Greg Nicol Guide Service

Fishing Report Archives

April 4, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

The Chetco River steelhead season has come to an end. The Smith River is coming to an end as well with only just a very few fish now being caught. There have been a few Spring Salmon caught on the Rogue River and that fishery will only get better in the coming weeks. In mid August I well be working once again in the Rogue River Canyon. Those trips are three day trips with each night staying in a different lodge. Those trips will carry me through the first week of November. Just in time for the beginning of the Salmon Season on the Smith River and Chetco River. Give me a call or e-mail to make your reservation early.

March 27, 2007

In Memory of Willie Illingworth
1942-2007

A truly legendary man and friend
Willie Illingworth of Willie Boats

March 13, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

The last couple of days I have been helping out a friend that had a six boat party on the Chetco River. All six boats were able to able to boat at least three fish and had others on. The weather has been warm. By the middle of the day the temperature has been in the mid sixties. The Smith River has slowed down a lot. The last few days there has been guides coming up from California fishing the Chetco River because of the clear water and lack of fish on the Smith River. I just wish that they would get an Oregon Guide License before doing so. They say that the people in their boats are just friends, but with different people in their boats each day makes you wonder. Give me a call or e-mail me and let's get out there and get your Steelhead. It is a lot better than sitting at home reading about someone's else catching fish. Not to mention a whole lot more fun.

March 10, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

The last couple of days on the Chetco River have been a lot of fun most boats are getting four the seven Steelhead with one to three of those Steelhead being fresh. The Smith River has not been as good. Yesterday was the first day of the Cal-Or Derby. Twenty three Steelhead were caught on the Smith with sixty nine Steelhead caught on the Chetco River. I don't have today's totals. See Today's Photos

March 4, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

I want to thank everyone who e-mailed and called wishing me a speedy recovery with Pneumonia. I am now back to work catching steelhead in my million dollar office. You know the one where the roof leeks and the wall paper keeps changing. The last few days both the Smith River and the Chetco River have been fishing well with the Chetco River fishing just a little better. Seems about a third of the fish being caught are fresh right now.

February 19, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

The lack of recent fish reports is because I came down with Pneumonia, with four days of l04 degree fevers. The fish are still out there and I can not wait to get back out there and get some of them. The doctor says I must wait a couple of more days, and then I can. The weathermen are calling for rain through the week.

February 8, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

The rains are finally here once again. For some people I guess should be glad to know that all the sea lions that have been in our rivers eating the steelhead will now longer be land locked. It was almost to that point. Most boats averaged two fish per boat with both the Smith and the Chetco Rivers rising. The rains are to continue for the next seven days.

January 24, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

The last couple of days I have been working down on the Eel River. The conditions have been great down there. Most of the guides working down there are averaging around eight to eleven fish per day. I had not worked the Eel in a number of years and it brought back a lot of good memories. I was brought up until high school on the Mattole River, where my parents ran the Mattole River Lodge. It is a catch and release fishier on the Eel. Today though I worked on the Chetco River where the fishing has slowed down due to the clarity of the water. I am going to be working down on the Smith tomorrow. The pressure on all of the rivers has been light due to the fact that the rivers are so low and clear. There is some weather coming in the forecast so we can only hope it will be enough to change the river conditions. After tomorrow I will be off for three days celebrating the life and lifetime accomplishments of a truly legendary man and friend Willie Illingworth of Willie Boats.

January 17, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

Today I changed offices and went down to the Smith River. The roads were very icy, but the sky was clear and sunny. We ended the day by boating three fish only keeping two. Many of the boats had their limits of fish. Most all of the fish came from the upper end and all came out of four holes. With all the weather we received over the last couple of days did not change the rivers much. I did talk to some of my friends who worked the Chetco River and it sounded like the bite really feel off. Give me a call or e-mail me and let's get out there and get your Steelhead. It is a lot better than sitting at home reading about someone's else catching fish. Not to mention a whole lot more fun.

January 16, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

Today's weather was a little of everything. Started the day cloudy and 26 degrees. That makes three days in a row in the twenties. We had snow and so much I could not see my tools in the trays along my seat. The snow flakes were two and a half to three inches in size. I had only one fisherman in the boat today. We ended the day by boating three Steelhead, keeping one of them. After talking to friends this evening who worked on the Smith River. They were saying all they had for weather was rain, and that the bite was really good down there too. Today's weather is gone and the rest of the week is suppose to remain clear and cold. That only means more cold mornings and a really clear river to work on. Both the Chetco River and Smith River are low and clear.

January 15, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

It was another morning at 27 degrees. The roads and plants look as though someone poured sugar all over them. We ended the day with three out of four fishing the Chetco River. The largest fish being 32 inches long.

January 14, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

Most boats ended the day with three to four fish on the Chetco River. This morning started out at 27 degrees, and only warmed up to 45 degrees. We had a tough day in our boat by only coming in with one fish.

January 13, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

It was another cold morning on the Chetco River today. There was black ice all the way up the river to the put in. With it being the weekend the boat pressure was a little heavy. By the end of the day we were able to come in with two nice Steelhead.

January 12, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

Oh my goodness it was cold this morning on the Chetco River 27 degrees. A new Brookings record for a low. The weathermen are calling for it to be 15 degrees tonight. I had a tough day today by only boating one fish. It was only about twenty one inches long and a hatchery fish. Most boats had two to three fish. I do know of a couple of boats though that had four Steelhead by days end. The rivers are getting low and clear.

January 11, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

I have had the last two days off due to a cancellation. I will be back on the river tomorrow fishing the Chetco River. Both the Smith and Chetco Rivers have been producing some really nice Steelhead. Everyone that I have been talking to has been coming in with limits. With the snow and cold snap that we have had the last couple of days. The bite has come on a little later in the morning when the weather warms up.

