Fishing the Eel River

I recently went to the North Coast and was curious about steelhead fishing in the Eel River. The water flows were really low but the riverbed is enormous. So, does the river get substantially larger in size in winter/spring? That could make for some crazy wading. Since the river flows along the 101, access isn't an issue. I'm curious about when to go. Do the runs start earlier there than the valley river systems? I didn't see many signs that there were fish in the system. By comparison, yesterday at the mouth of the Russian River, there were seals and huge flocks of seabirds eating their fill of fish. My guess is that fish were moving through there? If only I had my gear....

King Salmon and Half-pounder Steelhead enter the lower Eel River in the Fall.

They swim up to the top of tide water which is the area where the oceans tidal influence stops. This is around the Ferndale Bridge.

October is a good time to fish in that open shallow water from the Ferndale Bridge downstream to the ocean.

Later in the winter the fish all start to move up stream in the system.

This varies hugely with the rain.

The winter of 2006-2007 was very good in January because it rained some in December then stopped.

October/November is salmon and half-pounder time depending on the rain.

December, January, February is the winter Steelhead run.

You might find a few Sea-run Cutts in there too.

PS: No matter what you hear or read, be sure to check with the current CA DF&G regulations to be sure about the timing and conditions for any fisheries.

I'm no expert but from what I've gathered it's all about putting in the time to learn the runs, optimal flows, water clarity tendencies after storms etc. Don't limit yourself to just the Eel as there are a good number of good rivers in that area. If you want to shorten the learning cure you might check into a guided trip with Jason Hartwick www.steelheadonthespey.com if your into spey and swinging flies or Jon Mircetich if you like the nymphing game www.riversedgeguide.com That will shorten the learning curve immensely.

Just to add one thing to what Bill and Aaron have said. Just remember that the winter steelhead season on the SOUTH FORK of the Eel opens January 1st and runs to the end of March. Its a great river. Get to know the flows for sure and be prepared to put in a lot of time, the rewards are well worth it. Kevin