Steelheading in rising flows?

[Bruce Berman]

So, I'm up here from AZ and the rains have started. I can't remember ever hooking a steelie on a rising river and with rain predicted all week, I don't see the rivers starting to fall until at least the weekend. My main question is, have any of you had success on rising flows?
I see 4 options: fish rising flows or the Trinity or American (both dam release controlled) or seeing the gf (no damn controls).

[BobVP]

Bruce,

One of my more memorable fish came on a rising coastal river, here in Mendocino County. It was raining cats and dogs....I was younger (Much younger).....had only a few hours to fish.

For a few years after that I tried to fish when it was raining! That wasn't a great formula but I did catch fish sometimes, like every steelheader does, but no better than on a non rain day.

I am elated there is rain now. Some of the local fish have been wearing sun hats!

[Covelo]

What about the Smith. I have caught fish there on the rise and it fishes better when flows are over 6000 cfs as the fish move to the sides.

[Bruce Berman]

Hmmmm, just checked the flows and the Smith went from under 2,000 cfs to over 10,000. Maybe one of the forks, but that's a lot of change, and more rain is coming.

[Bob Laskodi]

Fishing story time. A few years ago whilst Chris was still at UCD (and fishing 5 times a week!), a scheduled flow increase was going to happen. Chris was out there with the crowds prior to the increase and every one was beating the water into a froth for naught. As scheduled, the flows started their usual stepping increases, and with the increase in flows the crowds declared, oh well here comes the flows and it's gonna blow out the river. And everyone left. Chris took a break and ate his lunch, and whilst eating noticed that previously hunkered down fish started moving up stream with the increased flows. So he decided to hang out a bit longer. Once he finished his lunch he went back to fishing and had his best day ever on this river hooking numerous salmon and steelhead. I believe the final tally was somewhere around a dozen fish for the rest of the day, until the flows got so high it was unsafe for him to fish where he was. And he was the only one there to experience the fantastic fishing. I think you know the moral to this fishing story already!

[Bruce Berman]

Find Chris and go fishing with him? Thanks, Bob.

[Covelo]

One of the days we caught fish on the Smith was in March during a very warm and wet storm. We would make a cast then have to take a step back before casting again because the water level was rising so fast. The river blew out by noon but that morning was pretty good.

Bruce - the Smith is forecast to hit 18000 cfs today then drop quickly overnight and tomorrow. Scheduled to be around 10k by noon tomorrow. Tomorrow afternoon should be prime. Wish I was there at least especially since they have not had any storms in like 4 weeks.

[dpentoney]

Some of the best days I ever had were while the rivers were rising after a good rain that freshened things up. The last few hours before the river is blown out can be epic......