January 09, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

It was a beautiful day on the river today. It was sunny and not a cloud in the sky. With the weathermen calling for snow showers tomorrow at 1,000ft, and snow Wednesday on the beach with a two inch accumulation. I was really enjoying my office. I often tell people that I have a million dollar office. It is just that the roof leeks occasionally, and they keep changing the wall paper. Knowing that there would be a lot of boat pressure on the river today. I elected to use my permit for the upper end of the river and come down. I hold one of twenty three permits for the upper end of the Chetco River. By doing so we only saw four boats until we got below Loeb Park. We ended the day with our limits of Steelhead. Most people in boats ended the day with three to four fish. The bank fishermen at Social Security Bar had a good bite in the morning.

January 08, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

Today I fished the Smith River helping out a good friend John Klarr. John had a mutable boat party. We hooked four Steelhead, but only boated two of them. The largest of the two Steelhead that we boated was sixteen pounds. The Chetco River is back in and it has relieved a lot of the pressure that has been on the Smith River. From the calls that I have received this evening the Chetco River out fished the Smith River. Tomorrow I will be one of those boats on the Chetco River.

January 06, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

With the Chetco River still needing one more day to clear we fished the Smith River. We hooked six Steelhead landing all six. We ended the day by keeping two. Seems like the better chances of catching fish are on the upper end of the river above the Highway 199 bridge. Some folks call it the Hiouchi Bridge. Give me a call or e-mail me and let's get out there and get some of those early run Steelheads that are in our rivers.

January 02, 2007 - Winter Steelhead

Was able to get back on the Chetco River today, and it was everything we were hoping it would be. There were a lot of fish caught by end of the day. With the rains that started once again this afternoon, the Chetco River will not be fishable for a few days.

December 29, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

The Chetco River this morning still had the color of cement to it, and was a little high yet. So I elected to fish down on the Smith River. I had a friend Joe Whaley help me out as there were four people in the party. Joe had a couple in his boat, and without saying anything you know who caught the most fish in his boat, the wife. I wish more fellows would bring their wife's. They ended the day with seven fish. I had two fellows in my boat and we ended the day with five fish. The largest fish for the group went hands down to Brenda a seventeen (17) pound Steelhead. While on the river we did hear of another 26 pound Steelhead that was weighted in at Hiouchi. That is the second fish of that size in two days.

December 25, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

Kymmy and I are hoping that each and every one of you is having a wonderful Christmas Day and that the New Year brings you happiness and joy. The crab fishermen are all saying that they are seeing a lot of Steelhead out in the ocean. Fish and Game are saying that this Steelhead season should be a good one. Give me a call or e-mail me and let's get out there and get some of those early run Steelheads that are in our rivers.

December 22, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

A friend and I met our clients at the restaurant this morning, not really sure which river would be best for our clients to fish. We knew the Smith River would be fishable, but not sure about the Chetco River as it had the color of cement yesterday. Also we had a fair amount of rain last night up until midnight. We were going to be fishing two dads with their son's, ages seven (7) and eight (8). With having less hang-ups on the Chetco River, we felt that would be the river best for them. After leaving the restaurant we drove up the Chetco River to find it in great shape. My friend Mark Wakeman, ended the day with his father and son team having 3 Steelhead and one salmon. I ended the day with 3 Steelhead. The two young boys out fished their dads, but you knew that was going to happen. The best part about it is that tomorrow we get to go out and make some more of those life time memories. The bank fishermen who fished on Social Security Bar today landed fifteen fish. I heard that the Smith River also fished well. Give me a call or e-mail me and let's get out there and get that holiday fish for your dinner guests.

December 20, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

From everyone that I talked to this evening sure made me wished I had been on the river fishing today. Most boats had their limits of fish by noon. The color of the water on both the Smith and Chetco Rivers are perfect. We have some rain due to hit us tonight, but not as strong as our last storm. Give me a call or e-mail me and let's get out there and get that holiday fish for your dinner guests.

December 15, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

The high winds and heavy rains have stopped. So this would be a good weekend to get all those Christmas chores taken care of. If you have that special person who you find it hard to get a gift for, why not give them a fishing trip?

December 9, 2006 - Fall Salmon

The weathermen are calling for widely scattered showers for the next few days. That is just what most of the rivers need right now, rain. The rivers are getting low and clear. With the boat pressure being light, one can still pick up some nice Steelhead. That is if you do not get right on top of them. The fish are holding in little pods, in just a few places up and down the river. If you know where those places are when the river gets like this, you are going to get your allusive Steelhead.

December 5, 2006 - Fall Salmon

With another day off, I put up Christmas lights on the house. My wife is going to be so happy with me. I did talk to a friend who fishes the Smith River. He worked from the forks to Ruby. Hooking 7 Steelhead, and 1 salmon. Also was able to talk to two of my friends who worked the Chetco River. One said they landed 4 out of 5 Steelhead. He worked the upper part of the Chetco River. My other buddy worked the lower part of the Chetco River. He boated 6 Steelhead and lost 2. The boat pressure is really light now. With the rivers getting clearer each day was probably the reason for their success. There were also a couple of fish taken from the bank at Social Security Bar around noon time.

December 3, 2006 - Fall Salmon

I had the day off, but I did talk to a couple of my guide friends about how the fishing was for them on the Chetco River. One had two Steelhead, one adult salmon, and one jack salmon. My other friend ended the day with one Steelhead. Also I was able to talk to two private boatmen. One told me he had one Steelhead. The other said not a bite. The bank fishermen at Social Security Bar said there was a run of Steelhead that came through around 12:00pm. They were saying that about five to six fish were caught on the lower end of the bar. Was not able to get a fish report for the other rivers. I will try and get one by tomorrow.

December 2, 2006 - Fall Salmon

Today I finished up helping my friend with his fifteen boat party I told you about yesterday. We ended the day by boating two fish. One was a beautiful 17 1/2 pound Steelhead. The Steelhead did not count for the derby that the fellows were having though only salmon were counted. With the salmon we did catch we came in second place. The nearest anyone came to the amount of fish we caught was two fish I was told. You can tell that with fifteen boats, just how lucky we were and how the fishing is right now. First place was won by a beautiful 49 1/2 pound salmon. There seems to be fewer salmon in the river now and more Steelhead seem to be showing up. We are still a little early for the big runs of Steelhead interring the rivers, but it is time to start targeting them.

December 1, 2006 - Fall Salmon

I helped out a friend today that had a fifteen boat party. Nothing like bring your own crowd. The good thing about it though was that they were all staying up in the town of Gold Beach on the Rouge River. We were told that we could fish on any river. Knowing from yesterday that the Sixes River had close to eighty boats on it. That was not where I wanted to take my party. The Elk River I have not heard of too many fish being caught there the last few days. The Smith and the Chetco River have been fair. A lot of the guides that are being used are from Gold Beach and north of there. Assuming that not many of them would want to travel south to fish the Smith River or the Chetco River the pressure on those two rivers would be light. I also hold a permit for the upper river on both the Smith and Chetco Rivers and know that most of them do not. Knowing that I would have little pressure around me I elected to fish the Chetco River. We ended the day by landing three fresh salmon all females. See photo's, the largest being thirty-six pounds. The other two were twenty-five and twenty-eight. The Fish and Wildlife were on the Chetco River again today netting fish for the hatchery. They ended the day with 7 salmon and 8 Steelhead.

November 30, 2006 - Fall Salmon

I had the day off today, but I did drive up the Chetco River to see how the fishing was. Most of the boat fisherman put in at Ice Box Bar, and took out at Social Security Bar. I was able to talk to three of the guides and heard about a forth. One boat had three fresh salmon. The second had one 14 pound Steelhead and one salmon. The third boat had two salmon. The forth boat had one Steelhead. Fish and Wildlife were netting fish again today for the hatchery. I asked how many Steelhead they had been getting and they told me that they only had one today and four yesterday. I talked to two of my friends who worked the Sixes River today. One had three and the other had zero fish. They said that there were a ton of boats on the river. One of them also told me that a friend of his caught one fish on the Elk River. I talked to three friends that worked the Smith River today. One had three salmon, and one had two salmon and the third had one salmon. I did not hear of any Steelhead being caught today on the Smith River.

November 29, 2006 - Fall Salmon

Today I was on the Chetco River with a party. We did not fish all day due to the fact that one of my fishermen came down with the flu. We did manage to hook into a couple of fish only to loose them before getting off the river. Other people that I talked to that were fishing from a boat ended the day by boating one fish. There were four Steelhead landed at the Social Security Bar by bank fishermen. Fish and Wildlife were netting fish today and they were also picking up a fair amount of Steelhead in their net. After talking to some of my friends who worked on other rivers, they told me that on the Smith River that it was an average of one fish per boat. As for the Sixes they were saying that about half the boats had two fish, and the other half having landed one.

November 28, 2006 - Fall Salmon

We had a little dusting of snow on the top of our local hills last night. Having the day off today I drove down to the Smith River this morning. Four of my guide friends were putting in at the Peacock Bar. Two were taking out down as far down as the mouth of Rowdy Creek. They ended the day by one boat boating two fish and the other boat lost two fish. The other two boats pulled off the river at Ruby Park, and left the Smith River and went up to the Chetco River. One of those boats had gotten one fish on the Smith and picked up another one on the Chetco River. The other boat that came off the Smith River lost one fish. I did talk to some of the fishermen fishing off the bank at Social Security Bar. They told me that they had landed 3 Steelhead and one salmon today. There were also two Steelhead landed yesterday.

November 27, 2006 - Fall Salmon

This morning after the rain from yesterday and last night all the rivers were up. At noon I took a picnic lunch for my wife and me. We went to the county boat ramp on the Smith River. There were two vehicles with trailers parked there. After having our picnic we drove up the river to Ruby Park where we saw no cars parked. From there one could also see that the river was dropping and the color looked really good. This morning the Smith River was reading 19.3 at the lower gage. By noon the river had dropped. The lower gage was reading 18.8 and still dropping. I am sure that everyone will be back on the river tomorrow fishing.

November 25, 2006 - Fall Salmon

When I awoke this morning I looked to see what the river heights were at. The Smith River was at a perfect height. The other rivers were still reading a little high. After getting to our put-in on the Smith River, and starting to get the boat off the trailer, one could see fish on the surface moving up river. We got our first fish, on our first pass, using a plug. Before landing our last fish at 11:50am, we managed to loose four other fish using bait and lures. I felt pretty lucky with what we did today as other boats that we talked to, were not having the same success.

November 24, 2006 - Fall Salmon

Kymmy and I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. I was not on the river today, but I did talk to a couple of my friends who were on the Smith River. One told me that he had his limits by noon. The other got one and lost two. They both said that the river was a little high. They did talk to some of the other boats that were out there, and they were saying that they had one in the boat and lost others. Tomorrow the Smith River should be in great shape. As for the other rivers they will be just a little high yet. Sunday we are to get a pretty good storm hitting us, but the rest of the week the weathermen are calling for partly cloudy skies. Give me a call or e-mail me and let's get out there and get that holiday fish for your dinner guests.

November 23, 2006 - Fall Salmon

Kymmy and I would like to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving Day. The weathermen are calling for widely scattered showers today and tomorrow. All the rivers are dropping. The Smith River is already two feet lower than it was yesterday. The forecast for next week is clear skies. I have days available on my calendar, and with the fresh fish that I have been seeing in the river the last few days the salmon season is far from over.

