Welcome to our fishing report. Since we spend over 200 days on the water each year we have a pretty good handle on what's happening in the fisheries we target. For those of you who will be going out with us this season, you can visit this page to follow how those fisheries are stacking up. And for those who may be considering a trip, you'll be able to follow the action and see what you're missing.

2009 Early Fishing Lines - PDF Format

Early Fishing, Inc.

July 26 - What a nice week of king fishing with many days of fabulous sockeye fishing thrown in as a bonus. Halibut fishing was a bit tough with bad weather/water this week but getting a few big kings sure made a difference. We're still doing the Kenai shuffle to make sure everyone has a good time and is able to take some fish home. We're looking at the final week of the king season and with the sockeye limit now at 6 there are hardly enough daylight hours to fit everything in! Globe Union brought a group of great guys that had a great Saturday shown above. Ziden Nutt also caught his first kings ever and Mike and Dennis competed for fisherman of the week! We're looking for more of the pictures from some of the other groups and will post them on our FaceBook page as well. As a side note, we're already seeing silvers show in the Kenai - Gary landed 4 silvers in addition to the 3 kings on Saturday so we are looking for a great silver season as well.

July 19 - We had a much better week for catching kings on both the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers plus the sockeye came into the Kenai in big numbers that were readily available for targeting off the beach. As you can see from the pictures above, a couple of the groups managed to keep some nice kings but they also went and caught some limits of sockeye to fill their boxes. Halibut fishing was a bit of a challenge this past week as the winds and water decided to give the ocean fishers a break! Some halibut were still put into boxes headed home but some of those days were "nautical". We are hoping this trend continues for the great week ahead!

July 12 - What a week ... it was certainly a rough one for king fishing and while the pictures above show some nice fish the action was SLOWWWW! We did work really hard to find some fish and some days it worked and some days were just tough. We fished the Kasilof a little more when the action there picked up - and we had some good results. The action for kings is like trophy hunting right now ... a lot of hours for a few shots. It is a disappointment to many including the guides but things should turn around this week. We are seeing more sockeye enter the river so we have a few more options if the king fishing remains slow. The Kasilof is also becoming more steady and when the weather cooperates the halibut fishing is excellent. We are entering prime time so we will be sure to have some working cameras to capture the great week we are looking forward to!

July 5 - Happy Birthday America! We are so lucky to live in the United State to pursue activities like fishing ... thanks to all the men and women, past and present who have made this possible! We have struggled this past week with catching although the fishing was fabulous! It was really a tough week getting a king but the trout were thick as were the halibut - and more than willing to come out and play. The sockeye also put in a few appearances on both the Kenai and Kasilof and we did it without combat fishing! Some of the great catches are above and everyone understood the true nature of "fishing" vs catching. We are hoping that the counts of fish for the Kenai are going to continue on their steady climb and that those fish entering the system will be more willing to come out and bite! We'll continue to scramble like we usually do so everyone has a great trip and lands plenty of memories!

June 28 - The end of June is in sight and it's hard to believe the summer is flying by. Of course, with the first of July we also start a new management plan for the Kenai and other areas so many of the rules we've been following will change (yet again!) Fishing was tough this past week with some major scrambling going on in order to find some good opportunities. Baird Rumiano had a good day on the Kenai and landed the chromer above - there were some other nice fish also to hit the dock including Steve's 45 pounder that hit at 6:02 AM just after clicking the rod in gear on the first set of the day! Halibut fishing continued to be excellent and while the weather wasn't too fabulous for the river (mainly rain) it was flat and wonderful on the inlet. The trout fishing is unbelievable right now and while the king action may be slow we are keeping busy with a lot of nice rainbows and a few dolly varden. Counts for sockeye on the Kasilof have crept up there so fishing for reds improved as it also did on the upper Kenai and Russian Rivers. We still have a bit of space for July so let us know if something is going to work in your schedule. Remember too that this is a pink year so action during August will beh ot and heavy.

June 21 - Happy Summer Solstice! The longest day of the year is beautiful in Alaska. We've certainly had an interesting season thus far ... bait opened on the Kenai on Saturday and there were some fish caught. Not totally red hot, open bite, but decent fishing. The Kasilof also had the restrictions lifted on Thursday and we can now keep "finned" fish 3 days per week. In summary ... we are fishing normally like we have in years past with plenty of fish crossing the sonar counters! However, June is a great time for doing many different types of fishing and sightseeing including the upper Kenai sockeye run in the early morning that is sure to produce beautiful scenery (like above), plenty of eagles and a variety of other birds. Baird Rumiano shows off his catch of sockeye and has many stories about their fighting ability. Kenai kings as well as some of the Kasilof catches are shown above as well. We are looking for a great week of weather and fishing - business as usual this week so if you have a yearn to go fishing, give us a call!

June 14 - The Kenai is OPEN!!Regular June regs with the slot limit and no bait but we're open now (well, as of tomorrow morning anyway) In the meantime, some of the "scrambling" we've been doing has paid off ... pictures tell the story of happy fishermen.

June 7 - It's been a roller coaster this week but things have finally settled and after all the dust we're still catching fish. Halibut fishing is incredible - as you can see above by the 90 pounder caught by David Stark. We're also catching some kings on the Kasilof River - some are clipped and some are not. David shows off a nice one as does Tommy Melton. We've had quite the variety of sizes thus far and even a few sockeye have shown up on both rivers. We occasionally catch sockeye while fishing for kings and when a few more reds get in the river then we'll start targeting them. In the meantime, there is some talk of opening the Kenai for catch and release but we'll have to wait and see what ADF&G decides to do. The counts of salmon have come up and the river has cleared making counting a bit easier. Trout fishing opens on the 11th so we'll have a few more options around. Fly-out sockeye fishing is also getting rolling with some success being reported. Be sure to let us know if you are scheduled to come up and fish and have any concerns. We want everyone to have a great trip and will be flexible, as well as innovative enough, to make sure you do! And most important - remember - all these restrictions go off on June 30th at the very latest so none of this will impact fishing later this summer.

June 3 - Some news we need to pass along ... ADF&G closed the Kenai River for king fishing starting midnight on June 4th until June 30th. The Kasilof River will also be restricted to hatchery fish retention only for the same time period.. We have lots of options for fishing though so those of you headed our way please be assured that we will adjust so your time and trip are a great experience. Early Fishing has always been really good at rolling with the punches and moving around to provide good services and we will continue to do so. Please feel free to email or call if you have any questions or concerns. These EO's do NOT effect the July fishery at all ... starting July 1st the Kenai is open and we are allowed to use bait AND no slot limit is in effect! So, if you aren't scheduled yet, get on the books for July 1st. More to come later ...

Memorial Day 2010 - First off we'd like to say thanks to all the men and women who have fought for our country to defend our freedoms. Thanks seem inadequate but know we honor what you have sacrificed for so many. I may have spoken a bit too soon last week when I said we were "rolling now" with the fishing. Fishing has been good but the catching has been a little tough this past week. Dave Treat, Steve Cooksey and Gary show a great catch off the Kasilof (above) and Dale Abrahamson shows off his catch as well. Dinner was courtesy of Gary and another fish is ready for release although Dan Galindo really wanted to eat that one - too bad it had an adipose fin. Our weather has been beautiful, and very warm at times which has helped bring the rivers up some as well as warm the water. Unfortunately, color has also been a factor on the Kenai - way too dirty/milky now. The fish entering the river has continued to be consistent but getting them to bite has been a tough one. We certainly don't want to lose a fish right now because the bites are hard to come by! However, we should see things steadily improve this next week with the great tide series we have in front of us. Halibut fishing, despite massive clam tides, has been good with decent fish in the 30-40 pound range fighting. As long as the weather holds so will the halibut. This really is just the beginning so consistency will happen soon - stay tuned!

May 24 - Things are starting to roll pretty good now with some better weather and fish jumping on the cause - or at least our baits! The Kasilof started kicking out some fish late in the week with the smaller tides and higher water levels. It helped a lot to have warmer water conditions too. Still releasing "wild (non fin clipped) fish" 4 days a week (S,M,W,F) so the crowds are there on the other days. The Kenai has been doing pretty good though and that will certainly help the pressure. Halibut fishing, along with some salt water king action, has been good this past week as well. Great clam tides coming up (starting Tuesday) and the beaches are sure to be a fun place. Hopefully it will hold for the upcoming holiday weekend with both weather and fish. We do have some space available this weekend so give us a call or email for your shot at a great day on the water!

May 17 - The new 7 Wide Willie Classic hit the water and even though it was only the lake for the initial 2 hour motor break in the boat performed beautifully. Next stop is the river, full speed ahead (and of course, some fishing)! We did wet some lines on opening day of bait for the Kasilof Sunday and while there were some good reports of steelhead being caught prior to the opener, the river was pretty stingy on Sunday. A few kings were caught as well as steelhead but the action was slow for the number of boats. The river will only get better with rising water levels, warming water and more fish entering the system. The Kenai has had some decent days of late though with very little angler effort there have been some good catches. The salt water continues to be good when the weather allows with both limits of halibut and kings coming onboard. We have to note that many of the kings being caught are "feeder kings" though so are a bit on the smaller side. As time goes by the bigger fish will arrive too and just like the weather, grass and spring time, pretty soon we will wonder what happened to summer! Stay tuned for fish action.

May 10 - It's official - we have moved the camp to Alaska for the season so unless something really exciting happens on the Rogue we'll be reporting from Alaska now. This past weekend though we had the opportunity to take a different kind of trip - birding and scenic trips on the Smith River. They were beautiful days for the Birding and Wildlife Festival in Crescent City and we enjoyed the quiet, scenic floats. Sunday morning was the highest bird count down in the estuary with 52 different birds documented in about 3 hours. We have been doing a few more of these trips each year so remember in the spring or fall that it is a wonderful, relaxing way to see the rivers. Tyson is still fishing some springer trips for us on the Rogue and the success rate has been from fair to good/excellent depending on the day. Counts for springers are so good that ODFW is proposing (for the first time) an early opening for the keeping of wild chinook. That hasn't happened yet (scheduled for June 1st) but it may and we'll keep everone posted. In the meantime, action in Alaska is also picking up - salt water kings & halibut has been productive with limits of both a few times. Steelhead fishing on the Kasilof has also been very good with light pressure. The Kenai is flowing above average for this time of the year and the kings continue to trickle in with some fish being caught when people are out there.

May 3 - Happy May to everyone. It is officially spring weather everywhere, the birds are out, flowers are popping and the grass is growing in Alaska. Also with spring is the arrival of salmon - Oregon salmon have long been underway but now we have fish showing in the salt of Cook Inlet. There have been some good days with salmon along the beach south of Ninilchik and the halibut fishing is picking up as well. River levels are still very low but there have been some fish in the Kenai and Kasilof too. This will continue to get better as the water levels rise with the great weather. The Rogue springer season has been good this year overall - while there have been a few slower days here and there, for the most part it's been steady. The oddity for the Rogue this year is that there is a good bite in the afternoon as well as first thing in the morning. That is great for all those fishermen who don't want to see the crack of dawn! We'll get the Alaska headline to the top next week although Tyson will still be hitting the Rogue for a while yet so if you have a taste for some Rogue spring salmon let us know and if you haven't made plans for Alaska this year be sure to check out some of our specials (or email if you want more info)! Enjoy the beauty of spring.

April 27 - Springer fishing on the Rogue has had its ups and downs this past week but there were some good days. The weather was beautiful for the most part with some wind hitting the lower Rogue. Springers have also been reported over Gold Ray and the angler effort has really started to increase up in that section of the river as well. Not too much steelhead fishing is happening any more and with the rain hitting Monday the Smith will finish out the season at a high flow. Not too much happening in Alaska as yet but the rivers are flowing and some clamming was successful, although VERY cold, recently. Halibut fishing should continue to pick up and as the weather warms we'll continue to see the season build.

April 19 - We've been enjoying beautiful spring weather in southern Oregon and the springers were cooperating pretty well as you can see with some of the fish the guys caught with Tyson this past week. The percentages of hatchery fish were excellent but the action has slowed a bit now. Something changed, it always does, but the run is very strong on the Rogue this year and the fish are great fighters as well as a delicious addition to the barbecue menu! Alaska, a view from EF2 to the left, isn't exactly in fishing mode on the rivers yet but there is a little action on the salt water with some halibut being caught. The river is flowing but there is still quite a bit of ice along the edges and the cold wind has returned as well as more wet stuff from the sky. A couple weeks more though and we'll be in full swing. A few reports of steelies on the Kasilof and, of course, a bit of trout fishing was still happening on the middle stretches of the Kenai for those die hards ready to shake off winter. We're looking at great opportunities this summer and are hoping the Kenai Peninsula waters also sport the same types of runs as the Columbia, and Rogue, have enjoyed this spring.

April 12 - Springers are here! Good numbers of Rogue spring salmon have made it to the boats this week. With a great percentage of hatchery fish being landed, several of those fish have gone home to drip lots of great, yummy, Omega oils on the barbecues. Dave LaVelle brought his son, Michael to fish last week and while their day was slower (due to cold water) they did land this nice hatchery chinook and honored Matt LaVelle at "his beach" up the river. The weekend picked up and most of the boats fishing below Quasatana were successful. The fishing will continue through the latter part of June so there is plenty of time to take advantage. We are also gearing up for our Alaska season and will start some "dualing" reports in just a couple week. The river is flowing and the ice is breaking up along the edges. We are anxious to get rolling up there and see how the runs will be. Give us a call, send an email, or follow the action here - we'll also try to post conditions more frequently on our FaceBook page so check it out too.

April 5 - We have had some crazy weather lately and it has resulted in some very odd fishing conditions and successes. The end of the Chetco season was March 31st and the last 3 days weren't really even fishable. High water and off color conditions put the end a little earlier than regulation and even though there were some fish out there the conditions just weren't good. The same happened with the Smith last week although it did finally clear and there were a few downrunners being caught but the weather conditions being endured to do this were really horrendous! At times it was difficult to realize this is now April and not December! Snow and hail were common over the weekend and the crazy weather just keeps coming. All the cold conditions have also caused the temperature in the Rogue to drop making springer fishing difficult as well. Springers are finicky fish when it comes to water temps and 45 is not one of their favorites! As soon as the water warms there should be some good action again and that could happen this week with a clearing predicted about mid-week. On the bright side, when the weather breaks there could still be some steelhead opportunities on the Smith and in the Medford/Grants Pass areas. In the meantime, we've enjoyed some family time and have been getting things ready for Alaska which isn't too far away now. The Kenai is now flowing so that season is just around the corner.

