I just finished up a two day swing trip with Patrick on the North Coast. Recent king tides and a dropping river with a heavy pea soup stain gave us optimal conditions for finding a fesh steelhead or two as we started off on the first day. We floated the S. Fork Eel and had the river mostly to ourselves on our stretch. Despite good conditions we ended the first day empty handed, but the weather had been kind to us and Patrick and I were able to work on some casting techniques. All in all a great day to be on the water. The beauty of the old growth Redwoods that line the banks of the Eel never disappoint. 

The second day started with a soaking light rain and heavy cloud cover. It was pure winter steelhead weather to be sure and hopes remained high that we would have an encounter or two. It was in the first run we fished that Patrick got grabbed and quickly found himself tethered to a mean little buck who put up one helluva fight before we were able to land him. It was a remarkable wild specimen, still clad in silver, it's fins translucent and glowing in the dim light. We were stoked to put it mildly. We fished hard for the rest of the day without another grab until we decided to try one more run as the sun was getting low over the Pacific. This time the grab came on the first cast and we both knew immediately that this was a hot fish. It drilled us. Patrick fought it up and down the run until finally it came off the line. No matter, it gave us a show neither of us will soon forget. It was the perfect end to a phenomenal day of winter steelhead fishing. 

Fishing on the coast is in full swing. The Eel River is going to be in near perfect shape through the end of this week and will be the best bet for anyone looking to make the journey north along the coast in hopes of swinging up one of these elusive creatures. The New Year will see a few rivers open to fishing aswell, giving us anglers even more opportunities to make the connection.  Rain is forecast to return to the North Coast by late next weekend and continue into the early part of the week. It could potentially be enough to blow out a few rivers, but also give a much needed bump to others. It should be an epic 2019 season. Happy New Years from the coast!