith in Northern California.
Several local, full-time river guides are ready to take anglers fishing this season on the Chetco, Smith, Elk and Sixes rivers. Longtime local guides Andy Martin, Travis Sallander and Rye Phillips will be joined this year by Shane Brooks and Michael McGahan during the drift boat season. Michael and Shane are deckhands during the summer months on the ocean charter boats in Brookings and both have earned their U.S. Coast Guard captain’s licenses. Local guides Mick Thomas and Sam Stover, who guide on both the Smith and Chetco rivers, will be helping the Wild Rivers Fishing crew with some of the larger drift boat groups.
The 2021 calendar is filling up quickly, but there are still some prime dates available with the local Wild Rivers Fishing guides. Andy, Travis and Mick have Forest Service permits to guide on the Upper Chetco, which is a limited entry area for guides. They also have special permits for the Forest Service section of the Smith River. To book a drift boat trip for salmon or steelhead on the Smith or Chetco rivers, call (541) 813-1082.
While winter steelhead is the primary focus December through March, the Wild Rivers Fishing crew also runs ocean charters out of Brookings year round as the weather cooperates. The guides also serve as charter boat captains for Brookings Fishing Charters LLC, the sister company of Wild Rivers Fishing. Capt. Andy and Capt. Rye are owner-operators, while Capt. Travis, Capt. Mick and Capt. Michael also skipper ocean-going charter boats.
A pair of vermilion rockfish caught aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters in November 2020.
New for 2021, the daily bag limit for rockfish on the Oregon Coast is six fish a day, up from the five-fish limit the past four years. In addition to the rockfish, two lingcod a day can be kept.
In 2020, Brookings Fishing Charters began running trips to the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse between Brookings and Crescent City. The trip has been a huge hit with customers, with trophy lingcod and trophy-size rockfish a common catch. The lighthouse receives much less pressure than the reefs off of Brookings because of its remote location 11 miles straight out from the harbor. The action is typically fast and furious there.
Some of the large lingcod caught at the Point St. George Reef Lighthouse in October 2020 aboard the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters.
The lighthouse area is open to fishing May through December. Trips are part of the long-range excursions offered by Brookings Fishing Charters. The charter company also offers half-day bottom fishing out of Brookings, ocean salmon, Pacific halibut and albacore tuna trips. More information is available at www.brookingsfishing.com.
The 41-foot Nauti-Lady is the newest addition to the Brookings Fishing Charters fleet.
In September, Brookings Fishing Charters added the 41-foot Nauti-Lady to its fleet. The Nauti-Lady can take large groups up to 24 passengers to the fishing grounds, or for spreading of ashes. She joins the six-pack vessels Miss Brooke, Papa B, The Dash and Bout Time working out of the Brookings Fishing Charters office.
