Rain Comes and Goes...

Rain hit unexpectedly last early Sunday morning and raised the Smith to a decent level. I left the Trinity biting great on Sunday and fished the Smith Monday and Tuesday with clients Mark Gavasse and Jeremy Baker. Fishing was good both days with a mix of bright and dark fish caught. Our biggest was a huge 45lb buck caught by Jeremy.

Flows dropped out on the Smith by Wednesday and I was back to the Trinity, where the great fishing picked up where it left off. Most the fish we're pulling on are fish over 20lbs with a few jacks mixed in. Many of these fish have some color, but there are a few shiny ones mixed in everyday. All in all some of the best uncrowded fishing you could ask for!

I have been presenting this option to my clients I booked for the Smith this month and its not a bad backup plan. I will continue go east until the fishing over the hill dries up or it starts raining again. It looks like there may be some significant moisture on the horizon late next week. We'll see how that pans out.

Mike

Waiting for Rain

I'm still fishing the Trinity River as we wait for rain to open up the Smith and other coastal drainages. While there is precipitation in the forecast nearly everyday, there doesn't seem to be the gullywasher in the mix that we need. This could change anyday. Meanwhile, there are fish piling up in the estuary of the Smith, so once it rains enough, fishing should be phenomenal.

In addition, the Trinity continues to fish very well. Not only are we seeing double digit days everyday, there are some big fish in the mix. Also we are seeing some fairly bright fish each day.

Mike

Back on the Trinity

I've been back over the hill since my last report and fishing has been good. While the juvenile salmon were too thick to fish bait through at first, their numbers have since thinned. This has caused my numbers to go up and I've been able to get 15 to 25 good bites a day. While most fish have some color, there have been a couple of bright ones kicking around. There are not many steelhead around and that run has been a bit of a disappointment this year.

Ill be inland until it begins raining or this run peters out. Once it rains ill head up to the Smith. Speaking of the Smith, I only have a few days remaining open on my calendar. They are the 16th, 22nd, 23rd, 28th-30th. These days will book so call asap if you're interested. If you aren't aware, these are the biggest, brightest salmon in the state and the last few years have been nothing short of spectacular. Come and check these brutes out!
Mike

Early Rain

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We've had a couple of early storms roll through, which has forced me to be flexible in fishing locations. We've been back and forth from the coast to the Trinity with good to great results wherever we fish. I will probably fish the coast until Saturday, when I will head back to the Trinity. I believe fishing will be great here until the rains permanently set up for the winter

First Storm Hits

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I ended up with a bit of a break this week. I had a camper shell installed on my truck on Monday and a day off on Tuesday. Today I canceled due to very unsettled conditions with all the early wet weather we had the last few days. Tommorrow is my son, Jacksons' 3rd birthday, so I elected to take the day off for that. 4 days off feels pretty wierd right now, but time with the family has been great!

Preceding my break and the wet weather, fishing continued to go well. Before the rain, there were a ton of salmon on the lower Klamath, which I anticipate to be in the Trinity by the time I start fishing again on Friday. The river will be higher than normal, but I expect fishing to be very good. I'll let you know how it goes and I'll leave you with a few pics of fishing last week.

Mike

P.S. My remaining open days for this month are the 26th, 30th and 31st. If the rain stops, fishing on the Trinity should still be great. However, if it rains significantly by then we could be fishing on the Smith. Look out if thats the case! Kind of a win-win in either circumstance. Book those dates while they're still around

Bigger Fish, Steelhead show in Greater Numbers

Fishing remains excellent. On top of numbers, I'm seeing some bigger salmon and bonus steelhead start to show. It doesn't seem to matter where you fish, there are plenty of salmon on every drift around!

Pictured above, Brett Druehl hoists a beautiful 32lb Chinook. The next day, Jeremy Baker and his 8 year old son Drew showed up to fish with me. Drew hooked and landed this 28lb King. Pretty impressive salmon debut for this young guy!

Mike

Fishing gets Silly

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I mentioned in my last report that fishing slowed but there were still lots of fish around. Well, like I suspeced would happen, the fishing got good again. On top of the bite turning around, more fish showed up and the bite has been pretty wide open. What a year!

On a less positive note for me, the cancelation bug has bit again and this Monday, the 17th has opened. Also the 26th and 27th remain open.

Also, my open October dates are now available to book. Fishing should be amazing all month long until the serious rains hit late in the month or early November. The open dates are as follows: 2-6, 10, 16, 25-28, 30, 31st.

Lots of fish Around, More Coming

Fishing remains very good on the Klamath and Trinity. Since I have started fishing, I have been able to land a limit of fish every day. While this is great, the fishing has slowed down a little the last couple of days. I'm still seeing lots of fish in the river, but the bite seems to be a little off. This may have something to do with the full moon that we experienced early in the week. With the number of fish around and still coming up the Klamath, I would expect to see the bite turn back on in the next couple of days. Along with the jack salmon, we are seeing some nice fish hit the net. My biggest so far has been about 25lbs. Steelhead have been pretty scarce, although we have been able to hook a few. With all the salmon around, I haven't spent a ton of time chasing them, though.

BTW, I still have the 18th, 26th and 27th open, so don't hesitate to call if you're wanting to catch any of these fish!

Mike

On Fire!

Fishing is as good as it gets right now, and it will only get better as the next few month wear on. There are more fish in the Klamath and Trinity River systems this year than there has been in years. I started fishing daily on Sunday (with the exception of today due to a schedule snafu) and while we still caught a decent number of fish, fishing was slower than I expected. As it turns out, the fish just had not reached the stretch of river I fish in the huge numbers that they were about to! From that point on fishing got really good and has gotten better every day. For the most part, the salmon have been on the smaller side, but I have landed some fish in the mid teen and 20 pound class.

For the month of September, I have 3 days open, Wednesday the 14th, Monday the 26th and Tuesday the 27th. My open days in October will become available on September 15th and I will post them here at that time. If you want to experience some of the best fishing we've seen in years, grab these days, 'cause they're not gonna last.

Mike

Fall Trips going Fast

It's almost time to start fishing for me again! I got a seasonal fisheries job for the summer, which was great, but now its time to get back to what I love the most. My first trip is a week from monday. September is filling quickly so if you're interested in a trip on the Lower Klamath and Trinity, now is the time to call. Early September should be especially good this year, as there will be a lot of water released for the Hoopa tribes' ceremonial boat dance. This happens the last few days in August. This water release will push fish from the lower Klamath up in to the Trinity earlier than usual, which should result in great fishing. I do have a couple of days available in the first week in September and fishing should be good.

Hope to see you all out on the river this fall, tight lines!

Mike