The peak of the winter steelhead season has arrived on the Chetco and Smith Rivers, and although fishing is only fair at best, some of the fish being caught are in the mid-teens or bigger. The Smith already has produced a handful of 20-plus-pound steelhead, and the Chetco has yielded several fish in the upper teens.
High water in early January has brought in decent numbers of steelhead. Catch rates, however, are still somewhat low, with one to two fish a day on average. There is a nice mix of hatchery and wild steelhead on the Chetco, while the Smith has a few hatchery steelhead, and plenty of bigger wild fish.
A large hatchery steelhead caught on a 3.5 MagLip in January 2021 on the Chetco River.
As the rivers dropped back into shape after the New Year’s rain storm, the Wild Rivers Fishing crew spent the first few days the Chetco was fishable by running plugs close to shore. A 19-pound and an 18-pound steelhead were caught on 3.5 MagLips. After the river continued to drop, side-drifting was effective.
A 19-pound steelhead caught on the Chetco River in January 2021.
The Wild Rivers Fishing guides have donated a handful of wild steelhead to the ODFW hatchery broodstock program on the Chetco. The steelhead are caught with hook and line, and after being held in live wells on the drift boats, are dropped off in holding pens on the lower river. ODFW then takes the steelhead to the hatchery on the Elk River (there isn’t a hatchery on the Chetco), where they are live spawned. The adult steelhead are released back into the Chetco, and several months later, the juvenile steelhead are brought back to the Chetco.
A beautiful Chetco River wild steelhead that was donated in January to the ODFW broodstock hatchery program.
The last few years, February has been the peak season on the Chetco and Smith rivers. Steelhead season runs through March 31 on the Chetco and the end of April on the Smith.
A hefty Chetco River hatchery steelhead from January 2021.One of the wild steelhead donated to the broodstock program.A chrome-bright Chetco steelhead.
Ocean bottom fishing charters also will begin soon out of the Port of Brookings. The Wild Rivers Fishing crew also captains charter boats in Brookings, targeting lingcod, halibut, salmon, rockfish and albacore tuna.
To book a guided drift boat river trip, or an ocean charter, call (541) 813-1082 or visit www.brookingsfishing.com.
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.
The drift boat salmon season on the Smith and Chetco rivers is winding down, about to give way to steelhead fishing now through the end of March. Heavy rain in mid-November allowed for the first opener of the season on the Smith River above Rowdy Creek and on the Chetco River above the estuary. Two weeks into the season, most of the salmon run has now spawned as the first steelhead begin to show up.
A nice king salmon released on the Smith River with guide Rye Phillips of Wild Rivers Fishing.
The opening day on the Smith resulted in epic fishing for the guides Wild Rivers Fishing had on the river. Andy, Mick, Rye and Sam got customers into big numbers of kings, with double-digit hookups for some of the anglers. Salmon had been stacking up in the Smith for weeks, as the fish were biting aggressively during the opener.
The next day, heavy rains blew out both the Chetco and Smith. From that point until now, the salmon fishing has been tough on both rivers, as many of the kings spawned as soon as the water levels rose.
Customers hold a bright Chetco king caught with guide Michael McGahan of Wild Rivers Fishing.
The Chetco produced decent salmon fishing the first week it was open, with bright kings spread throughout the lower river. But with rains arriving late this year, the majority of the salmon spawned soon after the first big rise in flows. The last several days, fishing has been tough.
Capt. Andy holds a big king caught on a MagLip plug.
For the past week, salmon fishing has been slow, but adult steelhead are beginning to show up on the Chetco. There have been reports of four steelhead Thanksgiving week on the lower river, along with big numbers of halfpounders.
A customer battles a king salmon on the Smith River.
Salmon will continue to trickle in for the next month, while the steelhead run will accelerate. Expect steelhead fishing to be good by late December. Some seasons, limits are possible by the second week of December. January and February are the peak season for steelhead on the Chetco and Smith rivers.
Longtime customer Dave holds a nice Smith River king caught with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing.Longtime customer Jerry holds a Sixes River king caught with guide Shane Brooks of Wild Rivers Fishing.Longtime customer Vince holds a bright Chetco king caught with guide Michael McGahan of Wild Rivers Fishing.A bright Smith River hatchery king caught with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing.
Last season, salmon fishing remained good on the Elk and Sixes rivers into late December. Good flows are needed to get down these small coastal rivers, and they will remain options as weather conditions allow.
One of the highlights of fall fishing on the Smith and Chetco is the beautiful scenery, and autumn colors. Colorful trees still line the banks of the rivers. By January, the leaves will be gone, and the cold weather will trigger the main migration of winter steelhead.
