Eel River

[SanJoseBass]

Hey all! Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. We are planning a weekend trip to the Eel River next week(weather pending). Probably just going to bank it up. Any tips on where to get a hotel and call a place home base for the weekend?

[Jeff F]

I usually stay at the Best Western in Fortuna by the Riverwalk. You can walk to the Eel River Brewery for dinner and brews. There's like 4 hotels right there on the Riverwalk. The Redwood is decent too. And you can walk over to the river and watch the sunset.

That being said........The main Eel is pushing 30K cfs right now. It won't fish for a couple weeks at least. Anything above 6,000cfs will usually be a muddy mess. Optimal flows on the main Eel are like 3,000cfs. So don't plan on fishing the main Eel.

The SF Eel is unfishable now too. For reference, check the gauge at Leggett. If the flows are below 1,000cfs, it's usually fishable. There's also a gauge at Miranda. Look for that to be around 1,500cfs or so. Then you know it's green and fishable. There should be some early fish in the SF, but they're tough on the fly rod. The fish in the main Eel seem to be more grabby for some reason. If you do fish the SF, eggs and indo's are probably your best bet. Swinging flies on the SF is fun, but frustrating. Yes, fish are caught swinging, but most of the guides with clients use eggs and indo's.

Prime time on both rivers is Jan/Feb. Although last year was pretty much a bust. The fish came up with all the rain early. And the river was only fishable for a couple very short windows. And of course, everyone and their mother were fishing, mostly on the SF. Far fewer people on the big river.

[SeattleFlyGuy]

what about the nearby Van Duzen River? Mad River?
I'm itching to do some fishing soon and thinking about checking these 3 rivers out.
if you stay in this area how feasible is it to cover these rivers?

I've also had almost everyone i've talked to say "be careful' up there? any legit safety issues?
is it legal to open or conceal carry when fishing these areas?

i do have access to a drift boat, and I'm very experienced rowing, however unfamiliar with any nor cal rivers.
are there any shuttle services or decent floats on any humboldt county rivers?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Jason Hartwick is the guide for Spey casting for winter Steelhead on our north coast.

http://steelheadonthespey.com/

Jason is up there all winter and has a better idea what rivers are in the best shape from day to day.

[Jeff F]

what about the nearby Van Duzen River? Mad River?
I'm itching to do some fishing soon and thinking about checking these 3 rivers out.
if you stay in this area how feasible is it to cover these rivers?

I've also had almost everyone i've talked to say "be careful' up there? any legit safety issues?
is it legal to open or conceal carry when fishing these areas?

i do have access to a drift boat, and I'm very experienced rowing, however unfamiliar with any nor cal rivers.
are there any shuttle services or decent floats on any humboldt county rivers?

Decent floats? Yes. Main Eel and the SF Eel are great floats. I float with a buddy, so I'm not sure about shuttles, but I'm sure there are some folks who offer them.

As for the other rivers you mention.....

The Van Duzen is a tributary to the Eel. It's a beautiful river, especially up above the flood plain in the redwoods (above Carlotta). It gets a good run of big steelhead. However, it blows out very quickly with a decent rain, and takes forever to clear. But when the main Eel is fishable, the VD usually is too. Floating is possible. Most float the lower river below Carlotta down to the mouth.

The Mad River......completely different animal than the Eel or Van Duzen. The Mad is combat fishing. Yes, there are tons of big steelhead that come up the river, most of which are headed for the hatchery. The hatchery is located in Blue Lake, which is not too far from the ocean. So there's only a few miles of river to fish. And those miles are jammed with guys lining fish. I lived in Eureka for 4 years and fished the Mad a total of 2 times. Just too many people for my taste. And like the Van Duzen, the Mad blows out quickly and takes a long time to green up. But that doesn't stop the liners from fishing. You don't need clarity to line fish. You can float it, but there's just so many people it's hard to find open water.

Timing is everything on the Humboldt rivers. They all blow out quickly and take long to clear. The SF Eel clears the quickest, but those fish are tough to get on a fly. Beautiful place though, with lots of access points. Get a Streamtime Map of the Eel. It has tons of access points for the main river and the SF.

As for "being careful".....I've never had any problem on any river in Humboldt. Yes, it is the pot capital of the world. However if you just stick to public accesses you'll never have a problem. There are tons of access points on each river. It's not like you have to find "secret spots" on these rivers and go through private property. There's no need to do that. Most accesses have good water to fish and long gravel bars both up and down stream. Especially the main Eel. The flood plain is so wide that you're rarely fishing even near anyone's property. And you can drive right down on the gravel at most places. So I wouldn't worry about encountering any trouble-makers. Not sure about the gun laws, cuz I'm not a gun guy.

~Jeff

[SanJoseBass]

Awesome infor. Thinking this weekend is the time to go. I want to take my drift boat so figuring out where to launch. Any tips?

[Jeff F]

Awesome infor. Thinking this weekend is the time to go. I want to take my drift boat so figuring out where to launch. Any tips?

None of the Humboldt Rivers will fish this weekend. Flows are still way too high and muddy. Eric O. and myself will be up there for 3 days the following weekend though. Everything should be in shape, with the exception of the main Eel, which I fear will still be too high and off color........even with no rain in the forecast. It's dropping quick right now, but the dropping really slows as time goes on.

[Dragking]

Agreed. The CNRFC has the South Fork (Miranda) at like 3K next weekend. That's no bueno. My guess is mid to late next week (a week from this Thursday and Friday). The main stem will be a few days after that (assuming no more rain).

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

[Humboldt Coastie]

I also agree that the rivers in Southern Humboldt are gonna be a little too turbid to fish this weekend.

Also, its always good to have tow straps and an extra 4wd on hand when putting in or taking out on the SF. Some of the spots ideal for launching a boat can be pretty steep or covered in loose sediment after some of these high flow events. Not trying to be a naysayer just thought it was worth mentioning as that riverbed is constantly changing. There's nothing worse than getting stuck taking the boat out at the end of a long day. Depending on where I take out I sometimes bring the second truck downstream before I take out just so its standing by in case I bury the first truck pulling boat out.

I was planning on spending Feb 6 - Feb 10 in Southern Humboldt with my drift boat but now the forecast is calling for some pretty good rain accumulations Feb 1- Feb 2. Hopefully the forecast changes for the better and the rivers turn green!

[yankeefanbob]

Great pictures Mario!!