Rain arrives, salmon in Chetco and Smith (Oct. 25, 2015)

Rain is falling today on the Southern Oregon and Northern California coast, and the Chetco and Smith rivers are slowly rising, Both are still very low, but there are big numbers of salmon in the lower sections of both rivers.
We caught salmon last week in the tidewater sections of both rivers, either trolling herring, or floating salmon roe and sand shrimp below bobbers.
The Smith River is still closed below Rowdy Creek and flows need to surpass 600 cfs for the river to open. They are around 270 cfs this morning. The Chetco is around 110 cfs.
Until we get enough rain for an upstream opener on the Smith, we will be bobber fishing the lower section of the Chetco. The rain will help make the fish more active and bring in some fresh, bright fish.
Prime time for the drift boat season on the Chetco River, Smith River, Elk River and Sixes River is rapidly approaching. I have several local guides available for the peak season. This is when we see some of our biggest salmon of the year.
To book a trip, call (541) 813-1082 or visit www.wildriversfishing.com,
Below is one of the nice salmon we caught last week on the lower Chetco River.
- Andy Martin
www.brookingsfishing.com
www.wildriversfishing.com
(541) 813-1082
(206) 388-8988 cell

A 25-pound kings caught on the lower Chetco River last week on a plug-cut herring with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing and Brookings Fishing.

Chetco Bay salmon season under way

While the low, clear water up the Chetco and lack of rain so far this fall make salmon fishing tough above tidewater, it creates prime conditions in the Chetco Bay and estuary, where we have been fishing almost daily for big king salmon.
The ocean off the mouth of the Chetco was open Oct. 1-11, and fishing was generally good. Rough weather took a couple of days away from us at the end of the season.
We are now trolling the estuary, where fresh salmon are coming in daily.
The estuary, which is the lower portion of the Chetco, basically from just above the Highway 101 bridge to the tips of the jetties, will continue to fish until we get a big rain. Then we'll focus solely upriver out of the drift boats.
While trolling the estuary, we also spend a little time jigging up rockfish when the ocean is flat.
The salmon we have been catching are prime fish. Here are some photos from the last three weeks at the mouth of the Chetco.

To book a trip, visit www.wildriversfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082 or (206) 388-8988.

Coos River salmon recap

Each September we switch gears from the ocean out of the Port of Brookings to the Coos River and Coos Bay about 100 miles north of Brookings.
The Coos is often home to the best salmon fishing in all of Oregon in September. The river and bay are thriving with king salmon and coho salmon, and each angler typically catches multiple fish. This is a great fishery for putting salmon in the freezer for the winter.
The season also is very popular with anglers who like calm, protected water, We generally fish the upper part of the bay. There are no swells or large waves. We troll plug-cut herring and troll with the tide. The bites are aggressive. The salmon are in prime shape.

We are beginning to take bookings for next September on the Coos. Email me at wildriversfishing@yahoo.com or call (541) 813-1082 or (206) 388-8988 if you want to get in on the action next year.

Here are some of the photos from the fall 2015 season on the Coos.