BROOKINGS, Ore. - Steelhead fishing kicked into high gear on the Chetco River the first week of January, with big numbers of hatchery fish, a bunch of wild fish and good flows.
"We averaged three to five fish to the boat all week, plus several more hookups each day," said guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. "More than half of the fish were hatchery steelhead."
News of the good fishing on the Chetco spread fast, drawing up many of the guides from the Smith River and Humboldt County. Despite the crowded conditions, fishing remained good.
"There were a lot of boats," Martin said. "Riverside Market was doing around 30 shuttles a day. That's a lot of boats, but just about everyone was catching fish."
Martin's strategy to avoid the crowds involved launching low in the river for a quick morning drift, then trailering his drift boat higher up for a second drift. "We were able to get a few fish each morning near the North Fork or Highway Hole before most of the boats showed up, then run further upriver and come down behind everyone to find a few more fish in the afternoon," Martin shared.
Guide David Castellanos of Cast Guide Service used a different strategy. He launched near the South Fork, and found plenty of steelhead well upstream from most of the crowd.
"The hot bait all week was small roe clusters cured in Pautzke's BorxOFire," Martin said. "There were three different days when we got back down to the North Fork and there were a few boats drifting it and we pulled in and hooked up on our first pass."
Late in the week, the Chetco dropped to 2,200 cfs, and fishing was tougher, but steelhead were still being caught. "We switched to size 4 Lazer Sharp hooks, a little bit of yarn and clusters with just three or four eggs," Martin said. "There were still fresh fish coming in each afternoon on the tide, and we were able to hook up down low late in the day."
Rain was expected to fall Tuesday through Thursday, which should bring the Chetco back up above 3,500 cfs and draw in a new batch of steelhead, Martin said. "The upcoming weekend should be right up there with the beginning of the month," Martin predicted.