March 29 - After a few days off for Oregon Spring break, we were back on the water this week and enjoyed some beautiful weather, good water conditions and some nice fish. Before mid-week storms the river was very low and clear and few fish were being caught. After the rise in the river, the effort level was still low (Val was the ONLY boat on Saturday) but there were fish around. With the storm rolling in on Saturday night the Chetco started rising and it's doubtful that the river will come back into shape before the end of the steelhead season on Wednesday. The Smith will fish probably about mid-week (given that the rain stops) and since it isn't closed yet there are still some spring steelhead opportunities around on the coast as well as in the Grants Pass/Medford area on the middle Rogue where fresh fish are being caught. However, most people are getting springer fever - Spring Salmon that is - and wanting to get one of those delicious springers on the barbecue. The Rogue has had some good days with hatchery fin-clipped fish in decent numbers. With this shot of water there should be another blast of springers too. It's not long until our Alaska season kicks off so if you haven't made plans for the Alaska summer be sure you consider it now and let us know!

March 22 - Sunshine was beautiful this week and there were some incredible fishing opportunities. The traffic on the Chetco and Smith is almost non-existent so the days are unhurried and peaceful. Gary shows off one of the fish caught and released on the Smith this week. This was a beautiful, wild buck and with the new regulations on the Smith going into effect on the 1st of March, all wild fish must be released. The Chetco also had a shot of fresh fish show up and another spurt of "blue backs" were around too. We had a couple double digit days with fresh fish and down-runners combined making for action. The middle Rogue is also producing some great numbers as well as spring salmon fishing on the lower Rogue. Good numbers of Rogue springers were caught mid-week and a majority of those were hatchery fish - nothing tastes better than a springer either! There is still about a week left to the season on the Chetco and the fishing should continue for steelhead around GP and Medford for a couple week (Smith too). Spring is all around but we are still getting some showers that is keeping the flow going a little as well as a little color so take that last chance to get on the water this winter and give us a call or email!

March 15 - Gary WON!!! Not by himself but Gary and his teammate, guide John Klar,along with their team - Charles Krug Winery & Willie Boats - won the 28th Annual FCOF Hank Raider Derby this weekend. Both days were fished mostly on the Smith due to an amazing amount of rain on Thursday and Friday. Saturday dawned clear and beautiful which everyone was ready for and made for perfect conditions on the Smith River. There were some fish caught on both rivers though and before the rivers came up they were low and clear making fishing a little tough. There was such little flow on the rivers that this rain was a blessing for the derby crowd. However, sitting through it was something else. Above are few pictures of the day before the derby as well as Marc Mondavi and Jim Davis (and Raiderette Cole Martin) with some fish they caught through the derby as well as the day after when they fished the Chetco with Val. This week should be good fishing but the majority of the fish seem to be downrunners now. Nice bright fish but they have done their job and spawned. We still have a couple weeks left in the season and with improving weather, if you were waiting for great conditions - give us a call or email and we'll go out and enjoy light traffic, some fish, and beautiful weather.

March 8 - It was a peaceful week with light traffic on the river and some good fishing, for the most part. Both the Smith and Chetco are seeing a good mix of downrunner as well as fresh fish but also a good mixture in the fresh fish between hatchery and wild fish. Arch and Cate are showing off some of their catch from a few days of fishing this past week. Some big fish are still showing with a few in the upper teens on the Smith and mid-teens on the Chetco. The middle Rogue is also more consistent now with fresh winter steelies throughout the Grants Pass area. These fish seem to be moving rather quickly so it's important to jump above each day and stay with the fish. Some great weather for the past week has spoiled us and now we are looking at a colder storm headed our way. Cold storms don't seem to push us out of shape too badly though so maybe we won't lose much time. The Hank "Raider" Derby, sponsored by Friends of Cal-Ore Fish and Rowdy Creek Fish Hatchery is scheduled for the upcoming weekend. We are hoping to help raise some money to support the hatchery as well a some projects in Oregon.

March 1 - Seems like the first 2 months just washed away this year and here we are looking toward spring. We are seeing trees start to bloom and a few flowers popping out amidst the massive down pours. Boy, did we have some rain last Thursday and Friday. Above are pictures from Thursday fishing on the Chetco where the river was just coming into shape and we hooked some decent numbers of fish, some were downrunners and others were fresh. Top left Nate George shows off a fresh hatchery fish he kept. To the right is Jim Barbour with a a nice fresh (hatchery) Chetco fish as well. Friday was opening day for the Chopper Steelhead Derby and Jim Barbour's boat bought a few years ago at the derby, finally hit the water. Gary, Nate and Jim enjoyed the rain in style with stereo (blasting Led Zepplin at times) and great wine courtesy of Barbour Vineyards. Fishing was a little tough that day as the Chetco rose 6 feet in a short period of time. The Smith held a little longer but by Saturday morning was 7 feet higher as well. Day 2 of the derby called for plunking and a little drifting. A few fish were caught and Sunday was a good day on the water with conditions producing fish. The rain returned a bit today but shouldn't produce the blow out. We're looking at decent conditions this week and we have space for fishing so come up for a little spring relief fishing!

February 22 - What a week we had! First we were afraid we weren't going to get many fishable days and then we ended up with sunshine and beautiful weather (with the exception of the wind!) Clear skies and clearing river conditions created some good fishing for the DeMellopine group who didn't get to come in January. Above are a few of the pictures from the week although we had camera "issues" and didn't capture all the fish. Val had a rough week for talking (no voice) and everyone seemed to be enjoying the silence! HMMPH. By weekend though we were wishing for rain again because the river was so clear and the fish were extra spooky. We are seeing a good mix of down-runners and fresh fish now and a couple big fish were boated this week too - over 15 pounds. We released a lot fish, kept a few hatchery fish and had a great time. Rain is supposed to hit again and we need it. Many of the boats have headed to the Rogue in Grants Pass where the action has picked up and hatchery fish seem to be in great numbers. More season left still and the first of our fund-raising derby events is scheduled for this weekend. The Chopper Derby is always a fun crowd and we look forward to seeing everyone.

February 15 - Hope everyone had a great week - we had decent river conditions all week except Friday when the rivers went on a big rise! The Smith fished for a while that morning and the boats picked some fish up while fighting the 30 mph wind and rains. Pretty nasty on the river. The Chetco fished through Thursday and should be back into shape early this week if the rain stays away again. Jack Dowty was Gary's first client to fish in 1978 and he's been a faithful fishermen since that time. They had a great couple days and Jack was king of the river once again! Russ and John came and did some river hopping ending their week on the Elk with a double just above the boat ramp. The Elk held in there on Friday with decent conditions. The Smith was a little stingy over the weekend with fish being caught here and there. A little better bite today as the river calmed down into a "dropping" mode. Should be a good week and our season is still in full swing. Plenty of room for fishing in March when the weather is usually pretty good so if you still want to get on the water give us a call or send an email.

February 8 - We fished all week but we had to move around a little - first the Chetco was good but then the rains came again and the river rose leaving just the Smith with good water conditions. The Smith fished pretty good even though it was rising and some nice fish were caught. Above is Mike Maples (top left) fighting the fish he's holding in the middle top. Wayne Ginsburg released a nice fish around the North Fork of the Chetco, before it went out and the bottom shows Sassi and Richard Fisher with their fish off the Smith River. The Chetco came back in on Saturday and while the traffic was light for the weekend, it certainly made up for it today. The rains are supposed to be intermittent now for the week with not too much so the rivers should stay good throughout the week. We are seeing a few downrunners as well as fresh fish in both rivers. Some of the northern streams, Elk & Sixes, fished well in mid week but bigger rivers were needed after that. The Rogue in Grants Pass is picking up and should continue to be good through next month. We still have some room for fishing through the end of February as well as March (when the weather is usually great!) so give a call or email.

February 1 - Another month is gone and we are fishing the coastal rivers here depending on what is fishing the best. This past week saw the Smith kick off the fishing week with some good action and dropping river conditions. The rivers to the north, Elk & Sixes, also dropped into shape before the weekend and had good production. The Chetco fished at higher levels from mid-week on and the weekend conditions were prime but so many people were anticipating these great conditions that the river was a bit crowded, both on the water and on the bank! The lower section of the Chetco lacked any wilderness feel as there were over 60 boats on the water Friday and Saturday. We did a little moving around to try to avoid some of the crowd but there didn't seem to be many places to escape. Fishing was decent as long as everyone was courteous. While the rivers continue to drop they are already very clear and the fish are more spooky than ever. We anticipate a bit of rain for the week that should help the clarity issue. A few downrunners have been reported along with some monster steelhead including a 20 pounder off the Smith and a nice 17 pound fish that was released on the Chetco.

January 25 - We did have a good week of fishing although we didn't think it would amount to much based on the weather forecasts. We lost a couple days to the nasty weather and did have a few people who had difficulties getting here because of the poor road conditions but all in all it was a surprise January steelhead time. The Smith dropped into shape and fished really well mid-week and the Chetco, while still a bit high, fished on the weekend with great reports from the bank fishermen prior to that. In addition, ODFW took advantage of the higher water conditions, and lack of drift boats, to shore up their hatchery brood stock program doubling their tally. They still need a few more fish and will be around this week in hopes of completing that task! We did get a bit more rain than expected on Sunday night so Monday (today) brought more river than we really bargained for. After this though, it looks like a dropping river for the rest of the week setting up some great fishing. If you've got some time, let us know, we have some holes still.

January 18 - This past week was a little interesting with the weather. While we thought that we were going to lose the rivers at any time, they just kept hanging in there. We fished every day except Wednesday and even though there was a lot of water, we were able to find some fish. Above are just a few of the pictures from this week and if we could get Gary to carry a camera we'd have a few more pics! If you are a facebook user, check out Early Fishing on FaceBook. We'll be adding more pictures and try to post a quick blurb of conditions while still continuing this weekly report. As always, if you want the latest and greatest news, just shoot an email our way and we'll get right back to you. We have had a few cancellations this week so if you are watching the weather, and the site, you will know if the rivers are dropping back into shape (although they aren't out right now!) and you can take advantage.

January 11 - We had great river conditions for the past week and were able to fish the entire week. The Smith River was still the place to be at the beginning of the week but the Chetco cleared and was fishing by mid-week with some great results. Above, Jolene Nelson shows off a last minute hatchery fish (she released a wild one earlier) and Frank is showing off his first ever steelhead from the Chetco. Gary is fighting a nice fish in the picture above and Matt, with Kurt & Joan Garrison, are enjoying the splendor of a beautiful river. Below, Jeff Legg celebrates his birthday in style, landing some beautiful steelhead with his friend Paul Guernsey. While the actions wasn't HOT HOT, it was steady and there were chances out there to prove that not all steelhead land in the boat. Stories of the ones that get away are often the best ones and we proved this week that it is true with fiesty fish wrapping in logs, running (on their last ditch effort to get away) down the willow line to break off and many other memories. The spendor of the season is also quite memorable and we're hoping this anticipated storm is kinder than predicted! We are off and running with a great season so, take some time, figure out a day and come fishing!

January 4 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!! What a way to bring in a new year - with a big storm. December 31st the rain was sideways and coming in hard, the ocean was rough and the wind was blowing. We measured 4.5 inches in our rain gauge and I know there were places with more. Needless to say, New Years Day the rivers were very high. BUT ... the Smith drops and clears quickly and plunking was in order on the 2nd and it's continued to drop into shape with some great boat fishing by plunking and drifting was had the past few days. A few of the fish landed on Sunday are above - Eric Sherwood landed a beauty (left) as did Jeremy Wright. Jeremy hooked a couple others including one that spooled him and finally landed his first ever steelhead after quite a fight. The Chetco is a bit behind the Smith, as usual, and it's just getting to the driftable stage (although a bit borderline) for tomorrow. We'll see if these sprinkles give us much of anything. Reports are that the plunkers on the Chetco have been doing okay. Remember we are just getting rolling - we have space available including a cancellation for Wednesday/Thursday/Friday this week so give a call or email if you can make it up.

December 28 - We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with plenty of good food, friends and family. We had a nice rainstorm hit just before Christmas and some fish came in both rivers giving those on the water Christmas Eve and Christmas something to play with. We hit the water the day after and landed some nice fish. Jan Loren & her sister, Margo Dutton, show off a couple above. The action continued for Jack Haun who landed this nice, colorful, buck. Numbers should continue to build and while tough days are always possible there should be some chances around. There was a big, 20 pounder, caught by a private boat on the Chetco today so there are some brutes around as well. The Smith River has been similar action with some good reports and others that were a bit frustrated after losing some fish. Remember we are just beginning the season and we'll keep targeting steelies until the end of March/Mid-April. Weather forecasts are for more rain this week so we're hoping it calms down by New Year's and we can ring in 2010 with some great action.

December 22 - Sorry for the delay but the storm knocked out our internet connection (and cable TV). It was NASTY on the water Sunday - blowing and raining hard. Saturday wasn't a whole lot better but at least the rain wasn't coming in sideways. We were a little disappointed in the action on the Chetco after the water we received last week - there were some fish caught plunking when the water was still high but the side-drifting action was slower than expected - even with perfect conditions. The Smith fared better with decent numbers of fish although most of the action was good from the Forks to the Hiouchi Brige. Plunkers did fairly well further down the river and a few fresh salmon were had below the country ramp. Sunday brought muddy water out of the South Fork Smith and it was rising fast. It will probably be a day before the color improves for side-drifting but this is the time for plunking! We are just getting rolling on the steelhead season and it will continue to build so plan a day or so on the water - take advantage of our half day fishing if you'd like to keep costs down - but get out and enjoy the beauty of nature, the relaxation of fishing. We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas holiday this week.

December 14 - We took a bit of a break from fishing this past week - not really intentional, but with little water in the systems, and not many good fish around it seemed prudent to wait for rain. We did get out to the streams and see quite a few spawning fish as well as some who had finished their jobs! The fish here were in Jacks Creek up the Chetco River. There were quite a few and we were happy to see their reproduction having been completed. More salmon for the future. Our rain finally came over the weekend but it was still quite cold and didn't make a big difference in the river. However, that is now changing with a big storm, literally blowing in, tonight. We should get some decent rains this week and it could set up some steelies hitting the river in good numbers toward the end of the week and be a great "early" Christmas present. If you want to get a fishing trip in before the end of the year, let us know and we'll keep you posted on the water levels. As soon as the flow is good we'll hit the rivers again and target steelhead. In the meantime, enjoy your families, as we are ours, stay warm and remember the good times from 2009!

December 7 - Brrr cold ... 25 degrees in the mornings right now and the sunshine thaws out some of the other areas. The river is incredibly low and the fish numbers are low too unless you want to fish in the holes and bobber or floss. Most of the salmon are very dark, ready to spawn right now although the lower Smith has still been putting out a few fresh fish each day. Rowdy Creek Fish Hatchery has had 1800+ fish return thus far - a record for the hatchery. There are also more fish below the creek, waiting to head to the hatchery so their record numbers threaten to change a bit more! The Chetco numbers are better than ODFW was expecting which could be due to several factors including lack of a sport fishery in the ocean, closed river, rains that pushed the fish up the river and into the tributaries at the optimum time ... many factors but the bottom line is we had good escapement which should produce some good smolt migration and get the river rolling the right direction. Bodes well for future returns as well. A few steelhead have been caught on both the Smith and Chetco but we really need rain (and warmer weather) to bring in more numbers. Steelhead run predictions are good for this year so please remember to get some fun on the river in 2010!

November 30 - Hope everyone had a great turkey day. We are certainly thankful for the many blessings in our lives. The river situation has been interesting to say the least - with rain coming at somewhat regular intervals the Chetco and Smith have been up and down. The tough part of this scenario is that the river has literally yo-yoed the fish up the river. Just when they settle into a hole and we're going to get a shot for a few days, the next rain comes and off they go. Most of the fish that are tributary spawners are in the creeks now so the numbers have really dropped in the mainstem rivers. This is great for spawning escapement but tough for catching fish right now. We did have some good days this past week and some nice big fish, bright from the ocean cooperated. Tony Rumiano came fishing with his brother, Joby, and Gary and landed this nice 40 pounder on 8 pound test. He also landed a steelhead that same day. Dave Treat went fishing with Val on Tuesday and boated this mint bright 33 pounder. We had a good morning and enjoyed the sunshine throughout. The river is now low and clear. We have made the transition to side-drifting as there are a few steelhead showing up and many of the salmon are pretty dark. The rivers to the north are low and clear now too and with the forecast showing clear skies for the next week fishing could be tough this week. We still have room for steelhead fishing this winter so pick out a day and let us know what works!

November 23 - A great opening on the Chetco last Thursday produced some great fish. It's hard to tell in the photo above but Tommy landed a 50 pounder and Del, also landed a beauty. We didn't find any hatchery to compliment the day but had a nice day on the water and caught more fish we released. All the boat hitting the water that day were treated to good fishing and some bright fish. The rains came that night and Friday the river went out again. However, the Smith fished really well for the Griggs Salmon Derby sponsored by Friends of Cal-Ore Fish. Over 30 fish were boated the first day with some bright ones showing again as well. The weekend continued with the rain and for the most part the Smith was the action around. When the rivers calm down, early this week, and the leaves stop fouling up all the gear continuously, there should be good fishing again. Should get some good fishing in through the end of the week with Turkey day only porducing a little rain. Northern rivers, Elk & Sixes, also had some hot action and should be in shape again now after the rains. A great time to hit the end of the season salmon so be sure to get out there!

November 17 - HOT NEWS - ODFW Announced the Chetco opens below the Ice Box bridge starting Thursday 11/19!!!

November 16 - As the week progressed so did the water regress! While there were fish being caught most days the "keepable" fish were few and far between. Russ McBurney and John Blake both caught some fish this week but only a few were "keepers". Many of the fish are sitting in the holes getting darker and closer to spawning with each passing day. There are a few fresh fish coming on the early morning tides and the bite for these bright kings is early in the morning. Later in the day, when the light is on the water, bobbers will pick up a few fish but the numbers are no where near what they were a week ago. Good news on the forecast though - rain, in significant amounts, is expected this week. According to ODFW, if these rains materialize early in the week, there is a chance to open the Chetco by the weekend. This is all speculation at this time though so we'll wait and see what happens. There have been some decent reports of fish in other places including some to the north of us - the fresh salmon are around but there aren't a ton of them willing to bite due to low water conditions. Spooky fish in clear water isn't a great combo. So continue the rain dance and stay tuned for some fish pictures soon.

November 9 - The Smith was great fishing when it opened and seemed word traveled quickly as everyone was there! To be fair, there weren't a lot of options at the time and the Smith kings were beautiful biters. Ian Gilroy brought his friend, Warren, for a day of fishing they both agreed "was the best salmon fishing day ever!" They released some nice fish and then kept a couple fish around 30 pounds. Sunday was bluebird weather and the action didn't last all day but there were still some nice fish being caught early in the morning. The Chetco remains closed above the 101 bridge to protect the native spawning fish. ODFW will announce if water conditions allow it to open. Some of the northern rivers, the Elk and Sixes, also saw some great action, and a surge of fish, with the weather that just past. There were some nice fish in both systems with a couple big fish being reported. We are still getting a bit of rain but it's not any huge amount - just enough to keep the river flowing a little. The Smith is a bit tricky to float at this time - most of the riffles are noisy with the boat going over the rocks - so be careful. Our action should continue for a bit so if you need your salmon fix be sure to check with us and remember, steelhead season is just around the corner so get some winter fishing action on your calendar as well as ours! Remember to turn in those chinook heads from the Smith River that have an adipose fin clip - Rowdy Creek Hatchery is anxious to get the data from their chips!

HOT NEWS - Smith River open above Rowdy Creek 11/6/09 - Give a call to go fishing!! Chetco update soon.

November 1 - It's supposed to be raining, right? It's November! But, still not much moisture coming from the sky - certainly not enough to bring the rivers up so the Smith remains closed above Rowdy Creek and the Chetco, scheduled to open above the 101 bridge on Saturday, is looking doubtful. The good news is that there have been fish coming into both rivers and even if they are finicky about biting our stuff they are getting up the river and will spawn at some point. Both rivers are incredibly low but there are fish scattered throughout. The estuary and mouth of both rivers continues to provide a little action depending on the tide as well as some of the lower holes on the Smith - some action but not too consistent for people trying to get the fish to "bite" instead of lining them. A bit of a bright spot continues to be the Rogue both in the Agness area where half pounder action is fair, the water beautiful and the traffic incredibly light. The Rogue around Grants Pass is also providing some fly-fishing steelhead action that has been good at times. Opportunity is there and we're doing our best rain dance so the rivers are flowing this weekend and OPEN!!

October 26 - We need rain! The little spit we are getting now isn't going to bring any of the rivers up to driftable levels so we really need rain. We've been fishing all week but the action has been fair to slow. There were quite a few fish in the lower Smith and a couple good days but then they moved out and trolling action was right at daylight only. A little bit of a bobber bite happened but it was not consistent. We need another blast of rain to bring in the next wave of fish. Anyone fishing the lower Smith (or later higher up) please remember if you get any fin-clipped fish to return the head to Rowdy Creek Fish Hatchery - they have a coded wire tag in their nose. The Chetco estuary is still producing a few fish and certainly the pressure has gone down considerably. Many of the fish moved up river with the water levels and are now in the holes but the river is still closed above the 101 bridge. Look for good action around the 7th of November if the water level is high enough for drifting!

October 19 - A big rain storm, like a winter storm, hit our area last week and the rivers rose quickly. The Smith opened for fishing about 8 AM on Wednesday and the flow was great although color wasn't so hot. However, there were fish around and the action was decent with Thursday being the best day with many people getting limits of nice fish. Gordon and Neil Rodgers fished on Friday and landed a couple smaller chinook that were kicked back before Gordon landed this nice 20 pounder. When the sunshine came out the bite quit and the sunscreen flowed! There was enough flow to drift on Friday but since then it's been a hole hoping show. The Rogue bay was good for silvers on Tuesday when the main part of the storm was hitting and again on Saturday there was a good shot of silvers in the bay. Those fish haven't been showing too much upriver yet but we're searching for them! The Chetco estuary was slow during the stormy weather and higher river levels but has started to pick up again so there are plenty of places to get your last of the year chinook (king) fix! Remember the Smith is still under low flow closures and with no rain will close this week sometime. The Chetco will open above the 101 bridge on November 7th so give us a call and get on the calendar!

October 12 - Fortunately the Columbus Day Storm of 1962 did not repeat itself today although the weather forecasts were calling for wind. Looks like it will arrive later this week and today we had nice weather with change in the air. We've had extremely beautiful weather as you can see above with the picture on the Rogue last week. Jan Loren, above, landed a nice 25 pound, fresh chinook along with a nice jack and lost a couple more fish for a peaceful, relaxing day on the river. The traffic is lighter than usual right now and there are fish around. A few silvers are showing in the Rogue and the action on the Chetco (estuary only) has been hot at times. The Smith River is also starting to heat up with fish holding in the lower reaches. Remember, the Smith has low flow closures right now above Rowdy Creek. That could certainly change if the forecasts this week come in with the predicted amounts of rain. Look for some quick openings on the Smith as well as a quick closures to protect the resource if the river drops right back down. There are new regulations on many Oregon waters so be sure to check before heading out for the day. Salmon season is here in full force with some big fish playing in local waters. Give us a call and check conditions or get a day on the water - SOON!

October 5 - We've been fishing the Chetco and Rogue a bit but last week Gary took a break with the guys from Willie Boats and went to Washington for some great action. They released several kings (can't keep 'em) and landed plenty of silvers including these 5 they kept. Wish we could say the rain it shows in the picture reached our area but it just didn't materialize much. We've had a few sprinkles but nothing measurable to help the river levels. The Rogue bay continues to produce good action for chinook and while the silvers haven't shown up in any numbers yet, we expect them any day. With silvers runs being strong throughout the northwest the Rogue should be no excpetion and will provide some great October action. Steelhead fishing has also picked up in the Agness area with a few cooler mornings enticing the metalheads to play. The Chetco estuary has also been steady with a 58 pounder hitting the docks last week amoung other fish. Action is still on the spotty side but it has been steady with improvement each day. This fishery will continue to get better through the end of the month. Not too much happening on the Smith River yet and low flow closures went into effect on the 1st of October so if it rains be sure to check and see if the river has opened.

September 28 - Seems like just yesterday we were starting out the Alaska fishing and now we are back to fishing Oregon! There has been some great fishing in Oregon - especially the Rogue where the action in the bay has continued to be steady with fall chinook showing in good numbers and good sizes. There is also some half-pounder (steelhead) action up river for those wanting to flip a fly out in the riffles. The salmon have had a few good days upriver too and side-drifting bait seemed to be the best. We haven't seen too many silvers showing but it is time and we expect there to be a good run in early October. The Klamath River continues to be productive and the crowds have thinned a bit. Gary had the Willie Boat guys down there this past weekend and boated some nice adults as well as a few jack. They didn't hit it too hard either - just a nice relaxing time. There are few people trolling the estuary on the Chetco and while the action hasn't been stellar there are a few fish being caught. With a little rain, predicted this week, that action could heat up. The fall fish coming into the Chetco are great eating so let us know if you would like to get a trip on the river.