November 22, 2006 - Fall Salmon

Like yesterday because of the heights of the rivers we elected to fish the Smith River once again. By the time we got to the river. It was a foot higher than yesterday, and rising. One could see a lot of fish rolling and moving up the river. Not all were biting though, and because of the river on the rise there were a curtain amount of leaves coming down the river. There were only eight boats on the river. By the end of the day half had limits of fish. The other half had their chances, but lost them for one reason or another. Most all boats had at least one for their Thanksgiving Dinner.

November 21, 2006 - Fall Salmon

When I awoke this morning the wind was howling, and I could hear thunder. I looked on the Internet to see the river flows. The Smith River was at a good flow. After having breakfast, and it became light enough we decided to go down and take a look at the color of the river. It had that emerald green color. The first two hours it was raining, but after that it turned to partly cloudy and sunny. The boat pressure was very light maybe nine boats at the most. At the end of the day I believe all the boats had their limits of fish. Looked as though that a new run of fish had entered the river as all the fish caught were chrome with sea lice. Most of the fish that were caught were in that upper twenty pound bracket. Our last fish came by way of a double. We released one of the fish. One was caught on a plug, and the other we caught by back bouncing roe.

November 20, 2006 - Fall Salmon

With the rain we got the Smith and Chetco Rivers went out. The Elk and Sixes were marginal at best. I did talk to a couple of friends that did try to fish them. They said that only a couple of fish were caught. The Smith River should be fishable tomorrow.

November 19, 2006 - Fall Salmon

The weathermen were calling for it to start raining heavily around 1:00 pm today, and that is just what it did. I don't know if it was because all the rivers are in and fishable. Or if the morning showers had something to do with it, but there was very little pressure on the Chetco River today. Guides that I talked to seemed to have one to two fish. I really do not think that the Chetco River will be fishable tomorrow. Will have to wait until tomorrow morning to see what the river heights of the Elk and Smith Rivers are. I still have some openings this month as well as some in December.

November 18, 2006 - Fall Salmon

The Chetco River came in today just in time for the weekend. This made all the rivers fishable once again. The boat pressure was still heavy because of being a weekend. I only heard of one boat with a full limit of four fish. Most of us had the four hook-ups, but only boated one to two fish. With another day of not raining the rivers will only drop and get even better. This coming week the weathermen are calling for showers with twelve hour brakes.

November 17, 2006 - Fall Salmon

The Chetco River was still a little high, so I elected to fish the Smith River. We ended the day with one out of three. After talking to other guides tonight, that seemed to be the average for today.

November 16, 2006 - Fall Salmon

I had the day off, but I did talk to a couple of my friends who were out there. With the rains we received late yesterday and last night the Chetco, and the Elk Rivers went out again. The Smith River was marginal at best very few fish were caught. Today was a beautiful sunny day and tomorrow is to be the same. The rivers are all on the drop once again. Looks like the next few days should have some really good fishing.

November 15, 2006 - Fall Salmon

With the Smith River dropping in height over night we decided to try it. It turned out to be a really good day. There were a lot of fish caught and hooked. We hooked five fish, but were only able to bring two of those to the net.

November 14, 2006 - Fall Salmon

The Chetco River and the Smith River went out due to the rain we received. Because of that we elected to try the Elk River. Fishing was difficult due to the leaves, but by the middle of the day most had washed out. We ended the day by boating one nice seventeen pound hatchery king.

November 11, 2006 - Fall Salmon

The leaves that have fallen into the river are still giving us problems on keeping our gear clean. The rain for tomorrow is not to hit until the afternoon. Both rivers should fish really well. Late this afternoon my wife and I saw a fish being landed on the Social Security Bar on the Chetco River. There was also another fish being cleaned that was caught up river by someone fishing from a boat. The pressure is mostly on the Smith River right now, but with the Chetco River coming in tomorrow the pressure will be split evenly between the two rivers. There are some really nice fish being caught this season. Give me a call I would sure like hearing from you.

March 18, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

It was a proud day on the river for a father watching his son hook four fish and boating three fish today on the river. Two of the fish hooked were fresh, but unfortunately we lost one. It was a nice sunny day with other boats having the same success. We were on the Chetco River, but I did talk to other friends who worked on the Smith River. They told me that most of the boats had hooked and landed two to three fish.

March 15, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

Wishing I could have been on the river today, because after finding out how some of my fellow guides did on the river, sounds like they had a great day. Most had six to seven fish boated and other fish on just not landed. By days end they also had a couple of fresh fish for their clients to take home.

March 14, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

I was telling you in yesterday’s fish report. I was going to be off the river until Saturday, and that I would call around to some of my fellow guide friends for a fish report. After calling around this evening it seemed like both the Smith River and the Chetco River fished the same today. Both rivers were on the rise because of the showers and hail we have gotten sense last night and today. I was told half the boats got one to two five. The weathermen this evening are calling showers, and a high pressure to set in, starting Saturday through next week.

March 13, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

Today the fresh fish that came in the river yesterday, was found from Nook Bar down to just above Tide Rock. We found and saw others catch the largest concentration of fresh fish to be from Loeb Park down. We had a hard time getting our fish to the boat today losing five, and two were fresh. I was happy that the fellows were able to take fish home from the day before. I don’t have another trip until Saturday, but I will call around to get you a current up date for the fish report.

March 12, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

You can see by today’s fish photos that there are still fresh fish coming into the Chetco River system. Other friends of mine also caught fresh fish as well today. The largest I heard caught today was another twenty pound fish. There have been quite a few of those large fish caught this season. We let other fresh fish go because they were non fin clipped fish, and both of our fish we kept were of the same. Some of the other fish we released were fin clipped fish, but were run backs. The day began and ended as a partly cloudy day.

