Coastal Rain River · Mixed · Northern California, US

Smith River

A clear river bend lined with tall redwood trees and a gravel bar, in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California.
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
  • Level1.30 mLast reading 6h ago
  • Water temp12.0°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
1.30 m
Last reading 6h ago
Water temp12.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather10°C
WindE 4 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead1.1 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
Winter steelhead on dropping, clearing flows; only when open under CDFW low-flow rules
Where
California's clearest famous steelhead river — a rain-fed coastal system that rises and falls fast, with winter steelhead moving on the pulse and the whole…
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though time of day could be better.
Likely species
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 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.
BS
Brett's Klamath Intruder
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 North Coast low-flow rules apply from September 1 through April 30
  • Check current open/closed status before travelling
  • Wild steelhead release and salmon restrictions apply.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Gallery · 2
  1. A clear river bend lined with tall redwood trees and a gravel bar, in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California.
    Smith River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Wild coastal steelhead, Chinook and coho recovery context. Surface presence and run timing conservatively; do not generate catch scores for listed salmonids.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Smith River HU, Smith River watershed' (CAR1031101319990618141532), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. 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) · CAR1031101319990618141532

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time5513% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity6912% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 September → 30 April
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts