Coastal stream/river fishing info

[John Sv]

Hi,
I have a couple of books that reference and describe fishing the Gualala, Garcia, Navarro, Noyo, etc but they are older or just do a gloss over. Can someone point me in a direction to learn more about fishing there? I only make it over there maybe once every two years, not enough time to put in the necessary time.
Is it worth trying? Are there fish? Are there guides (books)? Are there guides (people)? Also, how come no one talks about the Mattole? Is it too far, or a secret, or not that good?
Thanks. PS I'm not asking to give up secrets, just wondering if it is worth getting to the starting line!
John

[Darian]

John,.... Much of what was written in books about this area is old. There're newer articles about fishing in those areas in magazines such as California Fly Fisher. I fished the coastal area from Santa Cruz County to the Oregon border almost all winter from 1968 through 1980. After moving to Sacto, I slowed down on that trip. Following is what I learned.

Many of the smaller coastal streams (e.g. Salmon Creek, etc.) should be considered only if passing by and seeing that conditions are good and the closures have been lifted. The medium sized streams (e.g. Gualala, Garcia, Navarro, Noyo, etc.) usually have fish in them after the sand bars blow out but might not be fishable for a while after a rainy period. The Russian River has fish in it after the bar blows out, as well but it gets high/muddy after heavy rains and stays that way for lengthy periods. All of the lower coastal rivers/streams have late season runs. Most fish enter them in late winter (Think Jan, Feb and Mar). Timing is a real issue for a traveling angler on all of these rivers/streams. If you don't have the freedom to go on a moments notice (when conditions are right, fish are present and any closures have been lifted), your chances of success are substantially reduced.

If I were you, I would go the area from the Eel River northward to the Smith. There're more fish throughout the season up there and if a rain storm comes through you can go back up into the Trinity drainage and fish below the dam which doesn't get out of shape from rain as easily as coastal rivers/streams do. Otherwise. you can fish tidewater, up river/stream in a number of places.

I've only fished the Mattole River occasionally, many years ago. It's so far off the beaten path and by itself, that it takes a commitment in time. Also, if you arrive there and it's not producing, you've wasted a day of fishing.

In fishing coastal rivers/streams, it's important not to get married to one location. If you arrive at your target water and nothing's happening, move to the next one. Also, get some local info. You can call places like King's News & Tackle in Guerneville (Russian River) or Grundman's Sporting Goods in Rio Dell (Eel River), Eureka Fly Shop for weather and prospects. There're a couple of members of this BB that live and guide in that area and may chip in some additional info.

Hope this helps....

[Larry S]

John,
A great resource is the StreamTime map for each of those rivers. Dated? Yes. Still a wealth of info at a very reasonable price.
I suggest a guided trip on the Eel since there are many accessible points that you can go back to wade fish.
If you're into the 2-handed thing, Jason Hartwick is there all winter. Take the Streamtime map on your guided trip and mark
the spots to drive to.
The Smith and Chetco are great possibilities when the fish are in and the conditions are right.
Besst,
Larry S

[Tony Buzolich]

Before buying our house in Yuba City my wife and I trailered around for two years. We'd spend three months at a time in Oroville chasing salmon, three months at Sugar Barge in the delta chasing stripers, three months on the coast chasing steelhead, and then three more back in the valley chasing stripers again in the spring. Two years went by fast.

But those streams on the coast were a challenge as every one of them is both different and similar in numerous ways. Rain is a key factor at all of them. As Darian mentioned the mouth build up sandbars and block the flows and entrance of fresh fish. If there is enough rain in that area then the bars open and allow fish to come into the system. Once the fish are in the rivers are they here following salmon or here on their own accord with spawning on their mind? How far upriver are you chasing them? How long have they been in the fresh water? This determines their diet and also what flies you'll want to use. What about the water itself? Is it clear or off color and muddy? All of these things need to be considered before you can get serious about going after steelhead.

Lastly, how much time do you have to pursue these fish? You could easily spend weeks on each river just learning the nuances of each seam or riffle or hole and any of these rivers.

To shorten the learning curve,,,,,,,,,,, hire a guide. Call several of the fly shops mentioned and ask them what's going on in their area, and if things look promising ask them if they can recommend a good guide to help you out. It'll be the best money ever spent when this pro puts you on fish, and most guides are willing to share information about where you might try on your own.

Call a fly shop first.
Tony

[yubaman]

One person who will guide in those areas, drift or wade, is Aaron Graebel. His business name is The Northern California Guide service. He is a knowlegable, hardworking guide that you will enjoy. He has fished these areas quite thoroughly. Another guide who works the coast area is Mike Hibbard. They are both out of Redding, so they will schedule 4-5 day runs at a time on the coast, and you have to schedule these with them well in advance. Good luck.

[SebastianV]

The trick to the coastal rivers is knowing the optimal flows for each river, then being able to fish a specific river in perfect conditions for a few days to "find the fish." I would never consider exploring the coastal rivers without catching fish as a waste of time. There are few things better than fishing a wild river amidst redwoods. Often the reason no one talks about a specific river is they have put in a bunch of time learning a specific river and don't want to give up the info they whole-hardheartedly worked to get. Many of the rivers you mentioned are undammed and therefore contain more wild fish. These fish move upriver differently than in dammed river situations. These wild coastal fish have acclimation points spread throughout a river system and often use the feeder streams to spawn. The best tip I can give is doing some research to find the optimal flows, and use google maps to locate tributaries entering the main river and starting from there.

[Bob G]

John -

I feel that Darian provided you with the absolutely best possible overview regarding the streams that you mentioned...I suggest that you printout Darian's information because every little nuance that he notes is significant.

I grew up fishing these streams in the 1950s thru 1960s.

Best of luck!

Bob

[John Sv]

Thanks all!
We spend a lot of time mountain biking and Jackson Demonstration Forest, The central Eel area and the Shelter Cove have all recently developed trail networks. Before it was tough to justify trips out that way (live in Truckee) but with trail networks there is plenty to do. Coastal streams have always intrigued my as I've driven alongside or over them. Nice and mysterious you know!

[neck fat]

To shorten the learning curve,,,,,,,,,,, hire a guide. Call several of the fly shops mentioned and ask them what's going on in their area, and if things look promising ask them if they can recommend a good guide to help you out. It'll be the best money ever spent when this pro puts you on fish, and most guides are willing to share information about where you might try on your own.

Call a fly shop first.
Tony

Hire guide. Same answer to all qustions. Laugh.

[JasonB]

Hire guide. Same answer to all qustions. Laugh.

Looks like the pot calling the kettle black to me.
Same, same, same

Some folks do get benefit from hiring a guide, good for you if you don't feel the need; but give it a rest about others recommending one. For someone without a lot of time, and a flexible schedule, and a lot of gas money it could take a very very long time to figure a few things out. In those cases a good guide could make a lot of sense. Nothing wrong with that at all
JB