March 11, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

The last couple of days the fishing on the Chetco River has been far better than the Smith River. Yesterday was the first day of the last enhancement derby of the season. There were only a small number of fish caught on the Smith River around twelve among twenty seven boats, and around fifty fish on the Chetco River among twenty seven boats. Today the boating of fish was much the same by days end. You may have heard we have had a little snow falling in our area. Yesterday, the day began with rain. Then the rain turned to snow. The snow flacks at times were the size of silver dollars. Today the weather was cold but sunny, and you can still see snow along the ocean shore. The majority of the fish being caught right now are fish that have already gone up the river to spawn, and making their way back to the ocean. There are still fresh fish coming in, but you can tell the season is coming to a close by their numbers.

March 8, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

Today I helped a friend who had a three boat party where we elected to all fish on the Chetco River. Two of us boated four fish, and the third boat landed three fish. I talked to another friend who was working down on the Smith River, and he was telling me that he had boated five fish. So it seems like there was good action on both river today.

March 7, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

Because of a cancellation, I have not been on the river the last couple of days. With the season we have had this year with all the rain. I really dislike sitting at home, looking out the window with the sun in my face, and not being on the river. One of the problems we have as guides up here in Northern California and Southern Oregon is there is no weather station here. All the stations are sixty to one hundred miles away trying to give our weather. People outside the area are not always able to get the correct weather forecast. So many of the storms hit just north of us or just south where they don’t affect the rivers as much as they are predicting. For instance the person who cancelled was looking at a weather program in the San Francisco area and they were saying we were to be getting heavy rains all this week. In reality we have had showers and partly cloudy days, and today it was sunny all day. Starting next week a high pressure is setting in, and is going to warm things up. As guides we all have had to become our own meteorologist. We all have become pretty good at it. As for the fish report, I was told the Smith River had most boats came in with one to two fish with others on. I was not able to find out how the Chetco River did. I was told the Elk River was slow. As I was saying in my last report, the last Enhancement Derby will be held this Friday and Saturday. We still have a few more weeks of good fishing, so if you can get away be sure to give me a call. The last derby two weeks ago there were over one hundred fish caught and released and I am sure the one this week will be no different.

March 4, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

One could sum up today’s fishing in one word AWESOME. The weather was partly cloudy, and every hole you stopped to fish in you would see three to four fish come out of it. Not all the fish that were caught were fresh run fish, but at least a third of the catch was. It is sure nice to see this new run of fish come in, and the fish coming back down from spawning are in really good shape. The boat pressure was light with only about twelve boats on the whole river. The weathermen are calling for showers which should not hurt the river at all only hold the color and the height of the river. The last Enhancement Derby will be held this Friday and Saturday.

February 23, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

The Chetco and Smith Rivers are still low and clear, but fresh fish are still entering the rivers to begin their migration up the river to spawn. The weathermen are calling for rain starting on Sunday and continuing through most of next week. I worked on the Smith River today helping another guide who had a seven boat party. All guests will be participants in the up coming derby which begins tomorrow and will end on Saturday. We ended the day boating two fish releasing one.

February 17, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

It did not snow today, but it was cold enough too. It was another morning where the temperature was in the twenties. I was helping a friend with a multiple party he had working on the Chetco River. We got on the river about an hour before the derby boats showed up. There are sixteen boats on each river for the next two days participating in the PERK derby, and we wanted to get a jump on them. The fish that we are boating right now seem to be on the small side, but are sure scrappy. We ended the day with two such fish in our fish box.

February 16, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

When we arrived at the gravel bar this morning just above the forks on the Smith River, the temperature read thirty one degrees. With the wind blowing down the canyon it felt more like about twenty five degrees. Some of the non local guides who stay at one of the trailer parks in the area said that their water pipes had frozen. The forecast for the next couple of days the weatherman said the temperature is going to get even colder, and might even snow. By days end only sixteen fish were caught and twelve killed out of thirty one fishermen according to Fish and Game at Ruby County Park.

February 15, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

The rivers are still producing some fresh fish, but they could really use some rain. The temperatures have really been falling which is causing the river flows to drop quickly. The weather-man was just saying if there was any rain at all it would more than likely turn to snow. We released one small, but fresh fish just above Miller Bar on the Chetco River today. We lost two other fish, one just below the Ice Box Riffle, and the other just above the Highway Hole. I talked to another guide and he boated three fish and lost one at the boat. A bank fisherman told me he landed four fish at the Pilling Hole this morning, and saw a pretty good size school go through in front of him. We saw about forty fish near Loeb Park, but where they were there was no current to get your bait through them. Tomorrow I will be down on the Smith River. Don’t forget that there will be an Enhancement Derby held this weekend which means that there might be a little more pressure than usual on the rivers.

February 14, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Valentines’ Day and able to spend as much time today with their love ones, or if not is doing something special for themselves. That is just how my day has been with my bride, and tomorrow I will be back on the river. I got a phone call from a friend who worked the Smith River today boating four fish, and all were new fish. A couple other guides who worked the Chetco River, one said he boated one fresh run fish out of five fish, and the other guide said he had two out of two. Only one of his fish had just come in the river from the ocean.

February 13, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

Do to the fact that our computer server crashed, I have been unable to give you a daily fish report. It is so nice to have my best friend and wife know all the ins and outs of computers and web sites. Up until today I have been working on the Chetco River where the fishing pressure has been heavy. Today I went down and worked on the Smith River. The Smith River has just a little color left to it and the fishing pressure is light. We landed three fish, with the largest fish being eight pounds, and all were fresh. We were met by the creel censes personnel at the take out and they told us that they had talked to forty fishermen and there were twenty three fish caught. Both rivers are starting to slow down just a little where we could use just a little rain. There is a fish enhancement derby this Friday and Saturday. Both rivers will be utilized so the pressure will be a little heavier than normal.

