Planning to Hit the South Fork of the Eel this coming Monday-Wednesday

[Bwag]

Should I? Or should I head to another river? I've fished it before but wondering if the fish are in the river. Sounds like the upper section is coming into shape and there's not much in the way of weather between now and then. I'm okay with coming home with a big bagel but I'd just like to know that it was me that was lacking and not the river!


I read reports but it seems like when the fish are in the river nobody talks about it and when they're not everyone says to give it a shot.... (This isn't directed to anyone on here or anything I've read on here, I value this forum quite much!).

So if you had three days where would you go? Within Or or CA.

[the_gnarwhale]

No steelhead around yet.

[mikel]

Eureka fly shop
monday - friday 10:00 am - 5:30 pm
saturday 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
(707) 444-2000

[Bwag]

Thanks Mike, I'll give them a call Friday or Saturday.

[Ben J]

I'm sure you could get into some fish on the upper Trinity, but if you really want a coastal fix the Eel system is probably your best bet. The SF may be in shape below the East Branch as well by then?... can't beat swinging in the Redwoods.

Also, if the mouth at Big Lagoon is open to the ocean it will have steelhead and fresh cutties. Those steelhead are probably the fastest spawners around if they can get in and out of the lagoon. Might be worth checking out though, the cuts are fun regardless.

[JasonB]

I'm no expert, and I've yet to fish the sf Eel. Only thing I have to add to this discussion is that it seems to me thus far that waiting for good reports is a great way to get that "should've been hear last week, man it was just on fire!" line. I've found some very favorable fishing conditions every trip I've gone out this fall, but the best ones were when I went out right away upon hearing/reading reports about how "blown out" everything was. Things change fast, and word of good fishing tends to spread much slower from what I can tell. FWIW, I did fish last week up on the Smith and there were certainly some steelhead in the river though it didn't seem like it was particularly prime time just yet judging from the very low numbers of fish hookups that most folks were reporting. For a very trying and difficult trip I did manage what may have been my most exciting 30 seconds or so ever fishing, very exciting that is until my 10# leader snapped after she'd run out almost half way through my backing... she was a beautiful fish though, and so very very strong and fast.

So, if it were me, I'd be more than game to just go, and check it out. As Kobe said, fishing in the Redwoods is pretty cool in and of itself; a whole other world from fishing on say the Trinity. Of course that may not be the most "sane" recommendation (coming from someone who's starting to smell strongly of skunk), but then again if any of us were really "sane" why would we be steelheading??? As they say, if you don't go you wont know...
Best of luck with your adventures either way,
JB

[Bwag]

Kobe, I agree, you can't beat fishing in the Redwoods, not to mention having a hole or even a run all to yourself.

Jason, I'm with you, good reports are many times after the fact, hell I called a shop up north recently which I won't mention publicly and was literally told to "bring your own rock" and then "Just stay home" then "Try the Yuba". And that's from a shop where I've dumped some $ into the previous season and have provided photos for them to use. To be honest, that really irritated me. I get it, they have a guide service and clients that pay them to be put on the fish but I ain't near good enough to ruin their business, hell I could open my own Bagel shop cause that's all I come back with more often than not! I went anyway, got skunked but it wasn't nearly as bad as I was led to believe (I always fish week days and made that known) nor was it a lack of fish being in the river.

You're absolutely right, the Eel is a whole different world from the T. I've pretty much decided I can't ignore the thought of walking through those huge Redwoods and wading into that river watching the fog roll over the mountain tops while hoping to hook into a Steelhead.

Steelhead or not, to me at times, that is as much why I go as is the chance to land a nice chromer, it's just nice to know that there are fish there and I just suck that bad! It's some seriously much needed therapy, not to mention where my dad brought me to hook into my first Steelhead back in the late 80's.

[DAVID95670]

I've pretty much decided I can't ignore the thought of walking through those huge Redwoods and wading into that river watching the fog roll over the mountain tops while hoping to hook into a Steelhead.


You are right. I fished it twice last winter it is the most amazing thing i have fished in CA. Those Redwoods are so large and it is so nice being amoung them while fishing.

[DAVID95670]

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&start=0&num=200&t=h&msa=0&msid=103515332471992036557.000477a1006d4e4d029ad&z=8&source=embed


Eel Access points mostly SF Eel

[shawn kempkes]

While this is a little early for that high in the river there should be fish around. Just be careful because there should be Salmon spawning in alot of places.

[Bwag]

Awesome David, thanks for posting that link. I'll definitely watch out for Salmon and be sure to tread lightly Shawn, thanks for the reminder as my brain is thinking inland rivers where the Salmon are pretty much chum at this point.

[Twigs]

I would watch the weather and stream flows. I was planning the same thing, but it appears that there is a good storm on Sunday with 1" + of precipitation, and I am probably bailing out because of that. Watch the stream flows. Check the flows at Leggett. As of right now they are about 590' which I think is excellent. My reference was fishing the Eel last February and it was a little lower and gorgeous! Other people were catching fish.

If the flow starts to increase, its raining. A little might work, but if the flow jumps up, your trip would be toast.

Nice thing about the steelhead report card is that you can use it as a reference by going back to dates earlier when the river was prime and noting the flows.

I think its still early, but all it takes is one. Good luck.

Twigs

[Twigs]

Use this:

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/eelStages.html

[Rick J]

If forecast is accurate, it will be gone by Sunday

http://www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/graphicalRVF.php?id=MRNC1

[Bwag]

Man this is not looking good.... I was looking at the stream and weather forecasts as well. Thanks for the information, it's not what I want to hear but it is what I need to hear, or I'll just convince me and my buddy to just go, and all it'll turn into a booze fest,! Looking like we'll have to divert to the T...

[Charlie S]

Rain and possible rain forecast for the Garberville area from tomorrow thru Friday....not a huge storm but enough to muddy the waters if it comes to pass. Not many salmon left up in this area (10 miles downstream from Philsbury Dam.

[chromebright]

I fished the SF Eel last Saturday and Sunday Dec 15-16 as well. The river was in beautiful shape and I drove along the Ave of the Giants all the way from the SF mouth to Phillipsville. Used the Streamtime map to locate the best flyfishing runs and explored that long stretch as I'd never really driven the Ave of the Giants before!

Bottom line: Beautiful fishing, lots of solitude...........only one or two halfhearted grabs at my favorite run upstream of Benbow.

Oh well.

Would love to give it another try Dec 25-28 but I'm afraid this storm will have other plans for the river.

Ken

[Bwag]

Sounds like an awesome trip Chrombright! I ended up heading to the Trinity, no luck there but that was on my and my buddy cause everyone else was catching fish!