Smith River Fishing Report

Author: Report Date: November 7, 2017 Trout fishing closed Sept. 15 in the mainstem and tributaries. Chinook fishing in the lower Smith should be decent as more fish move into the system but reports have indicated pretty slow fishing thus far. There is no Chinook fishing...

Smith River Bright with Kings

Author: Report Date: October 26, 2017 The river opened to fishing on Friday, but Sunday was the day. After peaking at 4,200 cfs early Sunday morning, the Smith was full of bright kings, along with some darker fish that have been holding in the lower river...

Smith is giving up salmon

Author: Report Date: October 19, 2017 Britt Carson of Crescent City’s Englund Marine reports the mouth of the Smith is giving up quite a few salmon. He said, “I’ve seen quite a few caught this past week, with a gold/copper 3/4 oz. cleo being the top...

Smith River fish hoping to see rain

Author: Report Date: October 12, 2017 A few fish are reportedly being caught at the mouth tossing Kastmasters and Cleo’s. If the rain comes as predicted next week, we should see a decent push of fish enter the lower river. The river is currently closed to...

Smith River Fishing Report

Author: Report Date: May 9, 2017 The Smith closed to all fishing above tidewater (Spencer Creek in the main and Johnson in the North Fork) from May 1 through May 22. It re-opens to trout fishing on May 22.

Fishing to a trickle

Author: Report Date: March 30, 2017 “Fishing is pretty tough on the Smith right now,” said guide Mike Coopman. “For whatever reason, we haven’t seen a good push of downers in the lower river yet. They’re getting some upriver, but they seem to be just trickling...

The Smith is keeping us hooked

Author: Report Date: March 23, 2017 “The Smith isn’t red-hot, but we’re still catching a couple fish a day,” said guide Mike Coopman. “The majority of the fish we’re catching are fresh ones, there’s only been a trickle of spent fish coming down. It’s possible after...

Late-season steelhead anglers slowed by rain

Author: Report Date: March 23, 2017 It appears this steelhead season is going to end much like it began. All of the coastal rivers, other than the Smith, are currently high, muddy and not fishable. And more storms are lined up offshore. I swear I’ve written...

Smith river steelhead

Author: Report Date: March 16, 2017 The Smith is still full of fresh steelhead reports guide Mike Coopman. He said, “We’ve been averaging anywhere from three to five fresh steelhead a day this week. The downers have yet to show up in any numbers, it’s been...

Smith River Fishing Report

Author: Report Date: March 14, 2017 The Smith often clears before others in the Umpqua Basin after high flows. Fishing should currently be solid with lower water levels. Winter steelhead fishing opened on Dec. 1 upstream to Bridge 10 (approx. 14.5 miles up the N.F. Smith...

High water on the Smith River

Author: Report Date: March 9, 2017 The Smith was blown out on Wednesday, but is on the drop and should be in good shape by the weekend reports guide Mike Coopman. He said, “Before this last high water, the fishing was still really good. We’re still...

Smith River kicks out steelhead

Author: Report Date: March 2, 2017 The Smith continues to kick out fresh, quality steelhead. Boats drifting the forks to Ruby are getting up to five hookups per trip. With rain back in the forecast starting Friday, the Smith will likely blow out on Saturday. It’s...