Steelhead fishing slower coastwide, but fresh fish still arriving

BROOKINGS, Ore. (Feb. 24, 2025) – Winter steelhead fishing has been slower than expected from Forks, Washington, down to the Eel and Russian rivers in Northern California, and the Chetco, Smith, Rogue, Elk, Sixes, Coquille and Umpqua rivers have been no exception. Steelhead are being caught, and our guides are getting fish, but catch rates are down compared to recent years, while the size of the steelhead also has been smaller than average. Steelhead fishing is fair at best, but beautiful conditions, a few fish a day, and relatively uncrowded conditions have made fishing worthwhile.

A nice steelhead from the Chetco River caught with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing.

Our team of river guides – who also run ocean charter boats out of Brookings, Oregon, during the summer months, have been fishing the Chetco and Smith rivers since mid-December. The Smith has fished the best among the local rivers, but steelhead also have been in the Chetco. Small clusters of roe combined with small Yakima Bait Co. Corkies are producing best for our guides. A few steelhead also have been caught on MagLip plugs.

Corkies and roe have been the best producers for steelhead this winter on the Chetco and Smith rivers.

Steelhead season runs through March on the Chetco, Elk and Sixes rivers, and ends April 30 on the Smith. Good fishing typically extends through the middle of March. Spring salmon, meanwhile, will soon begin arriving on the lower Rogue River in Gold Beach, where our guides use jet boats to anchor and fish anchovies or spinners for springers.

A double hookup of steelhead on the Smith River for guide Sam Stover.

Our guides also have been running ocean trips as the weather allows this winter. Lingcod and rockfish action has been good, with limits of rockfish and limits or near limits of lingcod. Ocean fishing is open year round on the Oregon Coast.

Limits of lingcod on the Miss Brooke in February 2025.

Many of our customers have spent one day on the river and one day on the ocean, for a great combination of action during their trip to Brookings.

To learn more about ocean charters, visit www.brookingsfishing.com.

For information on river trips, visit www.wildriversfishing.com. Call (541) 813-1082 to book a fishing trip.

River salmon winds down, steelhead season begins Dec. 1

BROOKINGS, Ore. – A hurricane-like storm has sidelined fishing guides and anglers throughout the Pacific Northwest, but before heavy rains blew out every river from Northern California to British Columbia, salmon fishing was in full swing on the Chetco, Smith, Elk and Sixes rivers. Winds over 80 mph slammed the Southern Oregon Coast overnight, bringing several inches of rain. The local rivers are expected to be blown out until around Thanksgiving.

Longtime customer Tyler with a large Elk River hatchery king that bit a 5.0 Jaw Breaker MagLip.

The Wild Rivers Fishing crew – Capt. Andy, Sam, Rye, Mick, Eric and Chris – were busy running drift boat trips on the local rivers near Brookings, Oregon, with good success, before the big storm. Salmon have been in the Chetco and Smith since early September, and after rains around Halloween, the drift boat season was in peak-season form. Earlier in September, fishing had been good in the Chetco River estuary.

Capt. Rye with a trophy hatchery king salmon caught in the Chetco estuary in early October.

Salmon to 50 pounds were caught on the Chetco and Smith this season, with plenty of fish over 40 pounds. Local guides have been catching salmon on MagLip plugs, roe and sand shrimp fished below bobbers, and back-bouncing roe.

Capt. Mick holds a chrome-bright Chetco River king from early November.
Capt. Sam with a large Smith River king that was caught and released by a customer in November.
Capt. Andy with a large hatchery king from the Elk River in November.

The peak season for fall king salmon was early November. Fresh fish will continue to move into the local rivers through December, while steelhead also will arrive next month. Peak season for winter steelhead on the Chetco and Smith is January and February, although December can produce decent fishing, especially on high-water years, which this appears to be.

The Chetco estuary kicked off this year’s river salmon season. The area along with jetties was crowded, but produced good fishing. A local angler fishing in his own boat caught a 52-pound king. Numerous fish close to 45 pounds or bigger also were caught.

After the first rains, our crew switched to drift boats, first fishing roe and sand shrimp below bobbers on the Chetco tidewater, and then switching gears to the Smith River after its first opener of the season. Fishing was wide open on the Smith. Capt. Sam and Capt. Andy both enjoyed 30-plus-fish days with customers when the river first opened, with a hot back-bouncing bite in the deeper upriver holes.

Longtime customer Haley with a nice Chetco River king caught with Capt. Rye.

Another rain storm arrived, kicking off the plug season on the Chetco and Smith. 5.0 MagLip plugs were hot this season, producing countless kings for our crew.

Our newest guides, Chris and Eric, both enjoyed success in their drift boats with customers. Chris and Eric have been deckhands on our ocean charter boats, and are now full-time fishing guides and charter boat captains. Chris earned his US Coast Guard captains license this year, and Eric, who graduated in June, is taking his captain’s class and will be running an ocean boat as well next summer.

Capt. Chris has been getting customers into lots of nice kings this fall.
Eric has been a deckhand for us since he was 16 and is now a guide and soon-to-be ocean captain. Here’s a nice king from an estuary trip in October deckhanding for Capt. Rye.
The largest king caught so far this season with our crew, a 50-pound caught on the Chetco with Capt. Mick.

The Elk and Sixes will be solid bets for salmon in December, while the Upper Chetco and Smith also get their share of late-run kings. Steelhead fishing is usually best on the Smith in December, with a mix of halfpounders and early adults. The Chetco has been known to produce good steelhead action by mid-December as well. In recent years, the Wild Rivers Fishing crew has caught bright kings on the Elk and Sixes as late as Christmas Eve.

Wild Rivers Fishing founder and head guide Andy Martin with a perfect Chetco River king from mid-November. The fish hit a HawgNose FlatFish.

To book a winter steelhead trip, call (541) 813-1082. www.wildriversfishing.com.

To learn more about the ocean charters our crew runs during the spring and summer, visit www.brookingsfishing.com.

Here are some more photos from our great salmon action this fall.

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.

A happy customer holds a bright hatchery steelhead caught in early February on the Chetco River with Capt. Mick. They were side-drifting roe and Corkies.

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.

A nice steelhead from the Chetco in early January, before the flood event.
Flows on the Chetco reached 50,000 cfs, pushing the river over its banks and into the parking lot at Loeb State Park and Social Security Bar.

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.

A nice steelhead caught on the Smith River with Capt. Andy while plunking Spin-N-Glos from a drift boat.

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.

Limits of lingcod caught on the Miss Brooke in January with Capt. Andy.
A big steelhead caught on the Upper Chetco with Capt. Andy in early February.
A nice Elk River steelhead caught with Capt. Rye in late January.
A young angler holds his first steelhead, caught on the Chetco with Capt. Sam.

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.

More steelhead arrive after slow start to season

BROOKINGS, Ore. – Steelhead season has gotten off to a slow start throughout the Oregon Coast and on the Smith River in far Northern California, as catch rates the first week of January were below average, with good conditions but few fish. The last few days, catch rates have improved as adult winter steelhead begin moving in from the ocean.

An ocean-fresh steelhead from the Upper Chetco River in January 2024.
A first steelhead for a young angler fishing with his father during a guided trip with Capt. Andy on the Chetco River in January 2024.

Guides fishing from drift boats and plunkers fishing from shore reported slow fishing at the end of December and first of January on the Chetco, Elk, Sixes, Smith and other nearby rivers. Fishing also was slow further up the coast on the Coquille, Umpqua and Tillamook area rivers. The last few days, with dropping river flows and calmer ocean conditions – at least on the South Coast – more steelhead began to move upstream. Plunkers fishing on the lower Chetco are catching a handful of fish a day, while guides are getting a fish or two a trip. Big rains are expected again this week, but as rivers drop back into shape, steelhead season should be in full swing.

Side-drifting the Smith River in January 2024, one of the most scenic drift boat trips on the planet.

Capt. Andy has been fishing daily, and averaging one to two steelhead a day. He has been side-drifting roe and Corkies, launching on the Upper Chetco. Andy is one of the very limited number of guides with a special-use permit from the US Forest Service to fish the Wild and Scenic section of the Chetco from the South Fork to Ice Box, or Second Bridge. With a limited number of guides on that stretch, catch rates are often higher, and anglers are treated to a much less crowded fishing experience.

Steelhead at the end of the rainbow on the Chetco, as Marty found out a few casts later.
Upper Chetco steelhead fishing.

Steelhead season runs through March on the Chetco, and April on the Smith. Peak season is mid-January through February. The river has been in prime shape the last few days, but is expected to blow out this week with heavy rain, and possible snowmelt. As it comes back into shape, expect better numbers of fish, and peak-season style fishing.

To book a Chetco or Smith river drift boat steelhead trip, visit www.wildriversfishing.com or call our booking office, (541) 813-1082.

