Gualala River

[kyburz]

Planning on taking my son on his first steelie outing. Looking at Gualala cause its a small stream and relatively nearby. If anyone has any info I would greatly appreciate.

[Darian]

Aside from the low flow closures that apply this time of year, unless there's been some heavy rains in that watershed the bar at the mouth will remain closed. Unless a run of fish is able to come in and actually comes in there's little to fish for in the river. Long way to go (even from Santa Rosa) to find that nothing's happening. Generally, try later this year or early next year (December thru February) and get ready to fish in a crowd.

You probably know this already, there's some rock/surf fishing up there but be careful about trespassing into the MLPA closures around that area.

[kyburz]

Thanks. I'll give it a couple months before I look into it. I've always gone in Jan or feb but never tried to time the mouth opening. Got any fly recommendations? I've always just fished a dark nymph on an indicator rig.

[Darian]

I fished estuaries in the main and have fished up as far as Thompson's on the Gualala. A lot of the small coastal streams close rapidly after a storm front or with high surf. Always seemed that when the bar is closed, Steelhead get lock jaw (even up-river). Understanding tides (timing/flows) is important as well. Flood tides tend to scatter fish. As the water level falls, it tends to concentrate them where you can cast to fish.

I haven't seen anyone fishing indicators with nymphs in estuary fishing; doesn't mean they wouldn't work. I leaned towards using intermediate lines and 9' or longer leaders, depending on clarity of the water. Flies were shrimp patterns, boss, comets, silver hilton and wooly buggers. The old saying, "Bright day, bright fly. Dark day, dark fly" always seemed to work for me. On thing I found over time was that the farther north I went, the darker patterns worked better. Altho I've used bucktails upstream, I haven't had great success in estuaries with them. The lone exception is Skykomish Sunrise. Generally, hook sizes ranged from sizes 8 thru 4.

Hope you have a great day/luck with your son.

[Tony Buzolich]

The Gualala is a classic steelhead river and everything Darian said is right on. I'd wait till we get a good storm or two over there then plan on hitting it two or three days after the rain quits.

I used to fish over there a lot, If you take the north road it will meander along the water for several miles and come to a dead-end. Park anywhere along the way and get and out and look around. There are lots of deep riffles and slots that hold fish as they head upstream. I've always used a shooting head or a sink-tip line with the classic comet, and skunk patterns and a short leader cast and swung across the water. If you find a deep slot, cast a little farther up currant and let it get deep and bounce along the bottom.

If nothing is happening there you can also try the south road turn-off just before the bridge. It goes right into a campground and you can park there and walk upstream fishing along the way from the southside.

I ran into Mike Costello there casting a line for an old man, then handing off the rod and letting the man swing and strip the fly in. What a great guy Mike is. That was almost thirty years ago.

One more spot to try is Annapolis Rd. where the river splits. The turn off is a couple of miles before the bridge. Watch the rules and regulations here as I think Ward Creek is closed when the river is open.

Two more spots close by are the Garcia up Hwy.1 a few miles north at Pt. Arena, and if heading back be sure to stop at Cassini Ranch and fish the mouth of Austin Creek in the river. The creek will be closed to fishing but the steelhead do stack up there waiting for fresh water.

Here's the last (and maybe the best) suggestion before going. Call King's Sporting goods in Guerneville for the best up to date conditions. You also have Lee Soares on our board who lives right there too.

Good luck searching around, Tony

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

http://kingsrussianriver.wixsite.com/kingsrussianriver

You can fish the Russian, Gualala and Garcia Rivers if they are open with rain in the winter.

I would look into a local fly fishing guide, especially for the fact that you live in Santa Rosa..

Timing is very critical and winter Steelhead on a fly is tough.

__________________________________________________ _______

Right now I would go to the Trinity, Klamath or Rogue River in October/November for Fall Steelhead which is much easier fishing.

[kyburz]

Man! What a great response. Thanks for all your Gualala advice. I'll send you fotos when we do it. Best to you and tight lines.

[PV_Premier]

Will the upcoming rain be enough to blow open the mouth of the river? I have never fished the Gualala before but thinking of taking a friend over there and seeing what happens next weekend...

Other options for us would be the Rogue, Trinity, or Eel...

[Idadon]

Somebody correct me if I wrong, but the earliest I ever saw steelhead in the Gualala was shortly after Christmas. That was back in the late 80's and maybe things have changed some since then.

[Darian]

Idadon,.... You're not wrong. The timing of runs in the Gualala have been later in the season (think December, January, February, etc.) due to the need to have enough rain to break the bar at the mouth. Usually, the first heavier rains occur in mid to late December. Add to that, the mouth of the Gualala has a high, rocky head on the north side. That creates high swell/surf rolling around it and tends to push up the bar. All of that blocks access to the river until later in winter.

I used to drive up that way during season and if the mouth was open, I'd stop/fish. If closed, I'd just head up to a river/stream further north. The bar at the mouth of the Garcia River and those to the north always seemed to be open.

PV_Premier,.... I'm not sure I'd try to fish the Gualala this weekend. It's supposed to rain through Saturday. The first rain combined with high surf/tides could make things muddy and back up for several days. I'd take Tony's advice and wait until mid-week (if the bar is still open).