February 9, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

As I went out the door this morning I was hit in the face by a really warm breeze. When I looked at the temperature gage, at 5:45 am to see just how warm it was, it read sixty-four degrees. It truly turned out to be a day for the sun screen. It should be against the law to be fishing for winter steelhead in seventy-eight degree weather, but that is just what we did today. We boated ten fish today, but only kept four of them. I made my normal scenic run down the Chetco River by starting up in the Forest Service Permitted area. With the river dropping, the fish are starting to hold up in certain holes of the river in large numbers. There are still fish lingering in a few of the other holding holes, giving one a chance of catching fish as you float down the river to the better holes. I noticed today the upper portion of the river has gotten really clear like the Smith River is right now, but the lower end still has great color. One of the holes that we got one of our fish from, we witnessed one boat hook and land three fish in three passes. It seems like the seal that has been in the river for a week now, has moved up the river from Loeb Park to just under the Ice Box Bridge. I do have to say I have not seen him with a fish in his mouth as yet, but I would sure like to see him back in the ocean.

February 8, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

I fished on the Chetco River today, and will be fishing there again tomorrow. It was another bright sunny day. Even the morning was a lot warmer without the frost on the ground. We had three clients who came in with four fresh fish by days end. During the day they had also released three other fish that were run backs. The boat traffic on the river was heavy. Being a holder of one of the up river permits we were able to stay away from a lot of the pressure. Their might be upwards of seventy-five guides working the river at it’s peek only twenty three can legally work the upper portion of the river because of the US Forest Service requiring commercial permits. The Forest Service at this time has it capped off at twenty three permits. I always felt that the upper portion of the Chetco River was by far the prettiest part of the river. If you ever want to see that portion of the river and so much of it you can not see from the road be sure to book your trip with one of the guides that holds an up river permit.

February 7, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

I was telling you yesterday that I was going to be fishing the Chetco River today with the group of eight fishermen, and that is just where we fished. I can’t really express how great it feels to be fishing in 70 degree weather after all the rain that we have received this season so far. Coming down the river with the warmth of the sun on your back just warms your bones up. Maybe I am just getting old, but it sure feels good to be fishing in the sunshine once again. Today we boated six fish. Three were fresh run steelhead and the other three were run backs. Out of the six fish that we boated, we retained two of them. By day’s end all four of our boats had fish. The seals are back in the river again. We saw one seal at Loeb Park, and had a friend tell me that one of his clients lost his fish to a seal in the Lower Water Tower Hole just above Tide Rock. He also told me that from about two o’clock to three thirty there were six fish caught, which means there is a fresh run of fish entering the river. The fish right now are every place that you would expect a steelhead to be laying. As I was loading my boat on the trailer a friend drove out on the gravel bar and said he worked the Smith River today. He said the pressure was a little lighter because of the two rivers now being fishable and that the bite on the Smith River was good, with most boats having their limits.

February 6, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

I worked with a group of eight fishermen, which consisted of four boats today on the Smith River. By days end all of the boats had their limits of fish. Not all of the fish were kept though. In my boat we kept only one out of the three we had boated. The traffic on the river was a little lighter because of some of the boats moving up north to fish the Chetco River, and Elk River. Like yesterday the seals were working on the schools of fish near the confluence of the South Fork and Middle Fork of the Smith River. When I got off the river today I called a friend who had taken his clients on the Chetco River. He said by his days end, he had boated six fish, retaining four. One of the six fish he had boated was a steelhead that had already spawned. Some of the early fish to enter the rivers are now showing up on their return down river to the ocean. The extended forecast is calling for sunshine. I can not tell you how nice it was to fish in sixty degree temperatures today. One of the pleasures of having multiple day trips and having multiple rivers to choose from one is able to fish different river each day of your fishing vacation. Tomorrow we will be fishing these same eight fishermen on the Chetco River.

February 5, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

Having just a little over a week off from work, because of all the weather we have been getting, we finally got back on the river. There is still a little too much color and the river is a little to high to fish the Chetco River just yet. But in about two more days it should be great fishing once again on the Chetco River. Most people are fishing on the Smith River right now. Today the Smith River was a little high, but it had good color. Having the higher water made fishing a little difficult. Most boats only came in with one fish. There were two seals working the fish over in the forks this morning. I am sure that had something to do with the bite being off a little. We hooked a fish in the middle of Douglas Park that took us down river and into the Cable Hole before we were able to land it. When we weighed the fish on one scale it weighed nineteen pounds. On another scale it was eighteen pounds. My guess was eighteen pounds for the weight of the fish, you make your guess.

January 28, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

I was hoping, having today and tomorrow off, I could have treated my bride Kymmy to a couple of days of fishing. With all the snow melt running into the rivers, and the amount of rain we have received the last couple of days. The Chetco River has blown out once again. The Smith River has risen to the point that the method by plunking for the steelhead is the only way to catch fish. As of this report both rivers have crested and are starting to recede.

January 27, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

My clients and I did much better today in getting our fish to the boat. We just needed another day of practice to get that part of fishing down. The biggest problem we had today was finding fin clipped fish. All the fish we boated were non fin clipped fish. The daily bag limit of fish for the Chetco River is two fish. Only one of the two can be a non fin clipped fish.

January 26, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

I started the day by launching my boat at the South Fort put-in of the Chetco River. The morning started in the rain and the day ended in the rain. We had a tough time getting our fish to the boat. It was not until we got down to the last three remaining holes did we finally boat a couple of fish. With all this moisture we are getting it is not affecting the river much because the snow level is at the twenty-five hundred foot elevation mark. Just wanted to pass on a “Thank-You” to all who have given me compliments on the web site and for letting me know you appreciate the Fishing Report.

January 25, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

We all knew that the beautiful weather was not going to last long. Today in Brookings on the Chetco River, we received a half inch of rain. The fishing on the Chetco River this morning was just as good as it has been the last two days. This afternoon the bite did fall off a little bit from what we were seeing this morning. We ended our day of fishing with ten fish hooked and boated nine of them. Everyone I talked to seem to have the same success, boating anywhere six to ten fish. There seems to be a fair amount of large fin clipped fish being caught the last three days. One of our fish that we caught and retained yesterday was a fin clipped fish that had a weight of seventeen pounds. I know of other fin clipped fish that were caught by other people much larger during that same time period. The largest of the fin clipped fish being twenty-two pounds.

January 24, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

If you did not catch a fish today it was because you were not fishing. Fishing just does not get any better than it is right now. The last two days on the Chetco River, has just been the kind of fishing, one only dreams of. Most everyone is fishing in just their T-shirt, because of the warm temperatures. The best part by far is that a lot of fish are in the river and being caught.

January 23, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

Today was the first time in weeks that I was able to fish the Chetco River. We awoke to another morning with frost on the ground. By noon it was as worm as a spring day sixty-five degrees. The fishing pressure on the river was light. It is nice once again having more than one river to fish. After all the rain we have been getting the last few weeks causing the river to rise to near flood stage. It was nice to be able to see just how much the wall paper in my office had changed. The action on the river today can be summed up in one word fantastic. One of my guests got sick last night and was unable to go out this morning. Hopefully he will feel better for tomorrow’s day of fishing. The fish that we had retained by day’s end were two hatchery fish. One of our fish weighed in at thirteen pounds and the other fish weighted in at twelve pounds. I was told by fellow Guides, that the Smith River fished equally as well today.

January 22, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

There was frost on the ground, as well as on the roof tops this morning. Yesterday in my fish report, I said that it was looking like Thursday or Friday before the boats would be able to get back on the Chetco River. Looks like tomorrow might be the starting day. The bank fishermen have had the river to themselves for weeks. I know in the morning I will be looking at the height of the river to see if we can start fishing the Chetco River. The pressure on the Smith River today was really heavy between people fishing from the bank as well as from boats. Most boatmen were hard pressed to have two to three fish.

January 21, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

After being off the river due to cancellations, it sure felt great being back in my office. It was a partly cloudy sky, with the river having that emerald green color to it. I saw one guide in Jed Park with a double - landing both of them. I don’t think there was one boat that did not come off the river without their limits or elected not to because of releasing their fish. Every time you looked around someone was fighting a fish. The river is still just a little high. With the next four to five days being fair to partly cloudy the river is only going to get better. Looks like maybe Thursday or Friday we might be able to fish the Chetco River.

January 15, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

It was such an oddity to actually have on a pair of sun glasses while working on the river today. One could look around and everyone was wearing a smile. It was not just because of all that glorious sunshine in their faces, but also the amount of fish being caught. Most boats were averaging four fish to the boat. The fish being caught lately have been in that eight to twelve pound class with an occasional fish in the teens.

January 14, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

With five days of not fishing it sure felt good to get back on the river again. The Smith River is still running a little high, but the color is not that cement color but more of a green. We hooked three fish although only landing two of them. There was a light rain all night and up until about 1:00pm this afternoon. The weathermen are calling for the next two days to be partly cloudy. This in turn will allow the rivers to drop. I can not wait to see the sun again.

January 9, 2006 - Winter Steelhead I had two boats out today. Because of a no show, there were only three people in the party. We fished the Smith River, and by days end had boated three fish releasing one. The second boat fishing a single, boated one. We started fishing at the confluence of the South Fork and Middle Fork of the Smith River. By the time we got to the covered bridge, we had seen eight fish boated. The other good bite we witnessed was in Jed Park area. The bank fisherman at Jed Smith Park had caught fish. We had an overcast day without rain until noon and then the showers started. The forecast is calling for rain with high wind warnings for the next two days. It is going to be awhile before we are going to get back on the Chetco River with boats. The fishermen fishing from shore have been doing okay there though.

January 8, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

With the Chetco River still being to high to fish from a boat we went down to the Smith River to fish. The Smith River is high also, but the color is good and there are places to work your boat to try and get that allusive steelhead. The river came up a foot last night. The showers had stopped by morning and by the middle of the day we had sun. With the raise in the river, it threw the bite off from the day before. Because of the speed of the river most oarsman are making two runs. I put in at the Forks and took out at the Peacock Bar. I made that run twice today. We did not have a bite on our first trip down the river. We did see other fish caught though. Our second trip ended with two fish boated, releasing one of them. The fellow taking the creel senses said he talked to forty nine boats and the total fish count was eleven. Yesterday’s count of fish was in the thirties.

January 6, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

If you were going to fish from a boat today the Smith River was the river to be fishing on. Most all of the boats found their limits of fish and released others. The highest percentage of caught fish came from above the Peacock Hole. The Chetco River is still cloudy, and a little high. By the time the boats on the Chetco River got to the take out they felt lucky to have one fish in the boat. Both rivers are still dropping as of this report. We have had light showers most of the day and to continue through tomorrow with a brake on Sunday.

January 5, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

Most of the fisherman that were in boats had their limits of fish on the Smith River today. The river is still just a little high, but coming in nicely. On the Chetco River I only saw two boats to try and get a fish report from. Only one fish was landed between the two boats. The Chetco River too is a little high, and has a lot more color than the Smith River. The fisherman fishing from the bank at Social Security Hole had a great day landing twenty-three fish. Some were caught by drifting others were by the method of plunking. It is a good thing that gravel bar is as long as it is because there was close to fifty people fishing on it.

January 3, 2006 - Winter Steelhead

We have been getting RAIN. Thought you might like to see some photo's my wife Kymmy and I took last Saturday (12/31/2005) around the Chetco River. For the last two days, we have only had widely scattered showers, which has allowed the rivers to drop considerably. Without any major storms in the near future, and with the snow level dropping in the next couple of days, I am sure the Smith River will be fishable by Thursday. The Chetco River should be back in by the first of next week, keep your fingers crossed. The river was at 45,000 CFS when we took these photos. We normally fish less than 5,000 CFS. It went to 60,000 CFS on Friday, December 30. It is currently at 10,000 CFS.

December 28, 2005 - Fall Salmon & Winter Steelhead

With all the rain we have been getting, our rivers are all reading at near flood stage. The only fishing that one can see going on, is a few die hard fishermen sitting in their cars and trucks with their rods in rod holders plunking along the rising shore line. We are supposed to have a little break in the rain tonight. Another storm is due to come in tomorrow and not ending until next week sometime. Pretty soon we will all be out fishing like last year, fishing everyday.

December 20, 2005 - Fall Salmon & Winter Steelhead

Both the Smith and the Chetco Rivers went out because of all the rain we have been getting. What snow we had in the local mountains has now melted and into the rivers. The rain is expected to last until Christmas. It is extremely warm for this time of year, low sixties. I am sure once the rivers drop again they will be full of steelhead.

December 16, 2005 - Fall Salmon & Winter Steelhead

With the high pressure moving to the east. We are to start seeing rain by tomorrow and continuing through most of next week. With the rising of the rivers, we should start to see the steelhead enter the rivers in good numbers. The last few days the boats have been averaging one to two fish per boat. With the coming rain we should see that average go way up.

December 11, 2005 - Fall Salmon & Winter Steelhead

Both rivers right now are becoming low and clear. The Chetco River has just a little more color than the Smith. Boats seem to be averaging one to two fish. The other day I went over to talk to a couple of fisherman fishing from the bank to see how they had been doing. One of them had a twenty pound steelhead he had just landed. It was his first steelhead for the season. What a way to start the season. We could really use some rain right now, but it is not in the forecast for this up coming week. The steelheads do have a way of sneaking into the rivers sometime without the rain. With every tide change we should have a few more fish coming in to play on. A few fish are still being caught on the Elk and Sixes, but they too need the rain.

December 9, 2005 - Fall Salmon

The fishing was just as tough today, as it was yesterday. The fellows that did not catch fish yesterday caught the fish today. Only steelheads were boated. We did not hook any salmon. It was a very enjoyable two days. The sky was clear and the river had that emerald green color to it. Sometimes just getting out of town and the office for a couple of days can seem like having a week's vacation. During that time if you can land just one fish, it is just icing on the cake.

December 8, 2005 - Fall Salmon

I fished the Chetco River today with three other boats. All part of Irish Communications a company based in California that has been fishing with me the last eighteen years. Fishing was tough, but each boat did catch a fish. It was a typical December fishing day with salmon and steelhead being caught. The river has really good color and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day of fishing.

December 4, 2005 - Fall Salmon

The rivers finally dropped enough to get back out on the river. Today I worked on the Smith River. This morning while we were getting fishing licenses, I talked to a friend who had been fishing from the bank. He was telling me that yesterday there was steelhead caught at the Stump Hole and also at the Water Tower Hole. I already knew of some fresh salmon in the river. So I really got excited about hearing about the steelhead. It is time for them to start showing up in bigger numbers. Because of the river being a little high I put in at the forks and took out at the public boat ramp below the 101 bridge. We ended the day with a couple of bites and one 44 pound salmon. I think we could have had a little more action if it was not for following a seal down the river all day. We are not suppose to have any rain this week so give me a call and let's go fishing.

November 29, 2005 - Fall Salmon

The rain tapered off today, but is to start back up by tomorrow afternoon. Both rivers are starting to show some of the early winter steelhead coming in. There are still a few salmon in the rivers.

November 25, 2005 - Fall Salmon

I awoke to the sound of rain on my roof. It had rained all night. The Chetco River only came up three hundred cubic feet per second, but it was still on the rise throughout most of the day. The river above the north fork had good color, but a lot of leaves were in the river. Were saw a good number of fish rolling. By days end we only had a couple of bites and no fish boated.

November 24, 2005 - Fall Salmon

We are finally getting some of that needed rain today, which is suppose to last until the beginning of the week, which will hopefully bring the rivers up and give it some color and some new fish. I am fishing tomorrow and when I come in tomorrow night, I will be able to give you an update on the current fishing conditions.

November 23, 2005 - Fall Salmon

I started the day at Loeb Park on the Chetco River. Getting one fish and losing 1 other by 11:00 am. Fishing was slow, so we went to the Smith River where we also boated 1 fish and lost one other. We ended our fishing day with a 2 fish total. Both rivers are very low and clear.

November 18 & 19, 2005 - Fall Salmon

Today we had a private derby for Contractors from the Santa Rosa area. My team came in 3rd place winning the prize of $1,000.

November 12, 2005 - Fall Salmon

Today is the second day of the Friends of Cal-Or Fishing Derby. All participants fished the Smith River today. We boated 1 fish and released it. The derby through the raffle and auction raised $8,000 before expenses. The Elk Valley Casino donated directly to the hatchery $7,500.

November 11, 2005 - Fall Salmon

Today is the first day of the Friends of Cal-Or Fishing Derby. Due to the small number of teams, all participants fished the Chetco River. We boated 2 fish. The river was low and clear, and the weather was nice.

November 8, 2005 - Fall Salmon

Well it is that time of the year again. I just finished up with the 4 day trips on the Wild and Scenic section of the Rogue River. I have changed out my gear and got the boat ready for some Salmon Fishing. The Salmon are here. We have been having some rain which has opened the rivers. There are reports of some nice fish being caught on both the Smith River and the Chetco River. We are having a Fish Enhancement Derby this weekend.

April 8, 2005 - Winter Steelhead

I just got off the phone to a couple of guide friends of mine. They were telling me that the fishing on the Smith River was really good just before these two storms that we have been having. They were still getting some fresh steelhead as well as down runners. By the end of today they each had a couple of fish. All but one were down runners. The Smith

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