Coastal Rain River · Mixed · Northern California, US

Gualala / Garcia steelhead cluster

Aerial view of the Gualala River meandering through green coastal hills to meet the ocean.
Prime · Steelhead
Stu's Mini-Intruder · 12–16
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River high but settled. Coloured water — fish bigger and deeper, confident takes down the seams.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.38 mLast reading 3h ago
  • Water temp11.5°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
SS
Stu's Mini-Intruder12–16
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.38 m
Last reading 3h ago
Water temp11.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather12°C
WindN 27 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent1.8 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
A short window after winter rain, when the river is open and dropping into green
Where
A pair of small, rain-driven coastal steelhead rivers north of the Russian — the longer winter steelhead option once you're willing to drive past Sonoma's…
Why this works
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 8 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
2
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Steelhead
SS
Stu's Mini-IntruderTop
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
HB
Hoh Bo Spey
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
SC
Sculpzilla
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • CDFW low-flow closures (September 1 – April 30) frequently close these rivers
  • Check current open/closed status before travelling
  • Coho are endangered — do not target or harass them.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 1
Russian River
60 km
71
Steelhead · Coho salmon · Chinook salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Aerial view of the Gualala River meandering through green coastal hills to meet the ocean.
    Gualala River mouth
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Wild winter steelhead with coho and Chinook recovery context. Do not target or score listed salmonids; surface presence, closures and careful catch-and-release handling. Wild steelhead only — handle gently and keep them wet.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Not assessed
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Gualala Regional Park Beach' (CAC1138503020081029150443), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: not assessed. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · CAC1138503020081029150443

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time7013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity6612% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 September → 30 April
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts