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.

SPECIAL 2009-10 Fishing Half Day Rate - $125 per person! Continued through winter 2010! 2009 Early Fishing Lines - PDF Format

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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.