Coastal Rain River · Mixed · Northern California, US

Mattole River

Photo of Mattole River
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
  • Level3.51 mLast reading 22h ago
  • Water temp10.5°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
3.51 m
Last reading 22h ago
Water temp10.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather11°C
WindNE 13 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 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Winter steelhead when open and dropping after rain
Where
Remote Lost Coast steelhead and salmon recovery water.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though time of day could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
terrestrials
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 9pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 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.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • CDFW low-flow threshold is 320 cfs at Mattole River near Petrolia; check current status before travelling.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 2
Eel River system
24 km
65
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Van Duzen River
36 km
73
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of Mattole River
    Mattole River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Wild steelhead, Chinook and coho recovery context. Conservation-first; no listed-salmonid catch scores.

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time5513% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity5812% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 September → 30 April
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts