According to Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors, the Mad has finally turned steelhead green, and there seems to be some fish around. “The guys tossing bait are doing well, and the liners have been having a hard time since the water cleared up. There are pockets of fish throughout the river, you just need to find them. There’s a good mix of wild and hatchery fish around, with the lower river having a better concentration of fresh fish,” Kelly said.

Kenny Priest operates Fishing the North Coast, a fishing guide service out of Humboldt specializing in salmon and steelhead. Find it on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and www.fishingthenorthcoast.com. For up-to-date fishing reports and North Coast river information, email kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com.