Coastal Rain River · Mixed · Northern California, US

Mad River

Mad River venue image

A Humboldt steelhead river close to Arcata, heavily shaped by winter rain and by the exact regulation status on the day.

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
  • Level1.76 mLast reading 20h ago
  • Water temp11.2°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
1.76 m
Last reading 20h ago
Water temp11.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather12°C
WindSE 6 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 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
11°C est.ideal 413°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Winter steelhead when open, green and dropping
Where
A Humboldt steelhead river close to Arcata, heavily shaped by winter rain and by the exact regulation status on the day.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though time of day could be better.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 9pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 8 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

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

Through the year
0–3 scale · September 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
Steelhead fly box
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.
BS
Brett's Klamath Intruder
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • CDFW North Coast low-flow rules apply; threshold is 200 cfs at Mad River near Arcata
  • Verify current rules before any hatchery/wild distinction is displayed.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A Humboldt steelhead river close to Arcata, heavily shaped by winter rain and by the exact regulation status on the day. It is not a subtle product call: tell anglers whether it is open, whether it has enough colour and whether it is falling. Everything else comes second. These are steelhead and salmon waters managed by CDFW under strict, frequently-changing seasonal rules — salmon retention is often prohibited and catch-and-release is widely required; check current CDFW regulations before fishing.

  • Mixed
Conservation note

Wild steelhead and listed salmonid recovery context. Separate any hatchery-retention information from wild-fish handling and verify before display.

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time5513% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity5712% weight
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 September30 April
Related guides
Booking & contacts