Steelhead season begins on Chetco, Smith rivers

BROOKINGS, Ore. – Fall salmon season has come to an end on the Southern Oregon coast, while the first winter steelhead of the season are now arriving on the Chetco, Smith, Elk and Sixes rivers. Peak season for steelhead is January and February, but fishable numbers of these prized fish have already arrived on the coastal rivers of the Oregon Coast.

Longtime customer Scott from Denver caught the first adult winter steelhead of the season on our boats in early December.

The Wild Rivers Fishing crew ran its first steelhead trips of the season last week. Capt. Andy got into a handful of adult winter steelhead on the Chetco. Capt. Sam ran a trip on the Smith, and encountered big numbers of halfpounder steelhead, a sign the main run is about to arrive. The first steelhead of the season have entered the fish trap at Rowdy Creek Hatchery on the lower Smith River.

One of many nice hatchery salmon caught this fall bobber fishing on the Chetco River.

Salmon season was decent on the Chetco this fall, with a very good estuary season, and fair fishing upriver once the fall rains arrived. Big numbers of salmon spawned, however, signaling a strong run on the Chetco. The Smith River was closed to salmon fishing this fall, but the hatchery had a big return, and impressive numbers of salmon have just finished spawning on the Smith, evident by spawned out salmon spread throughout the river.

Nice salmon from the Chetco River estuary in October.

Steelhead are caught from drift boats, with two anglers and a guide floating downriver, casting small clusters of roe and Corkies or Puff Balls. The trips are fast-paced, using light spinning tackle and covering large sections of the river, fishing nearly the entire drift downriver. On the Smith River, our guides have special-use permits from the US Forest Service to launch at the Forks, and drift through Redwood National Park. Fishing for steelhead beneath towering redwood trees is a truly unique experience.

Capt. Sam running a rapid on the Elk River in early November.

On the Chetco, Capt. Andy, Mick and Travis have limited-entry Forest Service permits to fish the Wild and Scenic Upper Chetco. Only a small number of guides have these coveted permits to launch at the South Fork, Redwood Bar, Nook Bar and Miller Bar on the Chetco.

Most steelhead run 6-10 pounds, although the average size is a couple pounds bigger on the Smith. The Chetco River record is 28 pounds, while a pair of California record 27-plus pound steelhead have been caught on the Smith River.

The Chetco estuary was a great opportunity for young anglers to catch salmon this year.

Our steelhead trips are run by Capt. Andy, Rye, Mick, Sam, Travis and Shane. New for 2024, two of our ocean deckhands, Eric and Chris, also will be running a few winter steelhead trips during the peak season.

During Capt. Andy’s first trip of the season last week, he drifted from the South Fork to Social Security Bar. Lots of salmon were observed spawning on the Upper River. On the lower river, his group hooked four steelhead and landed two.

Capt. Andy with an early season steelhead from the Chetco in December.

The estuary salmon season kicked off in late August, with a few fish caught every day along the jetties. By September and early October, big numbers of king salmon were staging in the Chetco River estuary, waiting for fall rains. Mick, Rye and Sam had good seasons trolling the estuary with their jet boats.

As the first fall rains arrived, big numbers of salmon moved upriver, into the tidewater and above. We used drift boats to fish the river above tidewater in late October, catching salmon on roe and sandshrimp suspended above the bottom with bobbers. After heavy rains in early November, there was a week of good fishing with plugs and back-bouncing roe, but the majority of the run quickly moved upstream and spawned. There also were a few weeks of good fishing on the Elk and Sixes rivers. Capt. Sam caught our big fish of the year, a king close to 45 pounds caught and released by a young angler from Washington State, Austin Han.

Capt. Sam and Austin prepare to release a lunker Chetco River king.

Our main focus for the next two months is steelhead on the Smith, Chetco, Elk and Sixes rivers. All of our river guides are also saltwater charter boat captains with Brookings Fishing Charters, www.brookingsfishing.com.

To book a drift boat trip, call (541) 813-1082, or visit www.wildriversfishing.com.

Here are a few of the fall salmon from the Chetco River estuary this fall.

Here are a few photos from the upriver drift boat fishing in 2023 on the Chetco and Elk rivers with Wild Rivers Fishing.

Steelhead season off to good start on Chetco

Steelhead have arrived early in the Chetco River, a good sign as the peak season rapidly approaches. Guides fishing for Wild Rivers Fishing have been finding a mix of hatchery and wild steelhead in the Chetco, along with late fall salmon. An early showing of steelhead in December generally signals good fishing in January and February, when the bulk of the run arrives.

Don Williams holds a hatchery steelhead caught in December with Capt. Mick.

