Steelhead fishing in Northern California remains a game of hit or miss. During a recent trip on a coastal river with friends Gary and John it was a hit with a nice fish to hand in the third run of the day. More recently, with new comers to Spey Derek and Tim we fished hard all day with only the satisfaction of mastering a few new casts to show for our efforts. Swinging flies for Winter Steelhead is at its best an opportunity to encounter a single fish, anything beyond that is exceptional. 

After a prolonged spell of no meaningful precipitiation since around the first of the new year the weather outlook seems to be shifting towards increased chances of rainfall for Northern California. Hopefully this will see a few of our coastal rivers bump up enough to usher in some fresh waves of winter steelhead. As of right now low and clear conditions persist on all coastal steelhead rivers in Northern California and beyond, but that picture is sure to change with increased chances of precipitation. A few rivers have closed due to the newly extended low flow fishing regulations and others are getting close to the deadline. With March fast approaching and the weather outlook shifting towards more favorable conditions we should see an uptick in fishing opportunities heading into the final act of the season here in Northern California. Stay tuned!