Down South...

I started fishing down south a handful of days ago and fishing has been a little up and down.  Some days we've been hooking a decent number of fish and some days we have to grind for our bites.  It's all a matter of whether or not we run into a good pod of fish.  Not exactly the numbers we hope for overall, but there are still plenty of beautiful fish around to keep things interesting.  

Tight lines, 

Mike  

Winter Steelhead Underway!

I started my winter steelhead season two days after Christmas.  While my first day was a little tough, we've settled in to hooking a handful of steelhead a day for the last few days.  Yesterday, Peter and Allan Maris had their first of three days with me on the Chetco River.   It would be an understatement to say the day started slowly, as we didn't get our first bite until 12:30, but Peter and Allan fished hard and stayed focused the whole time.  When Allan hooked the first fish, it came off and I was bummed to say the least.  However, things started looking up after that, as we put the next 4 fish in the boat, all hatchery keepers.  When it was all said and done, we made 6 casts, hooked 5 fish and put 4 in the box.  Not a bad way to end a tough day.  It honestly wouldn't have happened had Peter and Allan quit fishing hard.

Today, the bites were more spread out, but the results were similar.  We're gonna fish Oregon again tomorrow, but after than I will be changing locales to see if any better options exist.  There should be some outstanding action coming up.

I just got canceled for January 20th, plus I still have January 26th and 27th open.  Give me a call and we'll fill 'em!

Mike

Salmon Season is a Wrap, Steelhead on the Way

Fishing last week on the Smith was pretty tough, as salmon numbers are finally dwindling down.  I was also able to make it out on the Chetco and there were still decent numbers of fish around there, but rain kept the fishability of that river unpredictable.  After our most recent storm, I expect salmon there to be just about done as well. 

Due to a tough outlook on salmon prospects for the remainder of my schedule, I canceled the last few days of my season.  I will be off until just after Christmas, when I start winter steelhead fishing.  In the meantime, I will spend some much needed time with my family for the holidays. 

Fishable numbers of steelhead should be in the rivers after the next rise in river levels.  My winter calendar is getting pretty busy and If you are thinking about booking a day, give me a call sooner than later. 

I hope you all enjoy your holidays and I look forward to seeing you on the river for some winter steel!!

Mike

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving is undoubtedly my favorite holiday.  Im sitting on the couch watching football with my son and wife, while the smell of BBQed turkey wafts around the house!!  Life is good and I certainly have a ton to be thankful for, with my family at the top of the list.  I'm also very thankful for all of the wonderful folks that have come fishing with me.   You all make this dream of mine come true and we've made some wonderful friendships and memories along the way.

The fishing since my last post has been pretty typical of what we've seen so far this salmon season.  We had a huge water rise on Saturday and I canceled the trip due to very marginal conditions.  On Sunday, I was on the lower Smith in my powerboat and had one of the unluckiest days of fishing I've ever had.  The fishing itself was very good, with lots of rod folding bites, but for one reason or another, we couldn't keep ahold of them.  We did end up putting a few in the net, but the day had the potential to be epic.  Luck, as it was, turned around for me the next day.  On the Smith, we landed on an huge pile of fish and really put the wood to 'em.  Listening to others reports, we had quite a day as it seemed like most other boats struggled to hook a fish or two.  On Tuesday, the fishing came to Earth for me a bit, as we had 3 bites and put two nice fish in the bag. 

I took Wednesday through Friday off to be with my Family for the holiday, and I'll be back at it on Saturday.  If anyone is interested in some late season Salmon action, I had a cancellation for December 2nd and the 3rd remains open.  I expect there to be some early steelhead to enter into the mix as salmon season winds down.

Mike    

Beautiful Salmon Abound

While there have been some tough days since my last post, we've also seen some spectacular fishing.  The bottom line is there has been plenty of really beautiful salmon around and with the storm that hit us today, I envision more good fishing for the rest of the month. 

Due to the system that rolled through today, I canceled tomorrow as the rivers will become gigantic.  I will be back on the Smith on Sunday, and while it will be a bit on the big side, I expect there to be plenty of new fish around.   

Coastal Chrome

We're off to a pretty good start here on the North Coast.  I started on the Smith and fished there through Monday with mostly good results.  On Monday Brian Mastinick, a long lost college buddy, came fishing with me.  Fishing was a little tough that day, but we fished hard and ended up with  a handful of fish, including Brians' biggest Salmon to date that we caught at the last part of the day.  That's why you keep at it, nice work Brian!

After our tough day on Monday, I moved over to the Chetco and fishing was great for a handful of days.  There were a ton of big, bright fish in that river!  However, fishing got tough over the weekend with the river getting low and clear, increased pressure, and dwindling numbers of fish.  I canceled Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with the low, tough conditions.  On the bright side, a series of storms looks to be coming starting Wednesday.  With the number of fish around on the last water rise, I'm confident fishing will continue right where it left off.   

Rain is Finally here!!

It's been almost a month since my last post, my apologies to all.  Since I've finished on the lower Klamath at the end of last month, I've hopped in my driftboat and fished in a few different locales. 

Of course, I went over the hill to the Klamath and Trinity.  Fishing here was a bit spotty but there were some good days.  The water release down both the Trinity and Klamath Rivers flushed a lot of fish upstream past where we fish.  Predictably, this lead to tougher than expected fishing.

I also trolled tidewater and fishing here was, for the most part, excellent.  Lots of big chromers where on tap along with some really beautiful coastal scenery.

Now that the rain is here, rivers like the Smith, Eel and Chetco will come into play.  I moved my travel trailer yesterday and will be on the Smith tomorrow.  The river will be dropping and should look great.  Hopefully I'll have a good report and pics of big chrome slabs for you all late next week!

I do have some availability for November, including November 1st thru the 6th.   With the unpredictable nature of this week,  I usually keep this time open.  However with rain in the forecast, it should be good.  Give me a call ASAP if you want one of these days as they will fill.  I also have November 26th, 29th, and 30th open, all are good dates.

See ya on the river soon!

Mike  

Low Conditions Back, Fish Holding Again...

The water has receded from increased flows from the Trinity and our first rain of the season last week. While the higher water made fishing a little tougher, it's been back to wide open fishing the last few days. The lower river is again ...full of dime bright fish.

My schedule had me starting in the drift boat later this week, but report of very tough fishing upriver has me staying with a good thing on the lower river at least through the weekend.

Can't Beat Salmon Fishing Like this Anywhere in the World!

Wow, fishing continues to be world class! The fish we have been catching have been as bright as they come and we are hooking so many, it's hard to keep track of numbers. The fish have been a mix of jacks and adults.

I found out yesterday that the Bureau of Reclamation will be releasing a big pulse of water down the Trinity River. It is supposed to reach us on Friday and last for 5 or 7 days. What this will do to the fishing is unknown, but it may make things tough for the first day or two of the rise. I'll keep you posted...

Adult Quota Is Met, but lots of Jacks to Take and Adults to Release!

The adult quota was met late last week and our current limit is 3 salmon under 22". It doesn't sound the same on paper, but a 3 jack limit is actually quite a bit of meat. Since the adult quota closed, I've put limits of jacks in the boat along with catching and releasing numerous adults every day. Bottom line, fishing is fabulous and a really fun day of fishing awaits those to who can look past not being able to kill adults. See you out on the water!