Heavy rain just before Christmas is expected to blow the Chetco out for several days, but as it drops into shape around New Year’s Day, except very good fishing. Big numbers of steelhead have already moved into the river, and more fish will come with the higher flows.

Throughout December, steelhead were caught as guides targeted late fall salmon. Capt. Sam got a customer into the first adult steelhead of the season, while Capt. Michael and Capt. Mick also have enjoyed success on the lower Chetco River for winter steelhead. Most of the steelhead have been caught side-drifting roe, but a few also have been caught with MagLip plugs.

Eric holds a large Chetco River steelhead caught in December with Capt. Michael.
A nice December steelhead caught with Capt. Mick on the Chetco River.
An early steelhead caught with Capt. Mick on the Chetco River in December 2022.

The Wild Rivers Fishing guides are licensed in Oregon and California and offer winter steelhead drift boat trips on the Chetco, Smith, Elk and Sixes rivers. Peak season is January and February, but fresh fish arrive well into March. Capt. Andy, Mick and Travis are licensed to take customer to the Wild and Scenic section of the Upper Chetco River, home to some of the best steelhead fishing in Oregon.

The Chetco is home to a healthy run of wild steelhead, and also has large numbers of hatchery fish, especially in late January and early February. Both wild and hatchery steelhead may be kept.

On the Smith, only hatchery steelhead can be kept, but anglers have a decent chance at a large fish. Steelhead over 20 pounds are caught each winter.

For more on guided steelhead trips, visit www.wildriversfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082.

Chetco estuary has best salmon season in years

The 2022 salmon season at the mouth of the Chetco River was the best in years, as big numbers of kings stacked up in the estuary waiting for fall rains. Catch rates were the best in recent memory, with guides boats and private boaters catching impressive numbers of wild and hatchery kings. The total run ended up well above average.

Dave Gilmore with the 42-pound king salmon he caught in the Chetco estuary with Capt. Michael. It is the largest king caught with our crew in 2022.

The action picked up in late August, with a full kings trickling in, and by early September, the action was already in peak-season form. Limits were caught throughout the season. Capt. Michael, Mick, Sam and Shane ran estuary trips for Wild Rivers Fishing. They trolled anchovies or herring along the jetties, targeting salmon moving in and out of the lower river on the tides. The salmon held up along the jetties until fall rains allowed them to migrate upstream to spawn.

Capt. Mich with a heft Chetco River estuary king salmon from 2022.

Action remained good through most of October, before significant rains allowed the fish to move into the tidewater. Once more fall rains arrived, our crew switched over to bobber fishing the tidewater areas of the Chetco, and eventually running plugs and back-bouncing roe as major rains arrived in November.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife indicated the 2022 run was well above average, with lots of hatchery and wild fish returning. Lots of jacks showing in the catch indicate another good year likely in 2023.

The hatchery run received a boost from a fairly new broodstock program where hatchery fish are acclimated in Ferry Creek, the lowest tributary of the Chetco. Those fish tend to hold up in the lower river, where anglers trolling the estuary have an easier shot at caching them. The Oregon South Coast Fishermen club plays a key role in collecting broodstock, which are wild salmon returning to the Chetco. The fish are brought to Elk River Hatchery near Port Orford, where they are spawned. The juvenile salmon are then returned to the Chetco. After a brief time in the river, they migrate to the ocean, then return to the river on a spawning run two to four years later.

Salmon return to the Chetco estuary late August through December. The peak season is September and October. After fall rains, the salmon quickly move upriver, spending little time in the estuary. Winter steelhead arrive late November through March. Wild Rivers Fishing guides target salmon first in the estuary, then upriver in their drift boats. They switch to winter steelhead in late December. Peak season for steelhead is January and February.

To book a trip, visit www.wildriversfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082.

Steelhead season ends strong on Chetco

The 2021-22 winter steelhead season has come to an end on the Chetco, Smith, Elk and Sixes rivers. Fishing closed for the season March 31, and re-opened May 22 for sea-run cutthroat trout. Anglers will begin to catch a few king salmon in the Chetco estuary in June and July, with the best trolling in September and October. The fall drift boat season for salmon begins in late October or early November, after the first major fall rains. Winter steelhead will arrive in early December, with the best fishing in January and February.

A nice steelhead from February 2022 on the Chetco River with Capt. Andy.

This past season was good overall, despite high water in December, then a prolonged period of low, clear water. Even though the river was low, and difficult at times to get a drift boat through shallow riffles, fishing was good. There was an above-average return of both hatchery and wild steelhead in both the Chetco and Smith rivers during the 2021-22 season.

