45lb. King Salmon

Guide Rye Phillips of Brookings Fishing Charters holds a 45-pound king salmon caught and released Nov. 25 on the Smith River by Jeff Bounsall of Santa Rosa. They were side-drifting for steelhead when they caught the salmon on roe and a Puff Ball.
Photo Credit: Brookings Fishing Charters

by Kenny Priest
12-2-2021
Website

With no rain for a couple weeks, the Smith is low and clear, but remains open to fishing. Boat pressure has been light, as most guides have canceled their salmon trips due to the conditions and lack of fish. Winter steelhead should start to trickle in even during the low-water conditions. As of Wednesday, flows were right around 1,075 cubic feet per second on the Jed Smith gauge.



Find "Fishing the North Coast" on Facebook and fishingthenorthcoast.com for up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.