Fishing was especially good late in the season, after the crowds were gone. Rain in March brought in impressive schools of hatchery and wild steelhead, leading to high scores for the handful of local guides still on the river.

Currently, the best fishing opportunities are in the ocean, through our partner charter company, Brookings Fishing Charters. Learn more about ocean charters out of Brookings at www.brookingsfishing.com

To book a river salmon or steelhead trip, call (541) 813-1082 or visit www.wildriversfishing.com.

A nice limit of Chetco River steelhead with Capt. Andy in January 2022.

Salmon season starts hot, slows with low water

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 begins on Chetco

The highly anticipated fall salmon season has begun on the Chetco River, where anglers are focusing on the area near the mouth and awaiting fall rains to start fishing upriver.

Big numbers of jack salmon have already shown up. An abundance of jacks early in the season is generally a strong indicator of good fishing during the peak season upriver, according to longtime Brookings-based guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. Andy has been fishing several Oregon Coast rivers in recent weeks, but will now focusing mainly on the Chetco and Smith rivers since salmon have arrived. He was on the Coos and Millicoma rivers near Coos Bay, Ore., last week, as well as the Umpqua and Rogue rivers in recent weeks.

Customers of Wild Rivers Fishing hold nice kings caught last week on the Coos River.

The Chetco River is the biggest draw in early October because of the potential for a trophy fish. In 2008, one of Andy’s customers caught a 58-pound king at the mouth of the Chetco, the biggest king in recent memory there. He also guided customers into a 65-pound king upriver in recent years, and has guided anglers to more than a dozen salmon over 50 pounds on the Chetco and Smith rivers.

Bright jack salmon caught Sept. 28 with Capt. Andy of Wild Rivers Fishing on the Chetco estuary, plus an adult king.

This year, despite ODFW’s forecast of a less-than-stellar return to the Chetco, big numbers of jack salmon have arrived. Several nice adults also have already been caught in the Chetco. The salmon are a bit early, an indication of a strong run, Martin said. The popular bubble season, where anglers fish in the ocean off the mouth of the Chetco in October, was canceled this year by ODFW, but there is a silver lining. That means 1,000 king salmon will not be harvested in the ocean by sport and commercial fishermen this year, adding to the in-river fishery. In years without an October bubble season, the fishing in the estuary and upriver after the rains is often above average.

A 29-pound king caught Sept. 28 at the mouth of the Chetco by a customer fishing with Capt. Rich of Brookings Fishing Charters.

In recent years, the Chetco estuary has fished better than normal because of the release of 15,000 fall chinook smolts that are acclimated to Ferry Creek, the first tributary of the Chetco above the estuary. Those salmon tend to hold longer in the estuary, fueling the sport fishery in late September and October. Another 100,000 fall chinook smolts are released at Social Security Bar. Lots of hatchery fish are already showing in the catch of the 2020 salmon return. Since the majority of the salmon on the Chetco are wild, that indicates there are a lot of bigger wild fish to come.

Ana of Brookings caught this big salmon over the weekend on the Coos River with Capt. Andy.

Anglers and guides will focus on the Chetco estuary until fall rains come. They will then head upriver on the Chetco, or to the Smith River in Northern California, with their drift boats. Both rivers produce big salmon. Capt. Andy said he will be bobber fishing with eggs, back-bouncing eggs, and running plugs, especially MagLips, HawgNose and FlatFish from Yakima Bait Company.

A pair of nice salmon caught on the Coos River in September 2020.

The limit on the Chetco is one adult salmon a day, wild or hatchery, beginning Oct. 1. Anglers also can keep five jacks a day less than 24 inches. New this year, after an adult salmon is retained, the angler must rack their rod.

The Chetco estuary is currently open. The river above the estuary, marked by the powerlines across the river at rivermile 2.2, opens after significant fall rains. ODFW’s Gold Beach office will decide when to open the river.

The Smith River opens above Rowdy Creek any time flows pass 600 cfs. Until then, fishing is limited to the Sand Hole and mouth areas near Ship Ashore. Capt. Andy will spend some of his time trolling herring at the Sand Hole. He also bobber fishes the area.

Along with Capt. Andy, guides Travis Sallander, Rye Phillips, Michael McGahan and Shane Brooks run trips for Wild Rivers Fishing. Rich Signorello, Mick Thomas and Sam Stover also help out with larger parties.

To book a fall salmon trip, visit www.wildriversfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.